You’ve heard from our coaches about why they’re doing The Open, and now it’s time to hear from some of our members. Some are new to CrossFit as a whole, and some have participated in The Open for years. Either way, check out their why: Alex Morgan, Renewb: I am doing the Open as a way to understand where my fitness ranks among not only Crossfit Renew but the Community as a whole. This is something that attracted me to the sport of Crossfit as it is something that typically is an individual competition where everyone is equally competitive towards one another as they are encouraging. The Open will show me where weaknesses lie and skills that I need to improve, more so than others, before the Open comes around again! Jared Crowley, Renewb: I’m doing the open because I like baselines, I like competition, and because it’s a little intimidating. I mean- how do you measure growth if there is no baseline? I’ve got 8 months of Renew under my belt and am ready to take a shot at something serious. Watching the Games gets me so amped- remember when Matty Fraser beat Ben Smith in that sprint in ‘16? The Tia/Kara finish? This is my shot to compete- slower and scaled, sure, but I’m excited! And lastly, I’m old, I’m carrying a few extra pounds, and doing these workouts in front of a crowd is scary. But hey, face your fears right? Renew folks are solid and I know I’ll get a lot of support... So let’s do this bro. Ciera Schick, Renewb: The Open is something I’ve always known about but thought it just for the athletes who were a shoe in for the Games. When I found out us regulars could do it too, aside from immediate panic, I thought why not give it a try. Even though there are TONS of skills I can’t do and will likely scale in every workout, I felt like it was a good opportunity to set aside my fears and just do it. Maybe during The Open I’ll finally string more than 3 pull ups together or get toes to bar, maybe I won’t, but I won’t know until I try. My ultimate goal for The Open is to leave each workout not feeling embarrassed or ashamed that I couldn’t do a skill or finish the fastest, but to remember that everybody started somewhere. I signed up, I started my journey, and in five Opens from now I’ll be thanking myself. Steve Le, CrossFit Vet: I’ve done the open every year since 2012, with the exception of 2017. I do it for myself and the people I work out with. I finish every open with something new to work on and then I get to try it out the next year. This year I’ve been working on c2b efficiency. There not really where I want them to be, but I have made some progress. But I get the most joy out of helping other people in the open. You do the workout alone, but you’ve got people giving you tips before if your are worried about a skill or a judge keeping you calm as you grind through a long WOD or the rest of the class cheering you on for one more rep. While I’ve been lucky enough to be around people who have made regionals and the games, my favorite open memory is helping a member get her first T2B in an open WOD. She still smiles every time she tells the story of getting it which I think of pretty cool. Sally Mayo, CrossFit Vet: I do the open because ... Sadie will harass and haze me if I don’t. But seriously ... I like doing the open because it’s always a challenge — even when doing it scaled, and I like being a part of a larger competition though it’s not the competition part that gets me. It’s the the shared experience of doing a workout that everyone at Renew is doing, in addition to people all over the world. I do get a charge seeing how I rate among my peers. The main reason to do the open is the Friday Night Lights experience: I get to interact with people from Renew that are regulars at other times that I don’t get to see. I like giving support to the crew and seeing everyone work hard and give their best. When I get past that initial ‘judging’ thing I can experience the open as an incredibly supportive experience that is unlike I get in any other area of life. Being in a place where individuals are authentically cheering each other and supporting each other is THE BEST. The Browns, CrossFit Vets: Dom: I'm doing the Open because it's a chance to hang out with everyone at Renew and you all are awesome. I'm happy to be a member here and happy to witness all of us push our limits. The Open shows you your weaknesses, but it also shows you how strong you are and how far you've come. My goals for this year include: becoming more proficient at double unders and ring dips. I also want to work on my cardio endurance. I'm looking forward to seeing all my fav faces at Friday Night Lights and hopefully meeting some new folks too! Frank: I enjoyed it last year, and I was excited about the prospect of getting a t-shirt this year! More the t-shirt, really! So whether you’re young or old, new or seasoned -- the Open is for you. We are so excited to see what this year holds, and we can’t WAIT to see who learns what new skill or slam dunks a new PR. It’s gonna be a good year, people. We can feel it. See you under the Friday Night Lights!
Kids Corner
5 CrossFit Moves Kids Can Do at Home Hey there, parents and young athletes! Are you looking for some exciting and effective CrossFit moves your
June 6, 2023
