The CrossFit Games Semifinals are underway, and we are starting to see how the new qualification structure for the CrossFit Games will play out.

After a few seasons of chaos — precipitated by some sudden and, quite frankly, nonsensical changes and a global pandemic — we are starting to see how the season will look going forward.

In an ideal world, the Semifinals will build on the best of the Regionals format and the best of the Sanctionals format. This would result in a competitive ecosystem with a clear structure, and more opportunities for athletes to win prize money — and it would allow event organizers to innovate on the competition structure.

In a less ideal world, we end up with multiple event organizers causing inconsistent qualification standards, competitive outcomes being overly determined by the “luck of the draw,” and frustrated athletes and coaches.

Having dealt with a near worst-case scenario for the competitive CrossFit season for the last few years, it seems like we are now headed in the right direction. Jon also just coached Omnia to a first place finish at The Granite Games this past weekend, so congratulations to Omnia!

Listen Here:

Show Notes:

  • [0:13] How does the current Semifinals qualification process compare to the Regionals structure and the Sanctionals structure? Is it good to have large differences in event structures that are qualifying people for the CrossFit Games?
  • [07:57] Is the point of the test to crown the fittest or to get the “right” people moving on at each stage? How much does event design impact who qualifies for the next stage?
  • [12:17] Is the opportunity for Cinderella stories and unexpected qualifiers good for the sport as a whole? Does more variance give more opportunity for “exciting” outcomes?
  • [19:26] How will the seeding process impact which athletes qualify out of different events? And, how important is it to make sure that athletes are doing certain movements or certain styles of events in the qualification process?