In support of all athletes and in partnership with our Advisory Board, we asked CrossFit to provide clarity regarding the duration of time athletes will work at high intensity outdoors.
April 10, 2024
This is the response:
“Thanks for all the thoughts about what information will help you prepare for Fort Worth. We reviewed your suggestions and can give you a little more information. It is not to the level you are looking for, but we hope it provides enough to help athletes decide how to manage their heat-related training heading into the Games in August.
The competition will feature 1 primary field of play, indoors in Dickie's arena
A much smaller percentage of events than Madison will occur outdoors”
~CrossFit Games Team
As part of the inaugural PFAA+TYR Wodapalooza partnership, the team has held an open retrospective to share perspectives on what went well and in what areas we agree to focus for the next event.
With every event, we expect and understand there will be areas of improvement. The PFAA has a trusting and transparent relationship with the TYR Wodapalooza team and we are excited and committed to make every event better than the last.
Overall our athletes told us the planning and execution of contingency plans, the communication and media, and the simplified movement standards all positively impacted their overall experience. We also saw opportunities to further smooth out athlete communication as well as deepen some specific safety protocols, while remaining blind to actual programming (which is out of scope for the PFAA partnership given we are led by actively competing athletes).
We learned a lot from this initial foray into event partnership and are actively working on improving the quality of our future event partnerships.
February 28, 2024
PFAA x WZA is official
November 10, 2023
We have spent recent months working with the incredible TYR Wodapalooza team to define expectations and gain commitments to deliver the best experience possible to athletes. This collaborative approach is exactly how we, collectively, drive the sport forward. Here’s to raising the bar!
The TYR Wodapalooza team and PFAA will stay in close contact leading up to and throughout the event. In addition, we will hold a retrospective where we assess outcome/experience against our agreement. This will hold both organizations accountable, drive iterative improvement, and help us avoid complacency.
We represent athlete needs in preparation for the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games
Following Semifinals, we conducted a survey to best understand the athlete experience and help us focus on what matters most. That feedback led to the creation of specific requirements/conditions to support the overall athlete experience and evolve the sport. We made our best effort to reach all 80 Individual athletes either directly or through their coaches/agents. 41 of 80 Individual athletes signed their agreement, with 16 additional athletes’ agents/coaches indicating overall support.
We were explicitly asked by athletes to keep their anonymity.
Below is the content provided to CrossFit alongside their response (italicized). We appreciate the timeliness and attention the CrossFit team gave to this list. We recognize the many moving pieces that comprise the CrossFit Games; while we’d prefer to have more express commitments for all items, we are cautiously optimistic regarding those where CrossFit commits to ‘making every effort possible'.
We will continue dialogue regarding areas where athletes’ needs and CrossFit’s preferences most notably diverge.
To all athletes: please contact us if you would like to raise concerns or discuss your experiences at Semifinals/the Games.
The more we hear from you, the better we can represent your interests.
July 15, 2023
If you want to hear more out our engagement with CrossFit and our future from PFAA President, Brent Fikowksi, check out this Talking Elite Fitness Fitness with Friends episode:
CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE (THANK YOU!)
The Individual men and women (“we” or “athletes”) that have qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games approve of these conditions and would like them to continue for the Individual Games tests this year:
Equipment height equity.
We must continue to have the ability to accurately adjust yokes and jerk blocks (with at least 10 and 5 height options, respectively). To do so accurately, we must know the intended rack position and flooring (turf or mats) to make informed adjustments.
The team will continue to give as many options as possible based on the equipment specifications.
All pull-up bars and rings will be set at heights in which taller athletes can perform movements without dragging their feet at full arm extension, and shorter athletes will be provided access to two 6” risers to reach implements in a similar fashion. Multiple implements per lane that are set at different heights are also acceptable.
May continue to implement provisionally. As a point of protocol we do not offer multiple risers as it a) increases fall risk due to the possible separation of risers on impact and b) the increased height from the ground creates a much greater likelihood that in the event of a fall an athlete will fall into the upright of the rig.
Minimum work requirements (“MWR”). No minimum work requirements (see below for clarification on medical removals).
Tests will likely have no minimum work requirements except in very specific circumstances. We can commit to briefing the athletes with clear expectations and requirements if and when minimum work requirements are used.
Coach access. Coaches have access to the North Park warmup area and a space for viewing at North Park by either designating a portion of the media pit to coaches or an area of the bleachers.
Coaches’ access will continue as was established in 2022.
SAFETY CONDITIONS AND PROCESSES TO IMPLEMENT OR ENFORCE - 2023 GAMES
The Individual men and women (“we” or “athletes”) that have qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games would like these safety conditions and processes to be in place for our individual competition this year.
Safety
Equipment. Climbing ropes are to be cut short so that athletes won’t be able to step on an end.
This was implemented in our safety protocols in spring 2022 and will continue.
Weather. If it rains, wooden platforms must be dried prior to lifting tests.
The team will continue to make every effort possible to provide dry surfaces in the event of rain.
Lake water testing. Water safety tests must be done and communicated to us (and our coaches) before an open-water swimming test.
Water conditions for all open-water tests will be made public and available.
Process
Approved equipment. CrossFit must enforce its rulebook section on Live Competition Specific Attire Requirements. We suggest a review of equipment at athlete check-in to minimize time spent by Athlete Control staff inspecting athletes before each test.
Athlete Control staff will continue to monitor equipment and attire of all athletes during check-in and before they take the field of play.
Heat consistency. Once a test has been briefed and the first heat of athletes has completed the test, no changes can be made to the movement standards or test flow for subsequent heats.
Yes. Note that athletes may receive a reminder or clarification on certain standards before taking the field - these will not be changes to standards or event flow unless there is a safety risk observed.
Test distance consistency. We must cover an equal distance for tests shorter than 24 minutes and/or group-start mono-structural tests. Staggered starting mats or performing a down-and-back during a test are suitable solutions.
The team will continue to make every effort to ensure equal distances are covered.
Clarified scope of minimum work requirements. The medical team can only remove us from the competition, not Sports team members or judges.
Only medical staff will make medical judgements/diagnosis; however, removal from competition will continue to be a group decision that includes input/advice from medical staff, head judge, competition director and Games director.
EXPLORATORY EQUIPMENT CONDITIONS AND PROCESSES
The Individual men and women (“we” or “athletes”) that have qualified for the 2023 CrossFit Games have submitted these condition changes to our individual competition; HOWEVER, We recognize the difficulty in accommodating these conditions for the 2023 Games, given the tight time period. This is an exploratory list to review with open discussion to ideally be implemented at a later time.
Process/Consistency
Equipment. CrossFit must create a method to ensure consistency across all competitors for the use of sleds and self-propelled treadmills. These methods are to be verified/ratified with input from a group of individuals with coaching and competitive experience.
The team will continue to make every attempt to create consistency across lanes for all equipment.
Heat warm-ups. All heats must have a minimum of 25 minutes in the warm-up area. All heats must have access to the same equipment for the entirety of the warm-up prior to their test.
Timing: this will continue to be implemented whenever possible. Equipment: we will continue to ensure all heats have access to the same equipment during warm-up.
Clear and safe movement standards that judges can consistently apply
Example: handstand pushups (“HSPU”) of any type, at the bottom of the rep, the head must make contact with an object that is soft like a mat or foam (not hard flooring nor a line in the air). If performing ring HSPU the standard can be shoulders/biceps touching wood.
There are many instances where there is not a tactile start/end of a movement and the team will continue to refine movement standards for simplicity of performance, judging, and safety.
No cuts to the field
The CrossFit Games will likely continue to have cuts unless announced otherwise. The goal will be to announce the cuts scheduled within a reasonable timeline for athlete planning and awareness.