The Ties That Bind

T.J. Murphy reviews Dr. Allison Belger’s new look at the bonds formed in the CrossFit community.

The Power of Community by Dr. Allison Belger delivers an authoritative perspective on what CrossFit is all about and how the community is linked together.

Belger is a psychologist and co-owner of four CrossFit affiliates in Marin, Calif., with her husband, T.J. She was also on the team from T.J.’s Gym that won the 2011 NorCal Regional. In The Power of Community, Belger submits her professional perspective on the mechanics underlying the community-building reputation CrossFit has crafted in the last decade since the template was cut by Greg Glassman’s original Santa Cruz gym.

Belger’s perspective though, is not that of the outside-looking-in academic. Rather, to illustrate her points, Belger weaves in stories she’s witnessed firsthand as an affiliate owner or from the CrossFit world.