There’s a common CrossFit tagline that describes Crossfitters as “Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.” It sounds nice, but as I near 7 years of running a CrossFit gym, I’ve come to the realization that this tagline is completely false.
Let’s talk about the members that have been with us since the beginning- that’s seven YEARS of dedication to a craft. It takes a different breed to get up at 5:30am every single day, day after day, week after week, year after year. There’s nothing ordinary about that kind of internal motivation.
Let’s talk about the members who started with a complete lack of mobility and are now able to complete a full snatch. It takes a different breed to put the ego aside and use a PVC pipe for months. There’s nothing ordinary about that kind of humility.
Let’s talk about the members who have hit plateaus and continued to push through them with determination and patience. It takes a different breed to not just set goals, but follow them through to the finish and continue to trust the process even without quick results. There’s nothing ordinary about that kind of perseverance.
CrossFit demands that we CONSTANTLY look our weaknesses in the eye. It demands a higher level of cognition to pursue skill work. It demands dedication through obstacles in life AND training. This is not an ordinary person. The follow through, the dedication to understanding, the humility- this is what makes you extraordinary- not your snatch, not your Fran time.
I used to be surprised when someone who struggled with CrossFit physically stuck around. But now I’m smarter. I know that when it comes to people who stick with CrossFit, it very rarely has to do with physical prowess, but simply extraordinary character and drive to improve the WHOLE self, not just the physical one.
Now, when you see, “Ordinary People doing Extraordinary things,” remember this: You are not average. You are not mediocre. You are extraordinary.
