This is why I love Crossfit: it's a supportive environment like none other. It's encouraging, genuine, and everyone revels in everyone else's badassery. This is not the stare-down gym. This is not the gym of mirrors and bicep flexing. It is the gym of high-fives, fist bumps, chest bumps, hugs, back slaps, butt slaps, compliments and pushing others to their real limits, far beyond their perceived limits. When we walked into the Box this morning, we could hear cheering and whooping from the parking lot. One heat after the next, 4 competitors at a time were all being cheered on by their fellow gym members, family, and friends. Toddlers were toddling around among the tires and dumbbells. Murph the german shepherd pup was walking around with a soccer ball in his mouth. Harlie the house bulldog was making her rounds, despite having been sick all week. Moms and Dads, brothers and sisters, girlfriends and boyfriends, and just regular members who weren't competing were all there, calling out to people to "PICK IT UP!! COME ON!" and "KEEP GOING! GREAT JOB! LET'S GO!" For once, the trainers were the quietest people in the room, deep in their judging modes, staring down the competitors' every move and nuance of form.
photo by Scott Zlotak, CFF'er, paparazzi, and Open fan club
Today in our Box, just one of many around the world, 40 people put themselves out there 4 at a time, to prove that nothing can be done if you don't try, and that with tons of positive support, much can be accomplished. I'm sure that every competitor had doubt or doubts in their head, but we all finished. What blows my mind is the people who didn't have to be there but came anyway, to make sure we all knew we had support and our own personal cheering section. That's a beautiful thing on so many levels. I challenge you to go to your average fitness-club-orama or globo-gym and find something even remotely close to that.
In order to move forward, you must take a risk and put yourself out there for others to see and judge. In my mind, I was ready for a morning of public embarrassment. What if I overshot my expectations and did horribly? What if I had sudden intestinal distress mid-competition because of my nerves? What if I couldn't lift the bar over my head? What if I heard "no rep" over and over and over again? At 3-2-1 Go, there is no more room for fear, replaced instead by drive and persistance. We all took our expectations and pushed and challenged them. Many of us blew our expectations out of the park. My previous snatch weight was 50 lbs, and today I did 23 reps at 75 lbs, all because I had an awesome coach calmly pushing me and a group of loud-mouth friends yelling at me to keep going.
The old saying of 'You never know unless you try' was put to the test today. Let the scores of all who competed be a message to everyone who says, "I can't do Crossfit because of [ X,Y, or Z.]" There were no barriers, people who have only been going to the gym a short time gave it a try, and everyone was cheered on equally. They pushed themselves. I wish everyone could see that the population at the gym is as diverse as a population anywhere. There are people in their 60s, some just getting started and some breaking records. There are people at every end of the physical strength spectrum. Many have had surgeries, injuries, and many have been told that they wouldn't be able to exercise hard again. I love that the common thread through the Crossfit population is DRIVE. Tell me "NO" so that I can smile as I prove you wrong.
All around the world this weekend, Crossfitters are smiling, knowing they got up and did something, and now there is an official number attached to their efforts. Next week may be the big equalizer, who knows? But for this week, I have a number. It doesn't end here, either. Because next time I have to put myself out there, I will push past the doubt and do it again. It might be in work, at home, in the gym, anywhere. Confidence is a beautiful thing when it grows.
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