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The POWER of Community
By cynthiabrown | March 31, 2009
I read this article and immediately thought of you all. The men, women and children that make up the Cynergy CrossFit Community. I share Brian’s sentiments. The pictures from the challenge last Saturday prove my point. Athetes encouraging their teammates and more importantly their competitors to do more than they think they can. You guys ROCK!
Another in our series of Words for Affiliates by Affiliates, Brian Bowen of CrossFit Ramstein shares “A Little CrossFit Secret.”
“A Little CrossFit Secret” by Brian Bowen
I would like to let you in on a little secret: A secret to CrossFit excellence. Your thoughts may now be drifting to the foundation of any elite fitness program — nutrition. Okay, so now the gears in your head are turning and now switching to intense metabolic conditioning. I’m not denying that you are right because you are, in fact, correct. What are you thinking about now? Is it gymnastics perhaps, weightlifting, sports? Ah, so you know the theoretical hierarchy of developing an athlete. Big deal, right? Actually yes, it is quite a big deal and I trust that each of you fully understand it.
So, those are the essential ingredients for forging elite fitness but what happened to that secret that I mentioned? Now don’t fret my contrarian brethren, I’m getting to that. As a CrossFit trainer, I strive to teach you every movement correctly so you can perform them safely. As you become consistent with the mechanics of the movement, only then will we ratchet up the intensity. Once the level of intensity seemingly cannot go any further, we must dig deep within ourselves to overcome the mental and physical exhaustion. Is this an easy task when tackling a WOD by ourselves? I would venture to guess that most of you probably answered a resounding “NO” to that question — I know I did. Sometimes we need just a little more, that extra push that will compel us to fight through the discomfort. But where do we find that? Where does it come from? It comes from the little secret.
So, what is this secret already?! The secret of course is you, me, and every other member of the CrossFit family. And whittle that down even further to the members of your own affiliate box. Do they give up on you? Do they tell you that it’s okay to quit when they know that you can continue? The dedication and loyalty that I’ve seen within my members is truly second to none. Just when you think you cannot go any further, you hear the screaming, the words of encouragement, the “Pick up the f*#*ing bar.” And so you do. You pick up the bar and keep going.
The secret: There it is. We know this secret. We understand it and we embrace it for its marvelous meaning. Seeing the determination and willingness to push yourself further than you’ve ever imagined is something that I truly treasure. We are not wired to quit. We just aren’t programmed like that. And because of that, we will not and cannot accept mediocrity. Our CrossFit family will take us to new levels of intensity that we’ve never experienced before. In turn, we will reach new levels of fitness that we never dreamed possible. I would like to offer a sincere “Thank you” to not only the members of CrossFit Ramstein, but to the members of every CrossFit affiliate around the world. Our support system will now and forever remain unmatched!
Topics: Cynergy Central | 6 Comments »
March 31st, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Good article, Cindy! That is why people kill it at challenges…that extra push from a coach or the onlookers really does make a difference! That is definitely something that sets Crossfit apart from others, for sure!
March 31st, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Loved the article! The reason I love the Crossfit family!
March 31st, 2009 at 4:57 pm
This is a terrific article and indeed a perfect respresentation of what we witnessed on Saturday & every day at CrossFit. Although I was behind the camera for most of the day – I did witness some exceptional coaching too. The trainers were outstanding and I know they were instrumental in the success of their challenger.
Honorable mention to Colleen Egan and her relentless attempts to get the FRs to “look at her chest” while they were performing their deadlifts – in a effort to correct their form; and jumping at the end of every burpee to remind them their feet had to leave the ground.
Lindsey Johnson who slapped the floor everytime one of her FRs was behind in their burpees; placing 2 fingers on their lower backs to remind them of their lumbar curve during the deadlift; and the countless “3, 2, 1″ countdowns she made.
Jamie Ross pointing to the ceiling for every (clean and) jerk.
Cindy Brown in mid-air while “cleaning” with Don Teague.
Jess Worden “strapping” in the guys for the assisted pull-ups.
I know there were so many other moments I missed! Please share them with the rest of us!
And yes, the competitors were out there too – supporting the competition – Marc Vigneau was everywhere! I have the photos to prove it!
March 31st, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Thanks B for the “shout out”, I think.
I have been meaning to give my own shout out to Cara and Holly. A lot of people have commented on how smoothly the day went. I have heard so many of the competitors and spectators tell Cindy what a great job she did keeping everything on schedule and moving along smoothly. Although I do agree that Cindy did a tremendous job I have to point out just how instrumental Cara and Holly were in the process. They were put in charge of rounding up, warming up and “coralling” each heat of six First Responders. All I had to do was wait for them to bring me my next athlete. There was never a time that I stood waiting. The two of them were so efficient and helpful every single step of the way. So, thank you Cara and Holly! I don’t think the day would have run so smooth without you guys!
April 1st, 2009 at 3:19 am
Yes indeed Colleen! All I did was design the plan…it took all of you to execute it and….you did so beautifully. All the credit goes to the team! It would not have happened so smoothly without everyone’s effort. I am extremely grateful for all of you!
April 1st, 2009 at 11:49 am
Wow! Colleen, thank you very much:) You coaches did a spectacular job on Saturday. Each and every one.
Cindy, great article! And one of the many reasons why I love Cynergy CrossFit. What a different vibe from your traditional “globo gyms” where you seem to dodge others (from chit-chat) just to make it through your workout and get the hell out of there!