We are excited to say that our humble gym managed to get 5 people through to the quarter finals of the CrossFit Open this year.
This puts them in the top 25% in the world in their respective categories!
Coach Jack was really excited to find out he had made the Quarterfinals in the main competition only to find the timing of them meant he couldn't take part due to a business trip! Still its set out targets for him for next year when he's aiming for the top 10% ! after reaching the 85th percentile across the competition!
Michele was one of our first members when we opened in 2020. She has trained consistently and this year it really paid off, when she qualified for the quarter finals in the in the 65+ category. Unfortunately she couldn't continue with the competition due to an old shoulder injury flaring up. We are very proud of Michele who shows everyday that age is just a number and zips up and down ropes with ease! We are sure that Michele will have another opportunity next year!
Luke only joined us in November and was one of the 5 athletes to qualify for the quarter finals! Despite believing that the weights for his category (50-54 division) were too heavy, he achieved a PB in both the snatch and Clean and Jerk. He saved the best performance for his last workout which was multiple sets of handstand press ups/toes to bar/rope climbs and absolutely smashed it!
If Luke can achieve this in such a short amount of time, we can't wait to see how far he goes in the open next year!
Mick is the owner as well as head coach at CrossFit Buntingford, this is the first year that he has reached the quarter finals. In the 60 -64 age group with an 87 percentile score, he exceeded all expectations and has thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.
Having completed all four workouts Mick has embraced the challenge of doing movements outside his comfort zone. Part of the CrossFit ethos is to be prepared for the unknown and unknowable, the CrossFit open is the perfect test for that. New targets set for next year, time to work on weaknesses and improve the strengths, he can't wait!"
James was really pleased to qualify for the quarter finals in the main competition with a very respectable 77th percentile score. His training this last year has been exceptional and he continues to grow into a formidable athlete. Unfortunately, illness struck him down and he couldn't continue to compete. There will always be next year!
So that's a wrap for us in this years CrossFit Open 2024. Reflecting on the journey all athletes agree that the Open gives more purpose to your training when you have something to aim at. There are lots of other competitions throughout the year but the Open is a truly Global one. Owner Mick Nolan said "to achieve the top 25% of participants world wide with 5 of our members, is quite an achievement for a small box like ours, our programming is cutting edge! and we thank #mayhemaffiliateprogramming who had us all in top shape for it whether we wanted to enter or not! you always learn a lot about yourself in the open and you can set your targets out for the next year.
Next up for some of us is the British Teens and Masters championships in September with qualifier workouts undertaken in June. Lets see how CrossFit Buntingford fares and see if Mick can improve on his 3rd place in 2022!
In Summary, The Open is not just a competition, its a yearly bench mark where you can measure by percentile how you stack up in the world of CrossFit. For those with even a little competitive streak its a perfect platform to bring out the best in each athlete who enters. You can compare yourself with your gym, the UK, Europe and the world. We recommend to all our members to give it a go and get maybe, your first pull up or muscle up or rope climb or personal best weight in a lift even. You just never know what they will throw at you and that is exciting!
Does the CrossFit Open appeal to you? come and join us and find out!
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