Where do I start?
My loyalty has been and will always be to CrossFit, Greg and everyone I've met and trained with along the way - my CrossFit family. I am forever grateful for everything I've gained from being part of such a strong, positive community.
Brendan and I started up CrossFit Obsession (before it was CFO) with good intentions. Our goal was to expose new people to CrossFit and get them moving beautifully. We can proudly say we've accomplished that goal.
We've loved every minute of training with our people. It's been a blessing to have touched so many lives. We've made great friends and watched them hit tons of PRs along the way. This includes all the members of ADS. A very satisfying, proud feeling. That is the one good thing that came out of CFO.
Our e-mails are overflowing and our phones are blowing up with people asking us to keep them in the loop because "they'll go anywhere we go".
Brendan and I will be opening a gym for all of the people who want to continue doing CrossFit with us. All the people we've been training with privately.. We never had any intention of leaving anyone in the dust. We'll be stoked to keep up what we started!
The first people at Obsession were there because Luke gave them a free membership to the gym. Not because they knew anything about CrossFit or wanted to go out and try it. That was awesome (although a strategic business move from a big business man to get a bunch of trained people in the door for free words of mouth for him when he decided to open his doors to the public).
So to those people I suppose I can understand why they would say we're selfish for taking away their free membership. And that they would say Luke is such a generous man. I suppose in that respect he was generous to his minions.
That's the reason B got in business with him in the beginning.. he seemed like a good enough guy.
But what those people don't see or care to see is that it was really Greg Glassman that has been generous with his equipment, LENDING it out to them for over a year and a half and with his program by giving it to all of us for free everyday.
It was Luke and his partners Rob, Nick and Robin who intended to exploit those gifts and Brendan and Me (also products of Greg's teaching).
Those "stand up guys" said things like "we want 2,000 members and we hope none of them show up." I had to sit through meetings hearing things like that with my hand over my mouth to stop the puke from coming out! Their ideas which they pushed on us over and over were so contrary to our own. But time and time again, B and I got outvoted.. until we ended up with what we had. Something that, besides the innocent members, we didn't believe in.
I could no longer put my head on my pillow at night without feeling like I was betraying my community. I wasn't willing to do that, no matter the cost.
Those former members will NOT be left in the dust. Brendan and I will have a place for all of them and we'd be thrilled to train with all of them again. There are also several gyms in the area.. but none of them are free.
We Need them to keep it up. We LOVE the people we've been training and would be heartbroken to see all their hard work go down the tubes. We still care just as much as we have for the last year and a half.
Sadly, it's those people who you see up above, who post anonymously, who are just ticked off that they've lost their free membership.
They won't bite the hand that feeds.
There are ADS people who are reaching out to us, too. They've said they don't care about politics because all they know is that B and I have loved them and taught them and they wouldn't find better trainers anywhere.
Andy, I know it might seem like there isn't anything to celebrate. It royally stinks that CFO had to come to an end. It's as much of a loss to B and me as it is for you all. We hate it. But it could have been avoided if they just listened to us..
What we'll end up with is the same program void of all of the politics. A place for all of you to continue with CF and us. We'd love more than anything to have you. You can be my demo-boy anytime ;) And THAT is something to celebrate.
It's heartbreaking for Brendan and I because we invested a year and a half teaching them CF. Putting our hearts, energy and ALL of our time into them. Waking up at 5am and getting home at 9 at night. But still, they just understood CFO... not CF. When the stuff hit the fan, they didn't show any faith in us. They assumed we "stole" the equipment and left everyone hanging. Thanks, guys. Good luke...
Moral of the story - Beware of getting into business with people who don't share your vision or principles.
And stand up for what you believe in and the people you love.
Thank you, Greg and everyone in CrossFit who contributed to setting us free from those big business men. We'll go on to do what we do best in the true spirit of CrossFit.
