Meeting Notes

CrossFit Athlete Council

About the Council

November 4, 2025

Invitation Sent: October 6, 2025

Attendees – CrossFit HQ: Heather Lawrence, Wendy Guthrie, Becky Harsh
Attendees – CAC: Seth Page, Spencer Panchik, Ryan Dickey, Olivia Grimsland, Yazmin Arroyo, Matt Young, Gio Benitez, Mahmoud Elzayat, Harry Jager, Andrew McLaughlan, Rebecca Voigt Miller, Jason Grubb, Karli DeMonico, Nathan Black
Guest Attendee – Safety Advisory Board Member: Brian McGuire

Agenda Topics:

  • Medical Eligibility Requirement
  • New CAC Charter (Draft)
  • 2026 CrossFit Games Season Updates
  • Assessment Summary
  • Meeting Availability

Key Takeaways:

  • Medical Eligibility Requirement: The Council supported the Safety Advisory Board’s recommendation to introduce a medical screening requirement for all Individual and Team athletes competing at the 2026 CrossFit Games. This new requirement aims to enhance athlete safety and align with common practices across elite sports.
  • CAC Charter (Draft): A new Council Charter was proposed to further define Council responsibilities, clarify engagement expectations, and advance the eligibility criteria and the recruitment and selection process. No objections were raised, and members will have additional time to review and provide feedback before finalization. A ‘Cohort Chair’ position was introduced and each Cohort will advise CrossFit HQ of who will serve as Chair.
  • 2026 Season Updates:
    • Judges Course:  Affiliate owners will receive a code for one complimentary seasonal Judges Course, transferable to a coach if already completed–supporting continuing education and judging quality across the community
    • Open Registration Codes: Affiliates will be able to purchase Open registration codes in bulk to help drive member participation. More details will be shared during the next meeting.
    • Open Training Plans: Training plans for the Open are now available to help athletes prepare effectively.
    • New Apparel Options:A women’s tank top and event patches will be introduced as new Open merchandise items.
  • Council Self-Assessment: The Council’s self-assessment rated overall effectiveness at 3.5/5, noting opportunities to improve structure, communication, and HQ support. Members discussed strategies to strengthen community engagement.
  • Team Qualification Structure: Members raised concerns about the regional balance in team qualification opportunities for the Games. Heather clarified that 2026 Semifinal allocations will vary by event, and unlike in 2025, the strict geo-fencing will not be allowed. Teams and individuals may compete in Semifinals outside their region and attempt to qualify through multiple events, including the online Semifinal–promoting broader access and competitive opportunity. 
  • Ongoing Communication: Council members were encouraged to reach out to the staff liaison at any time for questions, updates, or support.

October 1, 2025

Invitation for meeting sent: September 19, 2025

Attendees from CrossFit HQ: Dave Castro, Adrian Bozman, Heather Lawrence, Becky Harsh

Attendees from CAC: Seth Page, Colten Mertens, Olivia Grimsland, Yazmin Arroyo, Matt Young, Andrew McLaughlan, Mahmoud Elzayat, Jason Grubb, Rebecca Voigt Miller, Nathan Black, Harry Jager

This meeting was scheduled to discuss the 2026 season announcement and to receive feedback from the entire CrossFit Athlete Council.

Key takeaways:

  • It was noted that currently the members of the council include active competitive athletes so the Committee was not read in ahead of the public release of the 2026 Season. CAC members are not currently bound by NDAs, which limits HQ’s ability to share some information. Possible NDA’s for this council will be discussed heading into 2026.
  • The season flow was briefed by Adrian Bozman, citing information from THIS ARTICLE. 
  • The Community Cup competition will return for 2026, but details are not final. 
  • Open revenue for the 2026 season will fund 2026 prize money.
  • Affiliate prizes will return for the 2026 season.
  • The Quarterfinals structure and judging were discussed, including:
    • 25% from the Open will qualify.
    • All workouts must be performed at an affiliate.
    • The Advanced Judges Course is not required for Quarterfinals. 
  • The Semifinals structure and path to the Games were discussed:
    • In-Person or Online qualification opportunities for Individuals, Teams, and Masters athletes
    • The top 2,000 athletes from the Individual Quarterfinals will advance to the Semifinals
    • Top 400/300 athletes (depending on the division) will advance to the Age-Group Semifinals
    • Hosts and dates of the in-person Semifinal events will be released as soon as contracts are complete. The release should be expected by the end of October or early November.
  • CrossFit is aiming to announce the site for the 2026 CrossFit Games within a few weeks
  • Heather Lawrence will take a more active role in leading and supporting CAC
  • Items for consideration heading into 2026 include CAC member rotations off the Council, new member voting, NDA, and a higher level of expectation of conduct for members

September 23, 2025

Invitation for meeting sent: September 15, 2025

Attendees from CrossFit HQ: Dave Castro, Adrian Bozman, Becky Harsh

Attendees from CAC Divisional committee: Rebecca Voigt Miller, Karli DeMonico, Nathan Black

This was an open forum style meeting to receive feedback from the divisional committee regarding the Age Group CrossFit Games.

Key takeaways:

  • It was generally agreed that the venue was improved over the 2024 season venue with specific notes on it being easily accessible, spacious, plenty of parking, and numerous options in the surrounding areas for food and hotels.
  • The check-in experience was smooth, but it was noted that communication and signage regarding the recovery areas and warm-up spaces were lacking.
  • Athletes felt that having two separate warm-up areas was not needed and led to more confusion. There was also no “supervision” of the warm-up areas which may have caused some of the confusion.
  • It was suggested that 4 days was too long for the competition and there was plenty of time in the schedule between events (almost too much time per some athletes). The recommendation was to condense the competition to 3 days.
  • The general feel was that the programming was effective and balanced. 
  • There was discussion regarding the necessity of athlete cuts and athlete profile reduction for the 2026 season. It was shared that reductions in the number of athletes per division was applied to divisions with fewer participants in the Open. 
  • More discussion of logistics and athlete experience occurred to include issues with bib distribution for the running event with possible solutions provided.
  • CAC members are  excited about the return of Quarterfinals and there was recognition that it also creates some stress as an affiliate owner.
  • The award ceremony was discussed with a request to present awards in age group order in 2026. 

Opportunities for improvement:

  • CrossFit will be providing more guidance to all Games season events in 2026 to more engaged will all events in 2026 to support and improve events. This will include communication planning.

August 7, 2025

Invitation for meeting sent: August 5, 2025 – this meeting was in response to the Divisional committee of the CAC needing clarification on social media communications regarding the Age-Group and Adaptive Games. The CFHQ team wanted to have a meeting ASAP to alleviate some tension created by miscommunication.

Attendees from CrossFit HQ: Dave Castro, Heather Lawrence, Becky Harsh, Megan Davis,

Attendees from CAC Divisional committee: Nathan Black, Jason Grubb, Tim Murray, Karli DeMonico
External Attendees: Bob Jennings from Legends and Kevin Ogar from WheelWOD

Heather Lawrence led the discussion in response to Jason Grubb reaching out to CFHQ regarding a lack of social media collaboration between CFHQ and Legends for the Age-Group Games. This sentiment was echoed by Tim Murray in regards to the Adaptive Games.

Key takeaways:

  • Bob Jennings clarified that CrossFit Games branding is present in posts regarding the Age-Group Games, but conceded that it could be more prominent.

  • Heather Lawrence explained that initial partnership conflict prevented collaboration on some early announcements, but that has since been rectified.

  • Kevin Ogar indicated that adaptive workouts would be coming soon with a plan to collaborate with CFHQ

    • It was noted that WheelWOD has been communicating via email to all athletes regularly but the general consensus was that athletes are looking to social media more often for information.

  • It was clarified that both the Age-Group Games and the Adaptive Games would be crowning the “Fittest on Earth” in their respective divisions.

June 12, 2025

Invitation for meeting sent: June 4, 2025

Attendees from CrossFit HQ: Adrian Bozman, Heather Lawrence, Becky Harsh, Lucas Zepeda, Wendy Guthrie

Attendees from CAC: Gio Benitez, Nathan Black, Andrew McLaughlan, Jason Grubb, John Kim, Karli DeMonico, Mahmoud Elzayat, Colten Mertens, Olivia Grimsland, Rebecca Voight Miller

Adrian shared valuable insights from the in-affiliate Semifinals review process and penalty assessment.

Key takeaways from CrossFit’s internal review include:

  • Increased upfront information led to a smoother competition. This was achieved through:
    • Clear rulebook transparency regarding the review process and scripted penalties.
    • Earlier workout releases.
    • A Q&A session was followed by a comprehensive FAQ, which was available before the competition began.
  • Age-group voting participation decreased in older divisions.
  • Both individual and age-group voting significantly declined for athletes outside of qualifying positions.
  • Data suggests minimal abuse or malicious behavior within the voting system.
  • The timing of reviews proved challenging as the process moves more slowly than public discussion (e.g., public speculation about penalty application occurred even before the review period ended).

For reference, here are the published articles detailing all Semifinals penalties:

We are particularly interested in feedback on the following points:

  • Timing:
    • Is the time between workout releases, FAQ publication, and the competition start sufficient?
    • How do we balance the element of the unknown with the need for preparation time for athletes and affiliates?
    • Will this timeframe be adequate if we involve more affiliates next year  (e.g., more athletes qualify into the Semifinals)?
  • Penalty and Review Section Awareness:
    • Do athletes actively read the penalties section on the scorecard? What’s the most effective way to ensure they do?
    • Do athletes read the review section in the rulebook?
  • Review Process and Transparency:
    • Do you think using the “public review” system implemented this season as the only review is sufficient to qualify athletes directly from Semifinals to the Games?
    • Conversely, is it acceptable that athletes lower in the leaderboard with few or no votes receive no review?

May 27, 2025

CAC/Safety

Invitation for meeting sent: May 23, 2025

Attendees from CrossFit HQ: Dave Castro, Adrian Bozman, Heather Lawrence, Becky Harsh, Wendy Guthrie

Attendees from CAC: Gio Benitez, Nathan Black, Andrew McLaughlan, Jason Grubb, Karli DeMonico, Mahmoud Elzayat, Olivia Grimsland, Rebecca Voight Miller, Taylor Self, Yazmin Arroyo

Wendy Guthrie, Head of Safety, and Brian McGuire from the Safety Advisory Board presented a recommendation to require new medical screening protocols for qualifying CrossFit Games athletes. The recommendation was to establish a self-reported Health History Form for 2025, followed by a full Pre-Participation Physical Evaluation (PPE) in 2026. Dave Castro provided clarification on the timeline and intent of these measures.

Wendy emphasized that PPEs are standard in other levels of competitive athletics and requested the Safety Advisory Board’s expertise in shaping a path forward for the CrossFit Games. The Health History Form, if adopted, would be mandatory for 2025. Submissions would be reviewed by a member of the Games Medical Staff, who may follow up with requests for additional information or the requirement of a medical clearance from the athlete’s physician.

The CrossFit Athlete Council (CAC) acknowledged that pre-participation screening and health history collection are standard practices in athletics. However, members raised concerns about:

  • The potential for athletes to withhold information in order to compete;
  • The potential financial and administrative burden of the health screening process, given the short timeline before the 2025 Games.

There was also discussion about the mandatory nature of the requirement and whether such screening should eventually apply to age group divisions. 

Wendy thanked the Council for their input and noted that CrossFit HQ will follow up with an official decision regarding the 2025 Games.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

NOTE: On June 6, 2025, the CAC was sent an update on the decision regarding medical screening for the 2025 CrossFit Games. In summary, the update said: 

“Following our recent discussions on advancing athlete safety protocols, we’ve decided not to implement medical clearances for the 2025 CrossFit Games. While we all agree on the value of these measures, key concerns around HIPAA compliance, data privacy, and the tight timeline for execution made it clear we wouldn’t be able to deliver a responsible, athlete-centered process this year. We’re committed to revisiting this for 2026 with the necessary rigor.”

April 25, 2025

CAC – Affiliates and Teams

Invitation for meeting sent: April 21, 2025

Attendees from CrossFit HQ: Dave Castro, Heather Lawrence, Adrian Bozman, Becky Harsh, Lucas Zepeda, Wendy Guthrie

Attendees from CAC: Andrew McLaughlan, Harry Jager, Mahmoud Elzayat, Justin Rementer, Matthew Young, Gio Benitez

The Affiliate and Teams committee of the CAC reached out to CrossFit HQ, requesting a meeting to discuss the sale of CrossFit and how their role may be affected. Dave Castro assured the committee that their role is important and their contribution is valuable. CrossFit HQ will continue to rely on the CAC’s input while still recognizing that the future is uncertain. Other topics of discussion included:

Community Cup:

  • Heather Lawrence noted that the goal is for the Community Cup to be a recurring seasonal event. 

Semifinals video review requirements and running:

  • The committee expressed concern regarding age-group vs. individual SF video review and concerns with validating a run course in an online format.
  • Adrian Bozman confirmed that once the competition has concluded, the team would assess the concerns and also noted that testing new elements, such as running, requires an iterative approach and may not be perfect initially.

Location of the 2025 CrossFit Games:

  • The committee shared that Albany, New York, is an inconvenient location for many and that may be impacting potential attendance.

Introduction of Wendy Guthrie – Head of Safety

 

April 17, 2025

Invitation to meeting sent: April 10, 2025

Attendees from CrossFit HQ: Dave Castro, Heather Lawrence, Adrian Bozman, Becky Harsh, Lucas Zepeda, Elisa Schauer, Jason Meyer

Attendees from CAC: Rebecca Voigt Miller, Jason Grubb, John Kim, Tim Murray, Nathan Black, Karli DeMonico


This meeting was requested by the CAC divisional committee to address concerns regarding the Age-Group Semifinals.

Leaderboard video review process:

  • The CAC expressed concerns regarding the ability to upvote or downvote videos without watching them. 
  • Dave Castro clarified that the up/down votes serve as a reference to the video review team but are not the final decision. He emphasized that a large number of downvotes does not automatically invalidate a video; the review team assesses each case individually.
  • The CAC proposed making voter identities public to deter potential bias and problematic downvoting.
  • Adrian Bozman explained the entire voting and subsequent video review process. Additionally, he noted that while the competition was still live, no changes would be made to the process, but the CrossFit team would thoroughly review the video review process once the competition had concluded. 
  • The results of that review would be shared with the entire CAC once completed.

March 28, 2025

Invitation for meeting sent: March 19, 2025

Attendees from CrossFit HQ: Dave Castro, Adrian Bozman, Heather Lawrence, Becky Harsh, Lucas Zepeda

Attendees from CAC: Jason Grubb, Karli DeMonico, Rebecca Voigt Miller, Tim Murray, Nathan Black

This meeting is to discuss the 2025 Open and the feedback we have been hearing from the masters community regarding scaled movements and loading.

CFHQ has received feedback on both sides, from “It was too easy/light/simple,” to”It was too hard/complex/heavy. 

  • Dave would like this committee to work as a team to analyze the programming from the Open. Please take a deep dive overview assessment regarding scaling and loading from the Open.
  • No rush, but we would like you to take that effort on and provide feedback. Take a month to two months.
  • Nathan – do you have any specific reasoning for programming scales and loading?
  • Dave – we will share some reasoning, but please don’t let that guide your research.
  • Boz – typically, there is only a break at 55+; the goal is that it needs to work within the constraints of the Open. The goal is that everyone can play, but challenges the best.
  • Boz – we’d like feedback for AGSF as well if possible.
  • Dave – be creative.
  • Becca – can we include foundations? Yes,
  • The council will wait for Semis to be over and have a full share of everything.
  • Heather – feedback from the adaptive community would be appreciated.
  • Tim – will compile feedback from the adaptive community.
  • Dave – for the adaptive community, plan on working directly with Kevin.
  • Karli – question regarding semifinals video requirements.
  • Jason – Semifinals question – when will the workouts be released? Noon PT on March 31.

February 17, 2025

Invitation for meeting sent: February 16, 2025 (in the invitation, it was noted that this was “last minute” and it was understandable if members could not attend) This meeting was requested by the council.

Attendees from CrossFit HQ: Don Faul, Dave Castro, Becky Harsh, Heather Lawrence, Marshall Brenner, Adrian Bozman, Ollie Mainsbridge, Sarah Munn, Lucas Zepeda

Attendees from CAC: Jason Grubb, Becca Voigt Miller, Taylor Self, Spencer, Mahmoud Tarek, Gio Benitez, Ryan Dickey, Colten Mertens,  Nathan Black, Justin Rementer, Karli DeMonico, Matt Young, Yazmin Arroyo

The CAC requested a meeting to discuss the topics from the meeting held on Feb. 11, 2025. These are the  items discussed:

  • How the CAC plans on communicating with the CrossFit Community.
    • The Morning Chalk-Up
    • The Barbell Spin
    • Instagram
  • The 2025 gender policy – how was it decided?
    • Generally, it was to bring CrossFit in line with the policy of other professional sports.
    • It was never intended as a ban on any athletes
    • There was an in-depth conversation among many council members and CFHQ attendees.
  • The Lazar investigation – why was it not released?
    • Ultimately, it was decided due to legal and privacy reasons not to release.
    • Individuals came forward under the understanding that confidentiality would be upheld.
    • Legal – risk and considerations – advice from outside counsel to not share. CFHQ understands how upsetting and frustrating that is for the community.
  • The CAC would like athletes who have chosen not to participate in the 2025 season to know they understand and will still advocate for those athletes.
  • The CAC would like to understand why CrossFit chooses not to share movement/equipment lists.
  • The CAC requests season consistency year over year.
  • The council reported that the CrossFit community at large is looking for a consistent season structure. 
  • The CAC would like to release a statement to address the feedback they have received from the community, and would like that to happen before the release of the first 2025 Open workout. Once the statement is released, CAC requests a collaboration from CrossFit for reach.

The CAC released an update on their Instagram page.

CAC – meeting topics with each committee – February 7, 2025

Individuals and Coaches, Affiliates and Teams, and Divisional

Attendees: Taylor Self, Colten Mertens, Spencer Panchik, Olivia Grimsland, Yazmin Arroyo,Matt Young, Justin Rementer, Gio Benitez, Mahmoud Elzayat, Harry Jager, Andrew McLaughlan, Rebecca Voigt Miller, Jason Grubb, Karli DeMonico, Tim Murray, John Kim, Nathan Black

CFHQ: Dave Castro, Adrian Bozman, Heather Lawrence, Sarah Munn, Sarah Hopping Estrella, Becky Harsh, Ollie Mansbridge, Jenn Green

 

Discussion Topics Introduced:

  • How many workouts make a good online SFs? How many makes you confident the best are being selected?
  • Movements – Which are NOT appropriate from an athlete POV to include in an online comp?
  • Video requirements for SF – Help spread the word
  • Enhanced judging requirements for SF’s – Help spread the word
    • Head Judge – L1 + Advanced Judges Course
    • Floor Judge – L1 + Advanced Judges Course
  • What is a realistic expectation for a live event/Qualifier RE
    • Number of comp days
    • Length of daily schedule
    • Appropriate Number of events
  • What’s the max number of appropriate events for a Games day?
  • Equipment
    • Grips
      • Is more clarification needed?
      • What should the rule be?
    • When to introduce new items ie ECHO bike?

Action items:

  • CFHQ to email list of topics to the council 
  • Council to take time and gather info/opinions on the above, then reach back out to CFHQ to schedule a follow up discussion.

 

CAC – Kick off Meeting Notes – January  27, 2025

Attendees: 

CFHQ – Don Faul, Dave Castro, Heather Lawrence, Adrian Bozman, Jenn Green, Ollie Mansbridge, Sarah Hopping Estrella, Sarah Munn, Becky Harsh.

Council – Colten Mertens, Taylor Self, Spencer Panchik, Ryan Dickey, Olivia Grimsland, Yazmin Arroyo, Matt Young, Justin Rementer, Gio Benitez, Mahmoud Elzayat, Harry Jager, Andrew McLaughlan, Rebecca Voigt Miller, Karli DeMonico, Nathan Black

Absent Council members: Jason Grubb, John Kim, Tim Murray

Notes:

  • The meeting launched with Don giving a quick welcome and introductions were made between the council members and members of CrossFit HQ (CFHQ)  who were on the call. 
  • Don discussed the term “Independent” and how that pertains to the CAC.
    • The individual committees will work together to represent their community.
    • Committees will decide how they choose to work together and how they will work with the community.
    • Committees will bring feedback and topics to CFHQ when they feel something needs to be shared. 
  • Discussion of expectations for the council members
    • Be actively engaged in this process as they were elected by their community to represent them.
    • Minimum of quarterly meetings with CFHQ with the option of more as needed.
    • Becky Harsh will be the point of contact for the council and you can reach out to her at any time.
    • Meeting notes will be shared publicly once they are agreed upon by both CFHQ and the CAC council members. 
    • Media and public appearances regarding the CAC are welcome and HQ would appreciate a heads up as to when they will be occurring. 
  • Discussion on how to engage with the community each committee is representing
    • Work together with your respective committee to determine the best way to operate, solicit feedback and communicate externally with the CrossFit community.
    • CFHQ can support as needed and let us know during the next meeting what decisions have been made regarding management of the council committees individually.
  • Don discussed the new role of Head of Safety that is currently in the process of being filled. Once filled this person will be included in the CAC meetings.
  • Dave gave an update on the Community Cup and the new structure of the season. He then fielded questions and comments including:
    • Affiliates needing a heads up before something like the Community Cup is announced so they can be prepared to answer questions at the affiliate level.
    • Taylor Self shared an idea on how to run the Community Cup as an extension of the Open at the affiliate level.

Action Items:

  • CFHQ team will determine the timeframe for the next meeting and Becky will get that scheduled.
  • Council members were invited to get the ball rolling on their end determining how each group will work together and with the community. They will be responsible for providing their plan back to CFHQ during the next meeting.