Now I know what you are thinking, "This guy is speaking blasphemy!" But let me tell you exactly why the Open isn't for ME this year. I have been competitive in my CrossFit career, whether it be in actual competitions, the Open, or just between my friends so I know what is like to push myself to be the best athlete that I can be every single workout. So believe me I know exactly where you are coming from those of you that are just as mentally unstable towards fitness as I am. But the CrossFit Open was not created for only those that are ultra competitive in CrossFit but rather it is for the community as a whole.
I am a part of a great team of coaches at CrossFit Lynchburg in Lynchburg, VA in which I have been coaching at for a year now and have been working out there even longer. The thing that I have noticed about CrossFit through my coaching, the community we are a part of is everything. You know the super cliche saying that all kinds of companies use "The customer comes first"? Well I have realized that this applies to us in the fitness world as well. Our view of coaching/training should be "The Athlete comes first" and yes i used athlete purposely. If you are continuously training in CrossFit, Pilates, Zumba, etc. you are an athlete that is training with a purpose. Too often I can view my training of others as just a means in which I grow or I get better as an athlete, which seems strange until you are actually in a coaching position for long enough, or I guess you're just perfect. But the more I think about it the more I realize that I just love the heck out of the athletes that I coach, and I want to succeed more than anything. The Open is an incredible time where athletes who are new to CrossFit and CrossFit veterans can compete against essentially the world of CrossFit to prove your fitness. Now there are those that take the Open very seriously where they want to make it to regionals and then eventually the Games (This is where I lie) and then there are those that are doing it just for fun and the camaraderie of it all. I just recently started having an old back injury start flaring up in like the middle of January (so only a month away from the Open) and now I have just been blessed with an achilles injury 2 days before 16.2 was announced. Well crap. I have been training all year for this moment right? God uses things in my life to remind me of the truth, I am weak but He is strong. I am not in charge of my life and ultimately it is not about me. I am on this earth to let the people I come in contact with know that I love them and that more importantly God loves them. There is a big old 0% chance that I can perform to the true best of my ability on the upcoming Open workout because of the different things happening right now and I love that. I can now focus on what is important to me, and that is being the best coach and the best advocate for my athletes that I can be. That is what makes it all worth it isn't it? Showing others that they are worth the time that they are more than just a random person at the gym, they are family.
So that's why the Open isn't for me this year, its for everyone else. It's for my awesome classes that have to deal with my crazy music selections, long periods of time sitting in a squat, and of course my crazy and weird warm-ups. Sometimes we need to take a step back and realize the big picture. I have the opportunity to invest in someone's life and to make an impact, what an incredible gift so why not take advantage of it. Let's be the community that pushes others to be the best mom, dad, brother, sister, wife, husband, friend and stop worrying about ourselves so much. And hey you might just find that we're not too different and that you know what, the Open isn't for you either.
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