Brandon Eaves

I’ll speak from my heart:

CrossFit judges are always looked at as holding the standard, the ones who tend to the line that separates a fair playing field from ten lanes of chaos. The unsung individuals who tend to the athletes from 5-20 short minutes. One thing the public eye does not see…growth as a team. How does a team even grow? Where do you start? The question is moreso: “how does a team even bond to become as one?”.
Fourty or so individuals walk in, many not knowing each other or judge anything massive in a long time, if not ever. We look at leadership to be the molders, when it is infact the very lane judges who do the molding….I’m just privileged to bring them the clay.

These judges take each other by the illustrative hand and help each other. We started on Thursday and on friday, they are eating together, sharing stories, etc. that bonding comes by one thing…growth. All judges grow the eye, but to grow and bond as a team??? Now that’s something special.

Yes judges trauma bond on the field of play, but the behind the scenes is where the magic happens. I’ve heard them swap stories, give each other advice based on their own experiences in like minded situations, and many other priceless moments. They don’t let each other eat alone, be eaten up by a bad situation, or ever walk to the hotel alone.

They Continue to grow well after the comp is over. My closest friends are my fellow judges. I still talk to them more than anyone else. After 10 years of this, I continue to be taught lessons by those judges I am privelaged to serve.

By Friday evening they walked as one professional line to greet their athletes….that was their line they formed; and not one which I made for them. I continue to be inspired by the ones I lead, every time I lead them. This is a love for me, and not a job.

The final result of their labor comes not just from the athletes reflection of the weekend, nor the spectator who had an amazing time and is ready to buy tickets to come back, but the excitement of the judge who is sad the weekend is over.

This was the impact judges had and continue to have; as fires always burn hotter when the wood is together. We do this bc we love this.