Walk Away?

I have mentioned quite a few times that I walked away from CrossFit shortly after the 2010 Regional competition.  There are a multitude of reasons, including being a drunk, recurring injuries, a loss in confidence, and the missing "fun" element.  These factors, in turn, helped develop a a fat, drunk, depressed, should have been dead months ago, version of me.  But since that is a "me" you can already read about, I want to turn to the less talked about subject, the dilution of CrossFit in general.  It was, without a doubt, the final straw to my ever growing "perfect storm", leading to walking away.

When I joined CrossFit in 2008, I found a small group of people in an even smaller gym (aka box) that shared a passion for being fit.  We had the college football player, the globo gym meathead, the diet/nutrition gurus, the military, the homemaker, and the police.  Individuals would come and go, some because they hated it, others were military families that simply moved away.  But at that time, there was a core group of us that worked out together, learned together, and grew together.  We became close friends, and even a family of sorts.  And most important, we had a ton of fun.

The San Antonio CrossFit community followed a similar pattern.  Gyms began hosting various competitions: outdoor WOD's at Lulu Lemon, Fight Gone Bad, Barbells for Boobs, and the Open WODs.  All of these events brought the athletes closer, and resulted in shared training ideas, insights into different techniques, and new friendships.  Then it happened.  In what seemed like a matter of days, someone would open their own gym...and another...and another.  At that time, all of the new gyms were a direct result of the love of Crossfit.  There was only one gym that opened based on greed and a love for the almighty dollar.  Funny thing is...anyone within a sixty mile radius knew about this person, and what she truly stood for...so, lets just say, her gym was not known for its success rate.

This once budding city-wide CrossFit community quickly became saturated with gyms, which sent owners into survival mode, and caused athletes to retreat behind the doors of their respective gym.  One of the first examples of this came in the second season of the CrossFit Open.  One year prior, gyms around the city hosted the open WODs...together.  Each WOD was held at a different gym, and athletes from the majority of competing gyms would attend.  It was always a fun atmosphere and truly showed a community spirit as coaches and athletes supported competitors from all gyms.  By the time season two of the Open began, fewer athletes were in attendance, gym owners couldn't agree on locations, and everyone turned to completing the workouts in the comfort of their home gym.  Done deal.  For several years, the San Antonio CrossFit community also gathered for an anual Fight Gone Bad event. The final year of this event was held in large parking lot, located in a prime location on Loop 410.  It was a huge success with most of the area gyms in attendance.  There were close to two dozen tents set up, including one that housed kegs of beer...which made for a great after party.  Of course, San Antonio crossfitters, including myself, were pretty well known for epic after parties.

Since the good ole years, CrossFit has sold their soul to Reebok, the number of "certified" coaches has surpassed the reproduction rate of rabbits, and gyms have popped up on every street corner...the latter two causing an epic dilution in the quality of CrossFit across the city.  There are very knowledgable and caring coaches, and programmers that have opened gyms post-Reebok.  But sadly, the good is outweighed by the bad...those that have the expendable income, but do not posses the knowledge to teach, much less correct a basic squat.

We have also seen the closing of two of the original gyms, including the one that started my CrossFit journey.  The old days of WODing with athletes from other gyms, joining forces to create fun competitve environments, and simply chillin' with San Antonio crossfitters, with very few exceptions, has come to a grinding hault. With growth, there has come separation.  With separation, there has become a dividing line.  A line that dictates your learning curve, your trainging regimen, your social network, and your support system.  And in a lot of cases, if you cross that line, don't bother looking back...you are no longer welcome.

I am the type of person, athlete, and former CrossFit coach that enjoyed and appreciated the comradery that existed across the city.  At competitions, I could be found discussing strategy with any coach or hanging out with "rivals" within the confines of their tent.  If I needed help with a movement or access to specific equipment, I would never hesitate to contact someone else in the community...outside of my gym.  Although I am much more of an outsider now, choosing to compete in strongman and powerlifting, I will still attend Regionals in order to support the best athletes in San Antonio and their quest for the Games.  And as athletes are huddled up with their safety net of coaches and supporters, sporting t-shirts in the gym colors, I will happily step across the line, sit down, and catch up with old friends....more than likely wearing my neutral black colored Afro Brutality gear.