Affiliate Team Brings Community, Connection, and Collaboration at the CrossFit Semifinals

The 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Semifinals, the third step on the road to the CrossFit Games, are a wrap. There were some incredible performances featuring total dominance and courageous comebacks, but those aren’t the only things that made the Semifinals exciting.

If you were lucky enough to attend one of this year’s Semifinals in person, you may have seen CrossFit HQ’s affiliate and training teams out in full force spreading fun and fitness all weekend long.

Steadfast Support and Community Engagement

Supporting the 13,000 worldwide affiliates continues to be a longstanding focus of the affiliate team at CrossFit HQ, and as the team has grown, so has the hard work they’re putting in to make CrossFit affiliation easier and more accessible. In just the last year alone, the team has introduced multiple resources aimed at improving the affiliation and gym-ownership experience, such as CrossFit Affiliate Roundtables, the CrossFit Affiliate Playbook, the CrossFit Affiliate Partner Network, and CrossFit Affiliate Programming.

Additionally, the affiliate team displays an unwavering commitment to community engagement, initiating genuine connection with affiliate owners and coaches around the world. To that end, the team, led by General Manager of Global Affiliates Gary Gaines, collaborated with CrossFit’s Training and Education team during this Semifinals season to continue to expand its reach to the ever-growing CrossFit community and shine the spotlight on CrossFit affiliate owners and trainers as direct avenues to changing lives through CrossFit.

Members of CrossFit HQ’s affiliate and training teams at Semifinals

“The affiliate team’s presence at Semifinals was a top priority for us this year. Our goal was to show support for the affiliate community while also highlighting our coaches,” Gaines said. “We worked cross-functionally with our Training and Education department to showcase our field leaders, which included our country managers, U.S. reps, and support and Seminar Staff. We’re pleased with the response we’ve received and look forward to building on the momentum we’ve created.”

The Semifinals Tour

Members of CrossFit HQ’s affiliate and training teams attended many of the Semifinal events around the globe, offering spectators an opportunity to participate in various activities and allowing affiliate owners and coaches to gather and connect with one another and with members of HQ — an important part of the culture of CrossFit, said Danielle Hale, Senior Manager of Affiliate Community and Engagement.

“Being able to connect face-to-face at Semifinals is so powerful because it allows us to grow and strengthen our relationships with the affiliate owners and coaches in our community,” Hale said. “It’s important for them to know they have someone at HQ that they can pick up the phone and call when they need to or want to.”

Listening to the needs of the community is high on the affiliate team’s priority list, and employing representatives around the world has allowed team members to get more in tune with the current CrossFit scene in a given location. This network came in handy during Semifinals when the representatives engaged with their communities and collaborated with the affiliate team to determine what kinds of activities the local community would benefit from and enjoy the most.

CrossFit’s Seminar Staff leads a Kids session at the CrossFit Lowlands Throwdown

Among the community activities featured at Semifinal events were CrossFit Kids sessions, a 5 R’s presentation, affiliate owner and coaches gatherings, and even a welcome session for the CrossFit curious that featured an introduction to CrossFit, an extensive warm-up, and a 5-minute workout geared toward brand-new CrossFitters.

Additionally, at each event, top-tier CrossFit coaches were present to offer participants a wide variety of opportunities. Spectators who visited the affiliate booth were offered opportunities to meet world-class Seminar Staff trainers and ask for help with anything CrossFit-related, take a 60-minute skills class, participate in the daily challenge, or join a 30-minute workout. Fans and affiliate owners also had the chance to attend a Level 1 snatch breakout or a Level 2 advanced coaching skills session.

Hale said the face time with affiliate owners, coaches, and the community is invaluable when it comes to understanding where we are and where we want to go as a company. The team even makes a huge effort to drop into as many affiliates as they can when traveling to Semifinals and other events to work out alongside the local community. What results from such networking is an organic roundtable of sorts where substantial connections and relationships are formed.

“The power that comes from affiliate owners getting together and interacting is amazing. … They galvanize and they feed off each other, and they get new ideas, and they feel uplifted and empowered,” Hale said. “Knowing there are peers in their position and a huge team of people who truly love them and are showing up to support them is extremely beneficial to everyone.”

CrossFit HQ believes wholeheartedly in the power of community, Hale said, and the affiliate team’s presence at Semifinals was one of many ways members plan to continue showing up for affiliate owners and the community in the future.

“It’s our way to make everyone feel and know how important they are to us. Each and every affiliate is not just a number; they are a relationship, they are somebody we want a close relationship with,” Hale said. “Any chance we can connect with them, hear how they’re doing, hear how their community is doing, learn how we can better serve them, we want to take. Ensuring that affiliate owners know they are our top priority is important.”

What’s Next?

Didn’t make it to a Semifinal? Not to worry, the affiliate crew will be at the 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games, and they have some fun stuff in store. Among the known activities planned for this year’s big stage in Madison, Wisconsin, are an affiliate owner workout and BBQ, exclusive affiliate lounge access for LORs offering happy hour food and drinks, and a chance to mingle with CrossFit HQ staff and other affiliate owners. Product representatives from the Affiliate Roundtables, CrossFit Affiliate Programming, and the Affiliate Partner Network will be on-site, and free swag will be available. Stay tuned for more big announcements about what the team will be up to at this year’s Games. You won’t want to miss it!