The White Board

I have had several of the new people ask me why we use a white board.  In addition, we have had some people who have shaved reps or misrepresented their times on the white board...and recently we have had some disagreements about what the white board is for.  The following is by Chris Spealler.  He is one of my idols, I agree with the article, and I couldn't say it any better myself...so I'm posting his article here.  When I see the white board becoming a negative for people, I will say something, and sometimes I will use strong or exaggerated language...it's fine if you don't like it or don't feel it is necessary....but understand it's also fine, that I don't care.  You may make a point differently than I do, and I respect that.  Respect that I made a point differently than you would.  Here is Chris Spealler making a point about white boards:

 

Why do we write our scores on the whiteboard?

By Chris Spealler

Accountability. One of Greg Glassman's, the founder of CrossFit, favorite quotes is, "Men will die for points."  The idea is everyone's score will be posted on the whiteboard at the end of the workout.  It's a public posting.  Knowing that what you do will be posted on the board for everyone to see has a strong psychological effect, and should help improve your results.

Take a moment to think about these questions:

If everything you ate for a week was going to be posted on the whiteboard for everyone to see, don't you think you'd eat better for that week?

If your back squat goal was the only one circled and written on the board for 4 weeks for everyone to see, don't you think you'd push a little harder when testing that PR?

If you saw Rich Froning’s score posted on the board, would that fire you up to try and compete with him?

The goal of the board is to elicit positive psychological responses such as motivation, positive self-criticism, and self confidence.  Unfortunately, the whiteboard can also evoke negative psychological responses, such as fear, intimidation, negative self-criticism, and self doubt.  When those things happen, the white board can be detrimental.  Take some time to think about how the white board makes you feel.  It is meant to be a tool for improvement, and that's how it should be used.

If it makes you feel negative thoughts, you should re-evaluate the point of the board and why you feel that way.

The white board is often inaccurate, and that’s okay, coaches make mistakes.  The white board is just a guide for the workout.  Precise records of our accomplishments and personal best records at benchmark wods and specific lifts should be kept in our personal workout journals.  The white board is just a guide, a motivation for that workout, and should be forgotten when you leave the box.  I’ve had members text me days later that their time was wrong on such and such day, and my reply is, “So what?”.  It will be erased in a few days, as long as it is accurate for you, in your personal record, which is what matters and elicits the goal of personal improvement.

At one time, we stopped using the white board for a week at CrossFit Park City.  People had been overly concerned with how others were doing, and making it into a competition rather than a guide.  CrossFit is about lifting each other up, not trying to beat each other.  When things settled down, we started using it again, and attitudes changed.  The white board was then being seen as a way to encourage others and improve ourselves, not “keep up with the Joneses”.  I love to see a member put a smiley face or an encouraging word next to someone else’s PR or time on the white board.  That is what we are after.  That was Greg’s intent when we instituted the use of the white board.

Think about that for a second, change your mindset, and use the board to see what can be done.  Then work on making yourself better.  Ultimately, competing for yourself, or using whiteboard times to set a goal is good, but feeling bad because you don't beat someone on the whiteboard is not good for you.  The goal is PERSONAL RECORDS.  When we do the CrossFit tour, or the Competitor’s Course, I regularly get beat on the white board.  I'm ok with that.  I use the white board to see what I could possibly do, and I understand that everyone has different athletic abilities, genetics, sleep patterns, nutrition, etc. etc.  I may have the top time, I may not, but I still write it on the board.  I never feel bad about my efforts.  I never draw a sad face next to my name.  I do the best I can.  Then I write my time proudly on the board, and in my book, and 6 months from now, I can look back in my book and see where I've come from.

It's very important you use the whiteboard.   Use the goal board to set goals and hold yourself accountable.  Use the PR board to proudly display where you are on your journey.

How do you use the boards?