Afraid to Compete?

By: Nora Sweet

Imagine you just joined a CrossFit gym and it’s holding a competition a month after you join and you say “Sure, I’ll compete!” First off, this doesn’t happen that often and secondly, it’s not like most of our members to volunteer themselves for the unknown. But me? Nope, that’s exactly what I did.

You will only know what something is like if you actually try it!This was when I was a skinny-minny and had no chances of winning, but I wanted to see what the competition was all about.  With my month of being an athlete at Max Kane, I at least felt knowledgeable of most of movements and was told it would be fun.  I was trying to meet people and make some friends since I moved to the area about the same time I started at CFMK. I was so nervous, but if you aren’t… well then applaud you.  I ended up having a blast that day and was hooked!

You might have been hesitant when you first tried CrossFit, but you loved it and kept coming back. Same goes for a CrossFit competition. Yes, it’s scary because it’s new! You may be worried that you might look silly or people will stare at you, but in all honesty, everyone is more worried about how they are doing. What will happen is finding support through members at Max Kane and even members of other gyms.

I have learned so much about The Sport of Fitness through competing. My mental game during workouts, how to to work with others, and more about the community of CrossFit.Find local competitions going on, get a team together of other individuals that are interested, or just bug some until they decide to join your team. The great aspect about competitions is that they are usually either partner-based or team events, so you probably won’t be alone. Everything is multiplied at a CrossFit competition – the cheering, the camaraderie, the strategy, and most importantly the community.

Here’s a secret about competing: It’s doesn’t matter how good you are! I think most people don’t compete because they don’t think they’re good enough. Yes, there are prizes for first, second and third places, but if everyone won, what’s the point, right? Who knows, you could end up doing way better than you thought!

Go for it!