As we are approaching the new season, more and more events are emerging: you just need to check WODevents site and take your pick. Every month we get new competitions, team events, Throwdowns, Showdowns, Battles, etc. which all have one thing in common: an online qualifiers.
And it’s here where my nightmare begins.
I am a part-time athlete (as I like to call myself on Facebook) and this means I’m a person who does all kinds of sports, including Crossfit. As I also like to compete in competitive fitness events I often have the following concerns when it comes to making decisions at competitions to participate:
1. Do I have to belong to an Affiliated Box or can I enter as independent (And if so, do I need to submit a video, do I need to ask my box to validate it or both?)
2. Will the dates for the finals fit in with my crazy work schedule (if I make the final cut do I have enough days off or holidays left to take on it)?
3. Are my mates available to help me with the camera, clock, judging?
4. How much will I spend to go to etc.?
5. Will I have time to do the qualifying WODs?
6. Will the Box be empty when I do it?
It’s here that the my fun begins
Film Directors: Nowadays most event organisers expect us – the athletes not just to be super humans (to perform mega WODs), but also to be film directors: to have the top nosh cameras, professional cameraman and movie producers. As well as to have good acting skills: “My name’s Antonio Alves, Masters Category…”. Oh yes and don’t forget to keep smiling into the camera even though you will be half dead in 10 minutes.”.
Big Box: If your box is not super massive, you are in trouble. You need the perfect angle, the right distance and the right view so you can perform the WOD. Otherwise you will be “no-reped” 1000-times or get even disqualified.
No-Reps: After we have the video, we start to wonder “Will the YouTube work? Did I get too many no-reps even though it was validated by a member of my entourage, the judge, the cameraman, the iPhone holder person, plus a few cheerleaders?”
Of course I am being over-dramatic
I 100% support the idea of the video submissions. It’s unfortunately the only way to avoid those famous Fake Ninjas to take a place in the finals (where they actually should not be). But however I still think it’s all becoming a little too serious and too stressful. And to be fair, I think it’s equally stressful for the organisers, if not even more.
I have entered a few competitions and many qualifiers this past year and sometimes it got very frustrating. Here is an example of someone who is not a box owner, a coach or woks full-time in Crossfit.
If you work 9-5 Monday to Friday and you’re taking part in an event qualifier, you need to run to your box before morning’s rush hours or after work, so you can film your WOD during the week. If you are lucky enough to have your box opened on weekends, than you’re able to do it on Saturday or Sunday. And after that you need to beg your box coach L1 and a judge (2013/14 course diploma holder) to validate the scores.
It has happen to me so many times that my coach almost forgot to validate my score because he had time off and having fun on the beach. But bless him, he ran back home just because of me and did it. Some other time another coach in another box actually forgot it and I was out of the event. I am not bitter about it even though the event was The Battle of London.
Above that you also have to pray that the box is not full of people. Otherwise your video will be interrupted with lots of passing-by-people pulling funny faces to the camera or simply those who are totally oblivious of what you are doing.
So with all this, if you are a bit like me, work-shifted and away from home 3 to 4 nights a week, than you have to run to the nearest box in whatever country you’re in and ask for permission to film your WOD. So sometimes I’m really tired and I just give up or go on with whatever score I achieve on this day.
What’s the solution?
I think that most events should demand a video just in case of the supernatural scores – the organisers should then ask the athletes to send a video proof. The Nordic Showdown took this policy and it worked well. The other option is not to take part in competitions of course, but this is a bugger.
My other other “pains”
1. The amount of times some event organisers change the rules after the qualifier already started: if you are like me who likes to get the WOD done at the beginning (instead of waiting to see if someone posted a score before and try to beat that) then by Wednesday you’ll just might have to do it all over again, because there were changes to the rules, weights adjustments, camera angles etc.
2. When you know you will not be able to attend the finals even though you’ve made the cut and you DO NOT inform the organisers about it. This takes away the spot for other athletes who would be happy to go there and compete at the event. Those athletes should be banned for 2 years from this particular competition (unless there were some serious emergency issues with them not be able to inform the organisers).
Yes it’s all very stressful and dramatic, but you and I will carry on, taking part in the upcoming events. Why? Because we really love doing this and we actually appreciate the hard work these guys, organisers, coaches, volunteers, judges, etc provide for us to have a fun weekend.
What are your stories on this particular subject?
Untill my next post, keep crossfitting,
Antonio Alves