“What you do speaks so loud I cannot hear what you say.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
There is a tradition in CrossFit … that the top competitors are not only elite athletes, but elite in character. Anyone who has ever met or watched videos of Kristan, Annie, Khalipa, Mikko, Rich or Graham know that these individuals are of the highest quality first and foremost, and second, they happen to be the fittest people on the planet.
But what makes the CrossFit athlete different?
The CrossFit athlete is elite, but not elitist. Being an elite athlete is a simple state of being. Being an elitist is an attitude of superiority. Never have we run across a top level CrossFit athlete that makes us feel less than. Quite the opposite, we feel attracted to and inspired by them. We feel a sense of ourselves in them. They seem immortal, yet so much just like us.
The CrossFit athlete is confident, but not arrogant. Confidence is quiet assurance, arrogance is loud. The CrossFit athlete need not tell anyone they are an elite athlete. They simply are. They need not brag about their numbers. In competition, they simply show. The CrossFit athlete is a lion on the field and a mouse in front of the mic.
The CrossFit athlete struggles gracefully. Seeing our heroes struggle in a WOD with grace is possibly the most inspiring part of watching a CrossFit competition. Sure we celebrate the winners, but the deepest respect and admiration goes to the one last to finish, the one that keeps struggling to the last rep of the last second. The one that is way outside of their comfort zone. The one that has fearlessly bared it all. We salute that bravery. Their suffering is an archetype of the human condition, and they are doing it with grace.
The CrossFit athlete serves a higher purpose. It is the spread of a fitness movement that is literally changing lives. When one serves a purpose higher than self, self gets muted. When the self is muted, humility shines. How do these athletes typically come across? Humble.
The Brickhouse Competition Team practice is open to members who are pursuing local, regional and world-wide competitions. If you are interested in participating, please contact Coach Adam (Team Captain) to schedule a test-in.
