CrossFit Athletic Group

I don't remember the exact origins of it, but some time in 2013 I began to evaluate everything at the Champions Club through the Coaching - Movement - Community continuum. All three parts are present all the time; one of them is usually emphasized more depending on what's needed. I wanted to share a short breakdown because at this point the Champions Club is just as much yours as it is mine.

Coaching. This place has to start here because of how personal we are. We originally had three (Murley, Emma, Sydni) in addition to myself, and were working on a farm system to keep bringing up young coaches. There was one major fact I didn't see at the time that proved to break that entire farm system: we didn't have enough people in the gym to have more than one coach, and I wasn't going to fire myself. This was very hard on Emma and Murley, especially, because of how much energy they put into this place and it's something I would still love to be able to redo.

Now it's me you're stuck with at every level: Babies, Double-A, and Group. I evaluate this based on whether or not I feel like my standards at any given time are the same as most of the people. An example of Coaching being the priority was lockdown spring/Summer 2020. In my view, there was a dire need for everyone to get on the same standards as me and the sessions reflected that.

Movement. So imagine you go watch a basketball team play and all the kids are super energized and supportive with each other, engaged with the coach and feel his presence... but none of them can do a left-handed lay-up.

Ultimately the reason you guys all do these workouts is to develop a physical ability your body did not previously have. The relationships you make and the mental effect it has is what keeps you coming back, but it's a byproduct; you have to be able to move well or else you'll get pissed at yourself (or me) because you're injured or stalling.

In 2013 we underwent a complete overhaul in movement standards that lasted until Summer 2015 after getting in-person time with Kelly Starrett (mobility, elbows in, arches, etc.), Carl Paoli (feet together, butt and belly squeezed, etc.), and Dr. Romanov (pose). That was challenging for some of the OGs from the Old Weight Room days who were brought up to just go as hard as you can on every workout and let the form slide. People like Jacob, Cap'n Jack, Ryan, and Aly were in a tough spot because they had seen a good amount of success previously and were now being asked to do things completely different, meaning less weight, slower workouts, and overall less fun. Then when I started helping Coach T in his gym classes in 2014, I learned quickly which movement standards were important and which were weight room specific - something I still continuously battle with in my head.

Community. While I know everyone initially comes in the Champions Club for the value I bring, the truth is they stay because of the value everyone around them brings. I quoted Mobb Deep for this picture...

... and I stand by it. You can put your whole army against my team. Our community is in a constant state of trying to balance having enough people with having the right people. In early 2018 it was obvious that we needed more people; Mr. Carey helped me see that reality. So starting with the Bennis and Colussi families joining that spring, we began to see a steady uptick that culminated in our monster Summer 2019 that featured a roster of 130 people.

...........

Right now my gut is telling me that the Movement area is what needs the most emphasis. I feel like I'm on the same page with just about everyone in terms of Coaching, and our Community is our idenity at the moment - as good as a community can possibly be. We just gotta tie up some loose ends with form that can get lost in the mix of enjoying the time with the people around you.