The practicalities and problems of 'doing' the sociology of sport: A case study of Adaptive Crossfit in the UK

In fitting with the conference theme of public engagement, this session will look to present the journey of creating, developing and implementing a community project for people with physical disabilities in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, London. The notion of Adapted Crossfit is well known in the USA, with a number of boxes, gyms and competitions hosting adaptive classes and opportunities for inclusion. However, this alternative considerations of disability strength training is yet to be successfully developed in the UK. At the time of the conference, the project will have been active for 3 months (with the launch coinciding with the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in September) and will have been developed through a coach education workshop, participation opportunities, media attention and class launches – and who knows what developments will have been made! During this session I will take the audience through the experienced resistance, practicalities and success of setting up a community outreach project in my local area, highlighting that ‘doing’ publicly engaged sociology of sport is not always the idealised and welcoming practice we would hope.