Take a look around…
take a few minutes and check out what’s going on out there…
Team tryouts?
Barbell clubs?
Running clubs?
Am I missing something?
Some of you might think to yourself, “YES JACKASS! Why don’t we have a barbell club or team tryouts?”.
Others might not really care, as long as we keep up with our programming and don’t lose sight of the big picture.
Well, here is my take on it ShedHeads… (please note, this is just my personal opinion)
Internal
Clubs and “tryouts” alienate individuals and divide a community, a
community comprised of lifters, runners and competitors… so I don’t
think I am missing anything here! Communities inherently create their
own cliques, so why would I contribute to that?? It’s not healthy,
smart or good for the community as a whole (again, this is only my
opinion).
Do we need a barbell club? Maybe, but how about adding
more opportunities for Strength & Oly Practice and keeping it wide
open and unintimidating?? Everyone can benefit from this experience,
not just a select few. Last I checked, we all used barbells in the
Daily WOD, and we are a CrossFit Affiliate… not a Powerlifting or
Olympic Lifting gym!
Do we need a running club or a specific CFE
program? Maybe, but it is easy enough to fit that into the programming
without missing a beat.
Do we need to hold team tryouts?
Seriously? NO! But I do think we need a separate “competition
program” for those who aspire to be a Games Athlete on any level, or win
a local competition. A program that will require a greater commitment
and cost, and will not alienate our already awesome athletes.
The
fact of the matter is that local competitions and The CrossFit Games
aren’t going away! Much to the contrary, actually! I feel like we are
headed down the right path, and our programming has produced increased
work capacity across broad time and modal domains… which is what
CrossFit really is (hence the capital “C” and the capital “F”… don’t
be fooled by the biters out there who don’t want to pony-up and
affiliate)!! But for the ShedHead who wants more than anything to be on
the Regional Platform, or to be standing on the podium at a local
competition… I think you might need more than just the Daily WOD.
So,
if you are that athlete, please let a Coach know that you want to be
part of the competition program. The details will be simple, the
commitment will be on you, and the requirements will be that you
think like a bumblebee and train like a racehorse… no physical criteria to meet or try-outs!
If you have
ever been on a team, or played a sport… think of this like going to
practice. Competition training won’t consist of you just doing what
you’re good at… in fact, you might not even hit your strengths at all!
You will be asked to do a lot of stuff you would otherwise avoid
because you suck at it. Simply put… if you want to win, you need to
commit, humble yourself and do the work others are not willing to do!
As
a Coaching Staff, we feel so strongly about our program, and we have so
much admiration for our community of athletes, that we are willing to
do whatever it takes to get you where you want to go! All we ask of you
is to never lose sight of what it takes to make a community great…
TEAMWORK, not alientation. Be ethical and have respect for each other,
your coaches and our sport of fitness.
Starting in December, we will be offering Competitor Training & Competition Prep. This will be a program open to anyone who aspires to compete on any level. It will be a 12 week program that will require a certain level of commitment, physically and financially.
If you think you could benefit from this additional programming, please email me for the specific details.
Thanks to each of you for being awesome!
CPJ & The RedShed Coaches
