The Open, Week Two! Wait, What's the Open?
We are in our second week of the CrossFit Open. Our gym is just in its early stages and many of you don't even know what the CrossFit Games is. Here is a quick rundown of CrossFit Games history:
Since 2007, this competition has grown exponentially. Last year, there were about 70,000 athletes signed up for the open. This year: 138,000. The sport of fitness is catching on to the masses and fast. While the last leg of the competition ends in L.A., it starts with an open invitation to join in the fun. That includes you. After the Open, the top 48 individual male and female individuals, and top 30 teams will advance to their respective Regional competition. From there, the best of the best will go on to fight for the title of fittest man, woman, or team in California.
So often I hear the many, many excuses of why not to compete: money, it's too hard, I will have to scale, I don't care, I'm not interested in competing, etc, etc. I get it. I've definitely been there. I very flippantly dismissed competing as something not for me. Remember, I was not an athlete prior to CrossFit, so competing, even in a simple game of dodgeball, was of no importance to me. Upon further examination, underneath whatever excuse I may have had to not compete, was something really simple: fear. Fear of failure, fear of disappointment, fear of being known. So what you now have is an opportunity and a choice. I would encourage you to choose to take a risk. The benefits way outweigh the risks, and the experience of battling it out with others is secondary to the experience of battling it out with yourself. Growth as an athlete and person is guaranteed. You'll impress yourself, disappoint yourself, redeem yourself, and it all gives you more insight into who you ARE, not just how you WOD. If you missed it this year, ENGAGE! Highlights so far:
Chris P. hit his snatch PR of 135 12 times!!
Corin O'Connell also hit his PR of 135 several times.
Coach Dan smoked the WOD with 173 reps, landing him in 22nd place in the Southwest Region.
Mary Finck eked out 150 reps on the last second, finishing out her third round of burpees like a champ.
Chad Moses, a rather new athlete, demonstrated mad strength, throwing up 135 pounds 9 times. Incredible for someone new to CrossFit.
A good percentage of our members are brand new! I would encourage you to take a few moments to learn more about this season, take part by cheering on the athletes who are competing, and have fun doing the Open WODs on Fridays. The Southwest Regional will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, May 31st-June 2nd. Mark your calendars. This season is going to be fun!