Overview

The Canadian Functional Fitness Federation (CFFF) is committed to transparency, athlete wellbeing, and the long-term growth of our sport in Canada. Following the 2025 competitive season, and Canada’s participation in the IF3 Junior and Senior World Championships, we reviewed feedback from athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, and provincial partners through direct communication and formal event feedback surveys.

This summary focuses specifically on the 2025 CFFF domestic season and Canada’s participation in the IF3 Junior and Senior World Championships. A separate report addressing the IF3 Masters World Championship will be prepared once IF3’s findings from that event are formally released. Feedback related to the Masters event continues to be collected and will be incorporated into that subsequent report.

This review also includes reflection on national leadership responsibilities. A consistent theme in the feedback was that we need clearer role definition, stronger delegation, and expanded on-site national representation at major events so athletes, coaches, and families feel supported and connected to CFFF leadership. That is on us to improve, and those lessons are already being built into how we plan and staff future seasons.

What follows outlines what we heard, what we learned, and what we are doing next to strengthen athlete experience, improve alignment across the sport system, and ensure Canada continues to meet international and Sport Canada expectations.

Key Themes Identified

1. Athlete Experience and Event Expectations

Athletes value clear communication, consistent standards, and visible leadership presence at national and international events. Feedback reinforced how important it is to know who to approach, what support exists on-site, and how national leadership is represented in real time.

Key takeaway: Athlete experience is directly tied to clear roles, accessible support, and consistent expectations across provincial and national levels.

2. Funding and Event Scale

CFFF Nationals are currently funded primarily through registration fees and modest annual athlete memberships. Without predictable, shared funding alignment across provinces, national events face limits in scale, production quality, and athlete services.

Key takeaway: Sustainable growth of Nationals requires stronger national and provincial funding alignment, and shared responsibility for national programming.

3. Communication, Governance, and Leadership Structure

Feedback pointed to confusion caused by fragmented communication pathways and unclear escalation processes. In some cases, this was compounded by insufficient clarity around national leadership roles and the scope of on-site responsibilities at events.

Key takeaway: Clear governance structures, defined communication pathways, and well-supported national representation are essential for trust, consistency, and effective engagement.

4. Coaching Standards and Athlete Development

Observations at international competition reinforced the importance of emotional regulation, respect for officials, equipment safety, and coach behaviour as part of long-term athlete development, particularly for youth and junior athletes.

Key takeaway: Competitive success must be balanced with psychological readiness, safety, and development principles that support athletes over the long term.

Alignment With Long-Term Athlete Development

These themes align closely with the Functional Fitness Long-Term Development (LTD) Framework. When competitive intensity increases faster than developmental readiness, challenges can emerge related to stress management, behaviour, and athlete autonomy.

CFFF remains committed to reinforcing LTD principles across all levels of the sport to support athlete wellbeing, retention, and sustainable performance.

What Happens Next

This is where we move from “themes” to “implementation.”

The actions below are designed to be practical, non-punitive, and focused on clarity, consistency, and sustainability. They are not about calling out individuals. They are about building a stronger system that supports athletes, protects officials and volunteers, and improves the experience for everyone involved.

1) Stronger National Representation at Major Events

• Clearer, published role definitions for CFFF representatives at major competitions (so athletes and families know who does what, and where to go for what).
• Expanded delegation and on-site support, so national leadership presence is not dependent on one person trying to do everything.
• Better advance planning for event-specific responsibilities (including presence management), so athlete support does not get lost inside logistics.

2) National and Provincial Alignment on Funding and Responsibility

• Formalizing a shared funding model that supports Nationals and national programming. This includes a phased approach for implementation beginning in 2026, with the goal of full alignment by 2027.
• Clear annual reporting on how national funds are allocated, including Nationals production quality, athlete services, judge and volunteer development, and standards enforcement.
• Stronger integration of provinces into national planning so expectations and realities are aligned early, not debated under pressure later.

3) Governance Representation and Clear Communication Pathways

• Encouraging each province to have formal representation within national governance and operations, including Board and committee involvement.
• Strengthening national committees (Athlete Development, Coaching and Education, Technical Officials and Standards) with broader provincial participation so decisions reflect real on-the-ground context.
• Defining clear, consistent communication and escalation pathways so athletes, clubs, and provinces know where “official updates” live, and how concerns are raised and addressed constructively.

4) Coach and Guardian Expectations That Match the Level of Competition

• Implementing a formal Coach Code of Conduct for CFFF Nationals and IF3-sanctioned events, aligned with Safe Sport and long-term development principles.
• Requiring acknowledgment of that code as part of coach accreditation or nomination processes (without creating new, parallel disciplinary systems).
• Standardizing a mandatory pre-event orientation for coaches and guardians attending Nationals and Worlds, delivered annually (roughly 60 to 90 minutes), covering:
  • international event realities and rule clarification processes
  • access limitations at IF3 events
  • expectation setting, escalation pathways, and athlete support best practices

This is a simple step that prevents a lot of avoidable conflict.

5) Consistency Through Shared Tools, Event Sanctioning, and Continuous Improvement

• Improving visibility of sanctioned events, standards, and expectations so athletes are not relying on informal channels to stay informed.
• Developing clearer event sanctioning protocols across levels to support consistency and quality.
• Expanding committee and volunteer involvement to reduce over-reliance on individual roles and build a more resilient federation structure.
• Continuing to use athlete and member feedback to guide ongoing refinement, with a stronger cadence of review and follow-up.

A Shared Responsibility

The continued growth and credibility of Functional Fitness in Canada depends on collaboration between athletes, coaches, clubs, provincial federations, and national leadership. Strong provinces help shape national standards. National alignment ensures consistency, fairness, and international credibility.

Our objective is simple: build a system where athletes feel supported, informed, and proud to represent Canada, with leadership structures that are clear, accessible, and resilient.

Thank You

Thank you to everyone who contributed feedback and engaged constructively throughout the 2025 season. Your input directly shapes how CFFF evolves and improves. Ongoing feedback is always welcome at: www.cfff.fit/feedback

Simon Damborg

CFFF President

🔥 To the only greens supplement I've ever actually enjoyed drinking, and their willingness to jump head in to support the athletes on every event I'm part of @bioedgesciences

🤤 The only brand who I blindly trust every product they make, and I can finally go back to my daily consumption of egg white protein @blonyx

💦The hands down best tasting and actually refreshing ready to drink whey protein on the market @team.gud

🍬The newest on my brands/products I'm completely obsessed with and consume daily @gotgummygainz

👕My printer for every piece of apparel I've done with @raincityathls or @functionalfitnessleague in the last 6+ (maybe more?) years @whiterabbitcreative

🙏Thank you to @claytonphysio for their generous donation of massages & more which we gifted to my good friends (and old bosses) at @hybridathletic who stepped up to save my 🍑 and host this awesome event

🤩Also big shout out to @bodyenergyclub for the athlete bags, @celsius_canada for a caffeinated energy drink that doesn't make me think of alcohol.

🤝Also massive thank you to @djrhynoyvr who couldn't make it but lent me the gear to make sure the tunes were poppin, @hyroxkyle for coming out to show represent the #hyrox community and show that all versions of #functionalfitness can be friends, and @harboursideyouthfoundation for everything they do to support me and my @raincityfitclub kids.

I don't remember much from the weekend, but I do remember a few moments of looking up and realizing the line of tents at the event were literally all of my favorites in a row, and that meant a lot 🤗

#thortakespics (just not of the brands he loves apparently).

#functionalfitness #sportoffitness #canadianfunctionalfitness #nationalchampionships #CFFFpartners #brands #supportlocal #canadianbrands

Becoming a sport Canada recognized sport can only be accomplished via a non profit governing body. And the benefits that brings are something I believe so whole heartedly in that I'm putting a lot of @raincityathls and @functionalfitnessleague money on the line to support @canadian_functional_fitness in trying to make it happen.

All I'm asking from you is to show up, in literally ANY capacity. If you do, over the next 4 years as president I hope to get Functional Fitness government recognition. Which means not only access to massive amounts of government funding (that 100% goes back to supporting athletes via keeping large scale events affordable, helping with travel costs, and even helping pay for and to train internationally recognized judges - for ALL types of events) but I'm doing this because it's how we can get all variations of Functional Fitness into schools.

I want to see your kids get school credit for attending your gym. I want to see your coaches get hired by the school to run functional fitness style workouts and programs. I want to see the next generation growing up with the same love and passion for fitness that this community gave us.

This isn't about FF vs CF vs Hyrox - if I can accomplish what I hope over the coming years we can make all variations of Functional Fitness something that all kids grow up doing.

This can only be done via a non profit organization, and I'm putting everything I've got on the line to try to make it happen.

Signup as an individual athlete, join a team, or volunteer - or even just come say hi and support some of the incredible Canadian brands that will be there.

🙏 Help me change the world and bring whatever brand of functional fitness you support into every kids life for generations to come.

www.cfff.fit/nationals

Please tag or share this with someone you know would support this goal.

Not just because we're partnering with @canadian_functional_fitness to host the first-ever multi-day super playoff event, but because if we can make that event what it deserves to be, it'll help show the Canadian government that Functional Fitness is a sport Canadians care about—getting me one step closer to my real dream...

When I opened @raincityathls a decade ago, I dreamed of kids coming to my gym and earning PE credit for working out with their parents, being part of a healthy community. I imagined my coaches being hired to teach the proper mechanics of an air squat or a burpee in schools.

If I can legitimize FF as a sport in Canada, I can finally make that happen. One of the biggest hurdles? Awareness.

Functional Fitness isn’t here to replace @crossfit, @hyroxworld, obstacle racing, or anything else. We're here to legitimize the umbrella so we can access grant funding—and, more importantly, so I can finally get my @raincityfitclub kids school credit for all the torture I put them through (jkjk 😉).

So I’m asking for your help. I have 💯 confidence in my ability to run incredible events—if you've been part of any of the 25 FFL seasons or playoffs I’ve run, you know that's true...

The only thing I don’t know how to do? Get the word out.

I'll be sharing a LOT of videos and content over the coming weeks. If you can help spread the word, I’d appreciate it more than you can ever imagine 🙏

#FunctionalFitness #FunctionalFitnessCanada #canadianfunctionalfitness #FunctionalFitnessLeague #FFL #FFLYVR #sportgovernance #nationalsportorganization
#nso #volunteer

Experience: My background in Functional Fitness

In 2013, I founded Raincity Athletics, a CrossFit gym that grew to 7,500 sq. ft. with 6 full-time and 8 part-time coaches. In 2017, we dropped our CrossFit affiliation to become the first recognized Functional Fitness club in BC. Post-COVID, we downsized to 5,000 sq. ft. with 4 full-time and 6-8 part-time coaches which we still operate today in Vancouver, BC.

As an athlete, I competed from 2009 to 2013, at sectionals/regionals as an individual and team athlete, until injuries led me to shift focus to coaching. Since then I’ve coached multiple athletes to regionals, and a master's athlete with multiple games apperances, who placed 6th at the CrossFit Games in 2019.

I also run the Functional Fitness League (FFL), the longest-running recreational competitive league in the sport, with over 20 seasons since 2015. Known as the "beer league" of functional fitness, FFL focuses on accessible, affordable team events while attracting top athletes over the years.

Additionally, I created the Raincity Fit Club, a program for children on the autism spectrum. As a government-approved behavior interventionist, I prioritize inclusion, fairness, and accessibility—values I carry into all aspects of my work as we develop and grow the sport nationwide.

Functional Fitness vs. CrossFit: Understanding the Difference

One of the most common questions I get asked is, "What’s the difference between functional fitness and CrossFit?" It's simple: CrossFit is a brand, much like the NFL or NHL, while functional fitness is the sport itself—comparable to soccer or hockey. CrossFit is a private company that uses elements of functional fitness but operates with its own rules and standards. Our role at CFFF is to govern and develop the sport of functional fitness, much like international federations standardize sports for the Olympics.

We create and oversee the rules, standards, long-term athlete development plans, and judge certifications. Our goal is not to replace CrossFit but to complement it by providing a pathway for athletes and coaches to develop in a fair, consistent, and athlete-centered environment.

Our Vision: Bringing Functional Fitness to Schools

One of my personal long-term goals is to see functional fitness integrated into schools across Canada. When I opened my CrossFit gym 11 years ago, I dreamt of offering PE programs that would teach students the basics of squatting, lifting, pressing, and carrying—fundamental movements that go beyond the gym and impact daily life. Unfortunately, CrossFit, as a brand, can’t be part of school curriculums. But functional fitness as a recognized sport can.

Imagine a world where your child can attend a functional fitness class, earn PE credits, and learn lifelong habits in a supportive, community-driven environment. The focus wouldn’t just be on competitive fitness but also on building strong, healthy movement patterns that benefit kids in all areas of life. This vision drives much of our work at the CFFF as we aim to make functional fitness a sport recognized provincially, nationally, and, eventually, internationally.

Why Do We Need Governing Bodies?

Recent events at the CrossFit Games have shown us why athlete-centered governing bodies are so essential. CrossFit is a private company that, like any business, prioritizes entertainment and sponsors over athlete safety and development. This is why we need non-profit governing bodies like CFFF—organizations created by athletes, for athletes. We exist to ensure the sport’s development is focused on what matters: athlete health, long-term development, and safety.

Governing bodies like CFFF set the rules and standards for the sport, free from profit-driven motives. Our nonprofit status allows us to prioritize fairness, transparency, and accountability to athletes, not shareholders. As athletes and coaches ourselves, we understand the importance of being deeply involved in the decision-making process, and that’s what makes functional fitness unique.

Ongoing Projects and Initiatives

We have a number of exciting projects in the pipeline, all focused on building a safe, inclusive, and fair sport for everyone. Here are a few of the key initiatives:

• Athlete Feedback: We want to hear from you! We’ll be sending out a survey to gather input from athletes, coaches, and clubs on how we can make functional fitness the sport you want it to be. Your feedback will shape the future of functional fitness in Canada.
• Consistent Movement Standards: Athletes and judges alike know the frustration of constantly changing standards. We’re working with the International Functional Fitness Federation (IF3) to develop consistent standards for all movements. These standards will ensure athletes know exactly how they’ll be judged, allowing them to focus on performing their best.
• Professional Technical Officials: We’re building a pathway for certifying technical officials (judges) who will be consistent across all competitions. This standardized process will ensure that every judge knows the rules inside out, creating a fair competition environment for athletes at all levels.
• Coaching Standards: Just like we’re standardizing technical officials, we’re also creating a certification process for coaches. This will ensure that all coaches understand safety, long-term athlete development, and best practices for working with athletes of all ages and skill levels.
• Olympic Pathway: While the long-term goal of the Federation is to see functional fitness as an Olympic sport, I personally believe the focus should be on integrating it into schools. Provincial and national recognition will pave the way for students to learn the sport in high schools and universities, gaining valuable movement and fitness skills.

Building International Recognition

Functional fitness is gaining momentum on the international stage, with over 70 countries involved in the IF3. Some countries, like Sweden and Norway, have already recognized functional fitness as a national sport, with government support for their athletes. This international recognition is what makes functional fitness unique and gives us the opportunity to create a truly global sport, one that is inclusive and accessible to athletes from all over the world.

Developing Custom Software for Growth

To support the growth of the sport, we’re also working on developing custom software that will manage athlete profiles, clubs, technical officials, and more. This software will standardize data across countries and federations, making it easier for athletes, judges, and coaches to connect and grow the sport together. The ultimate goal is to create a centralized platform that’s accessible to all countries involved in functional fitness, helping streamline event management, certification processes, and athlete tracking. Check it out at cf3.thesport.fit.

Get Involved!

We’re passionate about growing functional fitness in Canada and internationally, but we can’t do it without your help. Whether you’re an athlete, coach, or simply a fan of the sport, we encourage you to get involved. We’ll be sending out a survey soon, but in the meantime, create a profile on our website and start sharing your ideas. This sport is for you, and we want you to have a voice in shaping its future.

Final Thoughts

The future of functional fitness is bright, and we’re excited to build a sport that prioritizes athlete safety, long-term development, and fairness. With your involvement, we can create a sport that’s inclusive, transparent, and accessible to everyone. Let’s work together to grow functional fitness in Canada and beyond, and make it a sport we can all be proud of.

Thanks for your support, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

– Simon Damborg
President, Canadian Functional Fitness Federation

Coach / Bossman Thor here - I didn’t want this to get lost in a newsletter, so I’m adding it to the website blog that many didn’t even know we had :D

In my 10+ years of owning Raincity Athletics there are many moments where you could say ‘proud coach’ but there are no bigger moments than what went down last weekend at the IF3 World’s Masters / Juniors world championships.

For those that don’t know - on top of owning Raincity Athletics and the Functional Fitness League, I am also the president of the BC Functional Fitness Sports Association; the non-profit governing body of the sport of Functional Fitness in BC which includes being on the board of the Canadian Functional Fitness Federation. For a full breakdown of how all the FFFFFs work and what that means, you can check-out a little video I posted a few weeks ago.

The Qualifiers

A few months ago we convinced a handful of athletes into spending their weekend doing the IF3 Candian online qualifiers. Aaron & Michelle have been doing these qualifiers for a couple of years now, and Michelle qualified last year and flew out to Aruba to compete at this same event in 2022! Since the championships were in BC this year we managed to convince a few others to join in. In the end 5 qualified, one of them being the Dentist who unfortunately has had to withdraw from competitive weightlifting and functional fitness due to injuries :( we miss him… more on the other athletes later.

The Call For Help

About 6-8 weeks prior to the IF3 World Championships coming to Vancouver (which I had intended to volunteer for, but wasn’t planning to have a major role in running) I got an email from the IF3 President Gretchen. There had been some personal issues for our Canadian President who was in charge of the event, and they were in need of quite a bit of help. At that point we had over 200 athletes registered, and only about 15 volunteers - I knew we were in trouble.

Raincity SHOWS UP

This is where the proud coach moment comes in. Not only because of our epic athletes that threw down that weekend but also the 30+ of our members/community who SHOWED UP to volunteer. Who went above and beyond to help ensure this event not only happened, but was an amazing time for the 300+ international athletes that flew in from all over the world for it. This doesn’t even include the dozens who reached out to let me know they were sorry they couldn't help <3

This is the type of community that makes me proud.

Being fit and winning competitions will come and go, but being a community that is willing to step up to support the greater good (in this case the FF community) when called upon is a trait that sticks around. I couldn’t be more proud that we’ve attracted so many of those people to Raincity Athletics.

The RAthletes

Although I never like to prioritize ‘winning’ events - for those that don’t know…

The Raincity Rules of Competition; Make friends Look good Have fun Don’t lose

And in terms of that last rule, as long as you hit the first 3 then whatever place you end up in is irrelevant…

Honarary RAthlete Theron

Thank you for being the (sometimes too) calm collected mind and providing guidance for Dillan in his first competition. It’s always awesome to have an athlete with so much experience to help guide the newer groups. However when it comes to Theron; please do what he says not what he does ;)

OUR FF PRO MICHELLE

This was her second time competing at this event (after flying out to Aruba last year) and I couldn’t be more proud to have her represent Raincity & Canada both at home and internationally. Michelle embodies everything I want to see in a Raincity Athlete on the workout floor. Always has a smiling face whether she’s winning or losing. If she’s not winning, it’s only because she’s too busy admiring her fellow competitors and being inspired by them :D

COACH KATIE

When coach Katie casually mentioned she might take part in the qualifier, we got pretty excited. Katie is one of those elite athletes not because she tries to win, but because she loves the process. If you ever want to be elite in this sport - that’s the only way. So I appreciate what it means for Katie to step off the training floor and onto the competition floor. She even managed to take first place in an event (in a pretty stacked division of athletes) while simultaneously making sure our whole crew was taken care of and had what they needed both weeks prior and all weekend. Thank you for being coach as well as athlete in a time when I could not <3

THE REAL ATHLETE DILLAN

I have to say this is the guy I’m most proud of. On a whim (and with some force from me) he was convinced to join in on the qualfiier weekend and have some fun. Next thing he knew he was registered for his first-ever competition which happened to be on an international stage with hundreds of athletes from all over the world. That is NOT an easy first comp… and although Dillan’s nerves were on display leading up to the event, it was the final week where we could see them really started to take a toll… but in the end, I think we can easily say Dillan had the most fun of any athlete out there! Thank you, Dillan for blindly trusting me when I threw you into the deep end and promised you it would be ‘fun’ - even when you didn’t understand how that would be possible - you showed up and crushed the Raincity rules of competition #somanynewfriends.

Thank you

Again, there are no words for how proud I am of our community, and how much gratitude I have for everyone who stepped up and helped us make sure this event was a huge success, and it was. I want to give one extra special shout-out to my right-hand Assistant Head TO who helped me manage multiple competition floors all weekend; Donal.

When I decided to go all in on this event I knew what I was getting myself into, I have run many competitions in the past, and volunteered at short handed ones too. Donal stepped up early and offered his experience as a head judge from prior CF events, and was rewarded (ha) with an assistant head TO position. In the end this meant he was on the floor with me for upwards of 10 hours a day with very short breaks (as there was only 1 of each of us). I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty impressed with how many hats I was able to productively wear throughout this weekend, I made some magical sh*t happen - but the ONLY reason I was able to do that was because Donal gave me 100% confidence in his ability to manage and communicate with me the needs of our judges & floor at all times.

SO MANY Familiar Faces

Again, THANK YOU to all of you (whether you were able to help or not) for embracing and encouraging a community that gives back <3

If you’re interested in getting involved in Functional Fitness as an athlete, board member, or anything in between, make sure to follow BCFFSA & IF3 online and don’t hesitate to reach out :)

Simon Damborg aka Thor Owner; rncty.ca & league.fit President: bcffsa.org

To keep this from being a(nother) blog post you can get the quick story on the last pic - or the full story, and a recap of how incredible the @raincityathls community is over that blog (rncty.ca/blog).

This post is going to be about my why.. why would I give so much of my timer, energy, equipment and more to help run a competition that doesn't pay me?

It's simple; because my ADHD LOVES the pressure, because I knew I was the right guy for the job having run literally dozens of competitions / matches / playoffs via the @functionalfitnessleague , because I had faith the @raincityathls community would show up to help, but most of all...

Because I believe in it. I believe #functionalfitness deserves a place as an internationally recognized and regulated sport... And tbh the people who are willing to do this 💩 for free are the people you want writing the rules & regulations for its growth and development.

At the end of our event debrief I made a proposal to the IF3: technical fouls aka athletes yellow/red cards. If a head or Assistant head TO (judge) catches an athlete being aggressive (verbally or physically) towards their (volunteer) judge they can show a card. Nothing stops happening / moving but it's an automatic % score deduction (ie 5-10% added to time or deducted from weight etc).

These are the kinds of regulations that ensure this sport grows in a way that everyone who takes part will benefit from. These are also the types of regulations that companies have much less incentive to take the time to develop and apply.

Support the legitimate growth of the sport of Functional Fitness in BC and around the world ❤️ it's pretty cool stuff to get to represent your country in the sport you love.

Follow @bcfunctionalfitness @canadian_functional_fitness and sign up for the mailing lists so you don't miss the next qualifier 😉

📸 some pic credits and explanations in the comments.

Vancouver #functionalfitness community we need your help!

Many don't know or understand the difference between Functional Fitness and CrossFit, so I made a quick video explaining what we do as National and Provincial sports organizations, as well as asking for help to show your support for the international FF community next weekend.

On Sept 30 to Oct 2nd over 300+ athletes from all over the world are coming to the Richmond oval for the @internationalfunctionalfitness
Masters & Juniors world championships, and we need (more) volunteers!

If you've got FF/CF experience and are around next weekend, help support the growth of the (official) sport in BC and get a chance to meet some awesome international athletes! If you don't have FF/CF experience we'll still need all the hands we can get 🙏

Don't hesitate to reach out with questions, preferably via info@bcfunctionalfitness.org but I'll answer anywhere I can.

Thank you for listening (and sharing):
www.bcffsa.org/volunteer

@internationalfunctionalfitness
@canadian_functional_fitness
@bcfunctionalfitness

*Apologies for the quick edits and bags under my eyes it was filmed at 830pm after a long day 😅 #smallbusinessowner #volunteer

#functionalfitness #vancouverfitness #fitness #crossfit #sport #sports #pso #nso #governingbodies #competrtion #vancouver #volunteer

#Repost @bcfunctionalfitness
・・・
A governing body that we are PROUD to be a part of, work with, and represent.

If you're interested in getting involved with the BCFFSA in ANY way to assist us in making sure these commitments happen (from a provincial to national to international level) please reach out.

We've got a lot of work to do, and it's going to take time to do it - but we are committing to following through long term.

#Repost @internationalfunctionalfitness
・・・
Racism is unacceptable. Period. Discrimination is unacceptable. Period. There is no discussion to be had on these points.
Like the rest of the world, we have watched as the events of the past few weeks have shed light on long existing systemic racial inequalities. However, we are firm believers that actions speak louder than words and felt it was not adding value to the conversation to speak up until we had an action plan in place to address how the iF3 can contribute to being part of the solution.
The events of the past few weeks speak to the inarguable need for black and ethnic minority voices to be properly heard and have a seat at the table in decision making in government, business, and sport. In order to actively contribute to this need within our sport, the iF3 has committed to the following 3 step action plan:
\1) Ensure that our internal structures (committees, commissions, etc) are ethnically balanced and that black people and other ethnic minorities are adequately represented.

\2) Work with our National Federations to ensure that they are working to similarly balance their internal structures, and discuss with them other initiatives they can take in their countries to engage ethnic minorities in the sport and increase representation.

\3) Actively seek out partners who are interested in helping us develop programs that will increase inclusion and diversity in the sport and who can help us to understand and educate us on the issues at play on a deeper level.
There is no room for racism or those who support it in our sport.

For those that don't know I took on a new little project setting up the first Provincial Sports Organization (PSO) of the @canadian_functional_fitness as Director of the @bcfunctionalfitness Sports Association.

FYI. #CrossFit isn't a sport - it's a company (like my other company the @functionalfitnessleague). 'Real' sports (Olympic recognized) have non profit governing bodies at every level and around the world - like the @internationalfunctionalfitness aka IF3.

We've got a big year of high level competition coming up for the BCFFSA - but what I'm most 😁for is the ability to bring Functional Fitness to kids. As we develop the sport & it's guidelines we'll get access & government support in bringing FF into schools, programs, extra credit, etc - something I dreamed of doing with #CrossFit (before I understood how all these things work). Can't wait for what this will mean for the @raincityfitclub ♥️
Speaking of understanding how things work; as usual I have no idea what I'm doing 🤷‍♂️... 'hey Google - how do I do taxes for a non profit?' An actual goal for 2020 is to learn to ask for and accept help - so if anyone's got any XP in NPOs etc I'd love to chat!

Ps. This is my productivity cave 😍
@raincityathls
@functionalfitnessleague
@bcfunctionalfitness
@raincityfitclub
#thorsabignerd
#thorsabigsoftie

#Repost @canadian_functional_fitness
・
Have you seen it? Our first official Provincial Sports Association. In their first year, they will be running a world championship qualifier and assist with hosting the world championships...what a first year!! Official clubs in the province of BC, as well as more provincial organizations will follow soon!
.
Reposted from @bcfunctionalfitness We, the @bcfunctionalfitness , aka the BCFFSA, are a non profit corporation recognized by the @canadian_functional_fitness federation that facilitates the growth of the sport of Functional Fitness in British Columbia.

Stay tuned to register your club and athletes as an officially recognized Functional Fitness club in BC.

#functionalfitness #federation #sports #olympicgames #thesportoffitness #fitness #competitivesport #competiton - #r

In no particular order:

Raincity Athletics

- Owner, Program Director, Head Coach, Lead Administrator - I have rebuilt our staff and business model to focus on revenue splits allowing my coaches here to grow and flourish their own businesses while myself and my administrative team focus on taking care of the back end headaches

- Allows my team more flexibility in growing their own business, without all the headaches - Allows me to be more hands off in day to day operations, and focus on growing my other projects as well

WWW.RAINCITYATHLETICS.CA

Functional Fitness League

- Owner, and everything else... - Currently working on expanding into new regions including Kelowna, Victoria, Toronto and Calgary - Exploring potential options for everything from franchising growth to continuing in house management and assessing the pros and cons of each as we expand

WWW.FUNCTIONALFITNESSLEAGUE.CA APP.LEAGUE.FIT FAQ.LEAGUE.FIT

Raincity Fit Club

- Head Coach & Facility Host - Working alongside 'Skills 2 Play' as a registered service provider for kids with special needs - Brining the benefits of fitness to kids of all mental and physical abilities

- Having done a lot of work with Special Olympics Canada and others I was reminded of all the benefits of exercise both physically and mentally (and loved watching the kids at special O reap these benefits) - So I worked with a client (owner of Skills 2 Play who works with these kids and commonly brought them in for our special olympics events) in house to begin discussing the idea of small private group classes to bring this benefit to special needs kids

WWW.RAINCITYFITCLUB.COM @RAINCITYFITCLUB

The Canadian Functional Fitness Federation

- On the board of domestic development to help legitimize the sport of 'Functional Fitness' - working towards legitimizing & standardizing everything to do with the sport from competitions, to movements, and everything in between with the goal of one day having it eligible to be in the olympics

WWW.FUNCTIONALFITNESSFEDERATION.CA

CF24 // Motionball // Special Olympics Canada

- Assist in organization & management of CF24 fundraiser each year to help raise funds for Special Olympics Canada - Having taken part and helped behind the scenes for over 4 years with this event, I will be moving into a more prominent position to help organize & manage the event across Canada

WWW.CF24.CA

Small Business Consultation Work

- Working with multiple other small businesses to help them with anything from getting setup (website, email, etc setup) to streamlining their systems and processes - Available on monthly retainers or hourly wage depending on the companies goals

Brands I Work With

RYU Ambassador - www.ryu.com

Endur Apparel - www.endurapparel.com

This is an article that I wrote in August of 2015 after attending the games with one of our Masters Athletes. Having attended the games multiple times before, this was my first time being 'behind the scenes' and I was upset with my experience.

I wrote this article in hopes of helping to improve the games, and though some of these issues have been addressed since, many of them still remain.

Stay tuned for more posts on my opinion of the future of this 'Sport' and where it's headed.

I need to start by saying I love CrossFit. I’ve heavily drunk the Kool-Aid and I love this shit; I love what it does for people, I love the communities it builds, and I love what it’s done for me [bio], so I say this out of love of this sport & community, and out of fear of it not maximizing its potential to help more people and be even more incredible than it already is.

I think there are a TON of great articles (which I link to in here) out there discussing different issues & different opinions; from the infamous peg board, Murph, programming being too hard, too easy, etc. Though I think these are great topics of conversation, I don’t think they cover the underlying issues that are going to cause long term harm to our beloved Games.

I think the CrossFit Games are at risk of rapidly diminishing if we (as a community) don’t help fix some basic requirements.

[caption id align="alignnone" width="1024"]

and NOT because of a silly peg board… [/caption]

Many of these topics merely need to ignite conversation with some awareness (who knows what the answer is), but some are also pretty major & obvious issues that I need to be addressed so that we can continue to watch this incredible sport & event continue to grow [How Fast are the CrossFit Games Growing] and flourish.

Side note: I’m going to mention ‘The Grid / NPGL’ a lot – I remain a bit skeptical of The Grid as a sport, but it’s growing on me. I do love what it could potentially do for our beloved Games which I think is a great reason to support it. Everything thrives with a little competition.

The Games need…

Paid & Professional Judges

More Transparency

Proper Focus on Athlete Safety

1. PAID & PROFESSIONAL JUDGES / REFEREES

Volunteers drive this community, and it’s INCREDIBLE. We all love to be a part of the big picture & help out – but I think we’re close to crossing a line where volunteers and the community are being taken advantage of.

We all know (or are) volunteers, some of them have a hell of a time and loved it – they worked hard with setup and takedown, and were rewarded with behind the scenes views, awesome seats and/or free tickets – they got their value. Others (usually higher on the volunteer food chain) have left their jobs for extended periods of time (likely without pay as they probably own or work at an affiliate) – they have got to be getting paid (some do, many don’t).Putting aside what people ‘deserve’, there’s 1 very real reason we need professional (paid & trained) Judges:

Accountability

People are giving up legitimate paid opportunities or putting their business’ on hold to pursue something that might ultimately come down to a split second decision made by a volunteer – that’s a little scary.

Again, Volunteers are incredible people, which is why you can’t (and shouldn’t) yell at them. If they make a mistake it’s totally understandable as it is NOT their job. It doesn’t bring any bread home, as a matter of fact we pay to volunteer. They’ve learned what they could in the time they had, which is likely the open and then hopefully a couple of Regionals. Even with sub par training they are still kicking ass most of the time and are doing an incredible job.

The problem is this is no longer a handful of people getting together at a ranch to throw-down for a couple hundred bucks. You now have (essentially) pro & semi pro athletes, as well as people that are leaving different legitimate paid opportunities [Matt Fraser Gives up grid to focus on his dream of winning the CrossFit Games] and putting their businesses on hold to train & to pursue something that ultimately might come down to a split second decision made by a volunteer – and that’s a little scary.

If the Games want to be considered professional, shown on live TV, and brag the title of ‘Fittest on Earth’ – these calls need to be made by fully trained & paid professionals.

[caption id align="alignnone" width="800"]

No rep? [/caption]

Remember what happened last time a professional league took a step backwards (to semi-pro and experienced refs) and how it went? [2012 NFL Referee Lockout]. I think there will be a time (hopefully soon) where we’re going to look back and laugh at the fact that we survived as long as we did without trained, professional, and even full time referees/judges.

In the West regional this year, Fikowski of the #trashtalktrio missed out on going to the games (would have been 4th place I believe) by .5 of a second on a speed clean ladder (an ‘original’ event… that was taken from the grid – but that’s another convo).

One wrong call can very quickly mean an athlete isn’t standing on the podium, especially with the new scoring system [Your Guide to Scoring].

Once again, I don’t love The Grid (I think it has potential, but more importantly I think we need the competition) but watch a grid match. The judges are artwork! They all look the same, signal the same, count the same, they’re in full uniform, and most importantly – they’re held accountable to their calls [challenge flags in the grid].

I think there will be a time (soon) where we’re going to look back and laugh at the fact that we survived as long as we did without trained, professional, and even full time referees/judges.

Personally, I don’t believe the title of ‘Fittest on Earth’ to necessarily be true if calls are being made by volunteers, and that begins at a regional level [Volunteer Judges, Regionals, and the CrossFit Games].

Once again, THANK YOU to the volunteers that have gotten our community and the Games this far, but I think we can all agree it’s time that professionals are trained (and paid) at a level that matches the athletes that they’re judging.

2. TRANSPARENCY

Who is deciding the definition of ‘Fitness?’

“Increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains.”

Who is really making all the calls?

There are a lot of very large companies heavily invested in the Games and it’s athletes and I don’t think its fair for one man to have to deal with that kind of pressure. We know there’s a small team, but I think it’s fair the community, and those dedicating their lives to train for it, be involved or at least made aware of the thought process.

A larger team of organizers would also help ensure the minor details are taken care of;

• like keeping bars cooler
• or getting timing devices that work
• and even making sure open event rules don’t need to be changed at the last second

and so much more… but more on that later

Talayna Fortunato is adamant that these events are not written for one athlete – which I hope (and believe) is true, but I think a little more transparency in the development process could help ensure we can all be confident in that.

Especially in the middle of this petty (though sometimes entertaining) brand war that directly affects many Games competitors. This war isn’t just about shoes either – look who’s here, and is now no longer here.

If these answers are out there and I just can’t find them, please share them with me and I will happily update this post. If these answers aren’t out there then I think it’s about time they were.

There’s a pretty epic media team that cranks out some incredible content – so why not use that to answer our questions and restore our faith rather than trying to poke jabs at the competition.

Here’s a coupe basics I’d like to know, but I’m sure the community has more:

• Who comes up with the events? Based on what qualifications? 
• When are these events finalized or decided?
• • When are the TBA events actually decided?
• Who decides to bring in a Watt Bike? Or an Airdyne? or a Trueform?
• • Are these companies paying for this in some way?

And last up, really?… This is the only explanation we get?

NOTE - UNABLE TO FIND PHOTO (was in regards to a scoring adjustment made during the sprint event that miraculously led to Ben Smith being on top of Matt Fraser - or close to)

3. A Proper Focus on Athlete Safety

[caption id align="alignnone" width="299"]

I wasn't aware this was part of fitness... [/caption]

I think this has already been very well vocalized via a number of blog posts so I won’t get into it much. The fact of the matter is I don’t want to see the athletes I’ve grown to love drop dead in front of me. On top of that, as a Coach, do I want to push my athletes so far that when they are finally on the brink of their dream at the Games they legitimately have to consider a life or death choice?

All sports have their risks, and some have higher injury rates than the Games, but something as simple as burning your hands on a bar is just careless.

It not only doesn’t relate to a test of fitness, but makes for a significantly worse show – especially on live TV. I think it’s time for a larger professional team to help eliminate these issues.

The real issue isn’t the workouts being ‘too hard’ [The CrossFit Games Aren’t Too hard] but the small details missed that are straight-up dangerous and not assisting in the test of fitness in any way.

There are plenty of dangerous sports out there, but even they have basic minimum requirements to ensure their athletes safety (helmets & equipment requirements, hitting standards, field standards, etc). The lack of attention to these minor details could lead to the fall of our sport, or maybe an athletes union? – which may or may not be a good thing [Lockouts, Strikes, and and Labor Politics in Pro Sports].

A couple of my favourite articles related to the topic of safety:

Open Letter to CrossFit HQ

Here’s what you need to know…

• The CrossFit Games are an awesome spectacle, but HQ needs to do more to protect the health of the athletes.
• CrossFit’s popularity has outpaced its maturity according to Dr. Schulte.
• Dedicated medical personnel, if properly utilized by HQ, could advise the gamemakers and help prevent many issues.
• CrossFit Games fans need to speak up and demand that athletes are treated better. CrossFit HQ should additionally apologize to competitors.

Survival of the Survivors the Crossfit Hunger Games

We can always trust Patrick McCarty to be first to point out issues with the Games & HQ, but he can bring up some real valid points.

List of Athletes Injured during the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Games

Doesn’t need an opinion, but an interesting list to view.

“These are athletes, not soldiers” – CrossFit Games 2015

Yes, he shouldn’t be sending athletes out that are fearing for their life, but they probably shouldn’t have to have that fear in the first place.

In Conclusion…

I love the Games. I want to see them continue to grow, and flourish, and be awesome.

The Games do an incredible job of testing our athletes and pushing their limits. As Rudy says, failure is part of the test and you should learn your history but I think it’s time we hold them to the same standard they’ve been holding our athletes to.

I think it’s time we forced the Games up against their own peg board to challenge them and help ensure they become the best they can be.

BONUS RANTS:

Just A couple random additions that in my opinion could also dramatically improve the Games…..

LIVE SCORE KEEPING

Once again, they’re only a couple years behind Grid [The Grid: The Live Scoreboard] and it still didn’t work half the time from what I could tell (random numbers all over the map sometimes!).

PROPER TIMING TECH

Though the Sprints and hurdles were one of my favourite events – the scoring was all over the map and let’s be serious, ankle chip timers? There are an infinite number of more accurate ways to do that.

Grid is introducing some pretty epic technology for our sport [like pullup bars with built in counters] that would help eliminate all kinds of issues.

PROPER COVERAGE

Don’t get me wrong Froning is incredible. He’s been the perfect face of this sport during it’s growth – and I’m sure he’s made a lot of people (including himself – which is totally legit he’s earned it) a lot of money, but you know who else is awesome? ‘[…]Froning and Rich Fronings Teammate!’, or any/every other athlete that’s competing at the same time he is.

At the very least, throw up a couple selfie drones [Meet Lily], and let me choose which of their feeds to watch!

NOTE: All Photos link back to their original source.

It was also a special year in that I got to watch two people I consider good friends and special people make it to Regionals for the first time. As some of you may know, Taryn has competed at Regionals as an individual previously, but Janel and Charli had not-- Janel had gone on a team before, but shockingly, for Charli, Regionals this year was probably her third career Crossfit competition.

So, for me, as their coach and their friend, I felt a real sense of pride at the beginning of the weekend, seeing the three of them walking around with their athlete badges and their big name placards on the floor. I saw a lot (but probably not all) of the hard work and sacrifice that went into them succeeding in the Open and qualifying for Regionals. The hours spent training, the hours spent recovering, food-prepping, analyzing their workout performances, etc, etc. For the three of them -- Charli, Janel, Taryn, getting to Regionals is an awesome feat.

I also felt very impressed and proud of the way all three of them handled themselves at Regionals all weekend. The competition itself can be a pretty intimidating experience -- you walk into the warm-up area and Emily Abbott, Carleen Matthews, and Alex Parker are there staring you down (not actually) and looking really, really fit. There’s a million judges on the floor, the crowd and music are super loud, and before each workout, you have to stand around for 10-15 minutes in a “corral” not exercising and over-thinking the workout that’s about to happen.

And that’s not even taking into account what the workouts actually were!

As many of you may know, this was the first Regionals to not feature any barbells in any of the six events over the weekend. There was running on a weird new type of treadmill, odd object lifting, dumbbell lifting (but heavier than the open!), and many, many bodyweight gymnastics movements.

Based on each event, and their individual strengths and weaknesses, we came up with a game plan and practiced pacing/running each event with said game plan in the weeks leading up to Regionals.

Sidenote -- qualifying for Regionals is super exciting and a big deal. Training for Regionals, once the workouts come out, is pretty fucking boring. Charli, Taryn and Janel did strict HSPUs twice a week once the workouts were announced. They did accessory work for strict HSPUs at least once a week. They did ring dips, they did some more ring dips. They did some muscle-ups, they practiced strict and weighted muscle-ups, and then they did some more regular kipping muscle-ups.

Anyways, when it came down to #gameday for the Regionals workouts themselves, all three athletes did a great job of executing their own individual game plans. I would say they were able to go as fast or faster than training on 90% of the Regional workouts, which is not easy, considering things like the variability of judging, high-level competitors next to you going at break-neck pace, remembering to do all the little weird things like move the dumbbell forward every seven reps and face the right way while doing toes to bar, blah blah blah.

I also thought all three athletes did a great job not “leaderboarding” during the weekend. It’s easy to get bogged down in the high of your best event or the low of your worst, or to spent a ton of emotional energy looking at your placing before and after each individual event, but my thought, as a coach, is that generally does not help with the athlete’s overall goal - to complete each individual event to the best of their ability. If you are too caught in emotions related to an event that have already happened, you cannot focus your efforts in the next workout! And, during Regionals, the athletes only get a short break -- 90 min max -- before they have to clear their brains from whatever they’ve done in the earlier part of the day before refocusing and warming up for the second event of the day. If you are caught up in how fast the person in the next lane is doing muscle-ups, you cannot focus all of your energy on your best/fastest/most efficient reps.

Once the final day’s events were over, we celebrated by eating Mexican food, not being able to drink beer at the restaurant due to our Canadian IDs, and eating a shitton of oreos (one thing my native country does well -- Oreo flavors). This week, these three amazing athletes get to rest, and the week after, we embark on their plan for 2018!

- Coach Liz

For more checkout...

@cnano89  //  @tarynemilyh  //  @janelbrine

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A post shared by Athlete Inside (@athlete_inside) on May 6, 2017 at 11:40am PDT

#Repost @crossfitwhl ・・・ We are so proud of our coach @cnano89 for completely beasting the CrossFit Open this year, earning her spot to compete at Regionals. She is strong, intelligent, skillful and has the killer instincts of an apex predator...which is why this shirt had to be made to support her journey. These will be printed on tanks - colours will include black and black aqua, both men's and women's sizes. Stay tuned, we will be announcing the mockups and release dates soon! ALL profits will go towards getting Charli to Regionals and prepped for the challenge that awaits her. Please support your local athlete, she is making our city proud! More info please go to @crossfitwhl #CrossFitWHL #CrossFit #WORKHORSENATION #roadtoregionals #roadtoregionals2017 #raincityathletics #RAthlete #infinitcanada #rathletes #rathletics #athleteinsideprofiles

A post shared by Athlete Inside (@athlete_inside) on May 10, 2017 at 6:14pm PDT