The Importance Of Cheering On Your Classmates: By Coach Brianna True

Sometimes Cross Training can be a bit confusing, especially to new athletes. Most of us are
the type that can get along just fine in your standard type of gym but we prefer the
group exercises. In the beginning of all of our Cross Training careers the group aspect is pivotal. Yeah,
you could hack it alone, but isn’t it more fun and motivating to watch others
persevere around you? These movements may seem foreign and we question our
capabilities. Then we look around, and oh snap!, if these guys can do it then so can I.

Everyone has to start somewhere and we’re painfully aware of our starting point
when we are there. After a few months the mood switches and we begin to
understand acronyms like “EMOM” or “AMRAP”. We come to expect the question of
the day and even anticipate which one of our friends is going to have the best
answer. We know who the class clowns will be, who is serious, who never wants to
be bothered, and who likes a lot of attention from the coach and their peers. We
know we might be entering the pain cave and we’re cool with it. With this comfort
and experience we tend to forget how the new guys feel. When we begin to finish in
the middle of the group, or even reach the top of the leaderboard, we forget what it’s
like to finish last.

Cross Training is about COMMUNITY. I was humbly reminded of what it feels like to finish
a WOD last this week. Don’t get me wrong: I finished this WOD proud as hell. It was
a hell of a cardiovascular workout and the weights were spicy. I aimed for RX and I
completed the workout RX but I found myself finishing a set of 20 thrusters ALONE.
All of my classmates were cleaning up, rolling out, and flat out ignoring my
existence. Wasn’t it still before the time cap? Wasn’t class still technically going on?
Why had everyone forgotten me? I needed some motivation!!

The point of this article (see: rant) is to remind us all that we need to be there for
each other. I’m not the only one to have experienced this lonely finish and I certainly
won’t be the last. Everyone from new athlete to coach will find themselves here, but
none of us have to. Let’s keep an eye on our new people, or our experienced people
who are pushing themselves to new levels. Let’s remind ourselves that we love to be
cheered on so we should cheer others on. We can all reach new heights with a little
bit of TLC from our friends and family.

Don’t clean up, don’t leave the gym. Finish your workout and turn around and
scream, clap, cheer, and encourage your peers to be the best them they can be. The
end can seem so far, especially when we’re so close to it.