Finishing last. No one finishes alone.

I want to apologize about the way I may have approached some things over the past month. I realize I became angry on occasion for something I fee very strongly about and spoke in a manor that may seem abrasive to some. There is something I feel very passionate about and is one of the reason's I started EHP. EHP stands for Elevate Human Potential. That is ALL human's potential... no matter where the starting point is. There has been a rift that I would like to openly address.

Finishing last. No one finishes alone.

What does it mean to be the last one finishing?

Is it supposed to mean that you are the worst athlete?

Does it bring back memories of the last one picked for teams in elementary school?

Does it mean you s&%k at CrossFit?

I think the answer most would agree on is, "No."

But what happens to a mental psyche to someone when they are finishing last and everyone picks up around them and leaves? Have you ever been the one to finish last? Did everyone around you pack up and leave? How did it make you feel?

Here are some responses I got from people when I asked them:

“How does it make you feel when people cheer you on and encourage you to the very end?”

Motivated

Made me not want to quit

The people who stood by me were the difference maker

Inspired

They held me accountable for doing all of my reps when I wanted to quit or cut my reps

Positive

Really keeps me going

More fun

Feels like I can't quit now that everyone is behind me

When I asked people:

“How have you felt when people started to clean up all their stuff and leave while you were still trying to finish the workout?”

Like they were disrespecting my efforts

Made me feel like I wasn't important enough for them to stop and take a moment

Abandoned

Like I'm roadkill

Why am I even bothering with trying

Just sucks

Where is the community?

Deserted

Not part of the team

Like I am not worthy

I'm going to circle back to a time in my life when I didn't care if I cheered anyone on and just thought about myself. I was CrossFitting in Seattle and wasn't coaching yet. I was working out during an early morning class and had to quickly run to work right afterwards and sometimes didn't even get to shower. There was a guy in my class that just didn't seem like he had life in him that day. I thought maybe he didn't eat well or get much sleep and initially thought this guy really needed to take better care of himself. For some reason I stopped what I was doing, didn't put away my things, and cheered him on along with the coach. I continued to encourage him and gave him a high-five and told him great job for sticking it out and finishing when he wanted to quit. I could see it in his eyes... every part of him wanted to quit. Class was done and I picked up my things and ran off to work. I didn't remember much about that moment until I was reminded of it almost a year later.

I became a coach about 9 months later. That same guy was still coming to CrossFit. Although he was quiet, he stopped me after a class one day and wanted to tell me how much it meant to him that I stopped what I was doing and cheered him on. Did you know that he had lost his father the night before and was contemplating his own life? He was a tech guy who didn't have much of a life outside of the CrossFit gym I worked at. You never realize how one small gesture can literally change an outlook on someone's life. Something so insignificant to me meant more than the world to him. I made him feel like he belonged and that he was worth it.

You may not care if anyone waits to put their things away or cheers you on when you finish, but maybe think about those who it may mean the world to. One small gesture can set the tone for someone else's outlook on life.

When I started EHP in 2014 I kept this in mind. You may think that it is a stupid rule but it's not actually a rule, but it is a part of our CREDO. When we wrote the CREDO this thinking went into it... "supporting each other from 3-2-1- to TIME and everywhere in between". If you were a member three years ago you may have had a bunch of input in this CREDO. If you need a reminder, it’s hanging up in the athlete area and I have placed it below. Just because your TIME has been set, don't forget about all those still working and what they might be going through at the moment. You never know who's life you may change and that you are a part of something far bigger than yourself.

I fully understand that you pay us to come to CrossFit. CrossFit is a 60 minute class full of energy, enthusiasm, sweat, maybe some tears and some therapy all at the same time. If you need to leave early for any reason, please let your coach that day know. The coaching staff needs to be reminded because we just can’t keep track of everyone’s schedules, so politely let us know at the beginning of class. If class is running over and people are still finishing, we know you all have schedules that you need to abide by so please go about your way. But, if there is still time left in class, please remember the way you can make someone feel that day by taking a moment and supporting your classmates from 3-2-1 GO to TIME and everywhere in between. It’s a part of our CREDO, it’s a part of EHP. This is not a value I am willing to budge on.

If you feel that this is not the supportive community you want to be a part of after reading this blog post I invite you to schedule an appointment with your head coach and fill out the cancellation form. I realize that myself and our incredible staff is not able to make everyone happy and I gave that up a long time ago. If you want to come and go as you please and not be a part of a class atmosphere there are plenty of gyms who operate off of this cornerstone, but that is not us. I encourage you to seek them out.