The 21.1 livestream views are trending higher than 20.1.
Bill Grundler and Chase Ingraham on CrossFit training camps and the future of the sport.
Armando Perez uses trauma as motivator for change.
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“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”- Abraham Lincoln
CROSSFIT OPEN 2021
Around the water cooler: The wall walk was programmed for the first time and many athletes are getting their first taste of a high-volume wall walk workout. We’re hearing that a lot of folks around the community have a new respect for the movement. Let us know your thoughts.
The 21.1 announcement livestream viewership numbers eclipsed 20.1 by just a bit in the first 24-hours (by 4% to be exact).
Thinking about 21.2 already? Our Movement Tracker is up-to-date.
Dani Speegle, Games veteran, is the newest member of Team NOCCO.
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The 2021 Open is officially underway, and to quote Samuel L. Jackson from the cinematic classic Jurassic Park: “Hold onto your butts.”
Thursday night’s 21.1 announcement kicked off the 11th year of the Open, and the first in a new era marked by new ownership, a new system, and a new (read: old) approach to the media coverage of the sport.
Personally, this will be my 11th turn at the CrossFit Games Open, and my first as a newly minted masters athlete. As the saying goes, if at first you don’t succeed, wait a decade until you age up into a masters category, then try again.
Over the next three weeks, I’ll be chronicling my journey in the Open as both a journalist and mediocre athlete through the veil of humor and the classic CrossFit class structure we all know and love.
The Warmup
Kari Pearce and Kristi Eramo were the first athletes to tackle 21.1 in the announcement broadcast, and it was certainly nice seeing a multi-faceted live broadcast return with all the familiar faces and bells and whistles that made the announcements must-watch events in the first place.
Castro’s Return and an Increase in Livestream Views
For the first time in two years, General Manager of Sport, Dave Castro returned for his infamous Open announcements, as everyone gathered around laptops, computers and phones, eagerly awaiting the announcement of 21.1.
The Open comes home: This year marked not only the return of Dave Castro but also the return of the Open Livestreams produced by CrossFit LLC, which had been handed over to affiliates and Sanctionals for production in the 2019 and 2020 Opens.
The livestream was held at the Santa Cruz offices of CrossFit LLC and featured several familiar faces, including Sean Woodland, Rory McKernan, Annie Sakamoto and Niki Brazier, as well as newcomer Derrick Forrest and a virtual audience tuning in via Zoom.
After approximately 24 hours, final livestream numbers were tallied and the 21.1 livestream numbers surpassed 20.1 livestream’s numbers by 4%, a significant increase given the low numbers in Open registration.
Good News is our weekly round-up of positive stories around the affiliate community. Are you opening a new gym, expanding a current location, offering new classes, or is your box running a fundraiser? Send us a tip to be featured.
CrossFit The Point x Wolf Pact:CrossFit The Point in Bluffdale, UT has partnered with Mandy Turner to host a fundraising event for The Wolf Pact, an organization that is dedicated to helping teenagers with mental health awareness along with suicide prevention. The event will take place on March 26 and include Open workout 21.3. They will also have a silent auction, along with T-shirts and tanks to buy.
Broken Bumper Plate Art: CrossFitter and artist Matt Ashwood is creating super-cool works of art out of broken bumper plates that would otherwise end up in the trash. Check them out now, commissions are available.
CrossFit St. Helens x Recovery Rx’d:CrossFit St. Helens in St. Helens, OR is hosting a virtual fundraising event to benefit Recovery Rx’d. Recovery Rx’d is a free program offering CrossFit classes to anyone who is in recovery from substance use disorder. The only requirement is 48 hours of continuous sobriety. The event is $20 to enter and will include three WODs and three rucking miles in a three-hour window. Learn more and sign up.
Scaled Nation Spring Classic: Scaled Nation CrossFit is hosting the Scaled Nation spring classic for beginners/scaled only. This is a virtual event that will take place between April 8 and May 15. The goal of the event is to remove the traditional barriers, advanced movements, and gymnastics so that everyone has the opportunity to experience the thrill of competition. Sign up now.
Women’s Self-Defense Classes: At Secret City CrossFit in Knoxville, TN, earlier this month, two police officers ran a self-defense seminar for women. Cody Des Jordan led tha class and said that due to overwhelming interest, additional dates would be added.
INDUSTRY
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE
Bill Grundler and Chase Ingraham Excited for MMA-Style CrossFit Training Camps
There are several athletesin new locations as the 2021 CrossFit Games season begins. Chandler Smith joined Samuel Kwant and Amanda Barnhardt at CompTrain while Brooke Wells amicably parted ways with Ben Bergeron and joined the PRVN Fitness camp. Max El-Hag’s Training Think Tank added Sara Sigmundsdottir to a stacked roster while Bethany Shadburne and Danielle Brandon joined Kari Pearce in Las Vegas.
One big thing: The shuffling of athletes will put extra emphasis on these camps during the Open, Quarterfinals, and Semifinals. Once the Games begin in Madison, WI, there will be even more questions about which team will reign supreme. The season is only starting, but “Get With the Programming” hosts Bill Grundler and Chase Ingraham are embracing the transition to “UFC-style” camps.
Armando Perez: Turning Trauma into an Empowering “Driver of Change”
When his mother took her own life in 2009, Armando Perez sunk into a deep depression. The feeling was all too familiar, as Perez’ father also lost his life to suicide, as did his grandfather, as well as an aunt and an uncle.
“I had no fuckin desire to peel my depressed ass off the couch…I was spending 22 hours a day crying,” said Perez, now 42 about the days that followed his mother’s death.
What eventually got him off the couch was when his good friend Guido Trinidad, the owner of Peak 360 CrossFit in Miami, FL and the founder of the prestigious Wodapalooza Fitness Festival, programmed a workout in Perez’ mother’s honor.
“She was 55 when she died, so I think it was something like seven movements of 55 reps. I didn’t want to workout and see other human beings, but I showed up because other people showed up,” said Perez, who was new to CrossFit at the time. “And I still remember…I did 41 (unbroken) pull-ups on no sleep, no food and depressed. Why? Because of the community I’m so grateful for,” he said.
With the Open upon us, every second, every rep, makes a difference. The Element 26 Self-Locking Belt gives you the perfect medium to generate optimal support, yet allow you the versatility to hit all your other movements without impeding your function and ultimately your final time.
Warm Up Your Shoulders and Upper Back Before Taking on 21.1
As you get prepped and ready to take on wall walks and double-unders, give this upper body warm-up from Squat University a try. This banded shoulder stretch will help with T-spine mobility as priming the muscles in the front and back of your shoulders.
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