Competing in Sectionals

Written by Jason Woodliff, of Rockwall, TX
June 2011

For seven weeks this past March and April I took the opportunity to compete in the CrossFit Open Sectional competition. For those who don’t know, the Open was held in order to determine which athletes would earn their way into the Regional competition and ultimately the CrossFit Games to compete as an individual or represent their affiliate teams. I made the decision to compete knowing that I had no chance to progress to the regional or make our CrossFit Rockwall team, but I wanted to push myself as hard as I could, and see how I stacked up against the great athletes at our gym and around the world.

Having just started Crossfit 15 months prior, and having no workout or weightlifting experience prior to that, I went in with 2 goals in mind:

1. Finish part of the workout so I could post a score.
2. Since I’m very competitive...Don’t come in last place.

I am proud to say I accomplished both goals. Overall, I thought the workouts were a great test. They covered a broad range of skills and abilities and ultimately I think they accomplished their goal of separating the best to move on to the next level. I think keeping these goals in mind helped me push myself harder than I ever have before. Also, being judged on my reps, having people watch me and knowing my score was going to be posted on the website for all to see, definitely got my adrenaline and competitive juices flowing. After seeing some of the scores posted by the elite athletes, it made me have even more respect for what they can do.

What makes the Crossfit Open great is that you don’t have to be an elite athlete to compete. People all over the world who competed were able to accomplish things they never have before and never thought were possible. Such as getting their first double-under, their first muscle-up or setting personal records on the lifts. I would encourage everybody at Crossfit Rockwall to set a goal now of trying to compete in the 2012 Open, regardless of your skill level or ability. You have nothing to lose and you may be surprised what you are capable of.

Thanks Mary for pushing me to give the sectional workouts a try. I can’t wait till next year.