Perspective

A wise man - I believe it was "Murphy" himself (of Murphy's Law) - once said, where you stand on an issue, depends on where you sit. Humanity is the greatest expression of relativity and perspective immaginable. It's also dumb enough to be infinitely entertaining. How we view ourselves as athletes is purely a matter of perspective, which is important to reflect on as we sit on the precipice of the chasm that is the CrossFit Games Open.

Where you sit in this case, isn't referring to the GPS coordinates of your La-Z-Boy. It's where you are in the world of CrossFit. What gym you go to, what group you belong to in that gym, and how you view your own capabilities and potential. The last two are greatly influenced by the first two, of course. At CrossFit "Insert aggressive verb here", most athletes watch the CrossFit Games on ESPN2 and the web, and feel like they share as much with these athletes as they do with Lebron James. Sure, they're doing the same sport but competing at that level isn't even part of their paradigm - It just seems too far removed from reality.

I can't out-lift Rob's right calf. That doesn't define me as an athlete.

In fact, not just competing at the games level, but competing at all can seem out of reach...all due to perspective. Let's back up for a second. Just 3yrs ago, you didn't have to qualify for regionals you just signed up. There was no such thing as a CrossFit class with more than 12 people in it, and just about everyone that was a member at an Affiliate was ready to throw down and go toe-to-toe with Rob Orlando, Dave Lipson, Jason Khalipa, or Tanya Wagner.

CrossFit was still an everyman's sport then, and few felt the fires of competition were out of reach. Times have changed, though...but they shouldn't have. This isn't to say the sport shouldn't advance, but that people shouldn't have allowed that advancement to skew their perspective. This paradigm shift is even evident at a gym where competition is the very crucible in which it's reputation was forged - CrossFit New England - the gym I call home.

The only way to get ready to compete, is to compete. An athlete at any box could feel woefully unprepared to do battle with the likes of Rich Froning Jr. and Iceland Annie. It never makes it to that level most times, though. It's friends from their own gym that shape the perspective that competing "isn't for me." Would you believe that I recently had a difficult time finding a female athlete who was willing to compete on a team? At the fittest gym on earth, there were no takers. This includes one very good athlete who declined because she didn't feel like she was ready. This same woman qualified for the Northeast Regional in 2010. How's that for skewed perspective? It's bullshit, and it needs to stop.

It's those two qualities that make the stars of a CrossFit competition...often, it's someone who's far from the podium.

Many athletes come to CrossFit at a certain level and see people like "The Ockerbeast," Heather Bergeron, and James Hobart dismantle workouts and movements that they struggle fruitlessly with, and automatically class themselves as "out." "I'm not at that level, they'll say". Or, "I'm not ready yet." Both of those statements are self fulfilling prophecies and are best left on a steaming shit pile someplace, because that's all they're good for.

You don't choose not to compete because you're not going to win - or because you think you can't. Pride shouldn't even enter into it. The only pride you need or should have in CrossFit is in your work ethic and your effort. Those things shine like a blazing beacon through the fog, and are all that matters in CrossFit. That's what makes CrossFit so unique. They are the reason and the reward for competing. It's those two qualities that make the stars of a CrossFit competition...often, it's someone who's far from the podium.

I couldn't beat OPT here, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to
gain from the attempt. That look, which is so expressive, is in no
way tied to placing, potential, or ability. It's about the climb itself.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is NO downside to competing in CrossFit (or anything else for that matter). It will only make you better. Often, in ways you didn't anticipate. Perhaps at your box, you need a sub 3min "Fran" to get on the leaderboard, and yours is is 3:59. So what? A sub-4min "Fran" is still fucking badass. It probably puts you in the top 2-3% in the world! But, at your gym it doesn't crack the top-tier. Does that change it's worth? Does that mean that you don't count and shouldn't try? NO! It means that you're training on Mount Olympos. You're a big fish, in a pretty big pond and that's alright - it makes you better.

Where you, as a crossfitter, stack up against the outside world is not measured in seconds, minutes, reps, or pounds. It's measured by how close you can get to the edge - your edge. How completely you can empty the tank - your tank. How far beyond comfortable you're willing to go. Compete for the sake of competition. Seek what it does for YOU. Don't fucking sit this one out because ten people at the gym have a bigger back squat than you do. Stop letting perspective interfere with your impending awesomeness. When you do these things, you'll find that perspective is a self-imposed thing that can either be a benefit or a burden. Which of those you choose depends not on where you sit or stand, but whether you choose to sit, or to stand.