The Open - Part 3

The Open - Part 3
with Diana O

My first CrossFit open was in 2014. I had literally just started CrossFit a month before. Everyone was going on about signing up. I was completely clueless, but it was such a BIG deal, so I did it. And it was SOOOO fun. I would always tell people I was never a competitive athlete because I didn’t like putting that much pressure on myself and didn’t like losing. 

But the open is different. 
The Open brings everyone together; it unites the gym and members and pushes you to get outside your comfort zone. I always feel that anyone I’ve done Open workouts with, or judged or been judged by, we all have a tighter bond between us because we all appreciate the battle and the push to do the very best we can. 

We all work hard in our workouts every day - but when you are “judged” and you are putting scores on a worldwide scoreboard, you will surprise yourself at how much more you will push yourself. You will see that yes, you are good enough, and hey, you are WAAAY fitter than you think when you know where you rank with those your age. 

My first year, I ranked 800 something - out of 10,000 - I was so happy I was fitter than more than half the people in my age category - and that was 1 month in! The next year I saw my progress climb from 800 to close to the top 200…..and then the push for the AGOQ was on and brought out the competitive nature in me. 

Every year, you see how you progress, and you can quantify how far you’ve come. We all get caught in the things we can’t do and where we want to be better, but the open, year after year, shows us that we are improving - and that we should stop being so hard on ourselves!!

What I also love about the open is seeing people do things they would never normally try. I got my first chest-to-bar in the open - and only because I stood under that stupid rig for 10 minutes and had to figure it out. My judge, Caro, kept giving me tips - and I finally got one! It was the best day ever. I got my first bar muscle-up in the Open - same thing - but now Caro’s husband Phil was judging me. I got one - and I’m not sure who screamed louder, Phil or Myself! I was on cloud nine again. 

I could go on and on with the firsts that happen during the open! So many get their first ring muscle-up in the open - and maybe that’s not your goal, but hey, it’s like being a kid again, just trying some new fun things! It’s incredible what happens under a little extra pressure and push. 

So really - what the worst that happens if you sign up? 
But more importantly, what the best? 
You will surprise yourself. 
I can vouch for that 1000%!

​Diana O.