What was your favorite moment?
Yeah the Open is over, for better or worse, but more importantly everyone has walked away with something attached. Let’s hear what your favorite part was. What did YOU do well, what did YOU earn. Today in comments if you competed give yourself a pat on the back and let the world know you kicked ass and took names!
Strength
Press 2-2-2-2-2
WOD
3 rounds
40 Double Unders
200m run
20 Burpees
200m run
There will be no Classes on Monday, March 15th. The Boston Marathon will be taking place and we have a couple athletes here from CFSV who are racing! Lauren Tymon and Nicole Terramagra are both running to support some great causes. Let’s rally around them and show our support! I live right on Beacon St. and plan on parking camp around Coolidge Corner to watch the race, all are welcome to join. You can find the race schedule here For those of you looking to WOD, below is a modified schedule for the day. Hope to see you all there!
Invasion @ 8am- Summit Ave., Brookline, MA.
Invasion @ 6pm- CrossFit Somerville
*Both of these times do not require sign up. Just show up at either location!
Lauren Tymon’s Raffle winners have been announced! The following people please email her atlauren.tymon@gmail.com to claim your prize!
Damien
Olivia
Katrina
Dave
Olivia Peters is trying to organize a team to represent CrossFit Somerville at the Climb for Hope! The Climb for Hope is a race up 46 flights of stairs located at 1 International Place and takes place on April 28th. This stairclimb raises money for Wediko Children’s Services, who provide mental health services for children in the Boston area. If you have any questions feel free to email her at olivia.n.peters@gmail.com or refer to the poster next to the white board. Here is the link to register:
Use discount code- Crossfit2013-
http://www.imathlete.com/events/EventOverview.aspx?fEID=14339&z=1357570898734
Lovely ‘livia! Awesome pic.
Thanks Hillary! My favorite part is the chalk line on my boobs. Solid proof of a few chest-to-bar pull ups. 😉
Press: 75#. Not a PR. But still my 2rm ^_^
WOD: 20:01. I just want to say, I FINALLY FUCKING HAVE DOUBLE UNDERS! & i’m so happy Mandy got me to come this morning after last night’s shoulder fiasco with thrusters on Fran. I didn’t think I’d be able to do anything today. I was wrong. I really wanted to finally do double unders in a WOD, & I warned Mandy it would take a while (because when I practice I could only get one or two at a time) so she suggested doing 20 double unders per round. When the WOD started, they just came to me. Single, double, double, single, it was a mess but I strung them and even got up to 9 in a row with some singles in between. I’m friggin’ ecstatic. Thanks Mandy.
no RX for me because I didn’t do 40 per round. but i feel for me it was super duper RX day- and it put me in a good mood after waking up to a shitty morning.
Nicely done!
can i call you a double-under-super-wonder?
congratulations, Ariana! that’s fantastic!
Awesome sauce! Congrats girlie!
High five, Ariana! Double unders ain’t go nuthin’ on you!
Woo-Hoo! Congrats! Maybe you can help me with mine now!
press: 155#
wod: 13:02, rx. this was just the kind of wod I need to get the engine running again. running itself was a bit slow, but got 3 rounds of double unders unbroken. little victories…
here’s a little victory to consider: i found other names for you! ben confetti; ben MACHETE; ben sacch-sweaty…
Ben snatchsweaty?
you’ll have to submit these to Mandy for review. my own personal favorite (and there have been many) was the simple…almost elegant…Ben Wa.
How can you improve on Ben Sucketti?
Bent-over row 5×2: 195# across
WOD: 12:12 ~Rx (20 cal row instead of burpees)
I can’t wait to be 100% again. Not being able to Oly lift (among many other things) is KILLING me.
Oops! Thanks for reminding me, Olivia.
This is what I took away from my first Open:
1) PRs can be destroyed when you’re in the moment with everyone screaming, yelling, and cheering you on.
2) Step-ups still suck just as much as box jumps.
3) 150 wall balls will leave you sore for days.
4) When it matters, movements you thought weren’t possible actually are. You just weren’t pushed enough.
5) There are amazing people with disabilities beating you.
5) CFSV needs a grill.
We totally need a grill. And injury and all you beasted out the Open!
Hey, how come nobody ever follows Yosh’s instructions? I want to hear people’s highlights! 🙂
What about your highlights Olivia? You’re a natural and impressed us all for sure! I bet you liked that muscle up!!
I’m getting there Renee! It’s been a busy day! And it’s so much to think about!
love the first outdoor workout in a long long time!
press: 92# PR (thank jesus for fractional weights)
WOD: 15:59 Rx
the open was a blast, and i’m so glad i did it this year! things i learned:
– i’m better at snatching than i thought 🙂
– they may not be consistent, but toes to bar and pull-ups are a possible thing now (!)
– nick looks great in pigtails
and though they may be painful, wallballs are a great area where i can really improve
Many of you know of my transition into Weightlifitng and it was a good test to see what I could do with strength attacking metcons. My results:
1) I sought redemption from last years snatch ladder where I didn’t make it past the 135s. This year, I surpassed my goal and the weight moved a hell of a lot better
2) I am getting very strong and that strengths applies itself to more movements that need explosivity in crossfit such as box jumps and wallballs and muscle ups. All have gotten better
3) anything past 4 minutes and ill die.
No but honestly my proudest moment for myself was seeing how the strength I’ve gained still was applicable to CrossFit.
I won’t be winning any awards with my scores for Open 2013, but I’m still proud of myself for doing it. Things I learned:
– I totally cave under pressure.
– I will not die of embarassment if I earn a ‘zero’ score.
– I have a shitload of work to do before Open 2014.
My proudest moment: definitely cleaning 100# for the first time. Granted, this didn’t happen during an Open workout per se, but I wouldn’t have fought so hard for it otherwise.
Also, I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to Eric, Yosh, and all the other people involved in coordinating the Open workouts. I was amazed at how well-organized it all was, and that the heats actually ran on time!
And you made those cleans you fought for after look EASY – seriously great form, I’m not surprised you could up the weight thereafter.
And you’re right, Lara – Eric, Yosh, and all the other organizers did a Great job of organizing the heats, judges, and everything!
i learned how much i hate 12.4/13.3 and how much i want to punch dave castro in the balls for it. and how if it comes up again, i might consider actually punching him in the balls for it.
i also learned how going into a workout with an attitude expressed in the above statement changed my performance. i did worse this year on that than i did last year, which was extremely disappointing, but i wanted to quit before i even started. lesson learned.
Dave Castro is a creep. For reals.
Press: 135 PR
WOD: 9:44, all the fun things I like to do!
2013 Open moments:
-Snatch PR during 13.1, having never done more than 115#
-Surprising myself and getting through the wall-balls in 13.3
-Finding that kernel of extra aggression to try and push past the last stages of each WOD. This will come in handy going forward.
-KP quoting Albert Camus to motivate me.
Thanks to all participants for the support and fun. I had a blast hanging out with all of you and look forward to continued hijinks. Many thanks to the coaches as well for the extra-push, and also the fantastic job organizing the events.
CHEERS!
Those snatches were awesome I almost wanted to cry tears of joy for you!
175
15:55 with singles
The Open:
Learning I can do kipping pullups and a few Chest to bars
Stringing a few double unders together
I can do toes to bar now
and during the 5 weeks, I PR’d my Clean and Jerk (for bodyweight).
It was a pretty good 5 weeks.
Press: 90# PR bitchez
WOD: 12:57 singles
The Open was an amazing experience. Bonding with the box and seeing everyone push themselves to the limit was pretty amazing. My favorite moments were:
-The group effort! So many of you helped me push harder, work more skillfully and train more effectively. Nick, Brian, Yosh, KP, Mandy, Eric!
-The CHEERLEADERS – y’all were part of this too! Tricia, Donne!! Seriously. Thank you!
-13.1 PRing on my snatch and then snatching it 13 times!
-13.4 C&Jing my 1 time PR 16 times when I thought my score would be 0… then a couple days later C&Jing 110# (and Yosh telling me I was fast under the bar… seriously an Oly compliment from Yosh can make my week)
-13.5 held my favorite highlight where I actually sparkled a bit. I didn’t really expect to get as many chest to bars as I did since my kip isn’t really awesome. I ended up doing what I know I CAN do in that 4 minute time frame: strict chin up grip chest to bar pull ups. After the 4 minutes were up I was getting a lot of “wows” about my strict pull ups. First from Nick, who is a pull up beast and then from Yosh who is also a God damn beast…So this was one of those “I had no idea I did something good until after I did it” moments. I realize strict are harder. I was not trying to challenge myself more I simply KNEW I was able to get more reps with chin up grip. I ended up actually contributing to the team score on that one WOD which I was really really hoping to do in the Open this year. I wanted to contribute to just ONE team score. 🙂 Toot Toot!
Renee – you did those 13 snatches in 13.1 so well I had no idea that was a PR for you! Rock on! And I’m sad I missed your chest-to-bar pullups in 13.5, they sound Awesome. And I agree – the cheerleaders were Inspirational!
Lydia – I’ve got it on video! It was pretty cool! Check my facebook…
Today was the first day in a long time that I was able to just come in and work out without modifying or anything. Press: 75#.
I was so happy to be able to Rx a WOD, and was feeling really good all the way through rounds 1 and 2. Even felt good about the DUs in round 3, but then my stomach just wasn’t having it anymore. DNF, sadly, but it’s all good.
I learned so much from the Open, including:
– 150 wallballs is So much more painful than it sounds
– I can keep going when I just want to lay down, if KP yells loud enough.
– That the kindness of strangers can be inspirational in the moment – judges Shorty, Abby, Mike, Nick, Kirstie, and impromptu coach Jen on 13.4, especially.
– That cheerleading is WAY more fun than anyone lets on, and that our cheerleaders are my favorites <3.
– That warming up is key, even if I did that thing the day before.
And my favorite moment was having had the world shrink down to me and coach Jen while struggling for my first 95# C&J, fearing I might not get there. Then finally getting it, and having my world explode into a whole happy box of friends as the crowd went wild \o/.
Seriously amazing! I wish I had been there for that!! Now who was coach Jen? Do you mean Jen Moynihan? I can attest she helped me CJ 110# 2 days later and attempt 115# – she is so good at pushing you… Maybe a second side career for her along with the pharmacy gig 😉
Nice! Go Jen! My Jen was a Fenway person, maybe girlfriend of Mike G. KP said that Jen is her Louisiana sister, and I can see that – she was good at yelling, too :D.
The Open. I’ve learned:
1) I am capable of much, much more than I give myself credit for.
2) That having the support of a community like CFSV is invaluable. The extra help from coaches and the extra loud encouragement from fellow competitors and cheerleaders were what pushed me through on all the wods.
3) It doesn’t matter if you can do a muscle up if you stink at wall balls and double unders. You need to address your weaknesses so you can show off your strengths.
4) Just keep going. You can rest when the wod is over. You’ll regret it if you don’t.
My personal highlight:
1) My goal in 13.1 was to have time to attempt one 100# snatch, which I had never tried before. I ended up with 4.5 minutes and did 8 of them! I walked away from this wod knowing that I had done my best – I didn’t even consider redoing it. 🙂
The best highlight:
I have so much respect and admiration for the athletes at CFSV that PRed and pushed themselves beyond what they thought was possible. For the athletes who worked their ass off and showed up to every workout, even though they knew they wouldn’t end up at the top of the leaderboard. For the athletes who showed grit and determination in the face of nearly impossible tasks. For all of you guys out there who had heart and pushed through their own self doubt. Honestly, the highlight of my open was watching you guys fight for those toes-to-bar and get your very first 95# clean and jerks. I found it so inspiring.
I realize that I did well in the Open, but to be honest, I don’t think it’s nearly as much of an accomplishment as what many of you did this past five weeks. When it comes down to it, I popped out of my mother’s womb as an athlete, and went on to all-star teams and state championships, all without much effort. I didn’t put in extra hours in the weight room, or stick around for extra coaching, or try to eat well. I just went out there and my genes helped me be successful. And, when I take a good hard look at myself, I realize that I probably would have just quit if things weren’t easy and if I wasn’t winning. And so I don’t have as much respect for the Thorisdottirs and Fronings out there as I do for the hard-core, determined athletes at CFSV. Strict CTB pull ups and 95# clean and jerks?! Never giving up even when you think something’s impossible?? You guys are truly an inspiration and I was so honored to be in such amazing company!
“You need to address your weaknesses so you can show off your strengths.” so true!
also: you must have been one hell of a muscular baby 🙂
Actually, I was a shrimp! 5 lbs, 11oz, but lost those 11oz in the first few days! They wouldn’t let me out of the hospital! 🙂 But after that debacle… I grew muscles.
Olivia this is great. So well said! You should be a teacher or something 😉
Thanks Mandy. I’ve been considering becoming a teacher…. oh wait – it already happened. 🙂
I’m going to miss you this week! No Tuesdays/Thursdays for me for awhile… I have to go to spin class and actually train for this cross country ride… boo!
Press: 135#
WOD: 11:24 Rx
CrossFit Open
My favorite aspect is comparing how I did year over year. For the North East men’s division I ranked:
2012: 1507/2054
2013: 1871/4607
Neither rank is impressive on its own, but I consider this a huge improvement. I’m now in the top half of all participants. This just helps validate the effort put over the course of the year, not to mention the effectiveness of the coaching and programming. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, and I’m looking forward to 2014 where maybe I can break into the top 25-30%.
Also hoping for a repeat of 12.4/13.3. Getting an additional 11 reps this year was definitely the high point of the last 5 weeks. Looking forward to getting even more muscle ups next time.
I really had no intention on participating in the open, but I am so glad I did. With no athletic background, and being in my first year of crossfit, I had no idea what to expect of myself. But i signed up and showed up. The Crossfit Open was such a learning experience for me, not just physically but more so mental. I tend to be my own worst enemy and critic, and I realize that needs to stop if I hope to progress in this sport. Moving forward I’ll be embracing my strengths and weaknesses rather than beating myself up! I think I did ok for a first timer, and plan on doing even better next year!
I can do double unders now!! And my crazy legs kipping gets my chin over the bar for pullups! (I’ll work on those) I also want to work on focusing on my form and technique for a lot of the movements, not just worry about how heavy I’m going. I really want to be able to use what strength I do have efficiently.
OH! One last thing… All my new friends!! We were cool…. but now we reallll cool 🙂 You guys truly made this a memorable experience and I look forward to sweating and suffering through the summer with everyone at CFSV! Your passion and intensity are contagious.
Similar to Damien, I consider my biggest achievement to be how much I improved. At the end of the 2012 Open, I was squarely in the bottom 25% of all male participants. As of the end of the 2013 Open, I’ve cracked securely into the top 25% in the North East and the World for men. I surprised myself in a couple of the workouts by doing more of the harder movements than I thought I would be capable of doing. Here’s to a great year of training and to seeing even more improvements by this time next year!
I’m proud of everyone who participated, especially those of you who took yourselves way out of your comfort zones. The best part about the Open is that it forces people to face their biggest athletic fears and in the process surprise themselves with PRs.