The Crown Highlights Elite Teen Athletes and the Future of the Sport of Fitness

A new documentary produced by the European CrossFit Training Camp, The Progrm, shows the story of the 2023 edition of “The Crown,” an exclusive teens-only event that combines a luxury fitness retreat with elite competition. 

The details: The competition, which was all-inclusive for the nine competitors, all under the age of 20, is one-of-a-kind, especially in the world of teenagers. 

• In partnership with Nike, athletes were hosted at a mansion in Mallorca, Spain, during the weekend of the competition. Their travel and expenses were paid for, as well. 
• Because of the small numbers, the competition took place all over the island, from a mountain bike race to a beach run to classic CrossFit events at C23 CrossFit. 
• Tenured individual competitors Willy Georges and Jacqueline Dahlstrom took time out of their training schedules to participate in a stretching session with the competitors, sharing wisdom and advice for the athletes who hope to be in their positions in the coming years. 

Setting up the next generation for success: Because all expenses were paid and there was a great deal of one-on-one attention given to each athlete, competition director John Singleton says that he hopes competitions like this help get young athletes on their feet and prepare them for a long and successful career in the sport. 

• “The concept of the Crown is that it sets these athletes up for a great generation of new CrossFit athletes,” Singleton said. “So we’re crowning them to take that next step. The winners of this event will hopefully go on to become the next Mat Frasers and Rich Fronings of the next generation.”
• Veronika Voriskova and Matus Kocar, both Games athletes, ended their competition weekends atop the podium, being named the “Queen” and “King” respectively. 

A new approach to community building: With nine elite, ultra-competitive teenagers, one might expect the atmosphere in the shared mansion to be full of tension. However, Singleton says in the documentary that this couldn’t have been further from the truth. The teens became fast friends, cheering each other on and throwing lighthearted banter back and forth. With how small and intimate the competition was, everyone abandoned the competitive quietness and found a new community. 

• “I think it’s one of those moments where you can see the community started to develop,” Singleton said in regards to the beach run event when athlete Chiara Silva was accompanied by every other athlete at the finish line. “Rather than focusing on, ‘ah, I’ve got to win this thing,’ it’s actually focused on developing this community.”

The Crown wasn’t just a one-off deal. The next qualifier, which is open to any athlete under the age of 20, is open now. Only two athletes per division will qualify this year, but be given the same experience and the chance to win the title and the handcrafted crown awarded to the champion of the event. 
Watch the 2023 documentary now and learn more about the competition.