The Open - Part 2

The Open - Part 2
with Carolyn

Well, the Open was the thing to do… apparently. 
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I had joined CrossFit Closer about three months before the 2018 Open, so in the name of 'giving it a go,’ 'might as well see what this is all about, and the continuous encouragement to sign up, I did. I remember bits of it vividly…. Not the workouts exactly, for I was just doing what was outlined for the day, scaled (of course) because the Rx version was well out of my reach. 

I don’t remember how I scored, it got entered, but that was also years ago now. I do remember Robb (Chartrand) as we partnered for the workouts, and as being a complete newbie to it all, he got me all set up. Strategy, encouragement and counting… the counting is super important! I remember the energy and excitement as the weeks went on. What would this week bring, and would it play on my perceived strengths or weaknesses?

The 2019 Open rolls around, and I was excited to part of it again. I had a year under my belt… I had faith that I would at least be a bit stronger than the year before, but I was definitely still doing the scaled workouts. I remember Larry (McNaughton) most from this year. He always brought in printed-out score sheets for our morning group to score. :) Each week during the Open, Friday mornings became increasingly more about the excitement of your group and what they would surprise themselves with that day. It’s incredible what some extra adrenaline and the encouragement of your peers can help you achieve.

The 2020 Open showed me just that. I was encouraged to do the Rx workouts….funny how others sometimes know your strengths better than you do. I strung together more double under than I ever had before (possibly by sheer will), and thanks to the help of Chelsey (Corrigan), I completed some single-leg squats; who knew??

Participating in the Open over the last few years has just been fun. We have a pretty amazing community already, but the energy, encouragement, laughter, and commiserating are amplified in the best way for those few weeks. 

This year’s Open, I have no idea what to expect… I have been working out with one dumbbell, one KB, a band and a tippy chair for the last month. I know it will challenge me, but more importantly, I will experience it with a bunch of great people and Pete’s (Lancaster) sarcasm. 

Carolyn.