I Was Never Competing With You...
By
February 2, 2016
There is much buzz around the CrossFit Open and the Catacombs Games. Some of you are excited to compete and see where you stack up with CrossFitters everywhere. A few of you have a chance to advance beyond the Open to Regionals. You have dedicated yourselves to this goal and sacrificed much to be in this position. We will do everything we can to support you and are so proud of the work you have done to get here.
I'll be honest though; the CrossFit Open has always been a mixed bag for me. I love the camaraderie and yes, I might be a tad competitive. I love watching people exceed their own expectations and rise to the occasion. I love the energy and the push. But CrossFit has never been about beating someone else or even "winning" for me. Maybe it is because I found CrossFit in one of the weakest physical periods of my life or that I was already over the hill when it came to being a competitive CrossFitter. CrossFit represented a path out of a darker place, a community that I cared deeply about and cared deeply about me, and a means to finding a better version of myself. Perhaps the notion of showing up and consistently giving my best has always been a challenging enough proposition.
I love the atmosphere of Friday Night Lights and there are so many positive things that come out of it. No doubt, many of us will surprise ourselves with what we can accomplish when we put ourselves out there. New friendships will be formed. PRs will be smashed. Fitness will be gained. If you are hedging on whether or not to participate, let me just ask you one question. What do you have to lose? You will not find a more supportive community ANYWHERE to push yourself to be better. And that is why we are all in this, right? Open yourself up to this challenge and see where it takes you.
I will not make regionals. I will not post the best scores or times in our gym...probably not even for my gender and age group! There will be workouts that I cannot complete as prescribed or that I will be better served by modifying. There will be workout results that leave me disappointed and days where I recognize that my fitness and skills were not all that I hoped they would be. And all of those things are just fine with me. Because I was never competing with you to begin with. I was and am only trying to be a better version of me.
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