CrossFit Games Safety Advisory Board

About

The mission of the Safety Advisory Board is to help CrossFit maximize our continued commitment to safety by expanding and improving the protocols that are core to how we run our competitions and support our athletes. The Advisory Board is an independent group that brings an expert perspective on the highest levels of safety standards.

Objectives

Strategic Safety Guidance | Updated Safety Protocols | Safety Best Practices | Athlete Advocacy

Allison Brager, Ph.D.

United States Army

CF-L1 | Orchard Valley CrossFit

Dr. Allison Brager is an active-duty military medical services officer. She is a former CrossFit Games team athlete and individual Regionals athlete. Brager has completed advanced training in austere medicine to include maritime search and rescue and high-angle ropes and rescue, holding certifications in advanced SCUBA, lifeguarding, and advanced wilderness life support. She is presently an applicant for the NASA Astronaut Program, having reached the semifinal round of selection in 2020.

 

Manny Cruz 

Patrol Agent in Charge, U.S. Border Patrol

CF-L2 | CrossFit Honor First

Manny Cruz is the patrol agent in charge of the Marfa, Texas, Border Patrol Station. He has nearly 20 years of border security experience and has led human performance efforts across the agency. Cruz has led physical ability validation studies of the workforce and written policy to support agency fitness efforts. He has served as a tactical and strategic advisor to nations across South America and Europe. The majority of his career was spent with the U.S. Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue Team (BORSTAR), specializing in rope and water rescue.

 

Rich Froning

10-Time CrossFit Games Champion

CrossFit Mayhem

Rich Froning is the owner of Rich Froning Fitness and a legendary figure in the CrossFit community. Renowned as the “Fittest Man in History,” he won four consecutive individual CrossFit Games titles (2011–2014) and three straight CrossFit Open competitions. Transitioning to team competition, he captained CrossFit Mayhem Freedom to six Affiliate Cup titles between 2015 and 2022. Froning holds a degree in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from Tennessee Tech University and currently resides in Tennessee with his wife and three children.

 

Caity Matter Henniger

Chief Sales Officer, Rogue Fitness

CrossFit Columbus

Caity Matter Henniger is the Chief Sales Officer (CSO) at Rogue Fitness and a founding member who helped build the brand since 2007. She oversees a team of 700, growing the Rogue Fitness brand and maintaining its reputation as the leading fitness equipment manufacturer. A world-class athlete, Henniger played basketball for the Ohio State University, spent two years in the WNBA, and won the 2008 CrossFit Games. She has also served as a CrossFit broadcaster for ESPN3.com and is the Director of the Rogue Invitational. Henniger resides in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and Rogue Fitness founder Bill.

 

Brian McGuire, M.S., ATC

Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)

Lead Athletic Trainer and Injury Spotter, NFL Player Health and Safety Program

Brian McGuire, M.S., ATC, brings deep expertise in elite sports medicine to the Safety Advisory Board. Since 2008, he has served as Lead Athletic Trainer for the NFL Scouting Combine and has been an NFL Injury Spotter since 2017. He served as the Chief Athletic Trainer for Olympic rowing events during the 1996 Games and retired as a Colonel from the Marine Corps Reserve after 33 years of service. In September 2025, he retired as a federal employee, culminating 42 years in government. He last served as Director, USMC Human Performance Branch and oversaw the development and implementation of physical fitness standards.

 

Robert C. Oh, M.D., MPH, CAQSM

Chief Wellbeing Officer, VA Palo Alto Health Care System

CF-L2 | NCFIT

Dr. Robert C. Oh is a family physician, sports medicine specialist, and clinical associate professor (affiliated) at Stanford University. A 22-year U.S. Army veteran, he previously served as the Physician Lead for the Army’s Performance Triad health initiative. His expertise has helped develop clinical guidelines for exertional heat illness and exertional rhabdomyolysis. He earned his M.D. from Boston University and completed his residency in Virginia and sports medicine fellowship in Maryland. Currently, he practices sports medicine at VA Palo Alto, where he treats veterans and active-duty members while serving as a strategic leader in clinician wellbeing.

 

Mark Ritchie, Ph.D.

Owner/Senior Coach, CrossFit Chiang Mai / CFCNX

CF-L2 | CrossFit Chiang Mai

Mark Ritchie, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the International Sustainable Development Studies Institute (ISDSI) and owner of CrossFit Chiang Mai, Thailand’s first CrossFit affiliate, founded in 2010, and host to Thailand’s longest-running CrossFit competition, the Thailand Throwdown. ISDSI runs expedition-based programs for American university and college students throughout Thailand’s diverse ecosystems, including backpacking, sea kayaking, skin diving, and more. Ritchie is an expert on complex risk management in international and expedition settings, frequently teaching, consulting, and leading workshops, and presenting at professional conferences on applying best practices in risk management to new and innovative contexts.