“Heavy Is The Head That Wears The Crown” is the tagline of the revamped competition backed by The Progrm and John Singleton. A daunting statement to have looming over the event kicking off qualifications over the festive period. In reality, the event is geared towards fun and approachability with an eye on the future.
The event, then called The Comp, first ran in 2019 on the island of Mallorca. In 2020 The Progrm were forced, like many, to postpone and eventually cancel their planned event and in 2021 they suffered the same fate, again, due to government mandated restrictions. Now, The Crown is ready to bring the next generation of CrossFit athletes into the limelight and afford them the stage to showcase their fitness.
“We want to give the future of the sport an event that is solely dedicated to them, categories that aren’t the main event often don’t have the same interest or the same media or spectators, that’s in all sports. We wanted to create an event exclusively for the next generation, they’re the future of the sport,” Singleton explained.
Time and again we’ve seen impressive teenage athletes drop off or not manage the step up into the Elite division. Singleton, who helped Gabi Migala make that very transition, said, “there’s a huge gap from being a teenage athlete to being an elite athlete, from being 17 to 21 years old and the development and what might happen in that time. There’s a huge gap and athletes might be unable to break into the elite scene having been a successful teen athlete.” The idea of this event, then, is to offer an opportunity for athletes attempting to make that transition to experience a competitive environment where they are the focus and all eyes are on them while competing against athletes their own age.
There is a change in name and also venue for next Easter’s event. Next year’s final will take place close to the beach with access to a football field and pool “that gives us a lot more to play around with. We also have a bigger team, more experience to hand.”
Qualifiers take place from December 22, 2022, through January 9, 2023. “There will be two workouts with four scored elements. 14-15 and 16-17yrs will have 10 places each for male and female at the finals on Easter,” commented Singleton. “18-21yrs will have 20 places for guys and girls. We’re going to invite previous teenage Games athletes… from our side we always enjoy smaller participation numbers, more like a Rogue or Dubai in the sense that there will be under 100 athletes and in that way they can all be looked after and have the event managed effectively.”
Another positive of a more intimate event is the opportunities it offers to athletes in attendance. “The next generation get to showcase their fitness but also build community and network. We want to test, not beat down. Each division will be specifically programmed for to encourage a great experience,” said Singleton.
So why the rebrand to “The Crown”?
“We thought how cool would it be to have a crown and have the winner take home a crown,” commented Singleton.
Fancy spending Easter on the island battling it out for a crown?
