By Craig Hysell, Founder of Conviction Training Facility

I wish I could say our gym is the best because of my leadership. That would sound nice to me. Inflate my ego. Make me feel important. But this is not why our gym is the best.

I wish I could say our gym is the best because of our programs. We add A TON of value with the structure of our group classes, personal training packages, our specialty groups, our physical therapy assistant and our nutritional options. We work REALLY hard at making these programs worthwhile to our clients. But this is not why our gym is the best.

I wish I could say our gym is the best because of our programming. Our programming is excellent and proprietary. We’ve spent a decade figuring out how to do it right and will spend decades more evolving it and perfecting it. But this is not why our gym is the best.

I wish I could say our gym is the best because of our “community” but this is a misrepresentation of the idea that TRULY rests behind why our gym is the best. It’s also the knee-jerk go to phrase for any CrossFit gym to say to prospective members: “Come see us! Our community is the best!”

CTF: The Home of the Original CrossFit Hilton Head is in a very fortunate position.

We are a gym in a tourist town. We’ve met THOUSANDS of people from all over THE WORLD since we first opened our doors in 2010. It’s been incredible.

You know what they say when they talk about why CTF has been one of the best gym’s they’ve ever visited? They mention the awesome programming and the amazing class structure/coaching and then they ALWAYS say this, “Your people are so nice!”

Our gym is the best because of our people.

We are not a community, we are a tribe. The distinction is profound.

A community shares a common attitude or interest.

A TRIBE is a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader.

As we humans get more “global” with our ability to reach others in today’s internet driven society, our primal, social and emotional selves crave TRUE physical and emotional content. That is what our gym provides and this is why we are the best.

We are not a bunch of motivational quotes. We are not the “quick-fix” place. We do not follow trends. Nor do we say one thing and do another.

We don’t treat people as commodities. We don’t discount our services. We are professional guides and the price is not simply a monthly membership fee, it is your time, your effort and your desire to learn more about yourself as a client.

Our tribe plays the long game.

There is massive contentment in devotion to oneself and one’s friends.

The longer you commit, the more amazing things you discover.

The “recognized leader” of our tribe is not me. It is our coaches.

Our coaches must not only be nationally-certified, they must pass OUR CURRICULUM to coach on our training floor. CTF’s curriculum has a 90% wash out rate. That means the coaches that put on the CTF red shirt and become part of “The Big Red Machine” are the best.

They are the best because they are not “teachers of movement”, they are “ambassadors of CTF’s culture”. We coach the person first and the movement second. Our number one rule on the training floor as coaches is, “care about the person in front of you.”

Our staff is incredible. Our visitor’s tell us so. Our monthly clients understand this the more they travel to other gyms.

All of this is not luck.

All of this has been born of experimentation, of “failure” after “failure” and effort after effort. All of this is a matter of testing out MANY, MANY ideas along our journey and throwing out all of them that do not work.

We are the best because we have learned to LISTEN first. We are the best because we know who WE ARE and who WE ARE NOT. We are the best because we know your name, your family, your dreams, your goals, and what you fear.

We are the best because we teach you to focus on the right things and, inside AND outside these walls, we compete TOGETHER, not against each other. Our members teach our members that. Our members are there for each other.

Our tribe is unmatched in maturity, integrity, attitude, empathy, charity and humble confidence. Our culture is one of discipline, work ethic, laughter and grace. Our religion is wellness. Our methods are simple: show up.