OK, around this time of year I make a concerted effort to try and avoid being asked the question: “Are you doing the opens?”
If you don’t know what the opens are, it’s a series of 5 workouts over 5 weeks that are used to determine who qualifies to compete in the Crossfit Games for the title “Fittest In The World”.
Yes, that’s right. THE FITTEST IN THE WORLD. Sounds badass? It is.
In fact, just asking yourself the question “am I ready for the Games?” goes against all common sense for most mere mortals. To say “yes” to the question is like admitting that you have aspirations of running for President, or becoming an astronaut. I mean sure, it’s fun to think about, but unless you’re five-years old or perched for immediate glory, it’s probably best (and more sane) to keep such dreams to yourself.
OK, so the opens is not quite the games…but it’s still pretty badass.
Within my community of friends, our culture tells us that registering for the opens is justified and respected, regardless of whether or not you have any chance of being competitive, or any chance of being anything more than a spectator at the games:
From Lisbeth Darsh’s blog post: "Enter The Open, Even If you Can’t Win"
"Sure it’s fun to see who leads the Open, like it’s fun to watch the real beasts of your gym do incredible shit, but it’s the stories of perseverance, drive, and hope in the face of bad odds that make us smile and be proud to call ourselves CrossFitters. It’s competing, even when you have no chance of winning. It’s putting yourself out there. Having heart, in the face of a world that seems to want to stomp it out of your chest."
Indeed, “putting yourself out there” and “having heart” are a large part of the foundation of the Crossfit experience. In my box, those people that are admired and respected the most are not just the Games-level competitors – it’s also the athletes that may finish last but gave it their all; athletes that faced a challenge and stared it down so that they could build themselves up.
I get all of this. This is the language of my people.
And I will be cheering the loudest for all of my friends who compete in the opens.
But I am still not gonna register for the opens.
First of all, it costs $20.
OK, so it’s not a king’s ransom, but that’s 20 bones that are guaranteed to leave my modest coffers and never return when I register for the opens.
Next up is the fact that I can still do all of the open WODs (without being officially ranked against the whole Crossfit world) for free.
I know, I know, keep-your-shirt-on.
Yes, we are a global community, and it may be selfish of me not to officially share my merely-mortal results with the whole Crossfit world.
Wait a sec. Really?
If registering for the opens was not a business transaction, perhaps that argument would sound more authentic. But Crossfit has become a very big business.
Does that make a difference?
A lot of Crossfitters will talk about the spiritual “therapy” that Crossfit provides. Many non-Crossfitters refer to Crossfit like a cult of believers.
All of this is true.
Just as some people go to church every week and pay a tithe in order to be a part of a spiritual community of believers, I can understand why some Crossfitters would register to be in the opens just to participate in the experience with their fellow athletes.
But I also think that it is possible to have a spiritual experience without necessarily “kneeling down and praying at the altar”. And that is why I have chosen to participate in/but not register for the opens.
And instead, put my $20 towards the purchase of a new jump rope.
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