As we head into the 2018 CrossFit Games Open, here are some pointers to set your mind in the right place and maximize your experience in our greatest community event of the year!
HAVE FUN
The number one most important rule of The Open is to HAVE FUN! (Thanks Amanda for the GIF)
It's important to maintain our perspective that CrossFit is the fun part of our life. We're here to hang out with some cool people, crank the tunes, bust our asses, and high five when it's done. Competing in CrossFit is not our job. Our jobs are stressful and we get paid to put up with them. Unfortunately no one is going to pay us for how well we do in The Open, so we shouldn't take on an unpaid stress! CrossFit is where we de-stress, not take on more. If you find yourself fretting over the leaderboard or getting too wrapped up in scores, comparing to others, and wanting to re-do workouts take a step back and realign your approach.
...and speaking of re-doing workouts...
One and Done
At BRIO, we have a strict "one and done" policy in The Open, meaning we will not provide a judge for or validate more than one attempt at a workout unless there is a critical qualification on the line for Regionals or the CrossFit Games.
Getting too wrapped up in the scores and needing to repeat workouts to prove something is to lead with your ego. Repeating the same workout within the span of a few days is not smart training. It ultimately de-rails your progress and makes you less fit by the end of The Open. Not good! So set your ego aside and take ownership of your performance. Put forth your best effort the first time and own it.
Since The Open is the end of the competition season for 99.9% of us, treat your Saturday performance like it's your own CrossFit Games. Come in ready to throwdown! Everyone, at some stage of their competition, will be held to one and done. At the CF Games, an athlete doesn't get to come back on Monday, after everyone has packed up and gone home, and re-do an event because they weren't happy with their execution. They simply have to live with their first effort, and so will we.
To scale or not to scale
Workouts are scored in The Open such that even one rep of the RX version is ranked above a zillion reps of the scaled version. If it is at all possible (and safe) for you to take on the challenge of the RX workout, you should. The Open is great for pushing you out of your comfort zone and getting you to try new movements or heavier weights than you normally would choose. The first pull ups, first muscle ups, snatch PRs, etc are the truly magical moments each year.
While a workout that is extra-challenging might have you moving slower than usual, that's ok! The choices we make on Game Day are different than the choices we make in day to day training.
The scaled version is also there if the RX version is not possible or safe for you. Choosing the scaled option can be just as challenging and tough! Often the scaled down movements will have you moving faster and getting much more work done, pushing you to work super hard.
The Role of The Judge
The Open is powered by the work of the community. By participating in The Open you will be giving your effort to your own workout, to supporting your fellow teammates, and probably to the role of judge as well. A judge in The Open has two important roles:
To keep an accurate count
and
To uphold the movement standards as laid out by CrossFit HQ
In order to focus on keeping an accurate count, the role of the judge is not to be a cheerleader - that's what the teammates and spectators are for. The judge is also not responsible for coaching the athlete or critiquing the quality of their movement. There are plenty of coaches on hand to handle that job.
When you take on the role of judge, we are putting our faith in you to uphold the standards. When we validate a workout that you have signed your name to, we are literally putting our affiliate license on the line. Giving someone a no-rep when they aren't meeting the standards is not mean, and letting a bad rep slide certainly isn't nice - it's actually just dishonest.
When being judged
Make it your goal to move a cleanly as possible so that you LEAVE NO DOUBT (principle #3 of BRIO) in your judge's mind that every rep was legit. Make their job easy and give them nothing to question. If they do have to give you a no-rep, the proper response is thank you (not F&%$ You haha)
Always thank your judge when the workout is complete!