The Open is close. Let me rephrase that: the Open is terrifyingly close. And if you’re anything like me, when Castro released the start date of the Open, your stomach dropped faster than a 225-pound barbell. Memories that I had buried deep down, vivid painful memories, came rushing back to the forefront of my mind. Yet despite everything I just said, I know, undoubtedly, I’ll be one of the first people signed up once registration opens – and I know most of you Open vets feel exactly the same way. The challenge is convincing those athletes who have never delved into the Open waters. Whether you’re on the fence, hiding behind the “maybe next year” excuse or whatever, here are five reasons you should sign up for the Open.

1. It’s What We Do

It’s human nature to overcomplicate things, to overthink them, to set up invisible roadblocks. It’s the nature of the beast and more than likely the number one thing preventing people from signing up for the Open. Yet, in the end, how is the Open any different from what we do on a day-to-day basis? The same way runners who run every day sign up for a local 5k. We as CrossFitters sign up for the Open. It’s what we do. The scope and grandness of the worldwide Open shouldn’t cloud the fact that when you boil it down, it’s just a workout — a workout like any other day…maybe with a few extra faces in the crowd to cheer you on.

2. A Chance to Be a Part of Something Bigger

Name another sport aside from CrossFit where every athlete — from the chiseled-from-stone top 1% to the still wet behind the ear newbies — all start from a level playing field with a global championship looming at the end. The Yankees don’t play against your beer league softball team in their quest to win the World Series. Yet the only barrier to entry in CrossFit to compete “alongside” the best in the world is a $20 entrance fee. I don’t think the magnitude and scope of the Open gets mentioned enough. It’s a beautifully egalitarian worldwide event. It’s an opportunity to be a part of something bigger, something global. No other sport offers this. It’s uniquely CrossFit and we should take advantage of it.

3. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

Neale Donald Walsch once said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” And that’s exactly what the Open is for a lot of people: an opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone. There’s a certain level of fear, of vulnerability, that accompanies such acts — a fear of being exposed, of not being as good as you had hoped, or even worse, of not being as good as other people had hoped. It’s a fear that paralyzes a lot of people, and in this case, prevents them from signing up for the Open.

What people don’t realize is fear can be a good thing. Fear can be the catalyst for something great, for knowing something’s worth doing. It’s the same reason Fraser dry heaves before walking out on the competition floor or why you started sweating bullets before you asked Cindy Lou to prom. Stepping outside of our comfort zone is how we grow and evolve as people. With CrossFit, it’s an opportunity to put yourself in a position to do things you never thought were possible. And at the end of the day, even if you fall short, at least you can sleep easy knowing you went for it.

4. PRs Aplenty

Stepping outside your comfort zone naturally lends itself to new experiences. The Open provides that in spades. From getting your first bar muscle-up, to hitting a new max snatch, to getting your first double under, the beauty of the Open is it sometimes forces you into doing the uncomfortable. Maybe you haven’t tried a bar muscle-up in a while and whenever they show up in normal programming, you scale down. So you decide to give it a shot when it shows up in the Open and lo and behold, you get it. That little nudge the Open provides can lead to huge milestones and I’ve seen it time and time again. I’m sure anyone that’s done the Open before can attest to that too.

5. Opportunity for Growth

This is the big one, the real reason we all do the Open – to measure our progress year over year. CrossFit markets itself as a quantifiable, results-driven workout regimen. Although the tests may change every year, the Open remains a benchmark of progress. Consistency coupled with an unbiased program will undoubtedly yield results. It’s always fun to compete against other people at the gym (I’ve been known to have secret rivals at other gyms, and by secret rivals I mean they have no idea about it), but competing and beating yourself from last year is the real reward. The ability to look inward and find motivation there is the true source of sustainable growth. Use the Open as the culmination of all the hard work you put in the last year and a spark of motivation for the year to follow.