14 years ago today we became a CrossFit Affiliate.
The New England and North Wests first actually.
Yep, little old Armidale had a CrossFit before some bigger centres like Tamworth, and with that the first of the ‘functional fitness’ facilities.
Back in 2012 there wasn’t all that much by way of variety when it came to fitness.
There were plenty of traditional globo/commercial type gyms with their cardio machines, pin loaded resistance stuff and their free weights. And they were serving people pretty well that wanted those services.
That was where I came in. I wanted to own my own facility. But I didn’t want to just come in and take clients or members off anyone else. That was when I found CrossFit.
Like I have already mentioned, we were the first here. And that to me was great, we were doing something no one else was, and that meant more people being able to be helped.
What I didn’t realise at first was that there was this incredible community surrounding CrossFit. Some from the outside called it a cult. And yeah, it can still kind of look like that haha, but it really is just a bunch of people that actually give a shit about you and you being better than you ever have been.
At first it was great, we were doing stuff that people never had before here in town, it was very unique. Maybe a little too unique though as it then got tough.
People were describing it as too hard, you were likely to get injured etc. It was a tad rough actually.
You couldn’t go online from 2012 through to maybe 2015-16 and not see someone giving their opinion on why CrossFit was bad, why it would end the world and how you might explode and die if you did it! (Look I know I exaggerate here, but, it was legitimate that people were trying to tear down something as simple as a fitness regime, wild right?)
To me it was strange.
I never knocked anyone doing anything fitness related, as all I wanted to see was people to get out there, to be more active. If they chose something other than CrossFit, fantastic! As long as they loved it and stuck to it. I never understood why people, especially ones in the fitness industry, wanted to destroy us. After all, one of our core values here is live and let live, always.
I could have spent my days worrying about all of that, instead I did what I have now been doing for such a long time. I just concentrated on helping people that wanted me to help them. I knew that with CrossFit, I could
But I knew that it wasn’t something to be maligned.
We could scale for anyone and everyone. We made the workouts fit you, and meet you where you are at. And well the injury thing? I am almost 50 and have been doing CrossFit since back in 2011, and sure I have had the odd little tear or niggle, but nothing that would stop me training altogether! There was always something I could do!
So the number 3579 is the number of our affiliate. We were the 3579th affiliate in the world. I think the latest affiliate number handed out was somewhere around 18,000. Gives you an idea of how early we were. I was also told it CrossFit was a fad, it would die off quickly. So here I am in year 15 now thinking maybe it wasn’t a fad after all lol.
In the last 14 years I have seen so much change. Back then there really was no such thing as a rig. I gave the idea of what I wanted to a metal fabrication business and they built us one. It wasn’t flash, not the best, but we made do and it got the job done.
Now you see pull up rigs in your glob gyms, your franchised functional fitness gyms, peoples garages. If it wasn’t for CrossFit then none of those places would have anything resembling that. We came along and we disrupted the fitness industry. CrossFit was what the industry needed. Something different. And I was prepared to run with it. I wanted to be different and give the people of Armidale the thing I knew could work. The thing that would help them all be better than yesterday.
And for the last 14 years we have been doing just that here! I mean, we wouldn’t still be here if what we were doing didn’t work would we?
With the lockdowns of 2020 we almost weren’t here! I always thought that if my gym went under, then it would fall directly on me. But 2020 showed me how much is actually outside our control, and while it sucked at the time, I am grateful for the lessons that period taught me. Resilience, determination, finding new ways to do things. And so many more.
So here at CrossFit Armidale we have a diverse array of people wanting to get fit. From school kids that do CrossFit kids, to parents and people with busy, busy work schedules, as well as full social lives, to young people just starting their working lives, to retirees that are close enough to 70! And absolutely everyone in between.
So when you think ‘I could never do what you guys do’, know that the people that come here are everyday people. You see them on social media, in the shops you visit in town, on the tools of the tradie you hired, in the office at council or your local legal and accounting firms, teachers, project managers, nurses, and doctors. Yep, just regular people, all just wanting to be healthier and fitter.
And that is exactly what we have been doing here the whole time. Helping people be better.
I am not one to broadcast it from the highest rooftop, I am not one to blow my own trumpet. In fact this whole thing today feels absolutely horrible to do. I feel like I shouldn’t be telling you about the things here.
But today isn’t about me. It is about CrossFit Armidale, and that is a people. A group of amazing people that work hard together, that consistently get in and look after themselves.
Yes lots has changed over the years, but the people haven’t really. They are still ever reliable, ever ready to take on the challenges I come up with for them.
And that is why we keep pushing forward here, the people.
So over the next few months, as more changes, yep we are moving!, we will adapt and roll with it and get better at it.
I always knew it would work for everyone, I just needed to be able to show you all.
Look, I know new things come and go all the time, and yeah, maybe something better will come along and disrupt fitness the way that CrossFit has. But until then I will keep on coaching people this way and helping them all be better than yesterday with the best way for me to do so.