“I’m nervous.”
‘I’m not sure I can do it.”
“I won’t be able to contribute anything to my team.”
These are common things we hear from people prior to doing their first CrossFit/Locomotion Open.
“That was SO fun.”
“I’ve never seen energy in the gym like that before.”
“I’m so glad I signed up.”
These are the things we hear usually after 1-2 weeks, and always by the conclusion of The Open.
We are about a month out from the Open…
But wait- what is The Open??
To sum it up quickly, it’s the first stage in the qualifiers to The CrossFit Games (search that up on Netflix for some awesome documentaries). It’s a world-wide competition that casts the largest net possible to find the “Fittest On Earth”. The Open is a qualifier straight to The Games, and there are several sanctioned events around the world through which athletes can qualify.
Every year, CrossFit HQ runs a three-week event called “The CrossFit Open“. As always, we take the idea and make it our own. We’re not interested in finding out how fast you can exercise against 400,000 other people worldwide. We ARE interested in helping you push to new levels in fitness, level up your life, and get 1,000 high fives from the Locomotion family.
Can we bring that worldwide thrill home? Can we deliver all the fun of competition without causing any anxiety attacks? We think so. The Intramural Open is our annual tradition at Locomotion.
But wait- I don’t care about being the “Fittest On Earth“…
Well, neither do I. Here is why I still want you to sign up.
For us- this IS our Games. We do it up pretty special for The Open here at Locomotion.
Back in 2014, I adopted an idea from who was later to become a mentor of mine, Chris Cooper. It’s called The Intramural Open and it’s friggin’ awesome. We add our own twists and spin to it and it’s ridiculously fun. Trust me.
We’ll divide you up into three teams, each with a Team Captain and a funny name. You can earn points for your team by participating, winning an event, participating in challenges, and showing the most spirit during events. After three weeks of intense, novel workouts, plus all the opportunities for points, we’ll reveal the winning team!
We choose a FUN bunch to Captain, not our traditional top scorers. We want you to sign up this year; are you really going to say no to one of the sweetest members in the gym? I don’t think so.
THE RECRUITMENT KICK-OFF
The draft of our more competitive athletes will happen between now and February 4. After our competitive members are split evenly in the draft, the Captains work hard to get everyone else to register and be on their team via recruitment! IF they try to recruit you before then, they’ll get a penalty. The point system favors the team with the most involved people, not the most competitive athletes, and captains will be busting their butt to get you on their side.
REGISTRATION
This year, Coach Katie will be keeping track of the scoreboard for our intramural competition. Everyone participating in the Locomotion Open will sign up on our Google Form with a $25 registration fee and be drafted onto a team. You can also officially sign up for the Open at the CrossFit Games Site to check your rank worldwide (this is not required, but it is fun!).
POINTS
+4 Points – Attendance: every member of a team that completes an Open workout at Locomotion each week earns four points.
+2 Point – Top male and female athlete from each Locomotion division each week gets an extra two points for their team.
+5 Points – Best Theme Presence: The team with the most noise, pride, and PRESENCE each week according to theme will receive 5 bonus points.
+5 Points – Spirit/Impact Award: The person who generates the most influence, positive energy, recognition, work ethic, determination, etc. will earn 5 points for his/her team that week.
+4 Points – Most workout participants: The team with the most participants who completed the workout each weekend will earn 4 points that week.
+3 Points – Social Media Challenges: Each week, a different social media challenge will be released (e.g. “teach someone in your life how to squat”). For every individual that posts on IG or FB (if both platforms, counts as just 1 post) with the appropriate and designated hashtags, his/her team will earn another 3 points that week.
+1 Point – #IveBeenDrafted Social Media Post: After each individual has chosen a team to participate with, he/she can earn 1 point by posting team draft recognition with the appropriate hashtags on social media.
+2 Points – Attending the Open Seminar/Kick-off/Draft Day on Saturday, 2/4: Each individual that attends the kick-off seminar event at 10AM on Saturday 2/4 will earn 2 points for his/her team (once selected).
WHERE & WHEN IT GOES DOWN
We’ll be running a fitness event at the gym every Saturday morning from February 18 through March 4, from about 9am-12pm at the latest. Each week will be themed and feel very much like a party with costumes, food, and friendly competition! Bonus? It is family-friendly! So bring your partner, kids, parents, grandparents, etc.!
PREPARATION
For most of our members, the Open is an annual measuring stick to test their improvements in fitness.
Our programming will incorporate some Open prep over the next few weeks to get you READY for the demands of the three-week competition! Expect extra skill work time, re-testing (or perhaps testing for the first time!) some of the previous workouts seen in the years of the Open – all to get a sense of what to expect during the actual event.
PRIZES
We’ll have some random raffle drawings each week for prizes, including gear, supplements, and gift cards. The top team will also earn a GRAND prize. Details released soon!
ARE YOU CONVINCED YET??
Join your Locomotion Fam for one of the most exciting times of the year. We are SURE you won’t regret it and know you will be grateful you gave yourself the chance to be challenged in ways you haven’t thus far.
Be nervous. Be unsure. Do it anyway.
We’ll see you #InTheOpen.
Register here.
