A Note on Virtuosity

Like most of you, I feel especially thankful this time of year… but I have come to realize that Thanksgiving happens year-round for me. Here’s why.
More than ever in 2016, I’m thankful for the virtuosity of the EverProven coaches, staff and community. As Greg Glassman wrote in his essay of the same name in 2005, “[virtuosity is] defined as “performing the common uncommonly well.”
We coach this every day, of course. In any CrossFit class, you’ll see a squat spectrum: new athletes learning to stay on their heels, intermediates fighting to keep their chest just a bit higher, and the more advanced trying to move faster. Or heavier. Or simply better still. It was a treat to see so many of you hit power clean PRs this week when you were put on the spot by combining these with burpees in that EMOM Ladder! Same with today’s Assault Bike/Snatch metcon.  I think everyone who participated in these workouts realize that if you can keep good positions when fatigued, you can do incredible things when you’re tired. This is how virtuosity is realized, and I am proud of and thankful for it. 
These “good positions” might come naturally, but we lose them without practice. I’ve never seen anyone with a perfect squat in their first workout. The best athletes are those who will practice the basics critically in the relentless pursuit of excellence. This is virtuosity in practice, and I am proud of and thankful for it. 
Our coaches and assistant coaches are here to help you along your journey. They’ve watched you perform rep after rep and held our standards high from the very start. They are always there to give you a tip and keep you moving forward because they are passionate about what they do. They’ve smiled throughout and get great satisfaction in seeing your success because they care. That’s virtuosity in our coaches, and I’m incredibly proud of and thankful for them.
Our community is incredible. I love seeing when you are all turned up past 10. I see it every week when you get loud for the person making a PR attempt or at the end of a sweaty metcon when you are all smiling and high fiving. You’ve been recruiters, mentors, cheerleaders and everything an athlete might need to get through their first (or fifth, or hundredth) class.  This community is here to help each other every time, without complaint. That’s virtuosity in community and I’m incredibly proud of and thankful for you.
It never ceases to amaze me to watch you all accept each new challenge with excitement, (sometimes with a bit of trepidation and anxiety) but never with complaint. You’ve taken every “no rep!” and coaching que as an opportunity to improve and become better. I love seeing our box packed every day during open gym with people looking to work on skills, mobilize and do the “homework” that one of the coaches assigned to them. This is virtuosity in the face of adversity, and I’m incredibly proud of and thankful for it.
Yes, these things seem common at EverProven: coaches doing their job, athletes growing  in their sport. But we both, the coaches and the community, do them uncommonly well. That’s virtuosity, and I’m incredibly proud of and thankful for all of it.
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