The Open, from the outside looking in.
Competition brings out the best and the worst in people. I saw amazing things happen over a span of 7 weeks. I also witnessed, heard and read things that made me want to lock the doors to the shed and move all the equipment back into my garage.
For the great ones, they possess awesome qualities; both physically and mentally. The competitive arena allows us to view those attributes in action. It can be awe-inspiring!
For the back of the pack, competition allows us to witness what sheer will, determination and desire can achieve. There is no better display of deserved, humble achievement! Again, it can be awe-inspiring!
For the middle of the pack, there are expectations. Expectations that were met, surpassed and missed… at times, in dramatic fashion! In competition, not meeting your personal expectations often leads to an onslaught of negative implications, unless you have been there before and
know how to handle it. Sometimes awe-inspiring one week turned into being brought back down to Earth the next!
From the outside looking in, it was an interesting view. I saw The Open create an environment that moved from exciting and supportive to competitive and jaded. I saw a community go from competing “with” each other to competing “against” each other. If beating your teammate was your motivation, I would have preferred you kept that information to yourself.
I failed in my ability to lead and nurture a supportive atmosphere. Perhaps this happened because I too was competing? I was managing my own personal psychology of sport, programming around The Open so we were not beat up for the WOD, managing a gym full of different personalities and trying to keep everyone motivated without losing site of the big picture. That was hard, and I didn’t do a very good job. I have no excuses, and I do not apologize for it because it was not a result of a lack of effort on
my part. I just dropped the ball.
The way I see it, whether you are ranked in the top 60 and made it to Regionals or are ranked in the top 500 and hit PR’s for every WOD… you are a better athlete now than you were before The Open. Competition does that to you! Some of us handle our personal successes and failures differently.
We all do not end up on the same spot on the bell curve! And that is OK, because if we did, we would be a very boring group of people with nothing to talk about!
We are each motivated by different things. Some of us thrive on intrinsic goals. Others need for the whole world to see how great we are. And the rest of us do it for the team, and are motivated by the community aspect.
Fact is, we all did it together; competitors and non-competitors alike. I am proud of that.
The Open has opened my eyes to what is lacking in our programming. Our lack of overall strength has us sitting on the outside looking in.
Time to get back to work!
