Two Paths to ADK: Why We’re Adding an In-Person Qualifier

This year we are excited to try something new. Athletes will have two options to qualify for the ADK Fitness Challenge: through the traditional Online Qualifier or by competing at a new in-person qualifying event at CrossFit Spur.

Feedback on this idea was split, so I figured we would try it and see what happens. If any of you want to peek behind the curtain and see why we are doing this, here you go:

Why Online Qualifiers Work

Online Qualifying events are great because everyone can compete, and they cast a wide net. Depending on the size of the competition, athletes have the opportunity to “compete” against hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of other athletes from all over the world.

In addition, the Online Qualifier filters athletes’ abilities before they arrive for the in-person competition. Historically, we’ve seen that athletes were sometimes over- or under-prepared for the division they signed up for, which led to dissatisfaction. Using the Online Qualifier to sort athletes into the appropriate division was almost a no-brainer, and it immediately improved our accuracy in placing athletes.

I know our team puts on a great event, but the Online Qualifier has exploded our popularity since we introduced it. This past year our Online Qualifier almost doubled in size, and as a result, so did our in-person participation.

Where They Fall Short

Online Qualifiers have a host of issues that are pretty consistent across the board. There are logistical issues like fair floor layouts, assessing penalties, video angles, and the major one: being able to watch every single video. Unless you have an army of people—100 or more—it’s just not feasible.

Hot take (maybe?), but I think the CrossFit Games are one of the only competitions that can truly justify an Online Qualifier (The Open) of that size. To find The Fittest on Earth, they need to cast a wide net. If they didn’t, they couldn’t really claim to find The Fittest on Earth. That said, my inspiration for our event is the CrossFit Games and the CrossFit methodology.

Then you have the cultural issues with an Online Qualifier, which I think are at odds with CrossFit:

“The fear of sporting failure is worse than the fear of death.” – Col. Jeff Cooper
“It is our observation that men will die for points.” – CrossFit L1 Guide

Great CrossFit communities are built around shared suffering, and competing against others increases the intensity of the entire class. During Online Qualifiers (outside of The Open), athletes are usually alone or only focused on what the leaderboard says at the end. They’re not shoulder-to-shoulder competing with the person next to them like they do during class. That doesn’t build community, and it doesn’t create the “unprecedented output” that the CrossFit L1 talks about.

Why Add an In-Person Qualifier

In-Person Qualifiers recreate the class atmosphere that all of us love, they build community, and they develop both judges and competitors.

For some people in an affiliate, it doesn’t matter what the person next to them is doing. But for those looking to compete, most of the time they are glancing left and right to see how their buddy is doing. That atmosphere is what drives unprecedented intensity. No one wants to work out alone in a CrossFit gym—you might as well save some money and go do that somewhere else.

In-Person Qualifiers are not only a catalyst for physical output, but they’re also a petri dish for community and CrossFit culture. New competitors, new judges, volunteers, local gyms, affiliate owners, friends, and family all have an opportunity to come together and throw down.

For the growth of the sport, smaller in-person qualifiers give a warm introduction to these people—especially judges who are developing their skills and athletes competing for the first time. These in-person events give judges more experience and confidence so they can make the right calls under pressure with everyone watching.

Why Do Both?

We have athletes who come from all over the country, and we just don’t have the resources to host in-person qualifying events everywhere (yet). I have a vision for how I think the competitive CrossFit space could look, and I want to experiment with in-person qualifying events without excluding athletes further away who want to throw down in Lake Placid, NY.

Let Me Know What You Think!

I’m excited to test this out at CrossFit Spur, and if it doesn’t work—so what! Registration opens September 12th for the November 8th event, and I hope to see you there. If you have questions, comments, or feedback, send me an email at info@adirondackfitnesschallenge.com. I’d love to chat.