Last updated on May 1st, 2025
A couple of hours after this weekend’s In-Affiliate Semifinals workouts were announced, three-time CrossFit Games veteran Alex Gazan met with her coach, Justin Cotler, to “talk through all of the workouts.”
However, when they started chatting, they realized it wasn’t in Gazan’s best interest to participate at all.
- “At first, the thought was [it’s] silly not to do it, but in our gut, we both felt like it wasn’t worth going through the stress and the chaos of an online competition,” Cotler said.
That being said, Gazan still very much wants to qualify for the CrossFit Games this summer. She just wants to do it in person at the Northern California Classic in Sacramento, CA, in June, which is one of this season’s 10 In-Person Qualifying Events (IPQE). She is confident that she will succeed.
- “On the topic of believing in myself, I’m banking on trusting the work. There’s no reason I shouldn’t get a spot in NorCal,” Gazan said.
Cotler added: “She looks better than she ever has. I think she’s going to have an unbelievable year, and we’re ready to prove all of that in person.”
Why Alex Gazan Is Sitting Out
When the details of this season’s schedule started trickling in over recent weeks, Cotler and Gazan quickly recognized that competing in the In-Affiliate Semifinals this weekend, followed by the World Fitness Project’s (WFP) Tour Event I next weekend in Indianapolis, IN, would be the most demanding two weeks of the season.
- “This was the two-week stretch that we pointed at [and saw that] it doesn’t line up in the sense of doing this and then the WFP next weekend,” Cotler said.
Gazan, too, admits she “started getting a little nervous” because the season looked “never-ending,” and she was worried about how she would be able to stay “mentally locked in” through it all.
Not only would it be difficult for her to perform at her best next weekend at the WFP Tour I after the “very taxing” In-Affiliate Semifinals workouts this weekend, but she’d also have to hop on a plane a couple of days later to fly across the country, making recovery even more challenging.
- “I don’t want to show up to the WFP running on empty with my nervous system,” Gazan said. “You only have so many ‘3, 2, 1s’ until your body is like, ‘You’re done.’”
Furthermore, Cotler explained that an online competition can be incredibly stressful for both athletes and coaches, as it often generates all kinds of controversy regarding judging and video submissions.
- So Cotler and Gazan decided it was in their best interest to avoid the stress of online competition judging and video requirements, not to mention releasing videos for public review and “dealing with the haters online,” Cotler said.
The Big Picture
Gazan will not earn her invitation to this summer’s CrossFit Games this weekend, but she is fitter than ever and confident enough to put all her eggs in one basket and qualify for her fourth CrossFit Games in Sacramento this June.
And her lofty goals don’t end there.
- “Our goal is to win the WFP and win the Games, and we have the best opportunity to do that in person,” Cotler said.
He added: “The biggest thing for us is putting Alex in the best position to succeed, and this is where we think that is.”
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Featured Image: @alexgazan_ / Instagram
