Good morning!
CrossFit Open
This spotlight is all about the CrossFit Open. Hopefully I can answer questions you may have and if not, please message me and I'll get you those answers! I'm going to try and keep it simple.
From the Games website:
"The Open is a global celebration of all the individual reasons we CrossFit.
Maybe it’s to live healthier lives. Maybe it’s to lift your kids or stay healthy for your family. Maybe it’s just to prove we can do more than we ever believed possible. Whatever it is, this is the time to show the world your unique why with #ThisIsWhy"
What is it?
Every year CrossFit Headquarters puts on a worldwide competition. This worldwide competition is the CrossFit Open. This year the CrossFit Open begins this Thursday with the first workout announcement. Nobody knows what it is but everyone is excited for the challenge. They announce the workout Thursday night and we have until Monday night to complete the workout and enter our score on the worldwide leaderboard at games.crossfit.com. This leaderboard is used by most of us just to see where we stand against the rest of the world of CrossFitters. This year they have opened up the opportunities much more with lots of categories so no matter where you are on your fitness journey there's a place for you to compete. It doesn't matter if you're 14, 40, or 64. Just starting out or a muscle-up pro. And adaptive athletes are here to win. Compare your results by division, location, gym, or group. Here are the divisions and if you're interested in moving on, here are some of the next steps (I'm most excited about the masters new qualifying parameters):
From the CrossFit.com announcements:
The CrossFit Open is the largest participatory sporting event in the world, setting a record of more than 415,000 participants across 172 countries in 2018. This year’s Open will be the most accessible in CrossFit history, with flexible options for participants to compete either at their local gym or at home, should they face local closures or have health concerns.
“The last year has been tough for everyone, so we want to kick off the 2021 season with a compelling and accessible Open that can meet the needs of every athlete in the world,” said Dave Castro, GM of Sport for CrossFit. “Whether you’re surrounded by people in your local gym, working out alone at home, or listening to friends cheer over Zoom, the Open will energize you and remind you why you are part of CrossFit.”
Other notable changes for the 2021 Open and/or Games season include:
- New worldwide quarterfinals that will include approximately 10% of Open athletes competing online from their local gyms.
- The return of the Affiliate Cup with affiliate teams competing around the world to advance to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and Games.
- In addition to masters and teenage divisions, a new adaptive division to ensure all members of the CrossFit community have a chance to compete and win.
- Ten in-person semifinal events hosted by CrossFit partners across six continents, ensuring at least one athlete from each continent qualifies for the Games. Each event will operate under strict safety protocols, including contingency plans for an online competition, depending on local conditions and restrictions.
- A “last chance” qualifier for athletes who narrowly missed the cut in semifinals.
- A live and in-person Games finals the week of July 26 for all qualifying athletes and teams in Madison, Wisconsin, with online contingency plans, if needed.
“Every part of this season has been designed to ensure as many people as possible can take part in and experience the excitement, challenge, and joy of the Open,” said Eric Roza, CEO of CrossFit. “A shorter Open means easier logistics for gym owners; a later start date gives more time for local reopenings; at-home options ensure access for all; masters, teen, and adaptive divisions welcome a broader group of participants; and continent-based semifinals guarantee that athletes from all areas of the world will be represented at the Games. I’m thrilled to be joining hundreds of thousands of CrossFit athletes around the world to join in this iconic event together.”
Masters
If you are 35+ you are old and will fall into a masters category. And we have a lot of you old farts in our gym, me included ;). This year they have added a 60-64 and a 65+ (Looking at you Beverly and Allen. ;)) The coolest thing about this year is who qualifies to the next stage:
"Based on Open finish rank, the top 10 percent of masters athletes worldwide in each age division will qualify to compete in the Age-Group Online Qualifier, where they’ll have a chance to earn a spot at the Games. It is important to note that to qualify for the Age-Group Online Qualifier, masters athletes must complete the version of each Open workout that requires equipment. Most often, athletes who advance to the Age-Group Online Qualifier will also perform all the Open workouts as Rx’d, although it is possible to qualify otherwise. As noted in the Rulebook, advancement to the Age-Group Online Qualifier is determined by placement on the overall CrossFit Games Leaderboard, where Rx’d event scores are ranked higher than scaled scores."
Why do I do it?
This will be my 9th Open. Did my first open just before we opened CrossFit The Point. My motivation to competing in the open has changed over the years but my excitement still stands. I remember my first open done at CrossFit Cedar Ridge. I remember one workout in particular. It was week 4 and this was the workout:
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 12 minutes of:
150 Wall balls (20 lbs to 10' target)
90 Double-unders
30 Muscle-ups
CrossFit Cedar Ridge was built inside a barn at the owner's house. The ceiling height was barely 10 feet so the wall balls got interesting and we had to complete the double unders outside to not hit the ceiling... then it came to the muscle ups... I remember finishing my 90th double under and running across the yard to get to the rings that were hanging from a big tree! I was hoping to find a picture of the actual ring setup in the tree but after searching these are the couple of pictures I was able to find from "the barn"
The reason I do the open is for these experiences. Like I said, my motivation has changed over the years. While my first few years I had goals to beat certain box mates and also to place highly in the region and state. Because of that motivation, I created some awesome memories and pushed myself to complete more than I thought possible. Since then, I sign up and compete to be able to watch all of you and compete along side of you. To see you push your limits and to see you create those memories and create those experiences that will help shape you and make you better.
This is my why and this is why I love the CrossFit Open.
Your experiences
Over the years you all have done incredible things during the open. I want to hear those stories like mine above. If you have an experience, please email me it. If you have a picture to go along with it, even better! I want to hear your open experiences and I want to share those on The Point's social media and in our private group, with your permission of course.
So send me your experiences from year's past and if you haven't signed up for this year's open, do it now at games.crossfit.com. I am really excited to hear about them.
Buy an Open shirt, support a cause
We have teamed up with Mrs. Bluffdale and are doing a fundraiser along with our open shirts this year. While the Open shirts are a little different this year, I hope that you can continue your tradition of owning an open shirt from The Point while also supporting this important cause. You can order them through the PushPress app or you can do it by following these links.
Women's Muscle Tanks: https://thepoint.pushpress.com/open/purchase/prd_547ab9b5344502
Men's T-shirts: https://thepoint.pushpress.com/open/purchase/prd_32d4026f0f1c55
I really hope you all are able to add to your Open shirt tradition while supporting this worthy cause. These shirts were designed by our Jessica Simonsen's creative husband and will be printed by our very own Melissa Bertuzzi. Love that we have such supportive and creative members in our community.
I'm excited to hear about all your past experiences with the open, whether it be at The Point or wherever else you may have done it and really look forward to creating more memories in this year's CrossFit Open.
Dan
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