It’s the most wonderful time of the year: The CrossFit Open is here! There have been whispers in the gym of things like “Friday Night Lights” and “Dave Castro” and “18.1 wow please never again”, but if you’re unfamiliar, it kind of just seems like one big inside joke that is not fun to be on the outside of. So, allow me to explain: What is The Open and how does it work? Every Spring, CrossFitters ‘round the globe come together to compete in the worldwide Open. Yes, it’s a means for certain athletes of certain calibers to achieve certain scores and go to the Games, but for the rest of us normals, it’s an opportunity to come together every week for the sake of fitness. Over the course of five weeks, five workouts are released (sometimes rather ominously) week by week by Games Director Dave Castro/CrossFit HQ. The same workout is applied to all divisions and adjusted accordingly based on skill level. There’s an RX Men, RX Women, Scaled Men, Scaled Women, Masters, Kids, RX Rescue Animals, Scaled Neighbors, and so forth. The workouts are released on Thursday evenings, and everyone ‘round the Earth has a chance to complete the workout in their respective division before the clock strikes 5pm PST on Mondays. You perform the workout as many times as you want, and then record your score through the Games site. As a gym, we perform the workouts on Friday nights. See the next section: WTF is FNL? WTF is FNL? Every Friday, everyone who is registered for the Open comes to our beloved gym between the hours of 4pm and 8pm, sometimes 9pm if the bubbly is flowin’, to do that week’s workout in heats. It’s called Friday Night Lights, and it’s a pretty organized affair; with athlete warm up areas, a microphone, judges with clipboards, recovery pizza, pre-workout beers, and impressive feats of fitness. This is by far the best time of the year for our gym. There’s so much camaraderie, so much hype, and just generally so much fun. We’re cheering for each other, we’re no-repping each other, and we’re pushing our bodies to the limits -- don’t wanna jinx it, but, every year around The Open someone (or some few) nail a movement they’ve been working on all damn year. Chalk it up to adrenaline, or chalk it up to literal chalk, but it’s so awesome to see. Last year we had over five people get their first muscle up. Five!!! Why should I register? Because it’s a whole lot of fun and really cool, adrenaline-fueled things happen every year without fail. The end. How do I register? Because The Open has shifted a bit, we’ve decided to take to just take things in-house instead of direct you to the Games site. We want The Open to continue to be a place where people push themselves more than they ever have, where they feel encouraged more than they ever have, and where our whole community comes together for the sake of fitness and friendship. So get down to clown with us, and go to this link to register for a spot to compete in Friday Night Lights, and snag your 2019 Open tee. Again: that link will secure your competing slot and order your Open shirt. Be sure to do this by 2/13, so we can get your shirts in on time. Any registrations after 2/13 means you just get your shirt late. If you’re still on the fence, or are afraid, or don’t think you are capable of doing any sort of fitness-related competition for xyz reason, talk to someone who’s been through the Open ringer. Or talk it out with a coach. Or Google any videos about The Open and be inspired by the 75+ year olds who are still competing as master athletes. Or the person who lost over 300lbs and decided they want to do The Open to mark a milestone in their fitness journey. Or the person who suffered a traumatic injury, whose doctors told them they’d never walk again, but they want to do The Open to prove to the world that they’re still capable of accomplishing the impossible. They can answer all your questions, ease your nerves, and probably convince you to register. Also, we want you to. NOW it’s the end.
Kids Corner
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August 27, 2023
