IMG_2266I love traveling and visiting other affiliates across the country. I also love being an affiliate owner and having people from across the country visit us!

Because of our downtown location we have a very large number of Drop In visitors. We also have a lot of people that travel to other affiliates. As you are traveling to or from here, there are a few things to remember to be a courteous and welcomed visitor.

1. Never show up unannounced. NEVER. Send an email, make a phone call, fill out the Contact Us page on the web site. Some affiliates even have Visitor registration right on-line. Coaches want to know if a new person will be joining their class that day. They want to know a little bit about you before you show up and they are expected to coach you.

2. Don’t expect them to allow you to attend Open Gym. Many gyms will welcome you will open arms if you want to attend a regular CrossFit class with them. Don’t expect to be able to just show up and use their gym and equipment to do your own thing. You may be a Games level athlete, but the Coaches don’t know you or anything about your abilities. Take the time to enjoy a class at a new affiliate and get to know the people of the community. You are never too good to focus on the basics.

3. Arrive early to meet the coaches and the other members. And you KNOW you are going to have to fill our waivers and liability forms. There is nothing worse than having someone come in right as class is starting and trying to get paperwork filled out and get them warmed up.

4. Expect to pay a Drop In fee and/or buy a t-shirt. Each gym has it’s own rules on the fees. Some will require a Drop In fee even if you buy a t-shirt. Some will waive the fee if you buy a t-shirt. Some won’t charge you at all as an affiliate courtesy. Expect and offer to pay. You are using up that affiliate’s time and resources. Remember that you are NOT a Free Trial Class Prospect, you are a Drop In Visitor. It is also very helpful if you take care of all of the fees/t-shirt buying upfront. You should be there early anyway to fill out the waivers.

5. Don’t be a No-Show. When you do contact an affiliate and tell then you are going to attend a class, show up. If something comes up and you can’t make it (which does happen) send an email or make a phone call and let them know you won’t be there.

6. Scale for yourself according to your abilities. The coaches there won’t know you very well. Now is not the time to show off and attempt an Rx workout if that is beyond your abilities. Err on the side of caution. You may be in a different climate zone or elevation, and trust me, that will affect your workout.

5. Be courteous and respectful. Remember that you are the guest and being their guest is a privilege, not a right. Not every affiliate allows Drop Ins. Don’t  take away from the Members that pay a monthly membership fee to be there every week.

6. Have fun and enjoy yourself! You can learn a lot from visiting other affiliates. New warm ups, new stretches, and new ways of doing things.

We LOVE having Visitors from other gyms. We have gotten visitors from all around the world – Germany,  Thailand, New Zealand, Scotland, Australia and more!

CrossFit is built on Community – not just within your own gym but within all of the CrossFit gyms. Go out and visit some other fantastic affiliates!

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