“All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.”- Ellen Glasgow
INDUSTRY
What is an Affiliate Rep and How Do They Benefit CrossFit?
After Eric Roza bought CrossFit along with Berkshire Partners in July of 2020, one of the first things launched under his reign was an Affiliate Representative program, known as Field Leaders.
The idea was simple, in the wake of CrossFit’s most damaging and controversial times, communication from head office to affiliates moving forward was key, and could make or break the company during its most fragile moment.
The US now has 14 affiliate reps, broken down by various states and regions, and two regional managers (East and West). One of the affiliate reps in the US is Zac Zuspann, who runs two gyms out of Oklahoma City (CrossFit Complete and CrossFit Complete West). Zuspann said there is a lot of work to be done, but he is confident CrossFit as a sport, methodology and a company, are headed in the right direction.
Zuspann opened his first box in 2010 and added the program’s guiding light, through the initial stages of a leadership transition, and pandemic, was “to increase communication between CrossFit and CrossFit home office.”
He continued, noting each affiliate is different, which means communication is key at all levels. Zuspann oversees four states (Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas) noting they meet once a week to tackle the problems of the moment. The global pandemic presented a waft of challenges for affiliate owners which included varying degrees of lockdowns according to state or even region, and gym owners trying desperately to find ways to stay afloat as shutdowns dragged on.
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Individual Semifinals email invitations have been set out and they include event locations. CrossFit has offered some updates on key dates for the rest of the season as well.
In case you missed it, Lauren Kalil, the host of The Bottom Line, spoke to analyst Patrick Clark, Games athlete Dex Hopkins and a host of other guests in breaking down the team quarterfinals.
How many CrossFit legends can you fit into one photo? BKGtried his best recently. 🤩
The Atlas Games has sent out an Age Group Registration update. Only qualified athletes can register via a link sent by email. Athletes must use the same email that is linked to the Competition Corner account to access the Atlas Games registration platform.
Volunteer registration for the 2022 Rogue Invitational (Oct. 28-30) is now live.
Fitafy is apparently the first dating app which allows users to select fitness interests and it suggests partners that are into the same activities. Long walks on the beach and WODs anyone?
CROSSFIT GAMES
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Opinion: Weighted Rating System as a Means For Determining Games Spots by Continent
There has been increasing conversation about what an effective process could be for getting the strongest field of athletes to the CrossFit Games. We highlighted this a year ago and also immediately following Quarterfinals this year.
This stems from the current system which awards spots based on Open participation by continent, which on its own does not account for anything that actually happens on the competition floor.
Enter Tyler Watkins’ newest idea to help qualify statistically how many spots are warranted per continent for both men and women separately based on performance at the Games specifically. We will refer to this as Weighted Rating throughout this article.
CrossFit Increases Prices for Level 1 and 2 Certificate Courses
CrossFit has announced it is raising the prices for its CrossFit Level 1 and Level 2 Certificate Courses to US$1,150, up from $1,000.
CrossFit’s Level 1 and Level 2 Certificate Courses provide required training for any aspiring CrossFit coach: the Level 1 lays the foundation of CrossFit methodology, which builds to a deeper understanding of program design, movement patterns, and implementation in Level 2.
The new price, which will take effect this Friday, April 15, will not impact the entire community, said CrossFit in a statement via email.
“The price will not increase (i.e., cost will remain at $1,000) for all levels of current, valid trainers seeking to revalidate, up-level their credentials, or acquire CEUs. Additionally, due to the strength of some currencies, courses in select countries are exempt from the increase. Please refer to the Level 1 and Level 2 Course pages for more details.”
Why it matters: CrossFit’s Level 1 Course was first introduced in 2002 at a cost of $1,000. Though their website clearly states, “CrossFit reserves the right to update pricing at any time,” this is the first time since inception we are seeing a pricing change.
Not for naught: Level 1 trainees will now have access to additional digital resources, including a copy of the Level 1 lectures and a 30-day post-training series intended to help the new trainers apply what they have learned. Level 2 registrants have a new offering as well; a preparation course that will take place online prior to their weekend of training.
The big picture: Global inflation is on the rise again, partially due to the pandemic and also the current war in Ukraine. Forecasters predict that the US inflation rate will hit another four decade high for March when numbers are released. Americans are feeling the financial crunch in all aspects of their life, including a cost of living increase, increased gas prices, in which many have now clamped down on spending in return.
Grueling WODs Keep NASCAR Race Director Jusan Hamilton Calm on Race Day
NASCAR race director Jusan Hamilton is no stranger to competition. After all, he grew up playing a large variety of sports, and he continued while in college. Now he competes to get stronger both physically and mentally while taking on CrossFit workouts, the more grueling the better.
Hamilton played linebacker in college and transitioned from a sprinter to a thrower on the track team, so strength work was a prominent part of his training schedule. He had several heavy lifting days each week. Once he graduated from college and left his training schedule behind to enter the business world, he realized that he needed a new challenge that would keep him passionate about training while building upon his athletic foundation.
“I’d kind of reached a point where I didn’t want to lose all that work that I put in during college, but also still wanted to have that commitment and that work ethic carried into my adult life,” Hamilton said. “CrossFit was really the avenue for me to do that.”
Late in 2015, Hamilton embarked upon his CrossFit voyage. He started out at CrossFit Port Orange in Florida before moving over to CrossFit 386, which has a more competitive focus. He has stuck with CrossFit ever since and embraced an environment where he can test himself while doing Mayhem programming and prepare for an intense weekend at the race track.
“I’ll be honest, I do love doing Murph every year just because it is running, but it’s just so grueling and you have to really grind it out. Hidalgo is another one that I really have enjoyed doing over the years. Again, it’s another workout where you just have to grind and just keep working.”
On the flip side, Hamilton loves to hate Fran because of the mental focus required and the many ways where the workout can go wrong. Though he still has a PR of 3:16.
Working as a race director is one of the most stressful jobs in NASCAR. Hamilton is in charge of penalizing drivers and teams, determining when to throw a caution flag, and sending the track crews out into traffic to remove debris and fluids left behind by wrecks. He has hundreds of decisions to make over the course of a race while managing the field of 36-40 cars, but he balances everything by leaning on his training.
“One of the things I’ve learned through CrossFit is the best way to tackle those challenging workouts – even when they get tough and your heart rate is up – stay calm, stay focused. And it’s really the same thing no matter how many different things are being thrown at me as a race director.”
“That training that I have during the week and leading up to the events, not just in preparation for the facilities themselves that we race at like Circuit of the Americas, but the training that I have for myself – mentally and physically – that’s what keeps me in the game.”
Hamilton is on the road the majority of the year while working as a race director. His 2022 schedule alone includes calling 55 races in more than two dozen locations, but he doesn’t let his focus wane. He trains three days a week in Port Orange, and then he uses Thursday for travel and a ROMWOD session. Hamilton uses his Friday to drop in at various CrossFit boxes and spend more time with the community that he loves.
Pursuing improved health and mental toughness is one of the reasons why Hamilton maintains this schedule during the grueling season. Another is that he remains focused on the next generation. He and his wife, who works as a physical therapist, both want to instill some positive values in their daughters.
“It sets a good example for our daughters to – just in terms of as they grow up – they are growing up seeing us both going to the gym and seeing the toughness that their mother has, as I have, as we’re training. That just translates over to them as well.”
THINGS TO...
...HEAR
Rich Froning on The Ready State Podcast
Following a quarterfinal win for CrossFit Mayhem, the nine-time Games champion joined Dr. Kelly and Juliet Starrett on their podcast to talk about his life before CF, his genetic drive to move, nutrition and fasting, and everything else in between.
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River Drive CrossFit in Savannah, GA held a community WOD this weekend to raise money for Bryan County storm victims that were left without power and shelter after a tornado swept through the area last week.
Through free-will donations, RDC raised $1,210 for P.A.C.K. , a local non-profit providing food and other necessities for children and families.
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