The Fire Inside

How do intangibles like passion and belief in self fit into a community driven by data? Web Smith explains.

Determination, faith and the value of conquering the “fear of failure” may fall outside the CrossFit pursuit of data-driven performance, but it’s apparent these factors existed for Matt Chan and Chris Spealler in the 2010 CrossFit Games.

Just as the variables of CrossFit competition are unknown, so too are the depths of an athlete’s heart, mind and faith. The intensity of their focus, faith and resolve may very well rival the actual intensity of their remarkable power output, and perhaps these intangible factors are at least partly responsible for the performances of these athletes. We cannot prove this, so we tend to avoid discussing the validity of these concepts.

But can we dismiss them?

Teri Hatcher Lauren Bush Natalie Zea Brody Dalle Taryn Manning