Thursday – Why Register for the Open? -Tom Kilkenny

Undoubtedly by now you have heard the Coaches at RARE talk about registering for the CrossFit Games Open.  The Open, as we CrossFit nerds refer to it, was my first exposure to the ‘CrossFit Community’ that we hear so much about.  When the 2012 Open started last February, I had been at RARE for all of 3-weeks.  By now you all realize, as I did then, that RARE is a very welcoming and friendly box to come and “get your WOD on”.  But I didn’t understand the essence of this community until the Open, and it has stuck with me ever since.  I’ll explain that further and a few other reasons why I as a fellow athlete encourage all of you to register today!

As I mention above, the CrossFit Community.  You see it every time you come and work-out.  People are encouraging each other and pushing each other through that day’s workout.  We are all doing the same WOD, each of us struggling with whatever challenges we face that day, and yet there is always a positive voice or two from a coach and fellow athletes that see us to the end.  We have all benefited at some point from the support we have received from someone else.  And then class ends and those athletes go on their way, and the next class begins.  During the Open, nobody leaves, and as a community we push each other both before and after our turn to workout comes up.  So, instead of the voice or two that pushes you each day, now there are 40, 50, 60 or more voices pushing you.  When you are done, everyone tells you how great you did.  And it feels pretty damn good!

At the end of the day, you won’t remember what you did in each WOD, but you will remember what someone else did.  Here’s the thing, I remember exactly what I scored on each WOD in the Open last year.  But what I mean by my first sentence is that the most memorable parts of the Open last year are achievements that someone else reached.  I’ve talked about this with others from RARE and we agree on this.  There are plenty memories that still make us smile when recalling them.   The successes of your fellow athletes, no matter how big or small they are in the overall picture, but are HUGE successes to that person…..THAT is what you will remember.  Participate in the Open and be inspired by our RARE community, because you never know when YOU will be the source of inspiration for someone else.

I’ve heard this one, probably thought it myself as well, “But I’m gonna suck”.  Let’s get this out of the way right now, if all you are worried about is the ranking next to your name in comparison to 70,000 other names on the scoreboard after each WOD, then I have news for you.  Yes, you will suck.  But that’s not what the Open is about.  It is about taking yourself out of your standard class time comfort zone and testing yourself in an environment that you aren’t used to.  It’s about feeling nervous butterflies and having sweaty palms when you hear “3,2,1…GO” and controlling it as the WOD starts.  It’s about pushing yourself harder than normal because you just can’t help but be pushed harder than normal during the Open.  It’s about logging your score and finding out that you really didn’t suck as bad as you thought you might.  It’s about being told how great you did by your friends and complete strangers and believing them.  And that never sucks!

You WILL do better than you think you will.  Re-read all of the “it’s about” items above.  That’s why you will do better than you think you will.  And another thing, don’t be afraid to be challenged.  If you are on the fence about Rx or Scaled, and you are leaning toward scaled because it’s comfortable, I’d recommend Rx.  Maybe you won’t “score” as well.  Then again, if you try Rx, there is a chance you’ll score better than you think.

Lastly, it’s just a lot of healthy fun on a Saturday morning.  I mean really, most of us are crazy enough to get up for a 7:30 or 9:00 class anyway on Saturday.  So what’s a couple more hours making noise for the other athletes?  Seriously, what else do you have going on anyway?

I’ll end with the mandatory inspirational quote:

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in that gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Thursdays Workout

■Endurance WOD
■WOD make up day
■Open Gym
■Advanced Class WOD

Another workout will be offered, but you have plenty of choices to make. Thursdays are also a great day to work on a “goat” of yours.