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The Value of Integrity
By cynthiabrown | June 26, 2009
in⋅teg⋅ri⋅ty
-conduct that conforms to an accepted standard of right and wrong
I am a BIG fan of the above stated value. It is one that holds tremendous meaning for me, the way I live my life AND for the job I perform everyday. Perhaps it is a bit presumptuous, but I expect it from all those around me.
This word popped into my head many, many times yesterday as I was fortunate enough to coach/judge many of our clients in FRAN yesterday. It is a ‘job’ I LOVE and take very seriously.
CrossFit has standards. We have standards for every movement… from the depth of a squat to the full extension of an overhead press. We teach these standards. And we reteach them and we teach them again! We will continue to teach them day in and day out because as your coaches and your trainers we strive to hold you to the standards that are CrossFit.
CrossFit is measured. We stress the importance of recording your WOD’s, the date, the time, the weights, the Rx or scaled. These numbers are yours. Your efforts on paper, a record of the distance you’ve traveled and the progress you’ve made.
CrossFit is effective. I have had the immense pleasure of watching so many of you hit incredible milestones. The bodies that have totally been transformed, the PR’s that are repeatedly broken, the joys of a first pull ups, the races run that were once deemed ‘impossible’, the countless lives that have been changed (including mine) by this incredible community we call Cynergy CrossFit.
So, where is this going? Well, it is because of all of this and because of all of you that we continue to honor the integrity of what we are here to do. It is my ‘job’, my commitment to you, my duty to hold you to the standards that we train by. So, you can continue to yell at me, tell me you hate me, flip me off and scream until you are blue, but I will promise you that I will continue to make you a better athlete, push you harder and expect more from you each day. I want that for you.
Please remember that when you are in the position of coach/judge and you see your athlete struggling, fighting for every rep and looking to you for your ‘judgment’ of that rep, that you hold them with the same high standard. Make them earn that rep, integrity lies with you too. No one wins if we ‘give’ those away.
And as the athlete, know what the role of that judge is. Not only are they supporting you, encouraging you and getting you through a tough WOD, they are there to help you maintain the integrity of what we all want….an honest ‘score’ on a well deserved effort.
Topics: Cynergy Central | 11 Comments »
June 26th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Great post Cindy. This will not be an easy comment for me but here goes. I had an absolutely horrible day in the Box yesterday. My goal this year IS to cut my Fran time in half. Yesterday I ADDED over two minutes to my PR. The thrusters went fine. The pullups just were not there for me. I had an excellent Coach in Erin Shanahan and I could see the pain in her face as she had to tell me time and time again that my pullup was not quite there. I would like to thank you Erin for upholding the integrity of Cynergy CrossFit and for allowing me to do Fran RX, despite the poor time. I’ll be ready for Fran next time the B*&%# shows up in the Box.
June 26th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
AMEN!! I did about 10 extra pullups that were chin over the bar but did not count because they were not chest to bar and that was the standard for that workout so you know what I did extra workout. The only person at fault was ME! I was the one who chose to to play the game and play by the rules! Cindy was my coach/judge/motivator/enemy and she did all the roles perfect! Sometimes we need all those to get through a WOD. In my academy we were made to learn the Marine Corp definition of Discipline: the instant williness, obedience to all orders, respect for authority, and self-reliance! I think this fits very well for cynergy crossfit and the above statements from Cindy. Anyone can cheat reps and get a killer time. Being held to higher standard is something to be proud of! I know that when we (cynergy) go to another competion we are always credited for our integrity and the standards we hold eachother to. That is something that goes a long way and takes a lot of “discipline”. Once again I am proud to be a part of the Cynergy family and will continue to do my best to represent the integrity and discipline that Cynergy stands for. GO HARD, GO HEAVY, GO LEGIT or go the “F” home!!
June 26th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
BRAVO Minni! I know you live by this and that you truly do want this for all of us. We are fortunate to have you “in our faces” day in and day out. Thank you for everything you give us!
Dennis: I see a new shirt in the making!
June 26th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
Cynergy CrossFit is full of amazing atheletes that help push and motivate us all everyday. What really makes me proud to be a member of this incredible Family is the fact that no matter what skill level you are inside the Box,the people that have joined us these past two years and shared a few glasses of Kool-Aid are just quality people.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Cindy — let me know if you need the Chief back. Sounds like things are getting a little out of control. Motivation is one thing, but we will not tolerate anyone disrespecting you!!
Keep up the GREAT work.
June 26th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
God I love this place
June 27th, 2009 at 1:56 am
Cindy you push me to my full potential every day! You always know that I can do it even when I think that I can’t! I have learned so much about myself! You and Keith have created an amazing place full of amazing people. Maybe it doesn’t get said as much as it should Thank You for all that you do!
June 27th, 2009 at 5:44 am
Tallitha, exactly! It is so hard to put into words the impact in not only our training Cindy and Keith have, but in our lives.
Being qualified to train CF is one thing but Cindy certainly provides us so much more. It is an absolute honor to be able to benefit from her training and leadership. She DOES know what we are capable of even when we say we CAN’T.
Cindy, keep doing exactly what you do and how you do it. If you ever let us get away with improper execution, I’d be disappointed in you.
We all know heroes do the right thing, even when nobody’s watching. Thank you for helping us remember that by your example every day.
June 27th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Cindy, I’m so glad you posted on this topic… I actually had something in the works myself on this very word.
You must remember why we train in the method and with the intensity that we do. The sole reason is to make you better athletes. However, becoming a better athlete doesn’t necessarily mean a PR on a benchmark workout everytime; there are other ways of measuring.
I am a big fan of the “Leader Board” in our gym, and there’s nothing I love to see than someone writing their name up there for the first time or watching someone’s time drop. Not only is it great for the athletes, it’s vindication for us as coaches because it basically means we must be doing something right.
As much as I appreciate what the board brings to the gym, I also recognize that it can be a curse at times. When making a top spot on the board becomes the ultimate goal rather than simply becoming a better athlete, corners get cut.
I can’t confidently say that every score I see written up there these days is legitimate. Here’s the litmus test — could the athlete have a similar performance under coach’s scrutiny… or better yet, a videotape??? If the performance isn’t repeatable (at least in the same ballpark), it was probably B.S. to begin with.
A lot of times (most times actually), the athlete is pushing so hard in their WOD that they may not realize that they’re doing crappy reps (no chin over bar, not going low enough or standing up straight on squats, no chest to deck, etc etc). It is our jobs as coaches to try and nip that in the bud as early in the WOD as possible; however, there are a lot of you and not that many of us, and we can’t possibly see every repetition. Therefore, it is everyone’s responsibility to hold yourselves AND EACH OTHER accountable.
It is meaningless to have a ‘Top 5′ performances if the athlete who was #6 did perfect reps while the other guy cut corners. The integrity of the Leader Board and the reputation of our gym as a whole will suffer if we don’t hold ourselves to a high standard at all times. Anyone who was in Albany knows that the standards for CrossFit were STRICTLY enforced, and there’s no reason that trend will even cease.
Remember, anything that ultimately makes you a better athlete is a win.
My motto: “Try to suck less today than you did yesterday.”
June 27th, 2009 at 11:43 am
I miss you guys!!!! Monica and I will be back soon.
June 27th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
Well said, Cindy, well said.