MOST ATHLETES WHO COME TO ME AREN'T BEGINNERS. THEY'RE NOT LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO TEACH THEM HOW TO DO A PULL-UP OR EXPLAIN WHAT CROSSFIT IS. THEY'RE ALREADY TRAINING HARD. THEY'RE ALREADY SERIOUS. THEY'VE ALREADY PUT IN THE HOURS, THE SEASONS, THE SACRIFICES THAT MOST PEOPLE NEVER WILL.

AND THEY'RE STILL NOT WHERE THEY WANT TO BE.

I'VE BEEN IN THIS SPORT LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW WHY. I DISCOVERED CROSSFIT IN 2011, COMPETED AT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, QUALIFIED FOR THE CROSSFIT GAMES WITH MY TEAM IN 2017, AND HAVE SPENT YEARS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WHITEBOARD — ORGANISING COMPETITIONS, JUDGING ATHLETES, WATCHING WHAT ACTUALLY SEPARATES THE ONES WHO QUALIFY FROM THE ONES WHO DON'T.

IT'S RARELY FITNESS.

WHAT I KEPT SEEING, OVER AND OVER, WAS CAPABLE ATHLETES BEING LET DOWN BY THE SYSTEMS AROUND THEM. GENERIC PROGRAMMING THAT DIDN'T ACCOUNT FOR WHO THEY ACTUALLY WERE. COACHES WHO WERE TOO BUSY, TOO REMOVED, OR TOO FOCUSED ON VOLUME TO NOTICE THE SMALL GAPS COSTING THEIR ATHLETES REAL POINTS. FEMALE ATHLETES BEING TRAINED EXACTLY LIKE MALE ATHLETES, AS IF HORMONES DON'T EXIST. PEOPLE PAYING FOR COACHING AND GETTING A SPREADSHEET.

I STARTED TENACIOUS CO BECAUSE I BELIEVE ATHLETES DESERVE BETTER THAN THAT.

BETTER THAN A PROGRAM WRITTEN ONCE AND LEFT TO RUN. BETTER THAN FEEDBACK THAT NEVER COMES. BETTER THAN A COACH WHO DISAPPEARS WHEN THE COMPETITION STARTS AND REAPPEARS WHEN IT'S TIME TO INVOICE.

THE ATHLETES I WORK WITH ARE CLOSE. THEY FINISHED BETWEEN 30TH AND 100TH IN THEIR REGION'S QUARTERFINAL. THEY HAVE THE FITNESS. THEY HAVE THE WORK ETHIC. WHAT THEY NEED IS PRECISION - SOMEONE WHO LOOKS AT THEIR ACTUAL RESULTS, FINDS THE ACTUAL PROBLEM, AND BUILDS A PLAN AROUND WHO THEY ARE, NOT WHO THE AVERAGE ATHLETE IS.

THAT MEANS DAILY PROGRAMMING THAT ADJUSTS TO HOW THEY'RE ACTUALLY RESPONDING. IT MEANS BEING AVAILABLE WHEN SOMETHING DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT, NOT IN THREE DAYS WHEN THE INBOX CLEARS. IT MEANS TURNING UP AT THEIR EVENTS AND COACHING THEM THROUGH THE MOMENTS THAT MATTER MOST - IN REAL TIME, NOT IN HINDSIGHT. IT MEANS BEING HONEST WITH THEM, EVEN WHEN THAT'S UNCOMFORTABLE, BECAUSE HONEST COACHING IS THE ONLY KIND THAT ACTUALLY MOVES THE NEEDLE.

IT MEANS BUILDING A SUPPORT TEAM AROUND THEM - NUTRITIONISTS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, WHOEVER THE PROBLEM REQUIRES - BECAUSE NO SINGLE COACH HAS EVERY ANSWER, AND PRETENDING OTHERWISE IS JUST EGO.

I KEEP MY ROSTER SMALL ON PURPOSE. NOT BECAUSE I CAN'T FILL IT, BUT BECAUSE THE LEVEL OF ATTENTION THIS KIND OF COACHING DEMANDS CAN'T BE SPREAD THIN. EVERY ATHLETE I TAKE ON IS SOMEONE I GENUINELY BELIEVE IN. SOMEONE I'M WILLING TO BE ACCOUNTABLE TO.

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE DESERVE.

NOT A PRODUCT. NOT A TEMPLATE. A COACH WHO'S ACTUALLY IN IT WITH THEM.

THAT'S WHY TENACIOUS CO EXISTS.

GILLY GILLUM.