#ITSUP2US. CF Health Care? Lumberjack Wins. Podcast Returns! Gen4 CF. More CF Awesomeness. TWA 11.18.24

““We are more fulfilled when we are involved in something bigger than ourselves.”
John Glenn

#ITSUP2US  On Saturday, Diablo CrossFit hosted a quickly-organized affiliate owner gathering for 40+ affiliates their owners and some of their coaches. My owner friends, Zia (CF Counter Culture, Encinitas) and Dan (Woodslawn CF, OR) planned this event after attending a similar, official CrossFit Affiliate Summit in San Diego 2 months ago. And, our Region Manager, Katie Hogan, was eager to support us.

The conversations and camaraderie with other owners in San Diego was so motivating (and cathartic) that we decided to host one ourselves at Diablo – totally unofficial. It was a success: we created the same (if not more) constructive and motivating conversations among affiliate owners that led to many exchanges of contact information and commitments to implementation of productive improvements. And, even better, the CEO of CrossFit, Don Faul, showed up (!!) and hung out with owners for a couple of hours and spoke to the group for 20 minutes. 

Zia, Dan & I are OG owners – implying that we built our affiliates long before CrossFit offered much support for the business of affiliation. And that was what we wanted: the freedom to build our affiliates OUR way, with little input from CFHQ and LOTS of collaboration with other owners. Much of the layout of our facility, the equipment we use, the events we host and the processes we follow are the result of collaboration with other affiliate owners over the years – via in-person events & gatherings and online forums or groups. Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming abundance of online content (or perhaps, because of), affiliate owners today collaborate with other owners far less than in past years. Granted, there is significantly more support from CFHQ for affiliates, but Dan, Zia and I believe that consistent, in-person connections with other owners is essential to building a better CrossFit affiliate while avoiding burnout. 

Most CF affiliates are smaller than 2000 sq. ft of space and have less than 200 members. Many are “garage-style” with under 100 members. CF Affiliates are the epitome of a small-business highly dependent upon a loyal clientele. Their owners are “jacks-of-all-trades”, coaching classes, communicating with clients, running systems & membership software, programming workouts, managing their facilities and staff, marketing the business and cleaning their gym. The first few years of their business are usually expensive, frantic and exhausting. And, ironically, the first few years (and beyond) are incredibly exciting, because ALL owners are fulfilling a dream: changing lives with CrossFit. 

Thus, it was an extraordinary pleasure as an 18 year affiliate owner to talk with so many other owners on Saturday, to share my experiences (especially the mistakes!) and learn from other, newer owners with brilliant ideas. We all left the meeting pumped up with excitement for the future ready to implement what we learned. 

#itsup2us – We got this. 

CROSSFIT HEALTHCARE COVERAGE!?  For many years, affiliate owners have begged for help with health insurance for coaches, members and themselves. The skyrocketing costs of insurance has made it impossible for most US affiliates to provide coverage for their employees. Now, we have a solution – and in 2025, it will likely be available to CrossFit members as well. 

At our Affiliate Gathering on Saturday, CrossFit Medical Society Director, Dr. Tom McCoy (former Diablo member!), announced the launch of “Community Care” a crowd-share, health care coverage program for CrossFit Affiliate owners and coaches! This crowd-share program for CrossFit is a division of “CrowdHealth“, a very successful crowd-share provider based in Palo Alto. 

Here’s a quick synopsis of how it works: Community Care costs $55 a month for CrossFit Coaches & Owners. It provides unlimited tele-health & mental appointments. Any necessary medical procedures are submitted to the group and then passed on to participants each month. The maximum monthly crowdfunding fee is $140 a month (up to age 54) and $420/mo for a family of 4+. A members’ maximum commitment for a medical procedure is $500. Learn more about pricing here – the savings over health insurance is substantial.  

To create cost savings, Community Care settles all medical payments (Doctors, Hospitals, etc) as “Cash Pay” (often preferred) – eliminating the incredibly high insurance mark ups that are pervasive in the system. And, Doctors & hospital payments are settled quickly. 

Even better, it is expected that the CrossFit Community Care program will have substantially lower costs over time due to the health status of our participants. Lower health care costs will help keep pricing low for participants.

HOLIDAY HOURS – Diablo will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thu, Nov 28th. But, we’re hosting our annual Turkey Trot/Ruck at 8:30 (see below). We’ll also be closing a little earlier throughout the week. Check your Diablo app for details.

JOIN OUR 16TH-ISH ANNUAL TURKEY TROT /  RUCK – on Thanksgiving morning (8:30A) at Hidden Lakes Park in Martinez. Kids, dogs & strollers welcome! Along our 3k route, there will be obstacles or tasks to complete to earn a ticket for a raffle to be held at the end! 

BEST WORKOUT LAST WEEK –  Gotta go with the Lumberjack 20 – a CrossFit Hero workout we posted on Veterans Day last week! Members were smashed.. but loved the variety.. and yes, was pretty much a running workout:

For Time: 
20 Deadlifts (275lbs)
Run 400m
20 KB swings (2pood)
Run 400m
20 Overhead Squats (115lbs)
Run 400m
20 Burpees
Run 400m
20 Pullups (Chest to Bar)
Run 400m
20 Box jumps (24″)
Run 400m
20 DB Squat Cleans (45lbs each)
Run 400m

PODCAST .. THE RETURN – MON NOV 18 @10AM – Not gonna lie, we’ve been busy af these last few weeks and our Podcast suffered as a result. Schedules didn’t align, coaching shortages happened and event prep took precedence. BUT – we’re back with a cool podcast with Dr. Tom McCoy talking about the CrossFit Medical Society AND Community Care – a crowd funded health care coverage plan.