A message from Eric Roza (view the original post):
Dear CrossFit community,
Since I discovered CrossFit 10 years ago, it has changed my life, and I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to lead CrossFit through its next chapter as CEO and owner, following the closing next month.
As a box owner and athlete, I’ve experienced CrossFit’s transformative power and the shared bond it creates between people of different races, genders, ages, ethnicities, incomes, educations and physical abilities. That magic, created by our affiliate owners, coaches, and athletes in 158 countries around the world, is real. And I believe it makes the world a better place.
In the past weeks, divisive statements and allegations have left many members of our community struggling to reconcile our transformative experiences in the local box with what we’ve been reading online.
My view is simple: Racism and sexism are abhorrent and will not be tolerated in CrossFit. We open our arms to everyone, and I will be working hard to rebuild bridges with those whose trust we have lost.
I come to you with deep humility and the realization that we have hard work to do. I am committed to listening, I am committed to learning, and I am committed to leading positive change. Most of all, I am committed to CrossFit and to you, as a member of our community.
If you are committed to the future of CrossFit and have ideas, I want to hear from you. And if you loved CrossFit, and we lost you along the way, I want to regain your trust and partnership. Please reach out to me at eric@crossfit.com.
Eric Roza
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Comments on Introducing Eric Roza, Incoming Owner and CEO of CrossFit, Inc.
Hello from Belgium,
There are probably a thousand (thousands of thousands ?) emails like mine, meaning not the « urgent » ones but since we now possibly have someone open to communication/suggestions I’d like to put in my chocolaty cent.
I’m not a box owner or anything like that, just a tall, long arm, master crossfitter.
HSPU’s… the standards that have changed for the worse, sure Hepnner and I could practice our HSPU with an ultra narrow hand positioning glued against the wall and on fists but seriously, why do we have to go through hell to do a standard HSPU?
Do we measure distance between chin and bar when arms fully extended for the pull-ups? Do we even measure distance between hands when gripping the bar because yes, the wider the grip the shorter thus the faster the pull-up ? Same with
jerk grip or snatch grip, wider hands apart means less travel of the bar to overhead position.
So why all those measurements for that one movement? why not keep it simple like pull-ups and just have the standards being head touches the floor on the way down and arms are locked-out on the way up the same as pull-ups just need to have arms
fully lock-out when hanging and chin above the bar when pulling.
OK maybe some athletes can HSPU hands really extra large apart and I get it’s to avoid that, maybe just a standard box to draw on the floor would limit that, I think it’s usually 60 to 90cm (24/36") in most competitions...
Let’s keep it fun and simple, no need to prepare for hours of measurements of all kind to do a 6’ or less (I wish!!!!) “Diane”.
Nathalie
Hi Eric,
I believe in CrossFit and am excited to see the growth of this movement. I think several people have great ideas, and have probably covered most of them. The only thing I am seeing and would like to inquire about is how to get at risk teens better access to CF. I work with them as a counselor and see it being a great benefit to their overall mental health.
Thank you!
- bring back the Regionals
- the affiliation fee should be proportional to the number of people attending the gym
a box in a small town cannot pay as one in a big city
- small towns boxes should have same attention as the ones in big cities
- bring back specialty courses to HQ
- protect better the affiliates, there are too many gyms doing crossfit irregularly
- make deals with national sports councils, in Italy that is named CONI...CrossFit has to be recognized as a sport
- we affilates are the most important stake holders in this industry so companies that grew up because crossfit and its affiliates must give special discounts and special rates for the equipment to any single affiliate...so a partnership has to be convenient and useful not only for competitions and for the athletes but especially for the gyms...so who wants to sponsor CrossFit has to be forced to do this (also because a lot of commercial gyms and big chains are including a functional area in their spaces and selling something that is not CrossFit...so if you are regularly affiliated you can get a discount...)
- create an official "CrossFit" gym management software for booking classes and clients management (it could be part of the annual fee as a plus for example)
- send a t-shirt to the box owner and coach of any official box every year as a present for affiliation fee renewal
- organize annual seminar for trainers and coaches (like Opex or gymjones...)
- give special discounts to students of the high schools attending L1 or L2
- invite an athlete of a different sport every year to a competition
The horizon leans forward,
Offering you space to place new steps of change.
Here, on the pulse of this fine day
You may have the courage
To look up and out upon me, the
Rock, the River, the Tree, your country.
—M. Angelou
I pray for your success, Mr. Roza, and that the support of the entire Crossfit community be with you 🙏🏼
Congrats Eric! Wish you well. Would love to see the CF regionals come back and on the old schedule, start in March. Our box makes the regional into a 5 week long CF party, each week with a different theme. Maybe I missed it, but on last years leaderboard I could only find my ranking in world/US, not by state. Even if the regionals are not restored. couldn't we restore state by state score so athletes can track progress year to year.
With the 2020 Summer Olympics back in LA, now's the time to lobby the LA Organizing Committee to include CF as a sport. Each host has the option of adding a new event to the Olympics. With the world-wide popularity of CF, would be our chance to join some elite company. Once the virus settles down, invite the Committee to Madison to take in a finals. Due to the virus, am a newly retired cross fitter, would be happy to volunteer my time toward the effort.
Best of luck in the new endeavor! Go FAM
Congratulations, Eric. We look forward to the new blood and exciting changes to come to the organisation.
In most places around the world, the affiliation fees are considered very reasonable & even cheap, however, in countries where the currency/US$ exchange rate is bad, the annual affiliation costs are exorbitant and near impossible for a small box (under 50 members) to afford.
Could consideration be given to size & location of the box when affiliation fees are calculated, instead of making it a world-wide flat rate?
I love CrossFit and am proud to be the only affiliate in our town, but given the costs and the current world situation (I don't like to give power to the name), we will more than likely not be re-affiliating once our term expires... sadly.
Your consideration in this regard is greatly appreciated.
"Fear of the name increases fear of the wizard"
Congratulations!
I have a suggestion/request. Please add more classes for CrossFitters who are older than 60 (60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85-89, 90+). Why not? “Oldies” really need CrossFit (Everyone needs CrossFit). You don’t have to invite us to the CrossFit Games (though that might be inspirational). But, you will have to add another “step” to the Rx schedule (Youth, Rx, MRx, and now RORx? ReallyOldRx?, or whatever). You can come up with a better name.
Thank you for considering my request.
Great suggestion Pat! Been an athlete for 50 years - bicycle riding my passion. In those 50 years have ridden my bicycle 120,000 miles. Been cross fitting for 5 years. Will be 69 in September. Many times in comps I am in the 60+ category competing with 62 year olds. We are blessed in greater Cleveland has 2 masters comps. Ironman's oldest age group is 75-79.
Todd, Brighan, Axel, and John - have you guys considered applying to be a nonprofit affiliate? I don't work for HQ, so I can't speak on it too well, but last I knew they have plenty of nonprofit affiliates that either don't pay fees, or pay very little.
Here at Tulum CrossFit we are really happy about you taking over. We look forward to a better tomorrow.
Kiaora Eric, I am a first responder and work in the Western Australian Outback. I have been training in Crossfit for some time now at my home gym by necessity, which I set up so I could continue to train in Crossfit as there are no boxes within hundreds of miles where i live and work. I am Level 1and Level 2 qualified hence a collegue and I train together and search online sites for coaching and WOD tips.
I would love to become affiliated as a Box, with the intention of growing our box to a few more interested colleagues. Just to be affiliated would provide us the opportunity feel more inclusive and part of the Crossfit Family which we absolutely love.
Another vote for scaled affiliation for small private boxes. My situation is similar to many others. Friends and family gym - 10 members max. No fees collected. I have no issue with taking Level 1. But the 3k fee + insurance requirements are overkill for our situation.
Yes, a sliding scale affiliation fee, perhaps based on membership count as a proxy for size or revenue, could be used to make smaller boxes more affordable and thus achieve greater market penetration, growth, and reduce the cost of entry for new boxes. Another thought is a formal discount program for boxes that serve "underresourced" populations. But I would try to do both of these without requiring the box owners to submit financial information. That's why I suggest just go by membership counts--not total receipt $s. As CrossFit matures, growth will be more than just total affiliations. It is now about increasing diversity and penetrating and serving more markets and more diverse markets. Although it does not have to be a linear relationship, a sliding scale fee shifts the burden of payment from per-box toward per-person, which roughly aligns to ability to pay. Hope this helps.
Welcome Eric, it's great to see CrossFit moving forward from the situations it's faced recently.
As an affiliate owner I welcome a fellow owner taking charge. I understand that we will be more heard going forwards.
I second a previous comment mentioning the importance of CrossFit Health and it's mission. If we are truly about creating a healthier and fitter world then CrossFit needs to continue to fight to find solutions to health issues that aren't best solved by medicating.
Good Morning,
First, as a 5 year Crossfitter and a member of the 100 pound looser club Thank You Eric. The community that our box had kept me motivated when I just wanted to sit on the couch. At 51, I am in the best shape I've been in since I was in my early 20's. My wife and I have found that our crossfit family has become our dearest friends.Over the last few years our box which was located at a YMCA has been scaling back the number of Crossfit classes offered and finally used this mess as a way to de-affiliate. In NC our gyms are closed as a result of Covid and most of us in the box realized years ago Crossfit was not profitable for the Y and we saw their desire to phase it out. This gave them that opportunity.
We decided to turn our basement into a home gym and have continued our training pretty much as normal. Our son is an L-1 and programs for us. We have 3 or 4 friends that work out with us daily. There is no other box within 30 miles of us so another box is not an option. Realizing that many boxes that were struggling (like ours at the Y) have left members wondering what to do. We want to continue to really be "Crossfitters" not strength and condition or functional fitness. We love the brand. As you make changes please consider some plan where small boxes could affiliate on a limited basis. We believe in the crossfit methodology 100%. Based on our rural demographic we also realize the likely hood of another box opening here is really unlikely.
Again thank you
Todd Taylor
I agree. I to would like to affiliate when I set up my garage gym. Likely my members would be my wife and I along with a couple of others. A scaled affiliation model would be appreciated!!
Good luck. Focus on the culture.
I am not an affiliate owner, just a guy in a garage. I have liked the online WODs as of late. Seems like they changed a bit in 2019 through most of 2020. Maybe it is all in my head but the last couple weeks feels more like Crossfit.
I like the recipes.
The CME and CUEs are a fantastic idea. I really hope this gains some traction.
Congratulations Eric! Welcome and best of luck to you and Crossfit.
Apart from the affiliate discussion I would also like get your attention to the Crossfit licensed events where I was trying but couldn't find any clear rules and information how this is working.
I've sent several mails before also but no feedback from Crossfit.
Please work on this and I will be glad to hear back from your team and discuss a possible cooperation idea in future.
All the best!
Eric Welcome!
I am a CF-L3 from Argentina. I will go ahead and tell you something that you probably already know (with not the best english but I will do my best), but which is worth mentioning: In 2011 I was part of the first CrossFit Affiliate in Argentina as a CF-L1. Later in 2012 I opened the second affiliate and by 2013 there were more than 80 Affiliates in Buenos Aires alone. Stagnation in the latin american region plus the cultural, idiomatic and ideological gap between CrossFit home base in the US and Latin America, created a big void quite difficult to navigate for most of us.
I doubt that with everything you have in your plate right know you will read this, or if its for the brand best interest right know. As I said I do believe it is worth mentioning.
Here is the problem, at some point, many once die-hard Crossfit fans who where the L1 pioneers, the first affiliates and athletes over here felt left behind by an ever growing brand. Many of the local complains against CrossFit were bogus and in my humble opinion stemed from the fact that affiliation started to become prohibitive to run a succesful business in Argentina.
Many started to be against Crossfit in the very same way many people today are against STEM in academia: it is way too hard, so it must be bad.
I do not support all the calims of this stance, but, I can support the allegation that Affiliation was fixed while inflation and in some countries stagnation, was not. What ended happening was sad, once faithful affiliates went rogue on their own, some still loyal other trashing the very methodology they were profiting from. But unity and sense of bigger picture where a core understands the most important thing we are doing was lost. Today there are no CrossFit Affiliates in Buenos Aires except for one. I am not the right guy to design a solution for this problem; making affiliation a flexible thing, taking into account hundreds of countries inflations its not an easy task. I do believe would be profoundly significant and could make a change, unifying a region that instead of getting together in the improvement of human health and performance is leaning towards a settlement where practices that improve income are preferred over better practices.
The best parts of CrossFit to me are that it is a best practices only and no gimmick culture.
As I have said, I doubt you will be able to address this or that you should. Regardless of what you do, I wish you all the best in your new role.
PS: I understand former presidents are called presidents after they leave office and there is some respect reserved even after human errors appear. I ignore if Coach Glassman would accept a role, but offering one would be a noble thing that no one of us should hear about until social emotion are more stable.
Congratulations Eric! Please do not forget about CrossFit Health in favor of the Games. Even though CF Athletes inspire us to work hard and keep pushing hard, they do not save lives. The fight against sugar, against Coca Cola... that's what really matters. Cheers Eric, wish you the best of luck!
Welcome Eric! This is really exiting news! If you would travel around the world to visit your affiliates please consider visit us in Sweden, especially CrossFit Halmstad :)
How will the hard things get done?
It strikes me that the challenges that seem the most daunting today, will be the easiest. Fixing damage to the community, bettering relationships with affiliates, winning back sponsors, getting the games on track, supporting box owners through Covid, corporate culture changes, removing the “brand’s” tarnish, etc, will require work, but the path to these can be discerned. Investors and skilled managers fix these problems in other corporations all the time. Especially when they come with passion and humility.
Things at which passionate executives aren’t always successful:
Pull in the likes of Louie Simmons, Buddy Lee, Tony Blauer, Travis Bagent, Dave Pate, Mike Burgener, Nicholas Romanov, Rippetoe, and the rest who made this site great over the years. Coach had a knack for collecting experts on the fringes, often with difficult personalities, and and inviting them and their ideas into the fold. This is tougher to do when playing off a “brand” playbook.
Pick quixotic and expensive legal fights with establishment fitness bodies, big soda, and the like. This is not the sort of thing a CFO allows.
Let the seller walk away without a non compete. Have the courage to forgive and charm to invite them back into the fold.
Have success finding a Chief Fitness Officer who can think as deeply, originally, and broadly as Coach. There’s been a lot more raw genius here than 21-15-9 and 100 words about fitness.
This site has been so much fun over the years because it was original, contrarian, brash, and embraced individuals who’d get kicked out of any self respecting establishment in Boulder.
Roza, I’m rooting for you and the whole community. Please don’t leave the creative, quirky, and antiestablishment ingredients out of the mix. Find a way to get our Prodigal Son back.
Best, Joe.
"Let the seller walk away without a non compete. Have the courage to forgive and charm to invite them back into the fold."
To forgive is one of the highest virtues.
Well said, Joe. CrossFit Hickory is committed to openly including everyone AND committed to the straight, call it like it is, expect people to be “big”, admit when you are wrong communications that have come from HQ.
Welcome Mr. Roza!
As an Affiliate Owner and a Level 3 Coach I have many years, a good amount of money, and a whole lotta love invested in this brand.
The fact that you are an Affiliate Owner, a CrossFit Athlete, and a fan of the CrossFit Games is enough for me to be very excited for what lies ahead.
Based off of the support that your gym CrossFit Sanitas has shown for the Black Community I have faith that you will work towards healing the hurt that Glassman caused and renewing the CrossFit name as a force for good.
Eric,
Welcome not to CF, but to the corporate side of CF HQ. I know you're getting a lot of advice from affiliate owners; here's an ask from a die-hard CF proponent of about 12 years who's only been in a box 3-4 times: don't lose sight of the fact that CF is many things: a business, a sport, a public heath influencer, an exercise program, a way of life, and probably several other things. If you run it favoring one to the neglect of another, you'll lose that which made this such a special thing...more like a movement. If you bought CF to make money, you might...but if that's a primary motivation, it'll probably degrade over time. Don't forget your fans and followers who follow the mainsite from their garage gyms. Keep it an open system, keep it edgy, keep challenging the status quo, keep it uncompromisingly rigorous, and keep it fun. Fix the culture issues, but that can be done without losing what makes CF great. Good luck...there are many counting on you.
Agree. I’ve been committed to CrossFit since it was introduced to me in 2004 by a patient who was in the US Army. I’ve built a home gym and have used the website exclusively. Have connected with affiliates, gotten certified and connected with others in the CrossFit Community over the years but the website is my connection primarily - for many of us who cannot get to a box due to our schedules- the site is CrossFit
Excited for the future of CrossFit! Welcome Eric!
Welcome Eric! I hope you will preserve the best of what Dr. Glassman has established and build on it and improve the areas in need of change. I believe in CrossFit - the philosophy and the people - and feel confident that as a community we can overcome the current challenges. The world and the lives of many people are better because of Crossfit and there are so many more out there that need to be exposed to it. We cannot let them down.CrossFit is not racist. Crossfit is not sexist. It is inclusive and unifies so many from different cultures, races, economic status, fitness levels... CrossFit Health is incredibly important and a great emphasis, please carry this torch. I hope you are up to the challenge. You have many people cheering you on and I am one of them.
We welcome you Eric,
I speak for Ourselves and many other Affiliates. We need some serious changes, we preach daily that no matter if you are new to fitness, an athlete, what you believe in, what part of the world you are from, that we are all here for one reason. To be better then we were yesterday. Comments from one man, the one man we believed in, with his methodology (which we all know works) and support, to help the name CrossFit be the brand that it is today has caused the most hardship to its Partners. We all have spoken, that we will not support or be part of what has been said. We have always welcomed all walks of life to our facility with open arms.
Because we do believe In change, we will be on board with you. BUT!!! We need HQ to communicate better then before and fix what has been broken.
We are with you Eric, make the changes that are needed.
CrossFit647
I hope that you are able to keep the best parts of what Mr. Glassman has built including the decentralized structure of the affiliate model, the increasing focus of CrossFit on promoting public health (Crossfit Health) and providing an answer to reversing diseases of lifestyle (especially important in the present healthcare environment and doubly important at a time when those same diseases make people much more vulnerable to the present pandemic), and a lively international community of friendly competition. Likewise, I hope that you are able to lead a resurgence of the brand, so quickly and savagely tarnished by an association with racism (obviously the opposite of what the community embodies and stands for, even as it fiercely embraces first responders) and sexism (also the opposite of what the community stands for, but may have been a problem at the corporate level). I hope that through a great deal of effective, strategic, timely, transparent communication the leadership and the community will be able to exorcise any past demons and emerge stronger from it.
sucesso!
Welcome Eric
You are likely inheriting a shit storm, and what you do & how quickly is probably going to determine how many affiliates exist by year's end.
These gyms will go on whether or not the word "CrossFit" starts their names. The methodology remains even while saving $3K/yr on affiliate fees.
Best to you.
Welcome Eric, here’s to a bright future!
How about not charging hard working athletes $10 a pop to take the judges online course each time would be a good step in the right direction, or at least, donate the money to charity.
This is the problem that needs fixing right now? I agree that broken light switch is annoying, but let's talk about stabilizing the foundation of the house first.
Welcome, Eric! I see good things ahead. CrossFit LaCo!
Welcome Eric!! Looking forward to what you'll bring to CrossFit. CrossFit Pyro is in!!!
Welcome Eric!
Excited and hopeful, welcome Eric
sucks... I don’t trust you people any more. Best of luck.
looking forward to bright future!!
Welcome Eric.
Introducing Eric Roza, Incoming Owner and CEO of CrossFit, Inc.
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