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Northern Championships – a new era in competitive functional fitness events

01/06/2026

Important Announcement: Northern Championships Online Qualifiers & Future Events

Dear Athletes,

We are emailing to inform you that the upcoming Northern Championships Online Qualifiers, scheduled to begin on 15th June 2026, have been cancelled.
Furthermore, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all future Northern Championships events.

With the ever rising costs of running each event it is no longer sustainable based on the level of interest we have received.

**Refund Information**
We want to make this process as smooth as possible for you. All athlete entry fees will be refunded in full over the next 7 working days. The refund will be issued back to your original payment method automatically, so there is no action required on your part.

** Thank You**
We want to take this opportunity to thank you for the incredible support, energy, and community you have shown us over the last 4 years. Watching our athletes leave it all on the floor every single workout has been an absolute privilege. We take great pride in the events we have ran and our athletes were a huge part of it.

Thank you again for being such a massive part of the journey, and we wish you all the best with your future training and competitions

Sincerely,
The Northern Championships Team

10/03/2026

Unpopular opinion: movement standards don’t fall apart because of judges… they fall apart because athletes push the line.

Let’s be honest.; at almost every competition you’ll hear athletes complain about judging.

“Those should’ve counted.”
“The other judge was letting those reps go.”
“That standard wasn’t clear.”
"My coach/mates said it was a rep."

But the reality is this:

If a rep is clearly within the standard, there’s no debate.

The arguments only start when reps live in that grey area — half depth, soft lockouts, rushed extensions.

And in competition, athletes will always push that edge. Because seconds matter. Placings matter.

But then judges are expected to be the bad guy for enforcing the standard.

So here’s the real question:

Should athletes be responsible for clearly hitting standards every single rep?

Or is it the judge’s job to protect the integrity of the competition — even if it means handing out no-reps all workout?

And more importantly, where do coaches fit into this?

Because if athletes are constantly getting no-repped… that probably started long before competition day.

So who’s actually responsible when movement standards break down?

Athletes pushing the line?
Coaches not enforcing it in training?
Or judges being inconsistent on the floor?

👇 I have a feeling this one might divide people.

03/03/2026

What does a 1-day CrossFit competition really test?

It’s not just about who lifts the most or moves the fastest - it’s about who can perform across every modality, at every load.

In a single day, athletes can expect to be challenged with:

Monostructural - Running, rowing, cycling, skiing

• Light efforts that test efficiency
• Moderate efforts that demand pacing
• Heavy breathing pieces that punish poor engine management

Weightlifting - Barbells, dumbbells, odd objects

• Light loads that reward speed and consistency
• Moderate loads that expose technique under fatigue
• Heavy loads that demand confidence, composure, and ex*****on

Gymnastics - Bodyweight skills, simple to complex

• Light volume to test movement quality
• Moderate skills under fatigue
• Heavier gymnastics where strength, control, and composure matter

The goal isn’t to specialise - it’s to be well-rounded, adaptable, and honest about your ability level.

One day.
Multiple tests.
Every modality.
Train broad.
Compete smart.
Back yourself. 💪

Headline Event Sponsor:
Competition Equipment Sponsor:

27/02/2026

Hot Topic - STANDARDS AREN'T OPTIONAL ⛔

There’s a big difference between reading or listening to the movement standards for a CrossFit competition… and actually following them.

And an even bigger difference between following the standards as written versus following your own perception of what you think the movement should be.

Movement standards aren’t suggestions. They’re not based on feelings, habits, or how you’ve “always done it.” They exist to create a level playing field — whether you agree with them or not.

In competition, intent doesn’t outweigh ex*****on.
Effort doesn’t override standards, and “that’s how it’s done at my gym” doesn’t change the rules.

You can:

Read the standards 📖
Hear the briefing 👂🏻
Nod along in agreement 🙇🏻‍♂️

…and still default to your own interpretation when it gets uncomfortable, challenging, or inconvenient.

The athletes who truly respect the sport aren’t the ones who argue the standards after the fact. They’re the ones who take responsibility before the workout starts.

Competition isn’t about what you believe the movement should be, it’s about executing what was asked — cleanly, consistently, and with integrity 💪🏻

Standards don’t limit you.
They define the test.

26/02/2026

Back Yourself. Choose the Right Lane.

At our competitions we run RX, Intermediate, and Scaled for a reason — so every athlete can test themselves where they belong.

From time to time we see patterns emerging: Athletes dropping into an easier category, not because it’s right for them…
…but because it feels safer.

Here’s the truth 👇

Being last in the right category will always build you more than being first in the wrong one.

Competition isn’t about protecting your ego.
It’s about exposure, growth, and finding out what you’re actually capable of under pressure.

If you’re consistently winning Scaled — it’s time to move up.
If Intermediate feels uncomfortable — good. That’s where progress lives.
If RX scares you — maybe that’s exactly why you should be there.

👉 Back your training
👉 Respect the field
👉 Chase development, not easy podiums

Real confidence isn’t finishing first —
it’s having the courage to test yourself honestly. 💪🔥

Headline Event Sponsor:
Competition Equipment Sponsor:

23/02/2026

Let's get into this.... Event prize money 💷

One of the most popular topics of conversation when it comes to any fitness event; "How much can I/we win?"

Some events choose to show their hand before the event, some don't. Neither way is right and neither way is wrong. Let's break it down:

Early announcements are generally done to draw attention/attract sign ups to the event. This requires the organiser to either A) front the cash prizes before revenue or B) utilise profits made from previous events. Both ways present their own unique set of risks.

Keeping cards close to your chest is predominantly off the back of either A) not having the capital to pull out upfront or B) Being cautious about rising costs and making sure not to over promise and subsequently under deliver.

This is just business, careful and sensible business.

The second part to this prize money debate is, "Why do only RX categories win prize money?" It's quite simple, people don't back their own ability, enter the wrong category and it becomes an impossible task to police. At RX you're expected to complete the workout to the highest possible standard and complexity, anything below RX is a "scaled" down version.

You could be an Intermediate athlete in one competition and RX in another, just based on minimum expected movement standards. It would be demoralising as an athlete to enter a scaled competition with prize money involved, and watch someone take 1st place in every event with ease because it was an "easy win".

I'm sure people will have their own opinions on this topic, and that's cool, we welcome them.

Our stance is very simple, the more money we are able to generate in sign ups and entrants to live events, the better the prize pot for ALL categories, whether that be prize money or physical prizes.

Now you know 👍🏻

Headline Event Sponsor:
Competition Equipment Sponsor:

22/02/2026

There are levels to this game 💥🔥💨

Every detail is meticulously planned; from the DJ to the flooring, the media team to the equipment layout and the amazing volunteers/judges to the length of time you get to spend on our competition floor.

We've shown for the past 4 years what a functional fitness event COULD look like with hard work and dedication. We leave no stone unturned when it comes to making our events as spectacular as possible for our athletes.

Sign up for our biggest event yet, NC009 Individuals and Mixed Pairs. Our online qualifiers take place Monday 15th June - Sunday 5th July. Our live finals are set for August 29/30th. Link in our bio.

We'll show you why we're inimitable!

📸
📸

Headline Sponsor:
Event Equipment Sponsor:

09/02/2026

We asked this question on our story yesterday and honestly; the responses were wild!

As more and more functional fitness competitions, hybrid races and crossover events emerge year on year, it's become a very crowded space to continually remain competitive when offering a platform/venue, merch/stash, prize money, freebies, experience... the list goes on.

When hosting an arena size event, it comes with arena size costs:

Venue, lighting, special effects, DJ, videographer, photographer, compare/MC, first aid/physio, security, insurance, equipment hire, haulage, storage, prize money, podium prizes, "freebies", name boards, t-shirts.

Then you have the man hours involved in planning, prepping, testing, timing, marketing and advertising, building your brand, moving equipment, building a comp floor set-up, online and in-person judging, scoring, setting up, taking down, sorting athlete packs, orchestrating athlete call-up.... We could be here all day.

Our point is simply this; you pay for the end product. £30 gets you a hostel bed, £150 gets you a 5* spa hotel.

For us, as with any successful business model, demand and buy-in to our product means more available funds to provide that end product.

If you are someone or know someone who can help keep these costs to a minimum then we'd love to hear from you 👍🏻

Address

Rainton Arena, Mercantile Road
Houghton Le Spring
DH45PH

Website

http://www.northern-championships.com/

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