What is the CrossFit Open?
The Open. It’s a special time for us CrossFit fanatics. This is the one time of the year that CrossFitters worldwide will be doing the same workout, for three consecutive weekends, to kick off the competition season that culminates in the CrossFit Games.
It’s worldwide, and it’s local. We come together, we throw down in the name of fitness, we show off our new strengths and skills built over the last year, we hang out/party a bit, and of course we cheer on our comrades in fitness.
Our credo at Big Dane: Friends. Fun. Fitness. Friendly, fun competition helps with the ‘fitness’ part: the pressure to perform pushes you to train harder and the social boost of dozens of your best friends cheering for you will help you reach a higher plane. Heck, watching your teammates GO is inspiring.
Can we bring the worldwide thrill of the Open home? Can we deliver all the fun of competition without causing any anxiety attacks? We think so.
The Open is NOT:
- Only for super serious athletes who Rx every workout
- Only the first step to the CrossFit games…it is so much more.
The Open IS:
- For everyone, no matter what age or experience level, since the WODs – just like those we do in class every day – are scalable to suit every level
- All about fun local competition with your friends, within the worldwide CrossFit community
What are the workouts?
The Open is a series of 3 total workouts that are released one at a time on Thursdays for 3 consecutive weeks. The announcement happens at a live show, with 2-3 CrossFit athletes competing immediately to demonstrate (so much fun to watch!).
These WODs pull from the huge variety of movements that we do in our regular classes here at Big Dane. You can see some past years’ workouts by choosing years from the drop-down box here!
The Worldwide Experience
The Open is the first stage in the competition that culminates in the CrossFit Games.
You may choose to officially register at crossfit.com, for a $20 fee. You’ll then submit your score before the Monday deadline each week.
But registration isn’t just for those who are at the elite level who have a shot at qualifying for the Games. It’s for anyone who wants to join the worldwide leaderboard and see how they stack up against their fellow athletes. Ever wonder how you stack up next to Tia-Clair Toomey or how fit you are related to your state or in your age category? This is the only way to know for sure.
In addition, it serves as an annual check up on your progress. Probably the biggest reason for the average CrossFitter to still submit their score is because it gives them a long term measurement to compare their progress in the sport of fitness year to year.
The Big Dane Experience
Affiliate gyms like ours are the heart and soul of the worldwide CrossFit movement. At Big Dane, we are putting together our own in-house competition for the Open, which all members are encouraged to join for free.
Check your email or chat with your coach for all the details about this year’s in-house experience!
Our first year, 16 Big Dane members tried their hand at the CrossFit “competition.” As we’ve grown over the years, it’s been a blast to see this annual celebration of fitness grow too.
Friday Night Lights at Big Dane
We’ll especially focus our energies on the 3-week series of Friday Night Lights (FNL), where you can come sweat through that week’s Open WOD and cheer on your fellow athletes! We’ll warm up then begin heats until all athletes have had a turn (usually a couple of hours). Everyone gets a judge/rep counter and we support the shizz out of each other. This is our biggest community event of the year and it is a rockin’ good time!
And, a big part of the FNL magic is the crowd atmosphere. After you have completed your heat we encourage you to stick around and cheer on your fellow Big Dane classmates! And even if you need to complete the WOD at another time, be sure to come cheer on your friends at FNL.
We have a lot of fun planned for FNLs, with themed nights and prizes. Stay tuned!
Why should I participate?
- We can do hard things and we should. This is at the heart of CrossFit. If you are scared or nervous about signing up and ‘competing’ in the Open then you should absolutely sign up and do exactly what it is that is scaring you. Dominate that fear and have a great time with your fit-peers because we don’t let our emotions control our actions.
- Elevate your training and increase internal motivation both going into and coming off of the Open. Having goals is great, but having a goal that is specific, measurable and tied to a deadline is proven to motivate individuals to apply their best effort to their daily/weekly training leading up to said event. I don’t know about you, but I often have seen new PR’s or breakthroughs in my training coming off of an event.
- Be a part of what makes this local fit community so special!
We can’t wait to run this annual fitness celebration with you!
-Coach Barrett