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[/caption] Competition season is upon us once again, and if you train at our gym, you’re automatically a part of the team. It doesn’t matter if you have no competitive aspirations and train instead for general fitness and health. Because you train with our competitors, and because you motivate them, push them and support them, you’re a part of our team–a very important part. We make no distinction between the value of our competitors and those who show up to work out and don’t want to stand atop any podiums. Both groups are golden to us. Both do the same workouts, and both work equally hard. We truly value every drop of sweat, whether it falls in the 6:30-a.m. Wednesday class or on the rubber at the Functional Fitness Games Regionals. Similarly, there is literally no difference in our minds between a PR deadlift of 500 lb. and a PR deadlift of 100 lb. They are one and the same, and a single first pull-up is just as impressive as a monstrous clean and jerk. Both are awe-inspiring. What’s more important than any one athlete’s performance is watching our members support each other in training and beyond. There is nothing like watching you cheer for each other regardless of the load on the barbell. It’s ultimately irrelevant who lifts what or who wins. What’s important is that we are all improving, each at his or her own level, and that we every day push each other closer to that improvement. At last year’s FrostFit competition, perhaps my favourite moments were looking past our competitors to see the sea of supporters in the background. I wrote about that in the article You Inspire Me, and I still look at that photo with pride on a regular basis. At the recent Bridge City Beatdown, I was thrilled to watch our supporters take care of our athletes and help them perform their best, and the team photo above is another of my favourites. After another year of training, it’s very clear to me that the success of each of our athletes in competition is a direct reflection of what happens in the gym every day, and you are all a part of that. As I said, you’re on the team. If you can make it out to FrostFit on Saturday, Jan. 19, to cheer our group of pirates on, please do so. Your support means a great deal to them. If you can’t make it, know that you do your part every time you step through the door and onto the rubber.