The 2015 CrossFit Games Open at CrossFit DC – Part 2

The 2015 CrossFit Games Open at CrossFit DC – Part 2
Wherein we explain WHY everyone at CrossFit DC should participate in the Open!

In our last post about the 2015 CrossFit Games Open, we focused primarily on what the Open is and how you can sign up to participate. We understand that this alone was enough to move a few of you into signing up. However, for those of you still on the fence, we want to use this opportunity to tell you why everyone at CrossFit DC should participate in the Open.

Everyone? Yes, Everyone!

First, understand this: the Open is not something only the elite-level, hyper-competitive, fire-breathing, uber athletes who bathe in pain and sweat awesomeness can take part in. The Open is, in fact, the most accessible CrossFit competition available (or at least that we’re currently aware of). In fact, the addition of the Scaled Division this year ensures that every single person in the gym can participate in the Open…if they want. But why should you?

The way we see it, there’re three extremely compelling reasons for participating.

(1) It’s about COMMUNITY – You , Us, the World

In part, we’re talking about the worldwide CrossFit community. Last year over 200,000 people participated in the Open, and with a newly implemented scaled division, you better believe even more will be signing up this year. Every single one of them will be doing the same workout in the same five day span, and everyone’s participation directly impacts everyone else’s. It truly is a global competition for a global community!

More specifically, however, we’re talking about the CrossFit DC community. The Open is a lot of fun and we’ll make something of a big deal about it. We will be dedicating every weekend from February 28 to March 28 to the Open workouts in one way or another (scaled versions for class, heats of the actual workout the rest of the day). There’ll be lots and lots of cheering backed by adrenaline inducing music. We’ll have heat assignments, score sheets and judges. We’ll have a few special guests stopping in, and a big “Open & Closed” potluck at the end of it all. So, yea, it’ll basically be a five-week workout party!

(2) It’s about COMPETITION – you vs. who?

As with community, the term competition can be viewed from two sides. On one side, the Open is a global competition. At the close of each workout, everyone involved will be able to see where they rank compared to others in the same division (state, region, age bracket, scaling option…even gym!).

Of course, it’s also a very unique competition in that it’s constructed so that anyone can take part in every workout, even more so this year with the addition of the Scaled option. However, it’s still a competition, and the atmosphere surrounding physical competitions can often stir up a storm of emotions in people, a number of which they may not have felt in awhile (if ever). The foreboding of uncertainty, a tickle of nervousness intermixed with drops trepidation, and then a storm of adrenaline, confusion, and awe. Rest assured, though, that all of it, without fail, will be followed by an enormous bloom of euphoria.

This is because, despite the fact that you’re participating in the same workout with hundreds of thousands of others, there is really only one person you’re competing with: YOU! And competitive adrenaline is a big equalizer when you’re facing off against yourself. That’s why you will doubtlessly surprise yourself with what you’re actually capable of when participating in the Open – aptly entitled “Open magic” by Steve K. in his very on-point Facebook post. That’s one of the big reasons we keep encouraging everyone to take part – it’s both inspiring and empowering to a degree not often achieved during a normal class workout.

(3) It’s about CULTIVATION – more you than you

In addition to proving to yourself you’re capable of more than you thought, the Open is also one of the best ways to define what your fitness goals for the coming year should be. We’re talking about tangible objective goals: string Double Unders together; get a pull-up, or maybe perform five chest-to-bar pull-ups; clean your body weight, or perhaps even snatch your body weight; or maybe get achieve that single muscle-up.

Once you have a goal, you can set about planning a course of action to achieve that goal. Sure, general all-around fitness is a great thing, and we’re dedicated to helping people achieve that. However, setting specific goals will help guarantee that you continue advancing towards an ever improving level of general fitness.

Ready to set some benchmarks and find out what you can really achieve? Then be sure to register following our detailed instructions from last week’s post:

1. Go To CF Games Registration;
2. Create an account (you’ll need name, email, password, etc – or simply log-in using your account info from last year)
3. Pay your $20 registration fee;
4. Select CrossFit DC if you workout primarily at 14th St, or CrossFit DC Northeast if you mostly workout at H St;
5. Join the gym’s team!
6. DONE!

And remember, You can also see which of your gym-mates have already signed up for the Open by looking at either the CrossFit DC’s CF Games Page or the CrossFit DC Northeast’s CF Games Page.

Later This Week: we’ll close out our Open series of blog posts by detailing exactly how the weekends will be structured at CrossFit DC during the five weeks of the Open, but in meantime, continue to keep a weathered eye on our FB page for more updates and member experiences with past Open competitions.