CrossFit Open 2019 & Main Event Saturdays

After issues with 3 devices, multiple failed exams, and 1 full work day, I’m happy to announce that I have passed the 2019 CrossFit Online Judges course!  Which can only mean one thing…. the CrossFit Open Season is here!  And while there have been some big changes in the qualification process (i.e. you have to win the Open in your country to get a bid to the CrossFit Games… instead of the top 30 in Northern California moving on to a Regionals, and then potentially the Games), this DOES NOT effect 99.99% of us!  For all of us regular folks, it’s an opportunity to challenge yourself in an environment and with workouts or exercises that you may not have previously done before, to cheer others on, to get cheered on, and for those that enjoy it, compare yourself to hundreds of thousands of other CrossFitters from around the world doing the same workouts at the same time you are!  And while CrossFit and the CrossFit Open are often times targeted by many who trash talk the dangers, ineffectiveness, or general dislike of the workouts, no one person, group, or sport organization has even come close to having the global effect CrossFit has had on health and fitness.  But that’s really irrelevant to why you should or shouldn’t participate in the Open.  If you like the idea of challenging yourself, and cheering on others, etc. do it, if that doesn’t sound like fun, don’t do the Open, regardless, don’t judge others for their choice in participating or not participating.

Now, on to the Sweat Shop and the Open.  The last two years we’ve had an intra-gym competition where we divided everyone in the gym into 4 teams, and each week we’d announce which team performed best.  This year we are going to do away with the intra-gym competition in favor of a fun and supportive, everyone is invited, Main Event Saturday.  While other gyms have a similar event they usually call Friday Night Lights,…. Saturdays have always been the day which most of our members do the Open workout.

Everyone’s idea of “fun” is different.

And to increase the “fun factor”, each week I plan on having a Main Event, or head-to-head match up!  If we can get some volunteers each week that would be awesome, if not, I’m volunteering myself as one of the participants, and I’ll let you guys decide who you want me to be matched up against… and as long as they agree, we’ll battle it out all in the name of entertainment, and possibly some strategic insight into the workouts.

And while CrossFit is notorious for changing things up year to year, this is a brief overview of what the Open usually looks like:

• 5 weeks of competition (starting this Thurs. 2/21)
• 1 workout released each Thursday evening at 5pm
• options of Rx’d version as well as Scaled and Masters versions of each workout are available
• you have until the following Monday each week to complete each workout
• your workout will need to be judged (don’t worry, they don’t have to pass the course I did)
• We’ll be running CrossFit Open Heats at the following times:
  • Thursday 7:00pm*
  • Friday 5:30pm
  • Saturday 9:00am – 11:30am
  • Sunday 8:30am – 10:00am
  • Monday 9:00am*
  • Monday 3:00pm
    • *the gym will be available for anyone to do the Open workouts, but there will not be set heat times, as the coach will be teaching class.  for these times you will need to provide you own judge

Additional stuff to remember regarding Sweat Shop & the Open:

• The following classes will be temporarily cancelled and used to run CrosFit Open Heats from Feb. 21 – Mar. 25
  • Friday 5:30pm
  • Saturday 9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am (we’ll have Open Gym at 11:00am on Saturdays, come and get your own workout in)
  • Sunday 9:00am
• Each week you’ll need to reserve your heat time(s) when you’ll want to do the Open workout (link will be posted)
• Since everyone submitting a score will need a judge, expect to also judge someone’s workout either before or after your scheduled heat time
• Arrive early so that you have plenty of time to get warmed up and be ready to go when at your scheduled heat time
• Heat Times will be reserved through our CMS Zen Planner.  If you don’t already have a login and p/w or aren’t sure how to get a new password, let me know so I can get one to you ASAP.