Hand in Hand

Here we are once again: the end of the CrossFit Open and the mark of our Amplify anniversary.

Eight years have passed since CrossFit Amplify opened its doors to the public. We celebrate our anniversary the first week of April each year.

This was also the eighth CrossFit Open. Year one of the Open occurred at Amp's one-year celebration. Hand in hand, we always welcome both.

Mike and I use the worldwide competition as a test of fitness, sure, but we also use this chance to watch our members come together and celebrate each other. It is more than just five torturous weeks of physical tests and mental challenges. It is a reminder to us of the community that exists within the Amplify abode.

Even after eight years, we've noticed something: our family continues to grow.

This growth is not a reference to gym membership, necessarily; that has been steady for years now. But there has been visible growth in our personal lives (note the significant others and childbirth) and, mostly, in our friendships. As owners, we knew it would be possible, but I for one didn't expect the relationships to be built at such an extent. It is this sense of family that is a mark of pride, both in and outside of the Amplify walls.

Fitness and family. Hand in hand.

Fitness
Amplify has around 100 members register for the CrossFit Open each year.

All of our athletes complete the Open workouts if they attend a Friday class hour, but those who register can see how they rank on the worldwide leaderboard. These five weeks are arduous as we push mental and physical limits to do things we never thought possible. Each season we have Amp athletes complete a skilled movement for the first time or PR a lift during an Open workout. This is something you'll never see in the digits on a computer screen.

Congrats to Cait and Chuck on their first muscle-ups, and to so many others on consecutive pull-ups, heavy cleans, handstand push-ups, or simply their first Open ever.

Family
Veteran members know it to be true-- our Amplify community remains steady in acceptance, motivation, and empathy. With each success and failure, it's a second family.

Even though our experienced members (and coaches) may dread the CrossFit Open in many ways, it is always motivating to see newcomers brave the unknown as we all put ourselves out there. The gym stands as a place to come together in support. The Amp community rallies behind each other whether it's an Open workout, the daily WOD, or the ups and downs in our personal lives.

Hand in hand, we struggle, we laugh, we scream... we even cry together. If that's not the definition of family, then what is?

Advancement
We have two members to highlight as they take the next step in the worldwide competition: congratulations to Patti DeNichols and Sean O'Deay on finishing top 200 in their respective age groups! They get the honor of completing the next series of online qualifier workouts towards the end of the month.

This year's Central Regional Events will be held in Nashville once again and combines the North Central and the Central East in a "super regional" for the weekend. It will be live-streamed from May 25-27.

The CrossFit Games will be held in Madison from August 1-5. The best athletes and teams at Regionals will compete at the Games, the world’s premier test to find the “Fittest on Earth.”

Development
The best part about CrossFit and the Open is that, hand in hand, it proves our fitness but also exposes any weaknesses.

Use this opportunity to reflect on your personal development and any recent accomplishments in fitness and in life. But also accept any shortcomings and setbacks; they are also a part of the process.

Stay as consistent as possible. Our fitness journey is always a work in progress.

Need guidance? Check with a coach and read up on other pieces like Dedication, Balance, The Fitness Equation, and anything else on our articles page.

Congratulations
So we put closure on another Open and welcome in the start of year nine as CrossFit Amplify.

Congrats to those of you who took on the 2018 Open, and welcome to anyone who will join in the push towards 2019. We'll be here, hand in hand along the way.

Cheers to five weeks, to eight years, and a future of fitness, family, and fun.

- Scott, 3.31.18

2018 CrossFit Open

Hand in Hand

Scott Todnem