CrossFit Games Open: Wrap Up

Congratulations to all of our members and coaches who participated in this year’s CrossFit Games Open! We saw three weeks of fun, friendly competition, many PRs, and the return of Friday Night Lights. Though the competition ends here for most of us, we can’t help but reflect back on some big wins. Catch up with our Open athletes on their favorite workouts, moments, and goals for next year!
And if you missed out this year, you can still nurture your competitive streak by signing up for the Festivus Games, April 24 at your very own Fearless Athletics (with virtual option). See you on the competition floor!

What was your favorite Open workout?

21.3! —Christina Heston

21.3 and 21.4. —Coach Dominick Bulone

My favorite workout was probably 21.2, just because it was the most achievable for me as a beginner. It was also the only one I was able to finish (even though I scaled) so it was nice to have that small accomplishment. —Madeline Hobbs

21.2 was AWESOME! Being new to CrossFit, it was really cool to see the chatter within the CrossFit community about this workout, being that it was a repeat of 17.1. Everyone was pumped up to beat their scores from 2017, while also having a nervous energy implying how difficult it was/would be. The feeling of exertion I felt upon completing 21.2 was something I have never felt before, a pain that felt so good knowing I left it all on the field! Lastly, I completed my goal, which was to finish in the time cap. —Dave Marks

21.3. I figured that we might not see muscle ups at all since 21.1 was gymnastics intensive. Glad that I was wrong (my hands are not). 🙂 Gianna Paone

I think 21.2 was my fav this year—dumbbell snatches and burpee box jumps. I have finally progressed enough to feel confident with 50 lb. dumbbells in most situations, and I recently learned some new ways to step into a box jump from a burpee more efficiently. So I was excited to try out my new skills! —Zachary Dutton

21.3 and 21.4 were the best parts of the Open this year. I loved the combination of barbell and gymnastic movements. We were also able to see athletes accomplish many “firsts”. First pull up, first muscle up, etc. The Open challenges us to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones. We move a little faster, go a little heavier and try things that we did not think we were capable of. That special moment when someone achieves a new goal during an Open workout is what it’s all about. —Coach Lauren Weiss

Loved 21.3/21.4. Felt like it was a classic CrossFit workout that was a balance between heavy lifting and gymnastics/cardio movements. —Coach Michael Renolayan

I’m going to say 21.1 because no one else did, and I always go for the underdog. But I mean honestly … who saw wall walks coming?!?! —Coach Natalie Lewis

Favorite moment of this year’s Open?

My favorite moment was definitely this past Friday for 21.3 and 21.4. The gym was full of people (COVID-friendly of course), everyone was cheering others on, and I found the encouragement to really push myself and achieve some new goals. To say the least, the vibes were ON. POINT. —Madeline Hobbs

My favorite moment was easily Friday Night Lights for 21.3 at Penn’s Landing. During the pandemic, most of us have been missing a sense of community. Throughout my 10 weeks at Fearless, I have made so many new friends and have gained back that sense of community. The Friday Night Lights event allowed me to meet more members that I hadn’t yet met, being that I usually go to the South Philly location in the mornings. Furthermore, the vibe was HYPE, and the Open Magic was in the air as athletes gave it their all while we cheered each other on. —Dave Marks

The surprise announcement of 21.4. Having a three-week Open seemed to make the leaderboards kind of predictable by the end of week 2, but I know from past Opens that retention/enthusiasm drops a bit around the fourth and fifth weeks. Also, I think that one of the greatest values of the Open is that, to an extent, it measures the well-roundedness of the CrossFit athlete (i.e., if you have a weakness, it’ll show up somewhere, and if you have a real strength, then you’ll likely be able to leverage it at some point, too); I knew that this couldn’t be captured without at least one heavy lifting opportunity. —Gianna Paone

My favorite moment was definitely in 21.3. I don’t think I had done kipping chest to bar pull ups for several months because of quarantine, and I found that while they were still so, so hard, this movement was actually a lot easier for me than the last time I’d done them in the open two years ago. That’s what I love about the open—it really helps you see where you have improved and what’s up next to work on. —Zachary Dutton

I had a goal I wanted to reach in 21.3 and I hit it. Then quickly disappointed seven minutes later when I did not hit my [barbell] complex goal. —Coach Dominick Bulone

FNL (Friday Night Lights) for 21.3/21.4. THE ENERGY! Even though there were limitations on the number of people in the gym, there were still enough members participating and spectators to cheer everyone on that the energy was electric. It was amazing to see people hit multiples PRs and even surpass their own expectations. It was awesome to see the love and support and everyone cheering each other to do their best. —Coach Michael Renolayan

FRIDAY. NIGHT. LIGHTS. It was ELECTRIC. —Coach Natalie Lewis

Written by Natalie Lewis, Pictures by Gary Samson