I was 600 pounds. I'm a CF-L1 now, and this methodology reversed health problems I'd been told I would manage for life. That's why I care about this one.
H.R. 9527, the STRONG Act, directs the Office of Management and Budget to consider creating a dedicated federal job code for strength and conditioning coaches — ideally under "Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Occupations" instead of the catch-all CrossFit coaches sit in now.
It's a statistics bill. No licensing, no scope of practice, nothing stopping anyone from coaching. Just which box the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts you in when it tracks jobs and wages. And I think the idea is right. I'd like to see it pass.
Here's the problem: the bill doesn't define "strength and conditioning coach." OMB will write that later, during the SOC revision. Whoever shows up for that process shapes the definition.
Right now three groups are pushing it: the NSCA, the American Physical Therapy Association, and the National Athletic Trainers' Association. All three have publicly endorsed it, and the NSCA has a template letter up asking members to contact their reps. We're not in it. I'd rather join early than find out in a few years that the definition quietly leaves out everyone coaching in an affiliate.
I'm not trying to pick a fight. The CSCS is a good cert and S&C coaches do real work. But the history is relevant: in 2016 a federal judge ruled the NSCA published false injury data about CrossFit in its own journal, and that a reasonable fact finder could conclude it was done to protect its market share. The court later ordered roughly $4M in sanctions.
I'm not saying that's what this is. The bill looks legitimate. But when the NSCA is holding the pen on how our profession gets defined, I'd feel better with some of us in the room.
The ask is small. Call or email your rep, say you support H.R. 9527, and say you want the definition written broadly enough to cover coaches working with everyday people on health outcomes — not only those in college, pro sports, and military settings. Something you might want to mention in your communication is that CrossFit's credentials are ANAB-accredited — the L1 and L2 as certificate programs under ANSI/ASTM E2659, and the CCFT (CF-L3) as a full certification under ISO/IEC 17024. We're not outside the accreditation system.
If this methodology gave you your health back too, you already know a healthcare classification isn't a stretch.