S05E95 Challenges in CrossFit Journalism: Teaganne Finn Senior Writer for Morning Chalk Up

Special guest Senior Writer for Morning Chalk Up and CrossFit Trainer at CrossFit Union Square @crossfitunionsquare in NYC, Teaganne Finn @tfinn94 shares her journey from journalism to CrossFit coaching, illuminating the power of community in personal transformation and the evolving dynamics within CrossFit HQ.

The conversation delves into the state of CrossFit as a company, the challenges affiliates face, and the evolving fitness landscape. Join us as we navigate the dual landscapes of CrossFit journalism, from engaging community stories to profiling elite athletes. Teaganne provides a behind-the-scenes look at the editorial process at Morning Chalk Up and how their acquisition by Bar Bend has fueled growth.

Looking ahead, Teaganne offers insightful predictions on the future of CrossFit, discussing the impact of leadership changes, the return of Dave Castro, and the challenges facing affiliates.

• Teaganne's transition from journalism to CrossFit coverage and coaching

• Resilience found in CrossFit’s community

• Coverage of both grassroots and elite athletes

• The importance of transparency from CrossFit HQ

• Highlights from upcoming competitions like Wodapalooza

• Future predictions for CrossFit’s evolution

#BotoxAndBurpees @crossfittraining @crossfit @crossfitgames #crossfit #sports #exercise #health #movement #crossfitcoach #agoq #clean #fitness #ItAllStartsHere #CrossFitOpen #CrossFit #CrossFitCommunity @CrossFitAffiliates #supportyourlocalbox #crossfitaffiliate #personalizedfitness

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S05E95 Challenges in CrossFit Journalism: Teaganne Finn Senior Writer for Morning Chalk Up

TRANSCRIPT

[00:00:00]

Sam Rhee: Hi, welcome to another episode of Botox and Burpees. I'm your host, Sam Rhee, and I have a very special guest with us today. Teaganne Finn and her standard poodle. What's his name again?

Teaganne Finn: Uh, it's Bruce.

Sam Rhee: Bruce. Bruce. Yes. Um, and, uh, Teaganne is senior writer at Morning Chalk Up, which covers, uh. CrossFit and CrossFit News as an outlet.

And, uh, I really thank you, Teaganne, today for coming in or, uh, meeting with me today and talking a little bit about yourself, about CrossFit, about where do you think CrossFit's going, uh, your personal involvement and your perspective as a journalist covering CrossFit over the past couple of years.

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for having me.

Sam Rhee: So, um, I know you've been working for Morning Chalk Up for a couple of years. Uh, tell me your background first. Like, how did you, [00:01:00] uh, start in terms of your career, education, what got you into journalism, uh, and, um, and writing?

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, um, so I'm, I'm from upstate New York, uh, the Finger Lakes region. So I'm used to some brutal cold weather. Um, but I went to Hobart William Smith Colleges in, in Geneva, New York for my undergrad. Um, I studied like writing there and I did a lot with different, the local newspaper there. And so I kind of just fell into writing, to be honest, it just came naturally to me.

And, um, I really enjoyed it. And so then I moved, um, right into grad school. I went, I moved to D. C. and I went to American University for my Master's in Journalism, so. I moved right to D. C., kept going with school, um, and then outside, after I got done with school, it was like a year program. So, after that year, I, uh, ended up getting a job at, uh, Bloomberg.

It's, it was Bloomberg Government at the time, but now it's Bloomberg Industry [00:02:00] Group. Um, and I covered, uh, agriculture. I covered, like, all things, like, farm, country, farm, subsidies, like, a whole range of topics. And so, that was, like, my first real Uh, journalist job and it was, uh, a really, uh, a great job. And then I kind of fell into, um, working with the breaking news team at Bloomberg LLP, the, the main Bloomberg that people know about.

So I started working there and, and did a lot with breaking news, uh, much different animal than, than a, a beat writing, a beat writer per se. So it was more fast, uh, fast hitting news, very short stories, kind of. Uh, a much different role in journalism. Um, and then I got hired at NBC. And so I worked at NBC for about a year.

Um, and then unfortunately, you know, ended on bad terms with that job. Um, I was accused of plagiarism. It was a whole, uh, really, really [00:03:00] rough situation for me. Um, but I was an adult and I took accountability. And it was the life changing moment for me to realize that, um, You know, I had made mistakes. I was Lacking oversight in my job and I picked myself back up and honestly Transitioned to CrossFit in that in that time when I had lost my job and I got my L1 I started coaching.

I was like trying to find something for To fill the void of being unemployed being fired trying to figure out what to do with my life, And so I started coaching and I it it really got me through some really really difficult times for myself and so I started coaching and then I Applied to morning chalk up.

And so I I you know Whatever has happened to me is very public. People can Google me and look it up. So, [00:04:00] it's all out there. And they gave me an opportunity to interview, and to talk with them, and talk with the editors, and bring me on to their team. Um, and so I was able to join as a freelance writer, like, uh, like I am now.

But I started off slowly, and, um, took, took a year to really build back some confidence as a writer. And, um, Yeah, so it kind of brought me here now, and so now I'm been at Morning Chalk Up for going on three years at this point, so

Sam Rhee: That's, that's a. That's a really interesting story. I think all of us can relate to times when we've been really down, probably almost devastatingly down, I would imagine, and being able to find something to keep going with. Was it, uh, was it finding CrossFit that really sort of helped you sort of not focus on all the crazy stuff that was going on?

Or, or was it something else at that [00:05:00] time?

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, I had been doing CrossFit, I started doing CrossFit in God, probably like 10 years from 10 years ago now, but I, at the time was a member of my gym and it was a community that I was really in and I was still really into CrossFit, but I had never, never thought about coaching. I lived a very traditional nine to five life like that was, that was kind of it.

And then, um, obviously with a lot of more downtime, I was like, okay, my, why don't I get now one, maybe start some, some sort of stream of income for myself. And so I. I started coaching and it was a real outlet for me in that I felt like I had purpose again. Obviously it was, it was a huge loss to my confidence and my life.

And so, um, to just be able to coach a couple of classes a week, um, was a slow, you know, a slow buildup to having confidence again.

Sam Rhee: Where did you start coaching? And because you're now at CrossFit Union Square in New York, in New York [00:06:00] City.

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, I, I started in D. C. uh, at CrossFit Balance, and um, that gym is sadly no longer, uh, but uh, CrossFit Balance was like the best community. It was, it was like three different locations within, within D. C., and I had bopped around to all of them, and so the one in Thomas Circle is where I started coaching, and um, it was, yeah, it was a wonderful time.

Sam Rhee: And, uh, then you moved to New York at some point. Uh,

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, and I moved to New York in 2022. Yeah.

Sam Rhee: okay. And then, um, I know CrossFit Union Square is huge. It's a very big place. I, I would assume.

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, it is a big community. It is a very, um, yeah, my path. We can talk about that. So I, um, you know, moved to the city and I had some friends who started at CrossFit Union Square and I, um, was, went to a class and, um, I was immediately [00:07:00] humbled by how good their athletes were. And I was like, this gym is so competitive.

It is so like, the energy is great. And, um, you know, they're coaching, they have a very highly respected coaching staff. And so I, you know, had to kind of, you know, work my way up and interview and, and, you know, try to. Get myself in a position where I was like, hey, I you know, I've only been coaching for a little while But I feel like I could fit into this community and you know, so I ended up essentially applying and and got a position at Union Square and It's been a great a great opportunity that gym is really a phenomenal place

Sam Rhee: Talk about your, um, coverage of CrossFit for Morning Chalk Up. Um, you've done a wide variety of pieces that I've seen. Um, talk to me about, about that and what your experience has been.

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, no, it's it's it's definitely wide [00:08:00] Wide breadth of the sport. So I would say when I started, right, the Usually I think where folks start in terms of Morning Chalk up at least or maybe in the sport itself is the community because you know you can relate to people and you can talk to people and affiliates are always open and open to speaking to folks and so I started really with doing a ton of community pieces so speaking to different boxes that were running certain fundraisers or if a box Um, Or if an affiliate, you know, had a, had a storm and then they needed some, some financial assistance.

It was like we could write a story about them and talk about their past. And so that's kind of where I started. And then I ended up, uh, going more into the professional side of the sport and reporting more on professional athletes and talking to, um, different athletes and profiling them and talking about their season and talking about kind of how they.

Um, have evolved in the sport [00:09:00] too. So, it's, it's kind of both. It's a community side and it's a professional side. And then I think there's also a side of, um, talking about CrossFit, the company, right? And so, More so in the last year, I would say we've, we've obviously talked a bit more about or reported more about CrossFit as a company and, um, so those different buckets are kind of where I live in.

But I do, I really love writing about the community. It's, it is what makes up this sport. And so for me, those are kind of like. The stories that I would rather write about.

Sam Rhee: How do, uh, ideas come about? Do you pitch the stories? Does, do your editors tell you what to write? Is it a combination?

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, it's definitely a combination. So we meet, um, we meet three times a week, and so we have pitch meetings, and I, you know, I'm coming in with different ideas, different things like people, um, bring different stories, story ideas to me or I'm, um, thinking of them on my own just because I'm a coach, I also am an [00:10:00] athlete, so I kinda can see the sport in all these different ways, so I, it's, it's kind of a mix I would say.

It's a bit of both.

Sam Rhee: And I know that they changed ownership, right? They went to barbend. Uh, so what was that like?

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, yeah, so when I, right, yeah, so before, well, when I was hired, yeah, it was not owned by Barben, and then about two years in, uh, Barben purchased Morning Chalk Up, and to be honest, not a ton has changed. Our, our editorial, our editors have editorial ownership over what we do, um, Barben's a great company.

They've kind of just, Made it really easy for us. I would say if anything it's given us more of a platform. Barben has You know a lot obviously there's weightlifting and then there's power lifting and so it's given us kind of a bigger Audience to look at our work. Anyway, so I would say it's been a pretty a pretty easy transition for me at least But I'm an editor.

So [00:11:00] I don't know. I'm just a writer

Sam Rhee: what are, um, any of your pieces stand out as any particular favorites that you covered or did that you really liked?

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, let's see. I would say, on the, I'm gonna bucket them. So on the, on the community side, when I had just started writing, and I was like, coming out of this hole from NBC, and like, am I a good writer? Am I even capable of being a writer again? So, I interviewed, um, this gentleman, whose, whose son had, had, I believe he had committed suicide, and he, you know, we were doing a, Uh memorial workout for them and it was just a touching moment to interview the father and to talk to him about um losing his son and talking about how Doing a memorial wad was like one of the main fixtures of his healing process and so that just really humanized [00:12:00] crossfit for me and and how it is a sport that really helps people through some of The dog toughest times in their lives.

And so that was a story that really stuck out to me. I believe he was a member of CrossFit Krypton the father was and so that story really Stuck out to me, um, as one in the community. And then one in, on the side of the sport, I would say, is that I've had an opportunity to interview some of the best of the best.

So I've did a long interview with Cole Sager and Noel Olsen and, uh, Björk and Carl Goodmanson about how they've been in the sport and have, you know, gone to the games. So that was a really, really, for me, a really big moment to get to interview some of the best of the best and talk about how they see the sport evolving, how they've trained, how they've evolved in the sport as well.

So, that was a pretty cool one, cool one too.

Sam Rhee: Do you have a favorite pro CrossFit athlete, male or [00:13:00] female?

Teaganne Finn: That's a good question. Um, I really like, Like quiet work hard working types, so I would say I really I admire it like a BKG type I think that the folks who are just like grinding in the background are really are really cool like Alexis Raptis or I'm trying to think who else but I mean

Sam Rhee: Mm hmm.

Teaganne Finn: Like primarily I'm I'm a big to me fan.

I think she is incredibly talented and I admire someone who Can just be a workhorse and like no matter what, she's gonna be out there and she's gonna work. And so I kinda like that.

Sam Rhee: that. Um, so tell me about your assessment of CrossFit as a company. You've seen them for the past couple of years. How are they doing? What would your assessment be in terms of what they've done over the past couple of years as a, as a HHQ, [00:14:00] not the affiliates, obviously, but HQ.

Teaganne Finn: Yeah. So, um, you know, I started, I believe I started writing in 2022. Um, and so I went to the games in 2023. Um, and so I kind of got to see, uh. I feel like the last year in Madison as a year before everything that obviously happened in 2024, but I think before then we were kind of, and maybe folks feel differently, but I feel like we were in a really good spot, like Dave Castro was in a manager of sport position.

We kind of were getting our flow back. I feel like in terms of. The elites, the community, all these different pieces. And so I feel like at, at that point in 2023, it was like, okay, we're coming back. Like Dave's here. He had just come back and like started programming for the games again. And people were kind of like, okay, this is the norm.

This is where we're at. [00:15:00] And then 2024 happened. Right. And so everything that happened with Lazar Dukic was just a horrible, horrible, horrible event. But I think the handling of that matter was really not done in the right way for the community. It's not what they needed. It's not what they wanted. And so I, I feel as though they If they want to, if Don Fall or Dave Castro or some of these folks at the top want to stay in these positions, I feel like they need to come out and be more transparent, right?

Like, we're seeing this sport start to splinter, I think. And I think we're seeing the, the company start to splinter, because people are losing trust and losing interest in Uh, you know, keeping with the norm when it's not the norm anymore, like something really bad happened. And so I think that we need to [00:16:00] see some sort of communication from them for folks to be able to, air quote, move on, right?

No one's going to move on from what happened, but to try to get past what happened and CrossFit.

Sam Rhee: Um, how has your affiliate done over these past couple of years in terms of growth, success, uh, membership increase or decrease? And does that relate at all to CrossFit HQ?

Teaganne Finn: Um, that's a good question. Yeah, no, CrossFit Union Square has gone through. The the trials and tribulations of being an affiliate in Manhattan, right? I mean rent is incredibly expensive It is hard to maintain buildings. So we've moved quite a bit since I've been there, right? I've only been a coach there for we're going on three years now.

And so we've had to move Um, Within that time frame, but I, I believe that, you know, when we joined our, when I joined, um, the membership was very high [00:17:00] and I believe it is still high, um, and it's still, you know, when I joined, we had to have like a, a wait list for full time memberships. That's how popular we are.

So I don't think it was really, um, Shifting, but I do think the interest in doing things like the open or things that involve CrossFit as a company have shifted, if that makes sense. So I think that, you know, we at CrossFit Union Square are trying to, you know, give people an opportunity to do the open if they'd like to.

But I feel like there's also an opportunity for our athletes to want to do something else. Like if they want to focus on local competitions. Um, there's an opportunity for that. If they want to do Hi Rox, there's an opportunity for them to go and focus on Hi Rox training. So, I think, as an affiliate, we're doing fine.

And I think that membership wise, we are, you know, a popular gym. But, yeah, I think CrossFit Union Square kind of keeps themselves separate from CrossFit as [00:18:00] a company.

Sam Rhee: You know, I was talking to Aaron Hind, who's the CEO of FitAid, and he literally said there are some affiliates who are affiliated, but not actually putting CrossFit on their name. So they're just calling themselves, you know, so and so strength and conditioning, and they're not putting CrossFit because they don't feel like CrossFit necessarily adds value to who they are as a gym.

Do you feel that way? At least for your affiliate?

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, I think that Affiliate owners, I've talked to a lot of affiliate owners, and I think that they make up the bread and butter of their business. I do not think that adding CrossFit to the end of the name really matters that much, other than the fact that if you're Googling and you want a CrossFit gym, you're going to find CrossFit Union Square because it has CrossFit in the name.

But I don't think, you know, if CrossFit Union Square dropped CrossFit, that [00:19:00] It really would change that much. It's it's the coaching that makes up that gym. It is the Caliber of athletes that make up that gym. So I think that you know, it's a good question, but I personally I feel as though It doesn't hold that much stake to keep CrossFit in the name, especially now that It to some has a bad association adding CrossFit to the name and I also feel like CrossFit has An exceedingly high or perceived exceedingly high barrier to entry.

So when you slap CrossFit onto something, immediately some folks are like, Oh, I can't do that, right? You get that all the time. People are like, I can't do what this girl's doing. And so making it, you know, something X strength and conditioning to me, it could also be a benefit. So I, it's, it's a tough call.

Sam Rhee: How about, um, the programming? What programming do you guys follow? Do you do your own, do you roll your [00:20:00] own programming? Do you follow Cap or something else?

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, no, we follow, um, Jay Adams is our head coach and he's our programmer. Yeah. So he, um, is a former games athlete and he also is, um, works for the, the training plan. It's like a European based, um, training program. I think, I believe BKG follows it. And at one point in time, Annie Thorisdottir did follow it or, um, was involved in it.

So he is our programmer. His. Um, and then personally I follow, uh, Jadam's programming too, so, um, he's our, he's our programmer. But it's, it's, folks who come in, and we get a ton of drop ins, we're in the middle of Manhattan, right? Come in and they love our programming, right? We fill an hour. Like you would never see, right?

It's like a lifting, a hard lifting segment into a really tough conditioning piece. So, so we, um, balance it [00:21:00] out. We get folks, uh, if you're just following class, you're squatting once a week. You're lift, doing an Olympic lift at least once a week. And then you're doing some sort of strength training on Friday followed by a workout.

So we also, Tuesdays and Thursdays are like the, the longer conditioning pieces. So it's a little bit of both.

Sam Rhee: Now, I know you're competing in waterpalooza in a week or two, next week, right? So, um,

Teaganne Finn: Next week.

Sam Rhee: yeah, what, you're part of the teams, right? And what division are you in competing in?

Teaganne Finn: I, I am, yeah. No, I'm on a team called, uh, Team Union Stronger. E, with a parenthesis around ER because we are that creative. So we have a Team Union Strong, Union Stronger, and then I believe we also have a Team Union Strongest. So, um, we have, uh, six teams going to Guadalupe, which is really exciting for, for our affiliate.

But I'm on an RX. Women's team, so, uh, myself, Alyssa Brown, and Taylor [00:22:00] Short are my teammates, and we, yeah, no, we last year did it, and we were intermediate, and then this year we actually made, made the Rx division, which is exciting because, you know, we all have Uh, full time jobs and we have crazy lives and so it's, it's a real honor to be able to, to compete and be, um, you know, representing our gym and then also just, it's nice to, obviously, you know, see improvement as an athlete, uh, because it's sometimes really incremental and really slow, but then when you, you do a comp or do a qualifier and you see where you end up, it's, it's It's hopefully sometimes satisfying, sometimes disappointing.

But this time it came out on time. Yeah.

Sam Rhee: What does Waterpalooza do right? Like, you obviously had gone last year, you have experience with it, you're going back. What is it that they do that, uh, maybe CrossFit could take away from in terms of how they execute their, their festival or their competition?

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, that's a good question. You know, I've, I've interviewed [00:23:00] Dylan Malitsky, one of the organizers of, of Waterpalooza, um, from the start and up until now, and he's a really, a really great guy, and he also has a good pulse on what, um, you know, is happening in the sport. And I think what they get right is that they, Um, I think that they do not take themselves too seriously, yet at the same time are a very serious and one of the most, I would say, coveted competitions of the year for community members and then also for elites, like, who doesn't want to be in Miami in, in January, right?

So I think it's a lot, like a lot of things. I think their location is great. I think that their timing is great for folks who, um, me included want to get out of the cold. And so I think that they get it right in terms of also, you know, Making it a whole three day competition. I like that they did it, they moved it where individual, elite individuals compete the first two days.

And then they can also be on a team. So it kind of gives you, as a spectator, an opportunity to see elites [00:24:00] for a total of four days. Which is like, really fun. And it's also there, there for fun. So, it's just made it a really exciting, fun, um, and like, Easy time. I don't know how to explain it. Like, it's just an easy competition to kind of get to for people.

Miami's not that tough of a trip. And so I think, you know, it's, it's a whole mix. But Dylan has gotten whatever formula he and his team use, they've gotten it right. They do a great job with programming. And I think, um, Folks love to be on teams, right? Teams are really fun. And so I think that they also do a good job of programming, like, the teamwork outs and then keeping it separate from the elites and, and kind of just working the whole day.

I feel like that's also the, the key part of Bonapalooza is like, okay, how are we going to segment the day where people get to compete? And then they also get to stick around and watch elites. And so they just do a great job of, Of everything and the vendor village is always really fun and [00:25:00] talking to brands and so it's it's just a really exciting time um for them

Sam Rhee: I see the workouts out of these workouts. Which one are you most excited about? Which one are you most scared of? There's race to the top three, three, three, four worms up, hands down, overhead squad block party. The trio triplet.

Teaganne Finn: Um, okay. Good question. I would say we just we just came back. Um from beacon new york because jay, uh lives in is uh lives and coaches up in beacon and they had ropes and Unfortunately, at CrossFit Union Square, we do not have tall enough ceilings, so we had to go and do rope climbs. So, I would say, I'm excited.

I like rope climbs. Um, I came from a gym in D. C. that had high ceilings, so I like rope climb that, I guess, you, you know the names better than me. Whatever the one with the rope climb and the box jump overs and the heavy,

Sam Rhee: it says race to the top. It's, uh,

Teaganne Finn: Race to the

Sam Rhee: rope climbs, uh, box jump overs, 30 [00:26:00] inches, I guess for you guys, uh, and then,

Teaganne Finn: Uh, yeah.

Sam Rhee: and then cleans at 165. Woo!

Teaganne Finn: I know, yeah, but I, yeah, for me, those are like really doable movements. So for I, I, I, we tried it yesterday and I had a lot of fun, so I'm excited for that workout, um, and then the one I'm least excited about is probably. Probably three, three, three, four. Um. That, the buy in is just long enough to jack your heart rate and then you have to go right into these heavy, for me, heavy dumbbell movements.

A 50 pound dumbbell is not, like, the easiest thing to move and so for me that is gonna be one where I'm just, like, holding on for dear life and trying not to let go. Yeah.

Sam Rhee: It's, so it's 4, so it's 4 rounds, and then 3, 3, 3 minutes for the first 4 minutes for the last one, and each round buy in, at the same [00:27:00] time, I guess everyone does 3, uh, V Lights heavy dubs, that's a, a heavy, like a weighted jump rope, I assume?

Teaganne Finn: yeah, so they're, and they'll probably correct me, but I believe the jump rope itself, I believe, the handles are the heavy part, which is interesting.

Sam Rhee: and then

Teaganne Finn: So we'll see. Yeah.

Sam Rhee: then it's a, oh, so you haven't tried it yet, you're, you're gonna go and, and

Teaganne Finn: I haven't, I've used a heavy jump rope like a, um, like a Zeus rope before, but the rope itself is heavy and the handles aren't that heavy. So I don't, I, I'm all, I will see. We'll see what happens.

Sam Rhee: then it's a four for the women, 400 meter assault row and then a 400 meter assault run. So one of you guys is doing one of those each, right?

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, yeah. So we've worked it out. Yeah. So essentially where you, you could be strategic. Um, again, it might change on competition day, but if you are a strong runner, I'm a better, I'm a pretty strong runner. I'm doing majority of those rounds running. Right. So it's kind of [00:28:00] like a, a strategic workout,

Sam Rhee: then in the remaining time of each round, it's 50 synchro dumbbell thrusters, 35 dumbbell snatches, 20 synchro devil press plus thruster with for the women, 50 pounds. That's insane. Wait, how many, is it a single dumbbell thruster or is it a double dumbbell

Teaganne Finn: It's a single, and only two people working at a time. So you do get rest, but it's like, not enough. I've tried it a couple, we've tried it twice now, and it's um, does not get any better. But it's, it's, it's definitely fun.

Sam Rhee: far can you get through that 50, 35, 20? Uh,

Teaganne Finn: Uh, I think when we tested it last week, we got, um, 13 devil's press thruster combos. Um, So it's, it's definitely if teams will finish that workout, but it's, it's tough. It is tough. You got to move. Yeah.

Sam Rhee: right. I can't wait to watch that. That's, [00:29:00] that's

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, that'll be a fun one to watch. Yeah.

Sam Rhee: All right. So talk to me a little bit about, I mean, good luck, but all right. Talk to me a little bit about the future of CrossFit itself. So how do you think, what is your prediction for CrossFit HQ? What are the, what's going to happen in your mind's eye or what possible scenarios do you envision could happen for CrossFit HQ in the future based on what you've seen?

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, I mean, I think to, to take a step back and to look at what happened into 2024, I mean, everything that happened around the games was a real turning point for the company. I think that they, Clearly had to go into crisis mode, right and figure out what to do and what to say. And then this year, I feel, you know, we just saw the rule book for the, the, uh, season this year.

We just saw that the. Um, the entire season is, is different from last year. There is no semifinals. There's only, or I'm sorry, there is no quarterfinals. It's just [00:30:00] the open to semifinals. And so I think that for them this year is a real game of just picking up the pieces and trying to just. put it back together again, in a sense, you know, we've also seen that they announced that the games is going to Albany, New York, um, a much different change than years before.

And it's also, um, if I'm not wrong, it's only three days. So it's also a shortened competition weekend. And so I, I feel as though they're in a point of rebuilding. Um,

Sam Rhee: can

Teaganne Finn: know, this is also just a personal opinion. I think to rebuild and to keep the same leadership, you have to be Open with your community and I think that there's a lack of openness It's you know, dave castro went right to doing his week's week in review Don fall is back to going around to seminars and you know talking to affiliates and it's like This elephant in the room [00:31:00] of of what happened last year and I think that if there was an ounce of accountability and and you know an ounce of just like taking ownership for For what happened or just an acknowledgement that people Might take that and, you know, accept it in some sense and maybe move forward and be more excited about the open.

Um, and so I think, you know, for them as a company, it's going to be. A transitional year. Obviously there are folks and affiliates out there who are just going to always support, um, the, the open and because their members like to, to have something to work towards. So I, I do understand that they will likely continue and, and continue on, but I think, you know, a lot of affiliates are also just maybe fed up with the way things have been and, and less.

Putting less emphasis on the open this year. So I think that they have [00:32:00] to to really square square with themselves what to do and and Really listen to their community and and like I said be be a bit more transparent in the long run But I guess it'll be it'll be an interesting year to see open signups I know they are down from last year just based off of some numbers that we've been we're talking about in our meeting and so Obviously that could change but I think that

Sam Rhee: I

Teaganne Finn: this, the world of fitness is changing too.

Um, we've seen high rocks, uh, take off in the last couple of years and, and a lot of CrossFitters have turned to high rocks. And so some are stepping away from competitive CrossFit and turning to a more, um, you know, conditioning heavy type training model. So, I think the sport is shifting.

Sam Rhee: How do you think the splintering with PFA and the new competition that the, you know, competitions that they're sort of engaging in and the separate organization [00:33:00] structure? How do you think that's going to play out?

Teaganne Finn: Yeah, I mean, I think the creation of the PFAA is a good thing for athletes. I think that they've always needed, uh, you know, some sort of organization to, uh, protect them and have, you know, some, some folks backing them up in, in a situation such as what happened in 2024. But I think that they, um. You know, we'll, we'll run parallel with something like the World Fitness Project, the new, the new, um, kind of, uh, competition coming from Will Morad and, and his team there, so, um, I think they'll run parallel, I think that clearly more eyes will be on the PFAA this year, um, especially with, like, Brent Fikowski at the helm, I think it's a, uh, he is a very, you know, I would say knowledgeable, smart, people look up to him.

So I think that he, he being at the helm of that, Bruce is coming around, [00:34:00] um, him being at the helm of that is important and I, I, I do think that they, there will be a heavy emphasis on them throughout the competition season for sure.

Sam Rhee: How do you think CrossFit, what do you think CrossFit needs to do in order to compete? I mean, we've talked about the shortcomings and issues that they've had in terms of accountability. Um, in terms of driving CrossFit growth. For affiliates. I feel like we're not necessarily competing affiliate to affiliate.

It's about the F 45s or the orange theories or, or so many of the other type of boutique fitness, um, uh, places out there, even stuff like Pilates. I know a lot of women are starting to do a lot of core fire and these other, um, kind of boutique classes. Is there anything advice that you would give CrossFit in terms of how to be.

Uh, more marketable or you've already talked about that barrier to entry in terms of athletes [00:35:00] feeling like this is too difficult or not for them what, you know, we all started in CrossFit and none of us were like that awesome of athletes. I think most of us when we started. So how, how is it that we can sort of overcome that and, and grow the, the, the base of athletes or people interested in doing CrossFit.

Teaganne Finn: Yeah. I think that that is an always evolving question, especially, I see it a lot in Manhattan. And there's. You walk down the street, you see an F 45, an Orange Theory, like you said, a Pilates studio, a yoga studio, and you're like, How are these places, you know, how are you attracting certain members, and how are you keep retaining these members?

And I think for CrossFit, and I said this already with the barrier of entry, is making an affiliate separate from CrossFit, like making sure that folks understand that That a CrossFit affiliate is absolutely nothing like how an elite athlete trains Elite athletes today. It is a full time job. [00:36:00] They are doing very high skills They are training two to three times a day And so for folks who are just, you know, scrolling doom scrolling the internet and seeing people lifting, you know a girl lifting 200 pounds over their head, you know getting away from that and making sure that folks know that At a community level, right, and you also started at a CrossFit gym, that it is a very doable thing, and it is a very, like, modifiable workout to do at all times.

And so I think, in it, I think it also varies from affiliate to affiliate, but in terms of marketing themselves as a place that is welcoming and in a place that isn't, you know, so, Highly coveted, right? It's a place that everyone can come and it doesn't matter if you're really great or really bad. And I think that also Uh is foundational to CrossFit, right?

When you know, I had those horrible times Uh back in dc when I lost my job like it didn't matter that I lost my job I was there working out next to [00:37:00] them. They didn't care right? You're all the same in the middle of a metcon and so Getting back to that idea, I think would be a good, a good thing for affiliates and, and also realizing that CrossFit is such, um, You know, it's such a lifestyle for, obviously I'm someone who drinks the Kool Aid, so I know that.

But I also think that like, it is such a lifestyle choice to go to the gym and hurt like that, right? Like, it is, it is just such a different thing than anything, any other sport. And I've recently been to a couple Pilates classes, which are very, very hard, but a much different experience, right? So for me, it's getting back to community.

It's getting back to the idea that it is an inclusive sport and getting back to just the basics and the fundamentals.

Sam Rhee: What's your favorite workout or hero wa that you like to do?

Teaganne Finn: Oh, that's a good question. Um, people will know this, but DT is my favorite workout. Um, I love barbell [00:38:00] cycling and I like, um, I like a fast workout. And to me that is a fast, like mean workout. So I, that's my, that is my

Sam Rhee: I wish I could hang on to the bar longer. Yeah, that's the

Teaganne Finn: Oh yeah.

Sam Rhee: that I, I always, I always end up dropping, not necessarily 'cause of the weight, but because I just can't hang, I just, I gotta work on my grip, I think on, on, on dt. So, uh,

Teaganne Finn: Yeah. That hook grip it's a, it's a, it's a tough one. It's a tough workout. Yeah.

Sam Rhee: love that one too. Well, so where can people find you if they want to know more about Teaganne Finn?

Where, uh, how do they, where do they read, uh, your work? What social media handles do you have? How can we, uh, uh, keep, you know, stay abreast of your accomplishments.

Teaganne Finn: yeah, so we, um, all our work is published under barbend. com, and then you can go within barbend. com on the homepage, there's a CrossFit, um, you know, tag, and so you can press that, and that's where all our work is. You could also subscribe to our newsletter and get it to your inbox every day. [00:39:00] Um, it is, uh, easy to subscribe, I think there are two levels of membership, one is, uh, Um, pretty inexpensive, and then another is an RX version, which is, um, a bit more expensive, but it gives you some premium content.

So if we're interviewing, um, different coaches, or interviewing folks about analysis, or trying to get some topic that's a little deeper, it gives you access to that content. Um, and then I'm, uh, really just on Instagram. My handle's tfin94. Um, and so I post a lot of fitness, a lot of dogs, and um, I'm posting a lot about our stories and different interviews I'm working on with different writers on our team.

So, yeah, just there.

Sam Rhee: That's awesome. Good luck at waterpalooza. I know you guys are going to crush it, but, uh, I'll, uh, I'll be checking out how you guys do. And thank you again, Teaganne, for taking the time to talk. I think, uh, what you said is super illuminating. Um, it's nice to see someone who has the, who drinks the Kool Aid, uh, is all [00:40:00] in, not just as an athlete, as a coach, but also has a great, uh, Um, perspective as a writer, I've, I've, I've read so many of your pieces and, um, I know you probably don't remember.

I did see you briefly at 23. 2 when you covered it. Uh, that was 1 of the open workouts over at my gym CrossFit Bison in Midland Park.

Teaganne Finn: bison, yeah, yeah, yeah,

Sam Rhee: we gave you a hard time coming in just because we were overwhelmed, but then like, because we weren't letting anyone in. And then I remember like, or like, all right, she's a journalist.

So we, we've, we let you in because we, there's so many people just wanted to come in to watch Vellner and, um, Krennikov, uh, throw down on that

Teaganne Finn: Oh, yeah, I mean, talk about a community. Bison is a huge community. That was a really fun event. Yeah, no, well thanks for letting me in.

Sam Rhee: well, we needed the publicity. I mean, you're the one who

Teaganne Finn: You needed it, yeah.

Sam Rhee: So, yeah, we needed you to write about that. So we really appreciate that. But, um, thank you again, Teaganne and, uh, good luck at Waterpalooza.

Teaganne Finn: Oh, thanks so much for having me. Yeah, no, I'm [00:41:00] excited.