The white board
The white board seems to be a “crossfit thing” not so much the implement itself but the long line of names that you will find listed down one side with numbers next to them.
When I asked Mr Google “Why do we write our scores down at crossfit?” the most succinct answer “he” came back with was;
“We are pack animals, we need to know where we rank”
You see writing down a score on a white board is a relatively new experience for me and when I first started I managed to avoid advertising the fact I finished in last place, because the coaches didn’t know my name (handy) and the coach that did know who I was let me off when I would mumble something about not wanting to put it on the board, but I’d write it in my diary.
These days the whiteboard doesn’t seem so ominous, sure I’m still usually last but honestly I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who cares what I scored. It’s like when you walk into the gym for the first time and you think everyone is looking at you, when in reality they are all looking at themselves in the mirror (or these days, their phones).
That however doesn’t mean I’m a fan of the white board and I’ll explain why ..
One Saturday morning before class started at HPU I was chatting to a friend about the upcoming wod, which that day was 13.2
We were watching a couple of guys who had come in for some personal training with one of the coaches completing the same WOD we were about to do and as they finished I exclaimed “Right I’m going to aim for 5 rounds because he did 6 and I’m usually at least 1 round behind him”
Fast forward 45-50 mins (give or take) and you see one smiling Julia because I’d manage to get 11 reps into round 7. I think I could have completed round 7 if I hadn’t stopped during the WOD to find my weight belt, so that’s a point to remember next time.
Anyway I see my friend that I was chatting to at the beginning of the class and squeeled “I beat my goal! I’m so happy!” He gave me a big smile and a high five but what he said next surprised me;
“I was happy too, until I saw the board. I suck compared to everyone else!”
Theodore Roosevelt hit the nail on the head when he said, “Comparison is the thief of joy”
See here’s the thing, I had glanced at the board too and did notice that basically everyone had scored higher than me BUT I had hit my goal and I had done it at a weight I wasn’t sure I could even lift so although I thought “Guess I could have done better” I wasn’t suddenly unhappy with my performance and I was going to remain being proud.
I know this is a TOTAL cliché’ but I’m going to say it anyway (because I’m a Mum and that’s what Mums do) unless you are in the Crossfit Games (or some other bona fide competition you have paid to enter) the only person you should be competing with is you. Sure a bit of healthy competition is fine, but comparing yourself to others is a guaranteed way to make you feel like shite.
Never allow other peoples accomplishments diminish yours.
Till next time
