As everyone at Industrial Athletics is aware, we just finished the 2016 CrossFit Games Open. This was the first step for those who want to qualify for the CrossFit Games. It is also an international competition that is inclusive of the ENTIRE CrossFit Community.
HERE ARE SOME REFLECTIONS ON THE OPEN
From an internal point of view, the Open in 2016 was a huge success. As the Open moved forward, conversations around the gym were constantly coming back to what is coming up on Thursday night. Our members started planning for the WODs on Friday by adjusting their regular schedules and workouts. The Friday, Saturday, and Sunday classes were packed with people doing the WODs and encouraging others. Some members would share tips and experience with others. Mini competitions among members formed pushing everyone to try that much harder to do well in the WODs. We saw new PR’s. We saw members achieve their first muscle up, and then go on to do more. We saw members attempt WODs as prescribed for the first time and really amaze themselves. Everyone fought for every rep and we couldn’t be more proud.
From the point of view of the Community at large, we had more people register for the Open than ever before. With 16 people signed up, it was a ton of fun to watch the leaderboard from week to week to see how we stacked up. Coach Mel did an amazing job of staying #1 in Pennsylvania for Law Enforcement Officers. Some of our members watched the progress of members from other boxes and used that as motivation to push harder. The overall results showed higher places for our members this year than in years past.
In the end, we learned that something is working. Our members are getting stronger/faster/better. Dedication to showing up and trying hard is clearly paying off. We found a few holes in our Programming and we can’t wait to adjust the programming over the next year to be even better next Open Season.
Thank you everyone for your wonderful participation and help. We couldn’t ask for more.
