The Progrm’s “The Crown” Wraps, Icelandic Teens Bjarni Leifs and Bergrós Björnsdóttir Reign
The third iteration of The Progrm’s “The Crown” occurred in Spain over Easter weekend. After four days of competition, two Icelandic athletes, Bjarni Leifs and Bergrós Björnsdóttir, headed home victorious.
Like previous years, The Crown was host to some of the best teenage athletes in the sport. They competed alongside one another and also took part in a retreat-style experience, combining recreation and community building with CrossFit.
As one can tell from the 2023 documentary about the event, A Champion’s Tale: The Story of the Crown, this is not a typical competition.
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Remind Me
First taking place in 2019, The Crown has been a showcase for youth in the sport of fitness, allowing them to compete alongside others their age and form connections along the way.
After taking some time to recuperate and reorganize after COVID-19, The Crown re-emerged in 2023; the event was rebranded, the field was minimized, and the event’s location was changed to the “Nike Castle,” a literal stone fortress in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
With this new venue and a small group of 10 competitors, The Progrm founder and event organizer John Singleton created a unique weekend, showcasing young talent and giving competitors an experience that would stick with them long after leaving the island.
“We’re able to do stuff that you classically wouldn’t be able to do with a competition. We went canyoning [and attended] cooking events [and] Wim Hof events; it gives a good experience to those athletes,” Singleton tells the Morning Chalk Up.
Building a Community
While allowing the athletes to compete against one another is one minor component of The Crown’s mission, Singleton wants athletes to form bonds and friendships through the four-day experience.
“The whole event is just different. We try to focus less on the competitive aspect and more on the experience: they live together, train together. They go home, and they’ve forgotten there was a CrossFit competition,” Singleton says.
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Singleton has hosted camps for teen athletes for over a decade and has learned quite a bit about this demographic and their need for connection.
He explains that so many of these young competitors train independently, or at least without the comradery of those their age. While age gaps can seem to narrow as they grow older, they’re vast when the athletes are young.
“The majority of teen athletes train with people older than them […] it’s very different than having a friendship/group of the same age, same interests, cultural references, whatever that may be. They’re able to speak with people their age, who are in that same mindset, in that same flow,” Singleton says.
It’s rare that these athletes have the opportunity to connect, commiserate, set goals, and dream alongside others their age. These connection-building strategies were emphasized during the organization and planning of the event.
“[It] was really important to us [that] these guys leave with friendships; we create the environment and step back so they can get on,” Singleton says. “They are under so much pressure. It’s important that they have connections with kids the same age, with the same experiences.”
The Future of the Sport
Giving young athletes opportunities to compete at a high level and partake in experiences that promote mental wellness will help solidify the growth and the health of competitive CrossFit.
Singleton says this is a way that he can give back to the sport and explains they’re very passionate about the next generation at The Progrm.
As more of these elite competitions take hold and grow and their value is recognized, Singleton hopes they can draw in not only more competitors but also more fans and supporters of this significant age group.
In this way, Singleton says, “We hope we are able to prop up the sport.”
Featured image: @theprogrmcrown / Instagram