I write this with a heavy heart. It occurred to me this morning that my five week old daughter would not have been born if it wasn’t for CrossFit…
This weekend the founder of CrossFit, Greg Glassman, made some unnecessary and insensitive comments through his Twitter posts. The whole CrossFit community has been divided due to these actions and we made the decision that we cannot stand beside the brand at this time.
My life and my future have been shaped by CrossFit. I left the military in 2014 to pursue a competitive and coaching career in CrossFit. That decision has led me to various places around the world. I lived and coached in Kuwait for almost two years before moving to Canada where I met my wife Michelle.
We have invested a tremendous amount of time and energy into building Defy Functional Fitness. We have made lots of sacrifices to build our community into what it is today. Being a CrossFit affiliate has allowed us to build our business exactly as we see fit. There is no guidance or restrictions placed by CrossFit which means going forward we can continue to deliver our flavour of fitness and what it means to Get Better At Life.
I owe a lot to CrossFit. I believe in the methodology put forward when it is applied correctly to the right person. I have personally changed many lives using CrossFit ideas and methods. My life has changed because of CrossFit.
It is a shame that we will no longer hold ties and be affiliated with CrossFit. Michelle and I have always wanted to create our own brand alongside the CrossFit name so this is not something we have not prepared for.
Our name does not matter. Our people are what matters. Our standards are what matter.