Tag: FITAID

Exactly Where You Need to Be

 Eric Roza on Make Pods Great Again

CrossFit CEO joined Make Pods Great Again to discuss the current state of CrossFit. He talked about how his journey has been since taking over, obstacles and challenges he has faced in his personal life, and the new Open format and how he approaches the Open personally. He even gave listeners the scoop on the hire of the new Chief Technology officer as well as spent some time discussing his thoughts around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the CrossFit Community.

Listen now.

Building a Morning Routine in 6 Steps

Having a morning routine has always been important to me and my success in building LIFEAID. We talk about them often in our weekly meetings and I encourage everyone on our team to find a routine that works for them. If you are struggling to create a morning routine for yourself, this is a great article to help you build one.

Read the full article here

“The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are.“

—J.P. Morgan

Strategies for Success in 2021

2020 was a trying year on all businesses, but specifically small businesses. This year, there will still be challenges to overcome, but approaching business with strategic thinking can help navigate these hurdles with more confidence and success.

Read it Here

Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to do is Healthy and Rewarding

While exercise was essential for our prehistoric ancestors, it’s not essential for the lives of the common man. However, even though we don’t rely on hunting and gathering, that doesn’t mean exercise isn’t something that should be part of our daily lives. 

More on Exercise and Evolution

HindeSight  |  No. 53

HindeSight #52: Looking Towards 2021

A Letter from Us: Wrapping Up 2020

In hindsight, 2020 has been an educational and transformative year because we’ve been forced to look at everything so differently and so much more decisively than in past years. We’ve never taken our success for granted, but we all know we don’t look at success with the same level of scrutiny we apply during tougher times. Closing out, we hope 2020 brought you more highs than lows and a clearer picture of what your goals are personally and professionally in 2021.

 Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris: The Ultimate New Year’s Resolution

Meditation teachers Susan Piver and Jeff Warren talk about the ample evidence that you are more likely to achieve your long-term goals if you pursue those goals not out of self-loathing or shame (which is the not-so-subtle subtext of the whole ‘New Year, New You’ slogan) but instead with self-love — or self-compassion. 

Listen now.

How To Set Your New Year Intentions

2021 will be here before we know it and while I am not a big fan of the idea of resolutions, I do believe heavily in intention. This article outlines how to create your intentions for the new year.

Read the full article here.

“If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.“

—Robert Fritz

Goal Setting: A Scientific Guide to Setting and Achieving Goals

How many times have you set goals, only to be disappointed when they didn’t come to fruition? One of my favorite authors, James Clear (he wrote “Atomic Habits”) put together a comprehensive guide about how to set achievable goals.

Check it Out

The Five Minute Journal

Despite what’s going on around me, one of my non-negotiables is my morning routine. I start my day with three questions prompted by my The Five Minute Journal which allows me to ground myself for the day ahead.

Give Yourself Five Minutes 

HindeSight  |  No. 52

Leading Through Challenge

 8 Roles of an Entrepreneurial Leader

Sean Castrina discusses the 8 roles an entrepreneur must be willing to be to find success.The good news is, it’s all about being flexible and open-minded.

Listen now.

1000 True Fans

To be a successful creator you don’t need millions. You don’t need millions of dollars or millions of customers, millions of clients or millions of fans. To make a living as a craftsperson, photographer, musician, designer, author, animator, app maker, entrepreneur, or inventor you need only thousands of true fans.

How to Get 1000 True Fans

“Change is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. Survival is not the goal, trans-formative success is.“

—Seth Godin

Mentally Strong People: The 13 Things They Avoid

This may be an older article, but it very much applies to the times we’re experiencing right now. Mental toughness is important now more than ever as we navigate changes as business owners.

Read the List.

Meeting the Challenge of Disruptive Change

All businesses are facing challenges right now, especially small businesses. This article gives business owners a framework to navigate disruption with the intention of getting back on the path of growth.

Get the Roadmap

HindeSight  |  No. 51

Putting Humans First

 How Jeff Bezos Built One of the World’s Most Valuable Companies

Sunil Gupta, Harvard Business School professor, says that Bezos’s obsession with the customer and insistence on long-term thinking are approaches that other companies and senior executives should emulate. 

Listen now.

Target Sales Just Shocked Wall Street—Here’s How CEO Brian Cornell Did It

More speed requires more skill. Retail jobs, traditionally high in stress and low in pay, are now more challenging—and rewarding—under this new hybrid of physical and digital shopping.

Read the full article here.

“Have fun. The game is a lot more enjoyable when you’re trying to do more than just make money.“

—Tony Hsieh

How Tony Hsieh Used Happiness as a Business Model to Change the World Forever

The former Zappos CEO’s legacy lives on in the entrepreneurs he has inspired and the industry he has changed.

Read about Tony’s Legacy

How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Nir Eyal answers explains the Hook Model–a four-step process embedded into the products of many successful companies to subtly encourage customer behavior. Through consecutive “hook cycles,” these products reach their ultimate goal of bringing users back again and again without depending on costly advertising or aggressive messaging.

Learn the Hook Model

HindeSight  |  No. 50

HindeSight #49: Finding Peace Amongst the Chaos

 Life of the Beverage Industry

I sit down with Matt Beaudreau, host of The Essential 11 podcast, and talk about how my ignorance and a lack of prior experience in the industry actually lent itself to be one of the reasons Orion and I found success. 

Listen now.

4 Mindset and Growth Strategies to Help You Grow Your Business Revenue

 Business growth is not constant. There are hiatuses along the way, and if we don’t see the bigger picture, we can get lost in the patches of shade and twists in the road. The key is to keep focused with the right mindset and growth strategies in our arsenal. 

Read the full article here.

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed no hope at all.”

—Dale Carnegie

50 Signs You Might Be an Entrepreneur

It takes a certain type of person to be an entrepreneur. Do you agree with this list?

Read the List

The Soulful Art of Persuasion

A revolutionary guide to becoming a master influencer in the age of distrust, through the cultivation of character-building habits that are essential to personal growth and sustained business success.

Become Authentically Persuasive

HindeSight  |  No. 49

 

HindeSight #48: Finding Peace Amongst the Chaos

 Finding Peace Amongst the Chaos

Recently, due to the fires ripping up and down the west coast, Aaron’s entire home and property was burned to the ground, leaving 3 generations of his family homeless. Despite that, Aaron’s personal life philosophy and approach to hardship is allowing him and his family to find peace amidst the chaos.

Listen now.

Be a Schedule Builder, Not a List Maker

Have you ever looked at your to-do list at the end of your day only to find it longer than when you started? Time blocking is a great way to plan an efficient day of getting stuff done. 

Read the full article here.

“If you are depressed you are living in the past if you are anxious you are living in the future, if you are at peace, you are living in the present.“

—Lao Tzu

 

How Michael Strahan’s NFL Career Helped Him Become a Savvy Business Leader

The Hall of Famer developed a critical entrepreneurial skill during his 15-year football career: the ability to thoroughly study and prepare.

How to Lead Like Michael Strahan

Wisdom of Sundays : Life-changing Insights from Super Soul Conversations 

Oprah Winfrey shares insights from thought leaders during her Super Soul Tour. 

Get inspired

HindeSight  |  No. 48

 

 

Our Highs and Lows, in ‘Hinde-site’

 

One of the many valuable business lessons Orion and I learned in 2020 is that all the stress testing of a business cannot predict blackswan events. Businesses need to fortify their foundations by galvanizing their most loyal evangelists to survive these once in a lifetime events.

Even the finest omni-channel distribution strategy won’t protect your business from the swift impact of a global pandemic shutting down the country.

This year’s closures of gyms and health clubs took an enormous toll on our brand but what saved us is the very nature of how we launched LIFEAID Beverage Co. in the first place – a direct to consumer sales model we continued to nurture even after our retail sales outpaced our e-commerce. And when the gyms closed, our brand loyalists really stepped up to support LIFEAID by shifting their purchases with us, to online. 

Approaching March 2020, we had already doubled our retail doors from the prior year and were successfully selling LIFEAID beverages in grocery, drug and convenience stores, independent and chain health clubs, cafes, at sports events, military bases, airports and via e-commerce and even in international markets. We had a diversified, omni-channel model. And we still got nailed with the spring’s lockdowns. 

Some highlights from this year’s highs and lows, follow. And thank you to our focused, talented team in Santa Cruz and around the country, and our supportive distribution and retailer network. We have been fortunate to thrive in many ways in 2020 and it’s made us a stronger team and a stronger business and brand entering 2021.

  • No major layoffs. We’re very proud of this, because layoffs were an easy and immediate cost savings when our 10,000 strong gym network and the revenue it generated was shut down. But we know how long it took to build our talented team and were lucky enough to add 19 hires in 2020. And we were determined to find a path through.
  • Launched our first hemp-infused beverage on e-comm (at the tail end of 2019) and sold 200,000 units in a few days. And thanks to that healthy and very loyal subscriber base, our hemp drink is now one of our top sellers online. Thank you, subscribers! [Some advice: Build a platform, not a product. Example: Even though FitAid represents a tremendous percentage of our business, products like ImmunityAid helped shoulder the Covid downturn to became our next hero SKU. LifeAid hemp-infused has done the same online.]
  • Donated 2,000 masks to frontline healthcare workers at the start of the pandemic. Admittedly the masks were part of a publicity stunt for the Expo West that never happened in early March. Little did we realize how vital those masks would be in the coming weeks and months, for others fighting Covid.
  • Brought the LIFEAID brand to Publix stores for the first time. The purchase order was delayed for months thanks to the pandemic, but we made it in and have exceeded expectations.
  • Launched “LIFEAID Lift” to help support our shuttered gym and health club partners with direct incentives paid to them via our e-commerce programs.

  • Became recognized as a go-to brand for immunity support. Covid did in three months what marketing would have taken three winter seasons to do: it turned our ImmunityAid drink into one of our top-selling SKUs and made it a viable competitor against other immunity supplements brands. During one 48 hour period we received half a million dollars in orders for ImmunityAid alone. Immunity also became the focus for our LIFEAID GO! product innovation, a new line of powdered drinks in single serve packets that we intended to debut at Expo West and use (drumroll, please) in travel and at the gym. But we wisely launched via e-commerce with a focus the Immunity GO!, and now months later the GO! line is at retail stores including HEB, Central Market, Harmons, Army & Air Force Exchange Service.
  • Took an important stand against the racial and cultural insensitivity of CrossFit’s founder, during an intense moment in the ongoing BLM movement. We withdrew our longtime sponsorship of CrossFit events to make a point, and were pleasantly surprised to be able to return months later and support the brand’s new CEO and a new vision for this iconic fitness movement.
  • Survived the August California wildfires. As many of you know, I lost my home and Orion nearly lost his. But we managed to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the community as a result, and while still grieving for other neighbors and their losses, are excited to rebuild and reinvest in our Santa Cruz community.
  • Commissioned an important survey about Americans gym goers, and discovered the disturbing stat that one in four Americans never plan to return to the gym since Covid began. It’s another challenge for us to meet as we grow LIFEAID in 2021, and we’re up for it after all the b.s. of 2020.
  • Acquired LIFEAID Europe, where we continue to grow the brand in very much the same way we did in the US 10 years ago. We’re excited for the potential of the business in Europe once the latest wave of lockdowns eases.
  • Launched our first large scale athlete marketing program with talent including Brandon Aiyuk, Noah Fant and Derwin James. The irony of course, is that none of us can really enjoy pro-sports the way we want to: rooting from the stands and feeding off the energy of the game. Nevertheless, pro-athletes including these gentlemen continued to inspire in other ways in 2020 and the campaign with its vibrant images was a success, built brand and strengthened sales.

  • Had our best-ever, seven-figure Black Friday and Cyber Monday, thanks again to the strong foundation of our direct to consumer business and a major consumer shift to shopping for almost everything, online. And while the year isn’t quite over, it was gratifying to see much of the business we lost, made up for on e-commerce.

In hindsight, 2020 has been an educational and transformative year because we’ve been forced to look at everything so differently and so much more decisively than in past years. We’ve never taken our success for granted, but we all know we don’t look at success with the same level of scrutiny we apply during tougher times. Closing out, we hope 2020 brought you more highs than lows and a clearer picture of what your goals are personally and professionally in 2021. Stay strong, and happy new year.

Tamar Garcia, LIFEAID National Events Manager

We may be biased, but at LIFEAID, we really do have some of the best people on our team and Tamar is no exception. If you saw us at Wodapalooza in Miami earlier this year, she was the fearless leader behind that activation. While her role has (temporarily) shifted due to events being cancelled in 2020, she’s ready to bring you memorable LIFEAID experiences in 2021 and beyond.
What brought you to LIFEAID and describe your role with the team.

I first heard of LIFEAID through a friend of mine who was a yoga instructor at the time and also worked in the marketing world. She was hooked on a drink called FITAID, that she swore helped her achy muscles, so I gave it a try and was hooked.
I had graduated college with a double major in Political Science and Communications and had worked for an attorney, took my LSATS and realized that that wasn’t the route I wanted to take. Everything happens for a reason because as I made the big decision not to attend law school that same week that very friend that hooked me onto FITAID saw a job posting looking for a part time brand ambassador… and the rest was history.
I graduated from part time brand ambassador to running all the National Events for LIFEAID.

What has been the biggest thing you’ve learned from your time on the team so far?

I may or may not get in trouble for this one.. but how does the saying go “It’s better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.”  Obviously everything within reason, but if I have a good idea I’ve learned to trust my gut and go for it because it ends up being a good one.

If you can only choose one, what would you say your favorite event/memory has been so far?

This one is tough, there are SO many fond memories with the LIFEAID team. The retreats may be some of the best memories I’ll ever have, there’s just something about being in a secluded area with all of your colleagues that will really just stay with you. “The first rule of LIFEAID retreats: you don’t talk about the retreats” lol

Another great memory I had was executing my first national event, which happened to be in Miami. I’d never been to the event, nor Miami so I had no clue what to expect. The event itself was a great memory, but working with the team behind the scenes was by far the best. Everyone offered their advice, the do’s and don’ts, their expertise and if it hadn’t been for everyone who helped me plan, it truly wouldn’t have been as successful as it was.

How has your role shifted in 2020 and what is one skill you learned that you’re grateful for?

2020 was quite a strange year, to say the least. My role shifted drastically, in the sense that all the events that we had planned and were excited for got cancelled but this is the beauty of marketing; things are never set in stone, and you just have to roll with the punches. Because of 2020 I was able to learn a little about almost every position within the company, and with that my ability to adapt very quickly.

What is your favorite LIFEAID product and why?

FOCUSAID is by far my favorite product. I am a huge yerba mate fan and would drink the tea all the time so finding out that I could drink Yerba Mate AND get vitamins at the same time was a huge win.

Outside of work, you play in a Mariachi band. How long have you been doing that and what is your motivation?

My mom enrolled me in my first mariachi class when I was 9 years old, and since then I haven’t looked back. Playing the violin at such a young age, you don’t realize what you really learn (besides the music). I’ve learned patience, camaraderie, discipline, strength, but most of all being passionate about something.

What do you love most about music?

I love that you can express every and any feeling through music, whether im playing some og rap to heavy metal there is something in the music that eases whatever feeling i’m feeling. When it comes to playing mariachi it’s the same. It’s an outlet to express things that can’t be said.

The people want to know about your adorable cats. Tell us about them.

I have the best fur-babies in the world. I have 2 black cats; oldest is named Ledo (pronounced LEE-DO) and the youngest is Nicolas Cage. They have the polar opposite personalities, the older being the chubby, sweet gentle cuddler and the youngest being the biggest trouble maker digging up my plants, chewing on all his toys, and eating anything he can find. I adopted them on accident, but realized no one ever comes into your life by accident.

Meet Mothers of Fitness ‘Momerator,’ Katie Dial

For Mother’s Day this year, we launched our Mothers of Fitness community to celebrate the strong women in our midst. Part of the intention of this group was to allow mothers to share their experiences, offer advice to other women in their shoes, and just have a place to gush over something they all have in common–the love of motherhood and health and fitness.

You can join the party here.

Katie Dial, one of our awesome group ‘Momerators’ shares her fitness story and her experience with motherhood.

How did you become interested in fitness?

I was always athletic growing up…I played soccer and did track, and was on the competitive swimming and diving team through middle and high school. I worked out fairly often prior to having kids but life happened and I let myself get pretty inconsistent after getting married and my first pregnancy loss. Then, six years later, I had my oldest son, who was very healthy thankfully. Six years after that, I had my second baby and I felt like three pregnancies had taken their toll on my body.

I first started working out consistently about three months after my youngest son was born. I had never done CrossFit but immediately loved the constantly varied workouts and training, I saw results almost immediately. Tannon is 4-years-old now and I’ve lost 35 pounds and gained an entirely new career as a fitness coach and trainer. I love sharing fitness content to help inspire and encourage other moms as well. I’m finishing up my CFL1 Coach’s certification course and regularly working out at my home box as well as posting an occasional online Instagram workout video to help motivate the other moms in the community. 

What inspired you to start posting on Instagram and sharing your journey? 

I felt a need to share my fitness journey from post pregnancy until now because I no longer recognized my body in the mirror. I struggled with low energy and weight gain. I felt determined to regain my confidence and health for my sons and myself, to be honest. So, I wanted to help inspire other mothers who are too afraid to speak up, but out there struggling with their own self image and body confidence. Also to pass on the healthy tips and eating habits that have been game changers for me. My trainers and coaches have poured infinite amounts of time and energy into training me andI feel a responsibility to pay that forward to others.

What has been the most challenging part of juggling work, fitness, and motherhood? 

Staying organized and on schedule! I started thinking to myself, “What area/task is going to be the ultimate disappointment if you don’t complete it? What are the PRIORITIES for the day or week?” Then, I focus on crushing those things first! Every week brings new challenges and changes. I’ve had to learn to focus on my goals and let things that won’t matter long term go. I try not to get too caught up in worrying about everything being perfect and I try to ALWAYS keep an appointment book and weekly schedule no matter what to help me stay organized. 

What is your favorite part about being a mom?

I can’t pick just one, but watching the boys love each other and have a close bond is pretty special to see. It gives my heart so much joy to see them laughing and playing together. There are so many things about my boys I love so much. I can’t believe they’re mine! They melt my heart with their sweet questions and I try to always be there for them.

Do you have any advice for other moms that are thinking about starting or need help continuing their fitness journey?

Keep Grinding No Matter What. Never Give Up! Keep a short term goal attainable daily and weekly to help encourage small changes that ultimately add up to big victories.

How do you take time for yourself? Any favorite self care activities?

Time management is a total key. One thing I always try to make time for is getting my lashes done. Its a very small thing but that time is when I just relax completely and it helps me to feel confident in and out of the gym, with or without makeup. Part of my quality self care time IS being in the gym and working out. I just feel 100% better when I’m in a balanced flow with exercise and nutrition.  

How have you been coping with this crazy year in regards to COVID and having young kids?

2020 has been the year I truly realized how important staying healthy and active is. I realized just how important CrossFit and my community is to me. I went to an empty dark gym and did home workouts for months and stayed consistent. Even during the shutdown we posted at home workouts and me and our boys swam in the pool almost everyday. I realized how much I loved being healthy and helping others start healthy habits. I just finished my coaching certification and can’t think of a better way to end this year. 

Are you watching any good TV shows or movies now that you want to share?

I loved watching Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix. I’m always trying to be more organized and she helps so many people.

What are some goals you have going into 2021?

One personal goal is to travel more in 2021. I loved Europe and want to go back to see more of it. Another goal is reaching more followers on Instagram to help others and promote healthy habits, coaching and fashion blogging more consistently. I would LOVE to take my boys to Disneyland when we go out of Phase 2.

Do you have any products or services (for you or your kids) that you can’t live without or are essential to your everyday routine?

FITAID, Lush KARMA soap/perfume, coffee anytime, LOTS of workout activewear…NOBULL trainers, I wear them almost every workout.

What are your hobbies/interests outside of fitness?

I’m a hairstylist and own a salon and also share fashion blogging on Instagram and Facebook for Rewardstyle/Liketoknow.it. Basically anything helping others to look or feel better about themselves! Everyone at the gym jokes about life makeovers with me, I love helping people look good!

FITAID Chats with CrossFit Analyst Tommy Marquez

With the second phase of the CrossFit Games happening this weekend, we spoke with CrossFit HQ’s commentator and analyst, Tommy Marquez, to get his take on the Aromas based, streamlined version of the 2020 Games. With the spectacle of the coliseum stripped away, Castro has taken us back to the birthplace of the fittest on earth. Check out our interview below for Tommy’s insight into what might take place out at the Ranch. 

FITAID: In terms of coverage and presentation of the Games, what challenges and opportunities did the purely online format of the first phase present? How have the lessons learned in phase one informed the media team’s approach to the final phase of the Games?

Marquez: The biggest challenge was creating relevant media covering the event in what was as close to as real time as possible. In a time where media coverage, and everything involving sports is centered around instant results, instant feedback, and live action coverage, the logistics of stage one simply couldn’t allow for that to happen so crafting coverage in a way that felt as close to that as possible was tough. It did provide an opportunity to get creative and find ways to emulate coverage or analysis without the typical timelines.

FITAID: Much of the spectacle of the Games has been stripped away (coliseum, fans, etc). What impact do you anticipate that having on the athletes? How do you intend to keep the excitement levels high for those of us watching from home?

Marquez: There’s a certain level of gamesmanship that comes with competing on the biggest stage of any sport that will be missing this year. The elements of atmosphere like the energy of the crowd and the spectacle of the arena can amplify or shrink an athlete’s performances. The pressure exposes elements – good or bad – of their mental game and competitive spirit. While it will certainly look and feel different, the competition at the Ranch won’t be completely devoid of these types of tests, so to keep the excitement level high, it will be important to identify and highlight the unique and new ways that the competition in Aromas will test the athletes mental resolve and ability to adapt to the moment. We may not ever get a moment like this again, so it’s important to remind the viewership of that because that alone is exciting in a certain way.

FITAID: On the men’s side there are a fair amount of new faces in comparison to the previous year’s leaderboards. Who is the standout amongst the new crowd?

Marquez: The biggest standout by far for me is Justin Medeiros. He’s the only rookie in the field and he’s made quite the splash already. At only 21 years old he has a tremendous career ahead of him but he’s carried himself with the poise and mindset of someone a decade older than him. In his first year on the big stage he’s already won a Sanctional (the Filthy 150 in Ireland), and has already earned himself a top 5 finish at the Games and a potential podium spot. Since the Games left the Ranch in 2010, the only men to podium in their Rookie years were Rich Froning, Josh Bridges, Mat Fraser, and Patrick Vellner. Granted Justin still has to earn his way into that group this weekend but that would be some amazing company right there.

FITAID: Obviously, Mat & Tia are the reigning champions several years running. Of the athletes that have moved on to phase two, who do you think poses the biggest threat to their continued dominance and does the new format of the Games itself help or hinder that effort?

Marquez: The body of work that Mat & Tia have compiled leads me to believe that this format will only help them. Everyday they train head to head, champion vs champion, in a smaller, more close-quarter environment like they’ll see at the Ranch, only with better competition pushing them. As far as the biggest threats I think there’s.a short term, and a long term answer for each. Short term, Noah Ohlsen and Katrin Davidsdottir pose the biggest threat, their pedigree and experience make them more at home standing shoulder to shoulder with them than anyone else. Long term it has to be Haley Adams and Justin Medeiros. They’re so skilled at such a young age, and they have plenty of time to continue to improve and fine tune plus they have great teams behind them.

FITAID: What do you think are the inherent advantages and challenges of having a limited field in the final events? In the past, while there have always been people ahead on the leaderboard there was always a chance for a comeback. Will an athlete pulling away at the beginning diminish the excitement of the Games?

Marquez: The advantages will be that the athletes have a clearer picture the whole way through of what needs to be done in each event. There’s only one heat, and your entire group of opponents is right in front of you and you don’t need to worry about an outlier from an earlier heat, or in the mass start events (bike, swim, run, etc.) someone getting squirrely and taking you out. That same element is also a disadvantage if you’re far behind or underperforming and the gaps mid-workout or overall are wide. With bigger groups you can set mini goals and chip away by passing one athlete here, another one there, along the way to get to your goal, but even though the point spreads are bigger, you could be staring at 100+ point gaps that FEEL much larger than they are, and hurt the psyche a bit. I fully expect Mat or Tia (or both) to pull away, and just like Regionals or Games past, the race for the podium is where the excitement will be assuming that there’s actually a race there.

FITAID: Depending on the trajectory of the pandemic, the 2021 Games could be executed in a variety of different ways. Is CrossFit HQ already considering some of their options for next year?

Marquez: Both the new CEO and Owner Eric Roza, and Director of Sport Dave Castro has stated that they are considering options and working to build a season that is flexible enough to push forward through the pandemic restrictions should they continue while still providing plenty of competition and entertainment options for fans and athletes so season still feels complete and legitimate. Since the sale of the company, the demeanor and spirit within the community and sport has been reinvigorated so I have full faith that 2021 will be great.

At the core of the CrossFit Games it serves as a proving ground for elite fitness, regardless of the amount of fans watching or grandeur of the coliseum. With Tommy Marquez at the commentator helm, this year’s innovative Games format will be sure to excite both new and OG CrossFit fans. Be sure to check out who is chosen as the Fittest as the ten finalists throw down at the Ranch this weekend.