When it comes to CrossFit competitions, the Torian Pro is certainly doing something right.
The venerable fitness event has hosted the top athletes from Australia and New Zealand since 2015, and it celebrates its 10th annual outing from May 30 to June 1 at the Pat Rafter Arena in Brisbane, Australia. When the dust settles on the action down under, the top two men and women will earn invitations to the 2025 CrossFit Games in Albany, NY.
What Makes the Torian Pro Special?
Anyone who has hosted a CrossFit competition or a local throwdown can attest to the immense amount of work involved, not to mention the challenges of maintaining financial viability.
This is a concern that even CrossFit founder Greg Glassman was outspoken about.
- “It’s extremely expensive. Look at the Brazil [Regionals] event,” Glassman said back in 2018. “We’re at the venue where the Olympics were held. It cost me over a million dollars, and what comes out of it is two people go to the Games.”
Similarly, in 2022, Atlas Games Semifinal co-owner and director Alexis Leblanc-Bazinet told the Morning Chalk Up that he found it difficult to break even, much less turn a Semifinal event into a profitable business.
- “I took most of the (financial) hit myself,” he said, adding that he spent two years volunteering countless hours of his time to keep the event alive.
Ultimately, a 10-year-old competition like the Torian Pro holds great significance in our sport and continues to thrive.
Humble Beginnings
The inaugural Torian Pro occurred in 2015 at CrossFit Torian in Brisbane, which is an affiliate owned by the competition’s founders, Johno Snape and Mike Towner.
- In an interview with the Morning Chalk Up, Snape explained that it was a small “grassroots event” back in 2015, but it was also highly competitive and attracted some of the best athletes in the region.
That first year was a tremendous success and laid the foundation for what would soon become one of the premier CrossFit competitions in the world.
After four years of hosting the competition at CrossFit Torian, it moved to the Pat Rafter Arena, the main court at the Queensland Tennis Centre, which has 5,500 seats.
In 2021, the Torian Pro became one of CrossFit’s Semifinals, a status it maintained until 2024. This season, the Torian Pro is an In-Person Qualifying Event (IPQE) for the 2025 CrossFit Games.
Snape explained that being a qualifying event for the CrossFit Games since 2021 has been crucial to their development.
- “CrossFit is at the core of what we do, and the opportunity to provide a pathway to the CrossFit Games is something we’re really passionate about,” he said. “Our partnership with CrossFit has allowed us to showcase the best athletes in the world…Being part of the Games season keeps the stakes high and the level of competition at its best.”
Four Keys to Success
Snape admits that putting on Torian Pro is “more than a full-time job,” especially since he also manages two gyms: CrossFit Torian and Teneriffe Athletic Club.
- That said, Torian Pro is profitable, “but it has taken years of refining our approach to operations and [building] relationships to get there and make it work,” Snape explained.
In our conversation with Snape, he mentioned four keys that have helped Torian become (and stay) successful over the years.
- The first key to achieving this has been establishing strong, long-term relationships with brands and organizations that recognize the value of supporting the event.
- The second focuses on ticket sales and enhancing fan experience; the Pat Rafter Arena sells out every year.
- The third key has been to emphasize “cost control,” Snape explained. “Being smart with spending while ensuring quality. It’s easy for costs to spiral out of control if you don’t plan properly,” he added.
- Finally, creating multiple revenue streams at the event has helped ensure its financial sustainability in recent years.
Torian Pro has gained a reputation for attracting the fittest individuals in the region. Additionally, it also hosts community competitions that help raise extra revenue and draw more people to its events. This year, for instance, there will be a pairs division, a teams of four division, a teen division, and a masters division.
A Giant Party — With a Personal Touch
The Torian Pro may be best known for hosting the top athletes in Australia and New Zealand, but the true secret to its longevity lies in the spectator experience it creates, which keeps fans eager to return the following year.
- “You just get the feeling that the spectators enjoy the experience, because they get so much out of it. There are so many vendors and competitions happening outside, the beer garden is flowing, and the BBQ is going. It’s just like a massive weekend event at a local gym, but expanded into ten thousand people,” said Jeremy Austin, who has been part of every single event, first as an MC and now as a broadcaster.
Unlike other CrossFit competitions, there’s never a dull moment down under: from Indigenous dancers to tossing beach balls into the stands to flames shot from cannons, the overall spectator experience is hard to beat.
Five-time Torian Pro competitor Maddie Sturt echoed Austin’s sentiment.
- “The crowd is the best. The Aussies go off and they love it,” Sturt said. “Plus, all the cool effects, dances, and performances that Torian puts on really make it a good show for the crowd.”
Ultimately, Torian Pro has become the can’t-miss event in the Australian CrossFit community each year, which is incredibly close-knit and supportive of its athletes.
“There’s an intimacy about it,” Austin explained. “People know the household names…You probably have one or two newcomers that come into the roster each year, but people get to know them quickly…It just gives people athletes to root for.”
He added that when Jake Douglas qualified for the CrossFit Games in 2023, “there wasn’t a dry eye in the house…Everyone was just going for Jake to make it, and when he did, it was just the best feeling for me and everyone else watching.”
The Torian Pro Is Just Getting Started
From May 30 to June 1, Snape and Towner will host Torian Pro for the 10th time. Although it required a great deal of work to keep it going, Snape also calls it “an incredible journey, filled with growth, challenges, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.”
- “What started as a small gym event has evolved into an internationally recognized competition…The biggest reward has been seeing the impact the event has had on the community,” he said.
A decade later, Snape believes he has many more Torian Pros to achieve and big dreams for the future.
- “A halftime show featuring Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Dr Dre would be amazing…although I’d probably have to trim our flame budget to afford them,” he joked.
Snape is committed to growing Torian Pro in the long term, telling us that he aims to continue “bringing people together, inspiring new athletes, and helping to grow CrossFit in our region.”
More CrossFit Stories
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- He Almost Walked Away From the Sport in 2024, Now Moritz Fiebig Is Returning to the CrossFit Games
- Tips for a Better “Murph,” Whether It’s Your First Time or 10th
Featured Image: @torianpro / Instagram
