When he decided to open his first CrossFit gym, since it was and still is "all the rage", he had every owner of the CrossFit gyms NOW open in his classes. Once these athletes saw both the money to be made and also the competitions to be won, they branched off to form what are now the other four boxes in the surrounding area. And that doesn't even include the people that he has coached, or helped open boxes in surrounding towns and cities. There is some animosity between gyms that even outside box owners and athletes notice when at competitions or just visiting for WODs. However, each gym in town serves a very different purpose and thus have different types of clients.
For example; CrossFit Box #1 (with guru coach extraordinaire) has a little bit of everything, but you will never see his athletes at competitions or "box beatdowns" and very infrequently does WODs with any other gym in town for the reasons mentioned above. Many of the owners are his former clients. He therefore has the majority of the older women and men in town that he has been "coaching" or personally training since he was a trainer at local globo gyms back in the day. It's the beginner or weight loss box and he does a DAMN good job with it.
CrossFit Box #2, owned and operated by CFB1's former business partner, is strength biased and focuses mainly on your three main power lifts to make your Olympic lifts stronger. Sounds logical right? Right. Except their metcons and accessory skills aren't held as highly in value as I personally think they should be. They also do not compete very often, if ever, have a younger group and keep to themselves at their box furthest away from the rest of us.
CrossFit Box #3, owned and operated by former clients of both CFB1 and CFB2 (causing what some at other boxes might consider the hostility between gyms), are the competition QUEENS! Every competition in town they have an athlete representing their box. They have an athlete competing in Junior Nationals for Olympic Lifting AND had an 8th place finisher at the South East CrossFit Games Regional. A number of coaches, open gym hours, gossip girls, strong men, older clientele and a 15 year old power house. Well rounded to say the least, but elitist as well. And admittedly, I rock their shirts on my chest everywhere I go because I am an elitist.
CrossFit Box #4 is owned and operated by the 6th place finisher at the South East CrossFit Games Regional, in a different city though located only minutes away. They tend to have athletes compete quite frequently though not necessarily on behalf of their own box. Usually repping some form of sponsor on their chest and awesome new CrossFit swag on their bods. Strong as hell and they keep to themselves.. For the most part.
CrossFit Box #5, which in my opinion has had the opportunity and resources to be the biggest most popular box in SWFL, is located near the local university and has some of the youngest members in town. College age to mid 40s, younger kids and older adults. Most of them CrossFit Level 1 certified, competitors, paleo enthusiasts, social media whores (I'm one too so it's a term of endearment I promise) and also, CrossFit elitists.
This brings me to CrossFit Box #6. Owned and operated by former clients and athletes of CFB5. Handsome gentlemen in their 20's loving the competitive aspect of CrossFit, new to the coaching but passionate as hell. This box is their (self admitted) baby, as I feel all boxes should be to their owners. Their grand opening is scheduled for early July, though they are doing a few work outs in their "under construction" building. I have to add here, they are doing workouts in their barely there CrossFit box, because their former coaches kicked them out of their once home box, because they had the nerve to branch off.
Here comes my rant. This is a community of people who believe in a few of the same things.
That CrossFit is a strength and conditioning system built on constantly varied, if not randomized, functional movements executed at high intensity. Sweat cures every bad mood. Life becomes simpler when you treat it like a lift, it's just you against the barbell. Chalk makes everything easier. You're not working hard enough if your shirt is still on. Sweat angels are what give real angels their wings. Girls can kick the boys asses if they try hard enough, and a WOD is scaled evenly. That your workout is our warm up. Competition builds character, and so does hearing "NO REP" screamed at you from across the gym. And that we are simply better than you because we CrossFit.
Why on Earth does someone opening a gym take away from those grueling moments where you thought you were going to pass out and die, and you looked next to you a realized so is he (or she), so you kept going? Why would them pursuing their dream of being a box owner and coach, as YOU TAUGHT THEM TO BE, take away the pride you felt when they came back the next day to do it all over again? Coaches, owners, paleo enthusiasts, cardio queens, CrossFit Footballers, and people of my beloved CrossFit community - welcome the new boxes with open arms as so many in other cities and countries do. When a new gym opens, our community is strengthened and the lives that can be touched by CrossFit grows! This new box is going to do something special, and I urge everyone to hop on board and come along for the ride. From near or far, your box or theirs. Why? Because no matter what box we're at... We are still better than everyone on a damn treadmill. That's why.
Well put. The Crossfit experience is a journey. As we grow as athletes our taste and needs will inevitable change. This is a natural progression. I think we are blessed to have so many "flavors" in town to experience. And it like the proverb says...A rising tide raises all boats. Each box opening makes the community raise its game and in doing so benefits the community. I look forward to seeing these young men show us their dream...
ReplyDeleteHi Magen, dont believe weve ever met, great article. The format choice made it an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteI 100% agree with many of your points. Crossfit has an amazing opportunity right now to transform the lives of people who are in desperate need of it and it has the capacity to alter the current paradigm of health and wellness in this country. Building our communities and presenting a united stance is crucial to the proliferation of this grand endeavor. We should all be focused on this common goal.
I wanted to take quick moment to address what appears to be your thesis and provide some perspective from both sides.
I do sincerely regret to the fact that an olive branch wasn’t extended in regards to the opening of cf6. We at cf5 would love to support our local community and are ever encouraging of any new gyms popping up around us. However, to garner this kind of support things must be done in a certain way and im doubtful that support was what was being sought after, based on events.
I'll reframe from using your forum to hash out the hearsay statements and solicitations that have traveled their way back to our ears. The one that I heard for myself, “I would expect a lot of your members to start canceling real soon…" resonated the loudest for me, and this is the only statement that I'm focused on deterring, as it doesn’t run parallel with the direction we want this sport to go in.
In any conflict I would undoubtedly side with a friend as well, right or wrong, cus that's just what you do. However with that said there's always a part of my conscious that is not living with the blinders on, acknowledges my bias and the fact that there is another side of the story that I'm conveniently choosing to ignore. I'd like to think people understand there isn’t always a right or wrong in every situation, intentions aren't always black and white, and decisions made aren't necessarily personal but strictly business.
Another realization is until you've worked for a few years with no pay sacrificing all of your time, money, and relationships and of course the accompanying sleepless nights, you'll never really know how you'll react to an impending "threat" to the thing you've worked so hard to build until it happens.
Some people think its an easy business. They say "you guys have 290 members?!? this must be a great business to get into." they're forgetting one thing though....... Crossfit is really really hard! Only a small percentage of people can sustainably endure it and that 20% monthly attrition rate is living proof, it means that in 3 short years it has taken us having over 4000 people walk through our doors and signing up 1200 members just to get to our current 290 members, still a staggering reality.
All things being said open competition is what makes this country great, it will undeniably benefit the crossfit consumers in the area as a whole, and make everyone have to step up their game. From my experience Justin and Watts are both very cool guys…. guys want to be like them, girls want to be (you know the rest) which is why some of our trainers have endearingly nicknamed the new gym “cool guy crossfit” or CGCF to pay homage to its cool owners (my parting shot in jest). I sincerely wish them the best of luck in their journey to help change lives and grow the crossfit community even stronger.
Josh, I appreciate and completely understand your take on my apparent thesis.. As I mentioned earlier on this blog, sometimes rather than a well thought out article, these retain more of a stream of conscious format.
DeleteWhat I did not include in this article is the fact that I HAVE stood by box owners and seen the fear in their eyes when they crunch numbers after running groupons, done promotions or spent countless hours on their "off days" advertising to bring people in.. I have been to of worked out with members of every gym in this town. I got my USAW Olympic Lifting Cert at CFB5 and grew up with a member there, respect their coaches immensely and meant in no way to take away from that. Even through my pun of their being fellow "social media whores".
CFB1 is where I found my fire in the belly for CrossFit. The "guru extraordinaire" was a second father to me, we exchanged ideas to grow the business, I woke up in the wee hours of the morning to coach for him (with no pay, at the expense of my time, money and relationships outside of the CrossFit world and even within it) and I still to do day do not regret any of the countless hours I spent in doing so. My training at that box (hours also countless) made me the badass who beat Justin & the "CGCF" men recently in a WOD.
With that statement being made, allow me to apologize if I made it seem as though my intentions were to strip any local gym of their legitimacy in the CrossFit community OR to make anyone out to be the "bad guy". I understand the nature of the business beast. I may be an elitist, but disrespectful I am not. I have simply visited other towns and experiences "branching off" happening in a much smoother manner. Which, as you mentioned, should and must be done in a certain way to be made possible. I concur.
Thank you for your spreading light, no matter the bias! That's what blogging is for! Again, as I will refuse to apologize if I offended - given these are my thoughts and opinions and nothing else - I hope this cleared up my intentions...
Nothing other than to encourage the CF Community as a whole to be more supportive of each other as we continue to be better than everyone else, convert the globo gymmers, and now I will add, let us all be more respectful of the work we are all putting in whether you are an existing box or the one following your dream of being a 290+ member gym!
I also wanted to add that i would never have any ill will to someone who is following their dreams like Justin and Watts appear to be doing.
ReplyDeleteAllow me to apologize for my spelling and grammatical errors in my response. I'm tired okay?! :)
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