For the last three years Coach has been really excited starting in February about, “The Open”. Each year I look at my gut, my inability to do a pullup, my “panic and ” at the mention of burpees and so on. I hear Coach saying WOD in and WOD out, “Get registered for the OPEN. You’re going to love it” and I think to my self there is no way I’m going to love it.
But something changed this year.
After participating in the Open as a gym rat the last two years I suddenly felt like I wanted to be an Open Athlete. It occured after I did 13.1. I hate burpees but love the Snatch. I was able to get 100 reps. Way more that I believed I could. In the middle of 13.1 I received a burst of confidence from an unexpected source. A guy that I had never seen in our Box before commented during my Snatch’s, “He has a good Snatch.” This guy’s comment spurred me on and I believe helped me finish the second set of burpees. I felt great after the workout. Then Dave Christiansen said, “Sign up for the Open, It’s not too late.”
So I signed up.
Since then I have been an Open fanatic (just ask my wife, Reba). My small group for church knows that I am an Open Athlete and that I was Internationally ranked. My co-workers know I completed 163 reps in 13.2 and my mom knows that I was only able to do the 3 Cleans on 13.4 cause, “I just can’t do T2B!” She was as upset as I was. (Hi Mom!)
What does all this mean to me.
I was looking today at my rankings and after 13.1 I was ranked 69,477 (out of 125,000 approx). After 13.2 I was ranked 59,184. After 13.3 ranked 54,384. And after 13.4 I am ranked 53,035 (out of 236,080). I have gone down in the ranks after each WOD. When I saw this it took my breath away. All the angst I had was gone. A big smile crept across my face. I didn’t think about only getting 3 reps on 13.4. I wasn’t concerned about the exhaustion and “burpee cough” at the end of 13.1. What I am thinking about is 13.5 and can I continue to keep moving down in my ranking. I am so fired up as I type this my heart is racing.
I will always be an Open Athlete.
From now on, as long as I can get to the Box I will always sign up for the Open. I will join my Coach in those funny little “Woo Hoo’s” that he is so prone too while dancing around the box. I’m not interested in seeing how “bad ass” I am but to see how much I can improve and how I rank against other Open Athletes around the world; the Crossfit Community that I have grown to love.
Oh crap, It just hit me.
Panic and trepidation just hit me as I realized the 13.5 looms large on the horizon. What will this final WOD hold in store for the CF Community? Will I be able to do the movements Rx? My heart is pounding and it is more that 36 hours until the announcement. I also feel a heaviness in my chest. I think Coach got me sick with his cold!!!!! Josh H. is hoping for heavy. I’m just praying for NO muscle ups!
BTW. I am currently ranked 2455 for my age group internationally, 205 in the Region for my age group and 22 in our Box!
Well there is only one thing left to be said, “3,2,1, GO!”
David “Tractor” Griesinger
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.”