Crossfit/USA Weightlifting Hybrid Contest

[Emily Mattes]

Say it ain't so . . .

Is this a joke?

[Daniel Gam]

my guess is that for better or for worse CF has already far exceeded weightlifting in popularity and numbers (plus CF is relatively weightlifting friendly and a lot of the top lifters in the states lift out of CF gyms) so USAW is teaming up with them to increase their own growth and exposure. they even got eleiko to team up with them.

[Emily Mattes]

Originally Posted by Daniel Gam

my guess is that for better or for worse CF has already far exceeded weightlifting in popularity and numbers (plus CF is relatively weightlifting friendly and a lot of the top lifters in the states lift out of CF gyms) so USAW is teaming up with them to increase their own growth and exposure. they even got eleiko to team up with them.

Well, yeah. They're hoping to draw Crossfitters into weightlifting, and I think that's a worthy pursuit. But this seems like the worst possible way to do it--all this does is water down the nature of weightlifting meets and create the impression the best way to train Oly lifters is Fran. Why not create a formalized system for linking coaches with affiliates--as has already been succeeding on a grassroots level? Or a series of introductory meets, strictly for new lifters with maybe an intro session held before them to explain the rules of meets and the basic principles behind warm-ups and opening attempts, and heavily advertise these to affiliates?

Should rugby leagues looking for increased membership change the rules of the sport to appeal to lovers of American football? Should mathematics departments looking to increase their number of undergrad majors remove calculus requirements? There are ways to market without compromising the fundamental integrity of your sport . . . But maybe USAW is so damn desperate they'll worship whatever golden calf that appears.

[Patrick Donnelly]

The event will join weightlifting – one of the oldest Olympic sports – with CrossFit – one of the most popular strength and conditioning programs in the nation that combines weightlifting, sprinting and gymnastics.

Reading that made me nauseous.

[Joe Cavazos]

Originally Posted by Emily Mattes

Well, yeah. They're hoping to draw Crossfitters into weightlifting, and I think that's a worthy pursuit. But this seems like the worst possible way to do it--all this does is water down the nature of weightlifting meets and create the impression the best way to train Oly lifters is Fran. Why not create a formalized system for linking coaches with affiliates--as has already been succeeding on a grassroots level? Or a series of introductory meets, strictly for new lifters with maybe an intro session held before them to explain the rules of meets and the basic principles behind warm-ups and opening attempts, and heavily advertise these to affiliates?

Should rugby leagues looking for increased membership change the rules of the sport to appeal to lovers of American football? Should mathematics departments looking to increase their number of undergrad majors remove calculus requirements? There are ways to market without compromising the fundamental integrity of your sport . . . But maybe USAW is so damn desperate they'll worship whatever golden calf that appears.

Yeah. I can't believe USAW would stoop so low as to modify their competition format to only include the Clean and Jerk (with no rules but ground-to-overhead) followed by a 5K run, then followed by as many Handstand Push-ups in 30 minutes as possible. It's a traveshamockery.

Oh? It's a normal weightlifting meet followed by an o-lift themed CF-style metcon? What I'm really angry about is USAW's association with CrossFit, the Hitler of exercise websites? Well, my butt's still hurt and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

[Patrick Donnelly]

Originally Posted by Joe Cavazos

What I'm really angry about is USAW's association with CrossFit, the Hitler of exercise websites?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rZHK-Ub544

[Garrett Smith]

Only CFers will care about this competition.

IF a true OLer gets a bug up their butt long enough to learn super-light fast-turnover cleans, a decent kipping pull-up, and double-unders (not really hard moves for someone talented enough to be a high-level OLer), then they will likely clean house and this competition will never happen again.

See Donnie Shankle.

[Gant Grimes]

I've worn this out on 70sBig, but here is my main problem with it:

"My beef is gerrymandering your way onto the podium.

USAW is hard up for cash and lifters. They want to draw from the CF community. Fine. Put on a meet that is FREE for everybody that buys a USAW card. Let the CFers lift in a real WL event with real WLers. The real lifters won't start until the CFers are done, so the newbies can watch the pros do their thing.

After the meet, have a 2-hour clinic with a resident coach and a resident athlete or two and then a happy hour mixer where everyone gets to talk over food and drink. Eleiko would pay for the whole damn thing because they could sell $10K in training bars and plates that afternoon (hell, CFers bought a monolift).

This wouldn't cost the USAW anything but time. They'd get exposure, and their athletes could develop a following (every CFer knows Sage, Casey, and Natalie Woolfolk). USAW blew it.

Everyone who competes in WL knows that your first few meets are all about watching and learning from experienced lifters. CF athletes won't get to do this because the format will keep the real lifters away.

The only groups that will gain from this are Eleiko and CF, Inc."