joe (hq), cabana (the shop), lance (hq), clint (insular gym/the shop), miranda (hq), nicole (hq), trickle (the shop), chris (hq), eric (hq-not pictured).
during the second half of the weekend the information was familiar but presented in a different manner than i had previously heard it. lectures on nutrition, programming, and the ghd were the main topics alternating with a team wod, reiteration of the jerk and med ball clean, and brief encounters with the muscle up and snatch. hq did a great job of balancing the day with physical activity and impressive and engaging presentations by all the trainers, especially spealler. that guy can really carry a room. his ability to get the information across while being direct, passionate, humorous, and interesting is nearly as impressive as his physical abilities. charismatic to say the least.
finally, the end came. time for the test. after a lengthy explanation of why there was a test, how to get kicked out of it, and complete instructions on how to fill out the score card; the most important 45 minutes of the weekend began. i was amazed at the difficulty of some of the questions. not necessarily from a knowledge of the material standpoint but the vocabulary used to ask the questions. i don't believe there to have been any intentional trickery but there were a handful of questions that could have been interpreted a few different ways. i'm not surprised the pass rate is only 70%. you had to know more than crossfit to get a certificate and i suppose that's a good thing.
i can't believe there was a time when attendance was the only requirement to become a level 1 trainer. it's no wonder there are a lot of sub par affiliates out there. the idea of potentially burning ones own money is enough to keep people from just going through the motions and walking away "certified". no matter how you look at it crossfit is headed in the right direction. it may be slow and ugly at times but they'll get there. that being said, for their sake along with anyone who's paid to be a trainer, i hope it's sooner than later. i'm not sure how long "constantly varied functional movements executed at high intensity" while moving "large loads long distances quickly" "increasing work capacity over broad time and modal domains" to improve fitness will be something anyone needs to be certified to do. if the current trends in popularity and certification rate continue unabated, the chances are that if you don't crossfit, you'll be in the minority. at that point critical mass will have been reached and the need to be certified or become an affiliate will be gone.
4 comments:
let me be clear...
i'm not questioning the need for qualified and experienced trainers and affiliates. there will always be the best of the best, and the rest. my point is that every time a person gets certified it slightly diminishes the value of that certificate. there comes a point when supply exceeds demand and value drops.
Well put brother
I will be going back for my retest at the end of Oct. I have noone to blame but myself. Did not study enough. Got all twisted up in the lingo used on the questions. When it came time for the review I expected we would go over the test, NOT THE CASE. Reviewed the weekend, 3 2 1 next thing I know I'm 20 min in and getting the panic feeling like the enemy is coming in from all directions. Missed it by a hair, no cigar.
Anyhow enough of the woe is me. Training at CFNOCATEE
Cav
it took me 30 minutes to get thru each question for the first time and at that point i had left 3 completely blank due to the confusing wording or possibility of more than one "correct" answer. "15 minutes!". crap. thought as long as time would allow on those three before filling in a circle (changing my answer one one 3 times) and moved on to double checking my answeres. "10 minutes!" one of the trainers yelled out. wow. i'm nervous. went back thru starting with number one and what do you know, an easy one, obvious. but for some reason i'd filled in the wrong box. now i'm really nervous. how many other times did i not put down what i meant to? go thru the first 30 and heard "5 minutes!". hurried thru the last 20 looking for mistakes and turned the sucker in with 60 seconds to spare. i passed but it wasn't easy, far from it. anyone out there considering this weekend for more than just something to do would benefit from basically memorizing the 115 page study guide and really, i mean really, paying attention to everything they say throughout the weekend. crazy stuff. good, but crazy.
Glad to see I'm not the only one in this boat. I'm taking the retake this Sunday for the 3rd time... I've missed it by 3 or 4 questions each time. They say the questions aren't meant to trick you but there are a few questions that seem like they have multiple answers that could be right and it's just the context that they are asked that you have to take into consideration. Ive studied till I'm blue in the face. It's gonna be hard not getting completely discouraged if this 3rd time isn't a charm.
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