How many communities are you a part of? How many communities are you REALLY a part of?? You’re part of various communities, your neighborhood, school district, online book club, Justin Bieber’s REAL FAN club, etc. But are you REALLY a part of these communities? Do you see and interact with the other members of each community 3-5+ times per week every week? Do you know when they are going through tough times? Do they notice when you are not present? Do you regularly push through your mental and physical boundaries together?
During times of celebration the Crossfit Community celebrates together, when it’s time to work the community works together, and when times get hard, the Crossfit Community gets hard together. Sounded better in my head…
All jokes aside, I’ve seen the power of community through Crossfit more often and more effective than in most other communities (with the exception of the J. Bieber REAL FAN club, those guys are legit!).
When you are part of a Crossfit gym you become part of their community. Which means you are now part of the whole Crossfit community, not just the gym’s you attend. More than a handful of times I’ve seen the whole Crossfit community come together and support different causes that are actually completely unrelated to fitness. For example, The Hotshots 19 honored 19 Fire Fighters who died in the 2013 Yarnell Hill. This event generated big donations for the families of those deceased. Frequently when a member of the community passes away or is faced with great obstacles you will see fundraisers and moral support from all over the world. When Hurricane Harvey devastated Louisiana and Texas many Crossfit Games Athletes began raffling shirts and personal objects to raise money for those affected by the storm.
I guarantee you can walk into any box (crossfit gym), and the members that have been there the longest can relate multiple stories of different struggling times for different members and how everyone came together to support in some way or another. There is much more to Crossfit than just going into the gym to workout for an hour and staying physically healthy. The bonds you build with the people within those walls may benefit you more than the actual physical advantages you get from staying physically fit. I will even dare say that the Crossfit Community is stronger and more fulfilling than the Bieber Club (sorry guys, it’s the truth).
When you walk into a Crossfit Gym for the first time, know what you are getting yourself into. A whole lot of caring people who love to stay fit and healthy while having fun at the same time. And most importantly, a community that will be there to support you when you need it most, I hope you return the favor.
The Crossfit Community defines what Crossfit is for many people, it’s not a wrong answer, just a different one. Stay tuned for the next most common way of defining Crossfit.