Not sure whether you should film your Open workouts?
To film or not to film: that is the question filling the support@crossfitgames.com queue.
Here’s what’s going to happen at the end of the Open.
CrossFit will request a video of one of the five Open workouts from the top 60 men and top 60 women from the Individual Men’s and Individual Women’s Leaderboards for every region.
These competitors must submit the requested video if they intend to compete in the Individual or Team competitions at their regional. They also must have used a registered judge who passed the 2014 CrossFit Judges Course.
Since CrossFit won't announce which Open workout video will be required until the end of the Open, any competitor who has a chance at finishing in the top 60 overall should film all five Open workouts and use a registered judge every time.
Masters competitors do not need to submit video of any of the Open workouts in order to advance to the Masters Qualifier.
Film It!
- If you have a chance at finishing the Open in the top 60 on the Individual Men’s and Individual Women’s Leaderboards in your region.
Don’t Film It!
-
If you’re in the 98 percent. Only the top competitors and the athletes on the bubble of the top 60 in the region should film their Open workout performances.
- If you’re a masters competitor who intends to compete in the Masters Qualifier.
Now that you’ve got the basics, it’s time to take a pop quiz!
The Grundler Test
Last year, 44-year-old Bill Grundler qualified for the Southern California Regional and the Masters 40-44 Division at the CrossFit Games. He’s one fit dude who will most likely finish in the top 60 in Southern California and the top 200 in his masters division.
1. Should Grundler film his Open workouts if he intends to compete at the Southern California Regional as an individual competitor?
A. Yes. Film!
B. No. Don’t film!
2. Should Grundler film his Open workouts if he intends to compete at the Southern California Regional as a team competitor?
A. Yes. Film!
B. No. Don’t film!
3. Should Grundler film his Open workouts if he intends to compete in the Masters Qualifier, and has no interest in competing in the Southern California Regional?
A. Yes. Film!
B. No. Don’t film!
Answers:
1. (A) Film! If Grundler finishes in the top 60 in Southern California and chooses to compete as an individual competitor at the regional, he must submit the requested video.
2. (A) Film! If Grundler finishes in the top 60 in Southern California and chooses to compete with his team at the regional, he must submit the requested video.
3. (B) Don’t film! If Grundler intends to compete in the Masters Qualifier, he does not need to film any of his Open workouts.
Joes, Masters, and Rookies Test
4. Last year, 35-year-old Cheryl struggled to get a valid score on all five Open workouts. She has improved a lot over the last year, but she’s not yet regional caliber. Should she film her Open workouts?
A. Yes. Film!
B. No. Don’t film!
5. Last year, 61-year-old Richard Santa Maria qualified for the CrossFit Games Masters Competition and took ninth place. He’s determined to go back to Carson, Calif., as a masters competitor in 2014. Should he film his Open workouts?
A. Yes. Film!
B. No. Don’t film!
6. Mel is new to CrossFit and this is her first Open. She has been crushing it at the box, but she’s still an unknown quantity. She and her trainer don’t know what she’s capable of.
A. Yes. Film!
B. No. Don’t film!
Answers:
4. (B) Don’t film! At least 98 percent of all competitors will not finish in the top 60 in their region, and therefore will not have to submit a video of any Open workout.
5. (B) Don’t film! Masters competitors do not need to film their Open workouts.
6. A or B. Use your discretion. If you think there’s a chance that she could finish in the top 60, film the workouts.
OK, the pop quiz is over.
Let’s review.
There’s a lot of talk about filming Open workouts in 2014, but the reality is that the rule applies to a very small fraction of the Open competitors. One hundred and twenty people per region will be asked to submit video, which comes out to 2,040 people across all 17 regions. Two hundred thousand competitors have signed up for the Open so far, which means that only about 1% of the competitors will need to submit video.