Why I Crossfit

I read this article this morning.  So much of it rang true that I had to stop myself from screaming “YES! ABSOLUTELY!”.

But then I remembered another article I read– and remember the community of crossfit and how powerful it is. (Note: I’m currently working on a podcast about community).

With all this- I want to share a story:

Monday was “Memorial Day Murph”- which I’ve been looking forward to for months. It’s a hellacious workout (run a mile, 100 pull-ups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, run a mile). “prescribed” is to do it while wearing full gear (or a 20lb vest). I wanted to do it while wearing a gas mask until the final mile and then seeing how long it takes me to run a mile.

I’ve done “Murph” 4 times now. It takes about an hour. The story behind the hero is actually pretty amazing and inspiring. Even though I’m not a military person- this story hits me in the feels every time I read it.

I digress.

The gym breaks down into groups. The head coach, knows that I wanted to do this with a gas mask. He knows my physical goals (of wanting to climb mt. kilimanjaro, training with a gas mask, etc.) He has allowed me for countless practices to use the gas mask while working out. No problem. I know my limits, I’ve never had problems, etcetc.

That morning, his wife, who is “medically trained” told me that I couldn’t wear it because “she’s concerned for my safety”.

I told her that I signed a liability form.

She said “well, but your mother would sue us if anything happened.”

I didn’t feel like arguing. I gave up and started the workout without the mask, pissed off because my whole visualization was thrown off.

After the run is pull-ups. A guy next to me was hammering out the reps and then, all of a sudden, slipped, fell off the bars and right onto his back. He spazzed a little, his eyes rolled back, he blacked out. My WFR training kicked in and I was first on the scene. I secured his head and checked for bleeding. I directed someone to call 9-11 (found out later that my dad was the one who finally got 9-11 on the phone… Not the head coach. Not his “medically trained” wife. She was “trying to” but “couldn’t get the phone to work”. Not the doctor who works out there…. My dad. A patron. An Eagle Scout. I digress again.) He came to, opened his eyes (they were PERRL) but he was still unresponsive to verbals. I asked someone what his name was and asked if he could hear me to open his eyes. He opened them. I pinched his ear, he winced. Good. I explained what happened in small, slow words (not hard for me seeing that my vocabulary is tiny, anyway). I asked him if he could move his fingers and toes. I asked him if I could palpate his body for injuries. I got down to his waist and the “medically trained” staff member came onto the scene and encouraged him to sit up and drink water (funny- I wasn’t taught that in WFR training….)

The paramedics arrived, I delivered my “SOAP report”. They seemed thankful that someone on-scene was trained enough to give such a report. (heh).

He walked to the ambulance and that’s when I continued my workout.

Where was the “medically trained professional”? She showed up on scene when the paramedics did- which was 10 minutes after the incident. The head coach- as soon as made sure that 9-11 was called, continued his workout.

I couldn’t be more disgusted by those decisions. The people who said, not 15 minutes before, that “our member’s safety is our number one concern” were too busy working out and not paying attention to what was going on.

Part of me is glad that I didn’t wear the mask because what would have happened if I *DID* pass out? Would the “medically trained” individual sat on me with a plastic bag? I shudder at the thought. I’ve been debating what to say to the head coach in explaination of why I’m canceling my membership. “Sorry- but I was (poorly) kidnapped in Ecuador and survived the worst Typhoon in history but what makes me really scared is your gym.”

I’ve been to 42 boxes in the world and as much as I didn’t want to agree with it, I find a lot of truth in the first article. It *does* only take 16 hours to get “certified” to teach crossfit level 1. In some countries in the world, you don’t even need that. The lack of safety and the push of “go bigger, go stronger” is prevalent and obvious. Sometimes, this is a key part of the culture. Personally, I had been lifting overhead stuff incorrectly for the past 3 years and it took a Clinical Myotherapist  (my flatmate when I lived in Oz) to diagnose what was going on after my arms went numb after running a 10k (not the 35 crossfit coaches that I had trained under at some point……)

HOWEVER! There is a sense of community that can’t be ignored. Crossfit is this place… this safe haven… where everyone wants me to do well. Where everyone is cheering for me. Where everyone experiences the same terribleness and gets through it, together. THAT is why I “did crossfit”. 

(past tense).

I think this paragraph (of this guy’s blog) sums up my attitude nicely:

CrossFit is a cult!

You’re damn right it is!  Look up the definition of cult.  CrossFitters DO care about what they do a lot.  We ARE very dedicated to our passion.  If that’s wrong, then I don’t want to be right!  I LOVE my CrossFit family.  There is no more supportive, more highly motivated group of people that I’ve ever met.  Go to a college football game and see all the ugliness from opposing fans.  Curses, derogatory names, threats of physical violence, all are very present.  Go to a CrossFit competition and watch everyone cheer for each other. It’s that simple.  CrossFit is love people.  If you want to hate on love, I guess you’ve told me everything I need to know about you.

 

 

Now… If only I can find a safer way to do it…. And if only HQ cared about safety, too……..