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CrossFit Slayer is a military affiliate who steps into our CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot:

• Affiliate Since: 6th of June 2009.
• Location: Camp Slayer, VBC, Baghdad, Iraq
• Sq Ft: Close to 1500 sq feet and a cul de sac we train in sometimes.
• Number of Members: Our numbers have fluctuated with incoming and outgoing units and personnel shifts.
• How many times have you moved your affiliate location? About 3. We started originally in the Fishbowl Gym which is the worst gym ever and quickly were asked to leave because we took over the yoga room and had a barbell sleeve break on us within the first week. By October, we moved to our present location behind Building 21-B on Camp Deutsch. We have since fixed up our flooring; built an awesome pull-up/ gymnastic ring set-up, and landscaped the entire back yard for our use.
• Greatest joy as a CrossFit affiliate: Nearly every one of our members who has been a part of this have had no prior CrossFit experience. It is a true pleasure to work with them, regardless of their athletic backgrounds and see them grown beyond anything they had thought possible prior. When we can actually help out service members' morale in ways they never thought possible from a gym it is an amazing feeling. Training under the coaches back home at CrossFit Old Town in Alexandria, VA taught me two main concepts that have formed what we stand for here. The community we have formed here is very much like back home. When our members return to the states and continue training and using CF to improve their lives even more professionally and personally, I know we have made a difference.

Wait, there's more . . .

• Biggest worry as a CrossFit affiliate: Not having a Cert for our guys out here before they leave and being kicked out of our spot.
• Do you Facebook? Yes I do. It is the most effective way for us to put up workout pictures from the night before for our families, past members, and other friends to see our WODs. The bandwidth here sucks, and FB is the most stable way of getting the pictures out.
• Do you Twitter? I do, but I don't really use it at all.
• If you had Coach Greg Glassman's ear, what would you ask him? Can we please get a certification out here to the guys on Victory Base Complex (VBC)? In terms of morale, CrossFit is providing more long term benefit than any second-rate country singer and it is something our guys can take back to the states and train more troops and spread support across the military. We have hundreds of people on VBC and surround FOBS who would love to attend a Cert -- any Cert, even specialty Certs.
• If you could give new CrossFit affiliates one piece of advice, what would it be? There is a terrible trend I have seen at many affiliates which I have worked out at as a guest and that is a lack of enforcement of standards. DO NOT EVER LET YOUR MEMBER'S RANGE OF MOTION STANDARDS SLIP. Even if their times are longer, the standards must be set. Don't be afraid to piss people off by not counting reps for crappy form. They will thank you for it later for the quicker adaptations and take pride in the fact that they are holding themselves to a higher standard. Reinforce that sense of pride and community amongst your guys and they will push harder to meet the standards and work to improve their times.
• What does your gym need more of? Rowers: haven't used one of those in months. I would love to set up two or three rowers in the back area near where we have our squat rack set up. Oh, and we need some help lobbying higher echelons for support to spread the Kool-Aid around more and get more assistance. And we need some athletic tape/pre-wrap. We had some sent to us, but we are burning through it.
• What does your gym need less of? Dust and a lack of command support. Dust can't be avoided, I guess it adds to the fun of it all (not so much), but we have had a considerable amount of hurdles to jump over because people at various levels of command here on Slayer just don't get it.
• Chalk? Or no chalk? Chalk! But we have had guys use the dust in lieu of chalk. Thankfully, we now have a few pounds which should last a good amount of time and we can make whatever mess we want.