Reflections and Thoughts – 2018 Open By: Coach Sam

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The 2018 CrossFit Open comes to an end and as I reflect back on the experience, I could not be more proud of everyone at 410! This is my 4th Open that I’ve participated in and my favorite one by far. Here is why:
1. Everyone kept a positive outlook! When you are feeling down on yourself it’s easy to put your ego aside when you’re uplifted by positive attitudes and inspired by everyone around you. A positive outlook helps you overcome your setbacks quicker, compete at your best, and allows you to have the most fun! We didn’t point blame at the new standards or make excuses. We shared in each other’s struggles and successes, and we became closer as a community. Nat set a great example this year when she was SO CLOSE to getting her first muscle up. Instead of getting down on herself, she walked away with a big smile on her face and a positive attitude ready to tackle it next time.
2. Our 410 culture is all about hard work, humility, empathy, and kindness. That atmosphere builds positive energy so that we can all thrive and feel good about ourselves. If people weren’t happy with their score, they either redid the workout or used it as motivation to go back to the basics and fundamentals. It’s also and awesome testament to the culture that people who did not sign up for the open showed up to provide support and encouragement!
3. Everyone stepped out of their comfort zone. We all learn something about ourselves when we step outside of our comfort zone and as a result we transform and grow. Fear of failing or getting hurt is often a reason people are held back and unsure about committing to the Open or anything for that matter. Rachel was one of those people on the fence about signing up. I saw her rise to the occasion and succeed at accomplishing new movements and goals! WAY TO GO RACHEL! Reagan is another person who showed a great amount of courage and determination this year. I could go on. I loved seeing everyone who got their first DU’s, TTB, MU’s, HSPU’s and all the excitement from people surprising themselves.
Now that we have pushed ourselves to try some new things and identified our weaknesses, let’s take time to develop them into strengths!! Think of the open as a test that comes around once a year. You do not need to treat every daily WOD like a test. We scale movements to allow room for progression in a safe manner. By doing or trying to do an advanced program or movement when you are not at that level will stunt your progress. I am truly SO proud of everyone who RX’d an open workout for the first time, but that does not mean you go balls to the walls RXing from here on out. If you want to improve movements and get stronger, devote time to the basics and fundamentals. Pro athletes practice far more than they play in actual games. Take time to practice.
Using my self as an example… I took 6 minutes to do 12 muscle ups in an RX open workout. Although I am proud of myself for accomplishing that, I would never attempt to do that in a daily WOD. I would scale that workout by working on my progressions and static holds. Give yourself achievable goals rather than treating every day like the Open and failing at a movement over and over again. Don’t get injured pushing yourself to that end result instead of trusting the process. Pay attention when your coach is explaining the intended purpose of the workout, and SCALE so you meet the desired outcome of the workout. If you can respect the process and work on your weaknesses, you will surprise yourself even more in next years Open.
Cheers to you all for being so inspiring and awesome!
Terri
Sam Y
Nat
Cammie
Echo
Elizabeth
Micaela
Kristin Muller
Steph
Maria
Laura
Marcie
Leah
Erin
Andrea
Gianna
Bridgette
Linnea
Rachel
Hanna
Michelle
Sarah
G
Gary
Mike
CJ
Reagan
Sam
John Kelley
Chris K
Justin
Ryan Carter
Ryan W
Ryan Singlemann
Jeff Novak
Kris Spicer
Charles
Bike Mike
Ian
Alex Cook
Elliot
Alex Plimack
John Cullings
Dan O
Andrew
Matt Wood
James
Woody
Matt Green
Angelo
Bruce