I can’t believe I haven’t high-fived anyone in like three weeks. As a coach, that is everything. To let you know how proud of you I am for accomplishing that feat of endurance you just pushed yourself through. To share in your elation after snatching that heavy barbell for the first time.
It feels so strange not to have the noise around me that has become the soundtrack of my life — bumper plates crashing down on the gym floor, gangster rap played at near-illegal decibel levels, athletes alternately cheering each other on and swearing at themselves in disgust. I miss it terribly, and I know you all do too.
When you think about it, those seem like relatively superficial things, and people that are unfamiliar with the CrossFit community might actually be pretty offended by most of that. But that’s what bonds us together: the shared experience of something very unique and difficult and emotional. Maybe the reason that we enjoy working out together so much is that no one else really understands why we would want to do what we do. I’m sure we can all vouch for that after seeing our neighbors’ faces when they catch us working out in the driveway or sprinting past their house!
At the core of what we do, though, is hard work, a growth mentality, looking out for each other, and having fun. And that is still alive and well, gym or no gym. When we push through a tough workout by ourselves in the garage, we’re thinking about working hard for our brothers and sisters at CFKI, and not taking an easy day because we know they’re not. When we cheer for each other with a Facebook comment or throw out a challenge to the team, we’re keeping the CFKI spirit strong.
Our mission statement at CrossFit Kent Island is, simply, “To Help People Get Awesome.” Expanding just a bit, we go on to say, “Our mission is to help people become their best selves. We aim to build a strong community united by the purpose of spreading health and wellness.” Nowhere in that statement does it mention our gym. Or that we use barbells. It does mention becoming better. And community. And that we aim to help you. We can do that anywhere, with anything!
We are here to support you, in any way that we can, to get stronger… better… more awesome. That has not changed, and it never will.