Hosting a CrossFit competition can boost your box’s reputation, but it’s a huge undertaking with tons of moving pieces. To set you up for success, we’ve created a list of everything you need to run legendary competitions — from registration and promotion to the final clean and jerk.
Organizing a CrossFit competition is no easy feat. With so many steps involved, it’s crucial to define its purpose before you begin planning. This will keep you motivated while organizing and executing your event. To help you get started, here’s a list of reasons your box may host a CrossFit competition:
Creating an awesome experience should be your primary concern. While you don’t need to break the bank, there are certain things you should invest in — like insurance, emergency medical services and merch.
List the supplies you’ll need to run a safe, clean and organized event, along with their estimated costs. Once you’ve set a budget, you can start planning how to make that money back.
CrossFit competitions can be stressful — especially if the schedule isn’t managed well. When heats are too close together, athletes can wear themselves out, get hurt or become frustrated by the lack of recovery time. Other times, spectators lose interest when there’s too much waiting around.
The structure of your schedule can have a huge impact on your competition. Before planning any workouts, figure out how much time you’ll need to complete the following.
Once you’ve set a budget, list of resources and event schedule, you can plan your program. Workouts don’t need to be complicated, but they should challenge your athletes and test them across the ten CrossFit fitness domains.
It’s also important to establish a system for scoring and updating the leaderboard. Luckily, there are several gym software platforms out there that do the work for you, like Wodify Arena.
You’ve laid the foundation for a successful CrossFit competition. Now it’s time to get the word out! There are tons of innovative ways to market your box’s competition — especially through social media, press releases and word-of-mouth from gym members — so go ahead and get creative! Strategies for marketing your competition are only limited to your imagination.
Athletes are the lifeblood of any competition, so the signup process should be foolproof. For the best results, post a signup form where it’s easy to find, like on your box’s website or social media pages.
Make sure athletes fill out their contact information, team name and shirt size, along with any waivers or contracts you need.You should also cap your registration to avoid overcrowding your box and set a deadline for signing up.
What would a CrossFit competition be without its judges? They ensure a fair scoring process and are an essential to any competition’s success. That’s why you should start recruiting judges as soon as you can.
CrossFit has a great Judges Course, which explains the basic skills needed to be a successful reff in your competition. If your judges haven’t completed it when they register, make sure they do before the day of your event arrives. This helps guarantee they know CrossFit’s movement standards and common mistakes to look for.
CrossFit competitions are a fun, rewarding way to connect with your local fitness community. By following the tips listed above, you can build awesome competitions that take your box to the next level.
If you’re considering gym software for your next competition, check out Wodify Arena — the only application running unrivaled competitions from registration to the final finish line. Get more information on our website.
