OCR Buddy is an app.
OCR Buddy lists events from around the world and puts them in the palm of your hand.
It is the easiest way for you to plan and schedule your races for the season.
You have heard the sales pitch.
Then, how did an app on your phone grow in popularity during a pandemic? How could something based on obstacle events become something more while the world was stopping around it?
The word is simple.
Community.
I love this sport. I may not be good at it on the course, but the love is there. I love the feeling of being excited before an event. I love the “suck” and the sense of crossing the finish line. But what I really love is the people, the social aspect that the sport brings to me, and the friendships that have occurred from the sport. There are people worldwide that I chat with and talk to because of obstacle racing. That community began to drive me as I could see obstacle racing slipping away from people.
There is a reason why the app is called OCR Buddy. When on the course, you have your “Battle Buddy” with you. The person on your side is there for you, to help you through the tough times and cheer you as you overcome obstacles. OCR Buddy had to become that for the community as the isolation of being home affected so many worldwide.
My posts stopped counting the cancelations and became less about what we could not do and more about what we could do. I started looking for Virtual Events. Medals and swag were still available, and I wanted to bring them to you. I wanted to bring you together while sitting at home.
I posed questions.
I asked opinions.
I engaged.
I featured events that were happening and believed in the future. In a world where there was no news, the voice had to be the community that we are.
We helped start OCR Strong, which through our partners and the sales of our t-shirt (still available), we helped provide registration fees for those affected by the pandemic. We continued to feature smaller events because they needed a voice. We even supported a few financially. The larger companies do not need my help for promotion each day, but your favorite local event does. I had fun promoting our community events and the rise from the ashes with amazing and safe events.
Community.
I changed the name of my Facebook Group to the OCR Buddy Community. What I realized is that so many of you out there were looking for what I was trying to promote. We did a survey of almost a thousand OCR athletes to see how you were doing and to see how this pandemic affected you. In a time where we were starting to come together, I tried to remind you who we are as a whole as the sum of the parts of this community GREATLY outweighs the whole.
So what is OCR Buddy today? It is an app but it is also a community. I have over 50 Ambassadors out there being awesome and promoting joy and happiness. It isn’t about a podium, but about the smile at the starting line, in the gym, or just being with friends. OCR Buddy has increased its social media presence by 50% over the past two years. We don’t report the news; there are others out there that do that.
We promote a story.
We promote YOUR stories.
I have learned that a simple post can change people’s lives. Reminding people about what they love is worth more than a post about a venue change, although both are necessary.
What will OCR Buddy be tomorrow? I view it as the OCR Concierge, everything you need in one place. From finding an event to booking it and getting there. OCR Buddy will soon be the only calendar you will need to keep track of life. It will keep growing and providing at the best cost in OCR (and only getting better). We are expanding into other versions of obstacle racing. We are working on partnerships with groups and teams from around the world.
I don’t have sponsors or advertisers yet. I don’t have a pro team, and I don’t require our Ambassadors to wear our shirts on the podium when they get there. It is not about me and the logo I created. It is about you, what you need and what you want. Maybe one day, but that is not today. Today, I am working on getting the next upgrade ready for all of you. We need upgrades.
It’s still an app. Right
