By now, many of you have heard about this competition called the ‘CrossFit Games.’ Last year, we had one of our very own qualify and take 4th place on the big stage in California. But before any of that happens, it all begins with the first stage – The Open.
The Open is a 5-week competition where CrossFit HQ programs the workouts, but they are all done in our home gym – CFG. I know many of you will read the dreaded word ‘competition’ and be scared off.
Don’t be.
The workouts are no different than what we do here on a regular basis. They even have options for scaled versions of every single workout, just like we do.
So here’s the thing, most of the social media that you see surrounding the Games will focus on the top competitors – the 1% that will make it on to the next stage of competition. But here, at CrossFit For Glory, the Open is a special time where us regular people find out so much about ourselves…not just from a physical standpoint, but also a mental one.
While you can compare your scores to the best in the world, what you are really here to do is compete against yourself.
Are you better today than you were yesterday?
We’ve had people get their first pull-ups, first toes to bar, first muscle up (bar and rings), set a PR on a clean and jerk, and on and on and on…all during the Open, because of the atmosphere. It’s hard to put into words…kind of like when your friends say “So tell me what this CrossFit stuff is all about.”
In the coming weeks leading up to the first open, we will take a look back and share some of the inspiring stories from years past.
But for now…LET’S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS!!!
Last year, we introduced a novel concept to make the Open experience even better – the Intramural Open! If you have ever played intramural sports…or really team sports of any kind, this is no different. To say it was more fun than in years past would be the understatement of the year. It took on a personality of its own and the teams had a blast with hit.
This year we have selected 4 team captains. I’ll give them all a shout out very soon!
So, what do you need to do?
Easy: go to games.crossfit.com and register for the Open there. Cost is 20 bucks.
In about two weeks, we’ll have a “draft” of everyone that will be participating in the Open to place you on one of the teams. Don’t worry – everyone will be chosen at random and we will make sure that teams are fair!
From there, each team will come up with their own team name, colors…all that fun stuff! Want to make shirts – go for it! Noisemakers – go for it! The goal is to have as much fun as humanly possible while challenging yourself to be better than yesterday.
How does it work? Simple, HQ announces the workouts on Thursday evenings, beginning February 23rd. You’ll have three options for completing the workout – Friday (we program it for the gym this day), Saturday (the Main Event!), or make-up Monday. Submit your score on the Games website by 8pm EST and you’re all set!
Now…because we’re creating teams that will compete against one another, we’ve got to have a scoring system, right? To promote fun and encourage everyone to participate, here are the ways you can help your team score points:
1. Teams are given 1 point for every athlete who completes a given Open workout.
2. Teams are given 3 points for every athlete who finishes among the top 3 women or top 3 men in the gym per workout. Yes, even if you scale!
3. Teams are given 5 points if they win the “Spirit of the Open” award on any given week. This is where things get real!!
After the final Open workout, we’re going to host a big BBQ at the gym and present awards.
The only requirement? You’ve gotta sign up! Do so here at the CrossFit Games website!
(And I know what many that did it last year are thinking – “I’ll just wait to sign up until after the draft, then join the team I want to be on.” Nope, we already have that figured out, so save yourself some time and just sign up now.)
