Note: I often begin drafting my CrossFit Open blogs shortly after the announcement. Then I complete them after I do the WOD, you know, when reality sets in.
Preview
What do I mean “another two-fer” in Open 16.3?
No, I am not talking about a do-over. I’m talking about doing it Rx and Scaled.
This has already been a poor Open season for me and many of my colleagues who lack the strength and skill to do anything even remotely resembling a pull-up. So to be blessed with Chest-to-Bar pull-ups in Open 16.3 is simply icing on the cake.
No, I am not complaining. We now have the option of going Scaled. So it’s not like we’re being exiled to sit under the rig for another 7 minutes. We have a choice.
My choice, once again, is to do it twice.
Last week, I really wanted to get at least one TTB. They are particularly frustrating for me, because I was able to pull a rabbit out of my hat a few years ago. This year, it didn’t happen. So my scaled score went on the leaderboard, and I was pleased with my scaled performance. No regrets.
This week, perhaps I’ll do Scaled so I can have fun with my friends and get a WOD under my belt. Then in the following heat, I’ll try Rx, to see if I am able to capture my first Chest-to-Bar.
Show Time 3-2-1…
OK, 22 hours have passed since I typed the first half of this post. Now reality sets in.
I got to the box late, so I ended up in the last heat – again. No time for a “two-fer”, so I opted to try Rx. I enjoy snatches, and 65# for 10 reps is not a show-stopper. But, I have been struggling with getting up on the rig for three weeks running. But I tried anyway.
For Masters Men 60+ it was Chest-to-Bar. We had Chin-over-Bar in 16.1 – fail. But that did not deter me from attempting to get Chest-to-Bar. I may not have been deterred, but I failed nevertheless. So I joined hundreds of other 60+ men and women with a 10 on this WOD.
There has been a fair amount of criticism by some people on the Games website, challenging the integrity of all these athletes who scored 10, suggesting that the “proper thing to do” would have been to do a Scaled 16.3 WOD. Their objection stemmed from the fact that 1 Rx point ranks higher than a gazillion Scaled points. C’est dommage.
Such a critical attitude seems contradictory to the spirit of the Open. I saw a dozens 60+ guys and gals with a score of 11, 12 or 13 points. That certainly suggests these athletes got their first Chest-to-Bar pull-up.
Facebook and Instagram were filled with various athletes, men, women, young and old struggling to get their first BMU. Cheers and jubilation filled the room with every success.
Now I will be the first to admit, a Chest-to-Bar Pull-up is nowhere near as glamorous as any muscle-up. But to the athlete struggling for that personal victory, it is huge.
I had over six minutes to get my Chest-to-Bar. Since I never got my pull-up, 16.3 became ten Snatches, followed by a 6 minute kipping workshop.
Observation
I enjoy Friday Night Opens at my local box. They are a blast. A minimum of three-dozen athletes show up, eager to take on the Open. The high point for me is always the person stuck in the first round, desperately working for that first TTB, MU, BMU, or whatever.
This past weekend was no exception. I was privileged to witness several women overcome gravity and mental roadblocks to get their first BMU, and then make it into subsequent rounds within the 7 minute workout. It was exciting to watch, in spite of the bruising these ladies took, their satisfaction was beyond measure.
Summary
We have a winner! No, not simply a participation prize. But a personal victory. Some people got their first Bar Muscle Up, some their first Chest-to-Bar pull-up. Others fought for one last rep before the clock expired. But everybody who stepped onto the floor this weekend tasted the joy of the CrossFit Open.
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