The CrossFit Games Open 2018 ... Why I take Part, by Ewan Johnstone

I do the open for the amazing atmosphere that comes with it. It also gives me a chance to release the competitive side of me.

I have competed in almost every sport I have tried and since finding CrossFit I felt there was something missing - then the open came along and sorted that! My first Open was 2017.

I started 17.1 (we all remember the DB snatch and burpee box jumps) feeling confident but after a few box jumps I unintentionally landed on the box with one foot, followed up with a front flip off the other end, landing on my shoulder (a spectacle for onlookers). My 17.1 ended there!

I rested for a week and was back in action for 17.2. But my open highlight was to come the following week with 17.3.

Previous to 17.3 I had never snatched more than 45kg, so I went for the scaled WoD. By the end of the WOD I had snatched 50kg for 9 reps then managed to get 60kg for 1.

By the end I was the only one still going and I had a box full of people cheering me on to get those final reps.

I feel that everyone who does CrossFit should take part in the open. It is an amazing experience and the atmosphere in the gym is addictive, everyone is cheering everyone else on, there’s high fives and sweaty hugs all round after. It gives you a chance to workout and socialise with people who you don’t normally do it with.

It also gives you the ability to compare your standings with not only the people in your box but everyone else in the world, and pushes you to try and get better at your weak points, whether it’s finally stringing more than 3 double unders together or getting your first muscle up. And if you can’t scale the movement you simply have to try your best and do what the evil man Dave Castro has ordered - who knows what might happen!