The CrossFit Athlete Council (CAC) Individual/Coach Committee has released a “community questionnaire” to gather feedback for ongoing meetings the council is having with CrossFit HQ and the Games team.
- The survey was sent by Taylor Self, a representative from the Athlete/Coach committee, and will be open for submissions from February 10-17.
You can fill out the questionnaire here.
Remind me: The CAC was created in late 2024 when athletes, coaches, and affiliate owners were elected by their peers. Those elected were then announced in January 2025.
The goal of the CAC per CrossFit HQ is “to create an independent space where athletes, coaches, and affiliates can share their competition experience and deliver recommendations to CrossFit.”
- The CAC is split into three committees: Individual/Coach, Affiliate/Team, and Divisional.
The members of the Individual/Coach committee include:
- Colten Mertens, CF-L1 (Pending), Games Athlete
- Taylor Self, CF-L3, Coach
- Spencer Panchik, CF-L1 (Pending), Games Athlete
- Ryan Dickey, CF-L3, Coach
- Olivia Grimsland, CF-L3, Affiliate Owner
- Yazmin Arroyo, CF-L3, Affiliate Owner
CrossFit described this committee’s role as serving “as advocates and a resource for the CrossFit community.”
The questionnaire comes on the heels of a recent meeting between the CAC and CrossFit HQ on January 27, which included Don Faul and other HQ leadership.
- The notes show that Faul discussed the term “Independent,” how that pertains to the CAC, and provided an update on the Head of Safety position. Later in the meeting, Dave Castro discussed the Community Cup and the season structure before fielding questions.
The action items of the CAC kick-off meeting point to what Self is now working on with the community survey for Individual CrossFit Individual athletes and Coaches.
The details: The survey is anonymous, and the respondent is not required to provide a name or email address.
The questions include topics ranging from safety, the season structure, the Open, the effect of frequent season changes, communication, and transparency, as well as many open-ended questions designed to gather detailed responses from the community to give the committee feedback for HQ.
Here is a sample of some note-worthy topics and questions.
Safety
The questionnaire starts with an open-ended question about safety in competition.
- Write-in answer: “Please add any specific desired changes or suggestions to result in a safer competition experience for in-person CrossFit events (Semifinal/Sanctional/Games) here.”
This is the only question that appears to touch directly on the safety and procedural changes that were announced late last year following the death of Lazar Ðukić at the 2024 CrossFit Games.
- Under the first question is a note that “these will be taken directly to the Games team at our next meeting.”
Season Structure
Several of the questions focus on the committee’s main focus: the CrossFit Open through Games season structure.
The first of those questions, and the only one in a multiple choice format, is a look back at previous season structures. It asks: “Which is best for athletes, fans, and growth of sport?”
- “2014-2018 Regional era format”
- “2019 Sanctional format”
- “2021-2024 Quarterfinal – Semifinal format”
- “2025 online semifinal – in-person sanctioned hybrid – no QF format”
On suggested changes to the season structure, the Individual/Coach committee geared the questions toward their two constituents and focused on Semifinals and Games-level athletes and their coaches:
- “Write in answer: As an individual athlete at or near the semifinal level and higher, what are three things you want to see CrossFit “fix” regarding your season?”
- “Write in answer: As a games/semifinal level coach, what are three things you want to see CrossFit “fix” regarding your athletes’ season?”
The Open
Around the Open and In-Affiliate Semifinals, the questions seek feedback on how those on the sports side can best work with affiliates to bring excitement and how to streamline judging efficiency for athletes.
- Write-in answer: “How can judging for “in affiliate” Semifinals be best streamlined for efficiency for the athletes while maintaining the fairness of competition?”
- Write-in answer: “How can sport best work together with affiliates to bring excitement back to the Open/Games competition?”
Effect of Frequent Season Changes
The questions also ask about the potential negative effects and impact of the changes to the season on the athletes personally, and on the spirit of competition.
- Write-in answer: “Have the recent changes in CrossFit negatively affected your personal experience with the sport? If so, how and why?”
- Write-in answer: “Do you believe the constant changes in the CrossFit Games season are negatively impacting the spirit of competition?”
The second-to-last question asks about a possible future request from the CAC Individual/Coach committee, committing to a period of stability in the season structure:
- Yes or No: “Would a commitment to the current season structure and path to the games for a minimum of three seasons, with an option to reevaluate and make adjustments after the third season add stability and an element of trust between HQ and the community?”
The questionnaire ends allowing the respondent to provide any additional feedback related to the Yes/No questions they gave.
What they’re saying: We asked Taylor Self for any additional statement about the survey and his role as a representative on the CrossFit Athlete Council; here is what he provided:
- “My goal is to represent the community, individuals, and coaches who participate in the CrossFit Open and Games season as a conduit for direct and effective communication to HQ and the Games team. I need buy-in from the community, individuals and coaches in order to make an impact for the betterment of all. We will be transparent with what effect, if any, that we have on the state of competition and the season for the community so that we can begin to rebuild a healthy and trusting relationship between HQ and the rest of us.”
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