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The Hi-FIVE

It’s simple. Just a little slap of the hand with another human. Seems insignificant. A menial
detail in the entirety of life.
I remember my first WOD in a CrossFit gym. I went with a friend. It was a partner workout. He
elected we do it solo so we “get a better workout”. I was pumped full of ego in a new lion’s den so I
obliged.
I almost died. Someone threw up. The only thing that stopped me from spewing was the fact I
only knew 1 of the 12 or so people in the room. I couldn’t be “that guy”. I also couldn’t be the guy
who didn’t finish.
I didn’t finish.
I was so pumped when the Coach told me to quit at the time-cap. It was like Jesus himself
came and said “today is not your day to die.”
I laid on the floor trying to breath. My face was wet. I didn’t know if it was sweat, tears, spit, or
something else. I was in a heap just trying to compose myself enough to remember my name in a
room full of strangers.
Then, one-by-one, everyone who had completed the workout walked over to my pile of self and
offered a Hi-Five and “nice work”, “good job”, “can’t believe you did that on your own”, “haha solid
bro”, and things of the like.
It was all I had to lift my arm 12 my times to reciprocate their Hi-Five. I couldn’t really speak so I
just gasped vowel sounds at them. I think they got it.
That was one of the first moments I knew CrossFit was special. And it wasn’t the workout. It
was the strangers that greeted me, suffered with me, congratulated me, and welcomed me into
their den without a question. No judgement, just hard work and a tight community.
These people were no longer strangers.
Those Hi-Fives were the beginning to some of the best friendships I have made in my life.
The Hi-Five is a brief moment in time where we have physical connectedness to another hu-
man. That half second of contact says “hell yeah, we just did that.” Together. It’s a piece of vali-
dation so that when you are doubting your effort you can be sure what you did was accepted by
someone, somewhere.
In a world of social media, e-mails, text messages, snap chats, and tweets; the Hi-Five brings
back good old fashioned Human-to-Human relationships.
The Hi-Five levels the playing field. It humbles everyone. When I walk 50 feet to slap your hand
it signals that I know I am no better than you. In fact, I value what you offer to the world and now
I’m coming to show you that by pursuing this Hi-Five.
In the gym it puts the period on my fitness experience. That’s the closure for the day with my
Crew. We did it. Let’s fight the next one tomorrow.
The Hi-Five takes “I” and morphs it to “We” and “Us”. We and Us will conquer everything. We
will conquer much more than workouts for one hour per day. We will build the community that
sticks with us through the good stuff and the bad stuff. That Community will give us the support,
accountability, and fellowship that builds the best humans in the world.
It just so happens that we get pretty fit as a side effect. So that’s neat.

Joe Stewart, MSW, CF-L2, USAW L2
Owner
Mission 1 Fitness LLC
1900A W. Caro Rd.
Caro, MI 48723
(989) 553-1044
www.missiononefitness.com
Mission 1 Apparel
www.mission1apparel.com

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