Get to Know Marjorie Greene, the First CrossFit Affiliate Owner Elected to Congress
Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene was elected to represent Georgia’s 14th District in the United States House of Representatives in the 2020 election and in doing so, became the first CrossFit affiliate owner elected to Congress.
One big thing: It’s a critical moment for community gyms around the United States, as many have faced months of COVID-related restrictions and closures. According to the Community Gyms Coalition, the gym industry has faced a closure rate nearly five times that of the restaurant industry and over a third of local, independent won’t make it through 2021 without federal aid. Heading into the next Congress, there will now be a sympathetic voice for the affiliate-owning community, a legislator who fully understands the situation for more than six thousand small business owners.
The details: Greene grew up playing softball and water sports and later became a full-time mom and co-owner, with her husband, Perry, of a construction company called Taylor Commercial.
- Although Greene no longer owns CrossFit Passion (now known as United Performance), she founded the gym with five-time Games athlete Travis Mayer in Alpharetta, GA in August 2013 and ran it successfully for several years.
- A friend introduced Greene to CrossFit as they trained together at Lifetime Fitness in 2007 and while she was primarily an endurance athlete at the time, both in distance racing and cycling, CrossFit fed her desire for competition and fitness simultaneously.
- In 2011, she committed to CrossFit full-time and in August of 2013 purchased her affiliate with Mayer.
- Not only an affiliate owner, Greene was also an accomplished coach, earning both a CrossFit Level One and Level Two certification, as well as a USA Weightlifting Level One certification and both a CrossFit Kids and USAW Sports Performance Coach certification.
Fitness on Capitol Hill: Personal fitness has increasingly taken a prominent role among federal legislators in recent years and several members of Congress have been CrossFitters, notably Virginia Republican Scott Taylor, Republican Dan Crenshaw from Texas and Hawaiian Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, among others. Eugene DePasquale (D) ran to represent Pennsylvania’s 10th district, and even featured CrossFit in one of his campaign ads, but lost in 2020.
Why it matters: It remains to be seen how the election of a former affiliate owner could play into the advocacy efforts CrossFit LLC has been pushing, represented by its leadership of the Community Gyms Coalition. It’s worth noting that Congresswoman-elect Greene will not be able to vote on legislation until January 2021. Nonetheless, while there have been CrossFitters in Congress in the past, this is the first time an affiliate owner will occupy a position in the House of Representatives, who can articulate the stresses and strains of running a community gym.
Go deeper:
- BREAKING: CrossFit LLC Lobbies for Direct Federal Aid for Local Gyms.
- CrossFit LLC, Community Gyms Coalition Fight for Local Gyms.
- Community Gyms Coalition Urges Congress to Act in Response to New D.C. Regulations.
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