Ooooweee Chun Li, it’s finally upon us. The 2017 CrossFit Open season has landed in our laps and on our doorsteps with merriment and mayhem at every turn. Whether this is your first rodeo or you’re a seasoned Open vet, it’s time to strap in and enjoy whatever ride each Thursday announcement brings.
There are dozens of articles out there about finding your why, motivation for joining and how the Open is for everyone; I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment of Open inclusivity and the awesome broad diversity of reasons to get involved with it so I won’t rehash those words that are already out there.
I’ll just give a bit of history and perspective. I joined CrossFit in 2010 and have had the privilege of participating in every Open since they began in 2011. Open WOD 11.1 (10 Minute AMRAP of 30 Double-Unders and 15 Power Snatches (75/55)) will always be my favorite, not only for it’s devastating simplicity and carnage but also because it started the course of history for the Open to usher in new individual challenges and ways to bring a community closer.
So here’s just some small bits of my brain space as we get going in this festive ball of sporty exercise and excitement. These are just some nuggets from a bloke who’s ran the gamut of ways to be in the Open, from scaled to prescribed, nursing injuries to posting great numbers, improvements and setbacks, judge and competitor, coach and fanboy, and even the guy who once bought Bill Grundler and Dave Castro two giant burgers at the Navy Pier before they wasted away during Regionals.
The Open is just as much individualized as it is a competition.
Simply put, it’s all about perspective. Perspective in how well you find the value and use of the numbers you score, how they relate to your past, current, and future performance and aspirations, how they relate to other athletes’ scores, and even how they stack up with the Games-bound elites. There is substance in knowing where you are as a barometer for where you’ve been and can go, there is light-hearted camaraderie in pitting yourself against someone similarly skilled or a different team, and there is appreciation in seeing the vast badassery and dedication of an elite level athlete putting up their numbers. All of those have caveats though, that substance for your barometer should be free from judgment or angst, that competition shouldn’t turn into the win at all costs or loss of light-heartedness, that appreciation shouldn’t convert to frustration over the distance between you and the elite.
Be humbled and enjoy it.
Some of these workouts can and do leave people soulless on the floor having an existential crisis. Own it, love it, develop that mental toughness and perseverance to respect a WOD that forces you to feel some misery and intensity like you may not necessarily be used to. That isn’t to say overextend yourself physically to the point of risk or injury, that’s why we train form and consistency in mechanics, but once you’re there, breathe deep, find your fire, and go to war. It’s a powerful introspective tool to get outside of a comfort zone and keep on keeping on. This Open has the chance to put you face to face with discomfort and the struggle bus. Get on, learn something new about yourself, your capacity, and capability. We as a community are all around you doing the same thing and supporting the hell out of your mental toughness PR.
Train how you fight, fight how you train.
An old adage in tactical, martial arts, and boxing worlds and true enough for the Open. You’ve already been hitting WODs, you’ve already played in the CF Open sandbox with old Open WODs sprinkled into programming, you’ve already learned new technique, you’ve already seen jumps in your strength or speed or performance. This isn’t anything alien or unfamiliar, you’ve got this because you’ve done things just like it before, and if for whatever reason you haven’t (*cough cough* dumbbells), myself and the other coaches are going to make sure you’re aware and prepared of how to knock out the movements, whatever they are. You’ve been here before and will be here again, unless of course you’ve sandbagged and held back on your effort for every WOD up until now (cue a stern look and a grumpy head-shake), now it’s time to just do work and…
Have Fun.
That’s it. High five your teammates, smile, laugh, sweat, and enjoy all the small and large moments of what will assuredly be a challengingly grand time had by all.