The Open is Coming!

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CrossFit is not a sport with an “offseason”, so to speak.  Every day you come to the box, we prepare for challenges known and unknown.  After all, you never know when you will need to pick up 25 bags of dog food, or carry someone out of a burning building. That said, CrossFit does have an “in season”.  It’s known as the CrossFit Open, and we are just mere weeks away from the start of the 2014 season!

For CF9 athletes, the CrossFit Open works like this:

  • Anyone in the world can register for the CrossFit Open.  At CrossFit9, we encourage everyone to do so.   (Don’t think twice– do it now.)
  • Each Thursday evening, starting February 27, CrossFit Headquarters will announce the WOD.   (The WOD names correspond to the year and week of the Open.  For example, the Feb. 27 announcement will be for 14.1, the following week is 14.2, and so on…)  The announcement is livestreamed online, and then some of the biggest names in CrossFit go head-to-head in their first shot at the WOD.  This is a really exciting event, and bet your spandex you will be watching it weekly!
  • At CrossFit9, Saturdays will be our “game day”.  Instead of regularly scheduled Saturday morning WODs, athletes will show up at 10 a.m., ready to go.  You will be assigned a verified judge and complete the WOD in heats.  It’s a great feeling to tackle the WOD with your fellow 9ers cheering you on.  Can’t make it?  Arrange for a judged session with one of your trusty coaches.
  • At the end of the WOD, the judge will give you your score.  You must take this score and enter it on the Open website by that Sunday evening, 8 p.m. EST.  This is extremely important.  If you miss deadline, your score won’t be counted.  And if you miss one week, you are disqualified from the rest of the competition.
  • By Monday, you will find your name on a massive leaderboard ranking you amongst every person in your division in the world
  • Rinse and repeat for the next 4 weeks!
  • At the conclusion of the CrossFit Open, the top 48 in each division and region will advance to Regionals.  (Ours is May 9-11 in Jacksonville.)
  • From there, the top 3 in each division and region advance to the CrossFit Games.  Yes, those ones that you see on ESPN.

The Takeaway

You’re likely wondering why we want everyone to compete, regardless of skill level.  As your coaches, we do not care if you oust Rich Froning as the World’s Fittest Man in 2014.  We do not care if you set your sights on Regionals.  We care if you complete the Open in 2015, look back at your results from 2014, and see a marked improvement in your fitness.  We care if you leave the Open having learned valuable lessons about your strengths and weaknesses, about your mental toughness, and notes about what skills you want to work on over the next 47 weeks of the year.  We believe the Open is the perfect opportunity to see what you can do when you approach a competition with a You vs. You mindset.

This is an exciting opportunity.  Rarely as adults to we get the opportunity to compete just for the thrill of it.  You might feel excited, scared, or like you might throw up.  Likely all of those things at once.  Buckle up, enjoy the ride, and most importantly– have fun!

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P.S.  We count on your questions!  Leave them in the comments.