S02E07 - Terri Wiatrak & David Syvertsen - Why Does the CrossFit Open Matter?

February 20, 2021 - Today's episode is with special guest coach Terri Wiatrak, and David Syvertsen, owner and coach at my box, CrossFit Bison, in Midland Park New Jersey.

We discuss the biggest CrossFit event of the year - the Open. Starting this year on March 11, we discuss what the Open is all about, why we should care about the Open, who should participate in the Open (spoiler alert: everyone!), and all the changes coming this year in 2021. Sign up today!

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 S02E07 - Terri Wiatrak & David Syvertsen - Why Does the CrossFit Open Matter?

Full transcript (click here for PDF)

Sam Rhee: [00:00:00]   Welcome to another episode of Botox and burpees. I'm Dr. Sam Rhee plastic surgeon and CrossFit coach host of this podcast where we talk about plastic surgery, CrossFit, and everything in between. You can find more information at our website, botoxandburpees.com. And make sure to like, and subscribe wherever you listen to our podcast. 
This week's episode is with special guest coach Terri Wiatrak and David Syvertsen owner and coach at my box Crossfit Bison in Midland Park New Jersey. We discuss the biggest Crossfit event of the year the open starting this year on March 11th, we discuss what the Open is all about. Why we should care about the Open, who should participate in the Open spoiler alert everyone. And all the changes coming this year in 2021. Sign up today.  
What we're going to talk about today is the CrossFit open, and this is a big part of CrossFit, Bison It's been very important for the past couple of years for us. So let me just explain what the CrossFit open is for some of the people that don't know about it, or maybe they're new to CrossFit.
It is the world's largest participatory sporting event in history. Last year over the whole calendar year was a little different cause they, we did the 2019 and the 2020 in the same year, over 450,000 people in the world participated. This year it starts on March 11th. It's going to be for three weeks.
Last year they typically announced the workouts on a Thursday evening. And then we had until Monday. To work out sometimes multiple times and then log our scores this year. It's a little different, they're offering home options as well as gym options with and without equipment. They in addition to the normal main divisions, 18 to 34 year old, they have teams masters.
Always RX and scaled. And this year they also have a new adaptive division for competitive athletes, because this is a path to the games. They are ranking athletes, according to continents. I think what's most relevant for a lot of gyms to the top 10% go to quarterfinals. They haven't mentioned a whole lot about the semis and how.
Things keep going. I think what's also exciting is the last chance qualifier for athletes and affiliate teams. And we can get into that because I think some of those are actually very relevant for all athletes at all gems. So the first thing I would think of, if I was a new app, a new athlete, and they said, Oh, you have to do this CrossFit open.
I would say. I'm not going to the games. I'm just a regular guy. I could just do these wads. I don't have to pay anyone any money and then I don't have to log in and show my crappy score to people. Why don't I just do it like that? 
David Syvertsen: [00:02:33] I think you could say the same thing about the daily workouts at the gym is why would I give my score to the coach for him or her to write on the whiteboard?
Why not just do it go home? And a lot of gyms do that. And I do think there's extra accountability. Extra meaning extra emotion that goes into your workout. If you know that your name and your score is out there. I do think that it can bring up a lot of negativity, a lot of negative thoughts, and then you have to start asking yourself, is that actually worth it right?
From our perspective as coaches and people that make the decisions like we, how involved are we going to get the open? I do know that a lot of negativity comes out of it. And it's just some risk and reward. I think the positivity that comes out of it far outweighs the negativity. And that's where the decision is simple.
I also think that if you're a CrossFit affiliate and you support CrossFit, you should be doing what cross it wants you to do. When it comes to methodology programming, how you run your box community over workouts, all that good stuff. And part of what they preach is, Hey, one time a year, you're going to put yourself into a competitive environment.
Not because you're trying to beat the person to your left and right. Unless that's something that does drive you.  It's a test. That's what these workouts are. We call them workouts. They're actually not they're tests. Dave Castro who programs them. That's what he said is a test. And it's something that can feed into programming, coaching, and the approach of the athlete 12 months a year is I want to work on stuff.
Why do you want to work on stuff like you don't need to get better at pull-ups to be fitter? You don't have to get better at handstand pushups to be fitter. But Hey, they might show up in the open and in nine months last year, he couldn't do them. And this year you can. So 
Sam Rhee: [00:04:13] you're saying if you want, if you care about your fitness, and you are in CrossFit, you should be doing this.
David Syvertsen: [00:04:17] Absolutely. Yeah. 
Sam Rhee: [00:04:18] And so how you started from the beginning, Terri, do you remember what it was first like to do the open and how do you feel about the open every year as you've been doing it? It's been what, six, seven years at this point, right? 
Terri Wiatrak: [00:04:31] Seven. Yeah, I didn't do 2014. 
David Syvertsen: [00:04:35] I actually remember you were one of our first members, Terri, and I actually think that I asked you to videotape one of them and you were 
Terri Wiatrak: [00:04:43] like, cause you ripped your shirt off. And I have the iPad and I was like, what is he doing? He was like my friend, one of my first couple of weeks in the gym. I was like, I'm so scared. But I stuck with it. So there you go. But no I've done it now, I guess for this will be the fifth. So next 
year, this will be 
Sam Rhee: [00:04:58] our sixth, seventh, 
Terri Wiatrak: [00:05:00] actually.
Yeah. So it'd be my sixth open. I absolutely am like the person who gets nervous before every single open workout. And it has a lot to do with just me and how I like have trained all year. Have I put enough effort into it? Where am I fitness wise? And I know this year, it's just. What it is. I'm not anywhere near where I've ever been fitness wise.
I'm not really CrossFitting as much as I used to. For multiple reasons. COVID family, everybody's home injuries, just life right now, but I'm still doing it. I love the open here because of the camaraderie and the fun. And we do though, we do little teams and everyone supports one another. And I think that part for me makes it great.
Other than, the fact that, like I put a lot of pressure on myself and this year I have no pressure, so I'm looking forward to it. And a couple months it's just get out there and look at the workouts and I'm just going to do what I can do. So if I'm not RX-ing it. And I'm doing something completely different, fine.
I'm here this year for exercise and for fun. And just to see everyone else go after it, around me. So 
David Syvertsen: [00:06:08] what's she saying right now is exactly what we want here day to day. Like really that is if you took that and took the open discussion out of what we're talking about, that's what we want to do.
And it's Hey, just come in. If I can, RX it great. If not, it doesn't matter. It's a workout. And I get to be a part of something. I get to show my support for others. Others will show my support for me. All that kind of stuff. And in the open more than any other time of the year, that's when we enforce standards.
We are here at coaches right now. We get frustrated sometimes when we talk about standards and some people clearly are just like, Nope, no, thanks. Gonna make it easier. And I'm not going to squat. I'm going to lock my elbows out. It doesn't fly that time of year. So like a lot of what we want throughout the year centers around this.
And this is where we can be like, Hey, this is why, because if someone says like, why do I need squat below parallel? Why do I have to lock out? I'm just trying to work out, bro. Just try and get some sweat on my shirt. Go home, check that box. And this is where the standard comes from. And like that exactly what she said is exactly what we want the mindset of everyone to be, just come in, have fun if you can do it.
Great. If not, 
Sam Rhee: [00:07:09] I really love the support aspect of it. I get nervous just like you do Terri, about people watching about people cheering. Half the time, I wouldn't mind just doing it in a dark box by myself somewhere, but I will say that as performance, I would want my kids to feel comfortable in front of a bunch of people performing, and if I want them to do it, I should be able to do it. So I should be able to, and I do get that adrenaline from it when I have people that I know I trust, I love are sitting there cheering me on and then I get such a huge jazz. I remember one year I was judging rich storm's mom and yeah.
And she was so nervous. Literally if people looked away, she would have walked out the door before the workout. She was so nervous and she. I just calmed her. I was like, you can do this. Just try it. She was so afraid of failing. She did great. She pushed herself like you never would have thought anyone, she never thought she'd be able to do it.
And it's those little moments. It's not like the biggest moment in the world, but it's a very important moment. And when you can help others, that makes it all worthwhile. 
David Syvertsen: [00:08:13] Yeah. It really, it gives an opportunity for a lot of people to show support for others. And at the end of day, that's a big foundation of what we are.
You know it, and it's tough to see that every single day, especially if you're someone that's got to be in and out, you got stuff going on. But like how many places do you see 30 people show up on a Sunday at 11:00 AM to cheer someone on, in a workout. Like someone on the outside doesn't understand that, but like they want to see other people do well.
And it's a way that we can relate to each other because the whole, it humbles everybody. I've been, I can't tell you, I can give you some of the, like the worst ever workout stories ever from the open Terry's judgment, a few open workouts. And I can remember one that was clean and has some pushups and got to that, failure point on handstand pushups.
And there were people there and they're watching I literally was embarrassed because I was failing them left and right. I couldn't do anymore. And I know that she has had that experience in some of her workouts before, but this is where we can relate to each other. And when you see other people in their truest form, like when they hit failure, like you there, you try to pick them up. And I think that's a big part of what our community is and that's why we band together so is we see each other at our worst and we try to pick each other up and you'll see that in the, 
Sam Rhee: [00:09:18] it's an incredibly fair test of fitness, which is why it's so awful because we can't rely on our strengths and our weaknesses are exposed.
And I know I have gotten so frustrated about certain movements that I can't do. And they come up in the open and they're going to be there and, and then other people love I'm thinking about an athlete and she loves doing handstand walks and she can handstand it and walk all day.
And she was so looking forward to handstand walk and you know what, there was a whole bunch of stuff you had to do before you could even get to the handstand walk and weaknesses, 
David Syvertsen: [00:09:51] lack of control. Like you don't get to control the environment, right? Yep. 
Sam Rhee: [00:09:55] Okay. What, what drives you nuts about the open?
What was the most frustrating part of it for you Terri? Like when you've been doing it? 
Terri Wiatrak: [00:10:01] Absolutely those movements that I can't do. And I'm staring for example, toes to bar are like my arch nemesis and I'm staring at the bar and I'm staring at the bar and I know that it's going to take me three minutes to get through 20 or whatever.
And it's just the frustration of knowing. That there's a movement that I just am not great at and it's there and I have to do it. And that's part the part that just drives me the craziest, and then I'll stress over it. I'll see the workout on Thursday night and I'm like, crap. When am I going to do this?
When can I get in there? So either I know that somebody's going to be there to support me, that I know is going to push me the way I need to be pushed or when should I go in. So I know nobody's there. See me just falling apart because I will cry. And I know that But, yeah, it's just, I think that goes for everybody.
Like anything in that Dave is even just programming throughout the year and you know that you get in there and you're going to work and people get in and they're like, Oh, I'm I just, I can't do this. And it's, but you have to try. And you have to you have to give it a shot each time because every rep that you do is going to make you better.
Sam Rhee: [00:11:09] Okay. So you mentioned about how we program for the open. So you program for the open, don't you? 
David Syvertsen: [00:11:16] Yeah, I programmed for the open. It's not like all 52 weeks a year. I'm like, all right, what's the opening, the dude at the end of the, I don't know what the open's going to do. But I've said this in the past, the open has exposed holes in my programming where like I've looked at all my, Oh my gosh, I haven't done this.
Like that year. They started throwing a lot of dumbbells in. We did not use dumbbells that often until that year. And that was a mistake by me. 
Sam Rhee: [00:11:38] And it's made us better though, because all that single arm stuff. And I was so weak on my left arm when we started doing those dumbbells, it was crazy. Yeah.
Yeah. 
David Syvertsen: [00:11:46] And I think that's if there was no open, we probably still wouldn't be using the dumbbells that often. And I think you would still have those holes in your fitness. So I think that any responsible programmer does look at the open as a barometer for, are you programming the right things?
I did a study this past year. It's all my computer now. How many couplets, how many triplets? So what's the average timeline. What's the average rep count. How many thrusters are normal open workouts and the numbers over a hundred. So in the next eight weeks, we're going to start doing workouts that started approaching that number.
And that's where I feel like programming is. Should be based on the open, because if you are in charge of people and what they do in the gym, and then you're going to push them to do the open, you better prepare them for the open. And it can't be a four week crash course. And I think that's a big part of what some programmers or owners.
Yeah.  cross it open. And if you're going to have people in the gym for the, do it, you better start preparing them to do it . The number is now 40 to 50 muscle-ups in a workout. Do you know that. Why? Why does every time you do a muscle workout? There's 10 reps. What about the time when they open they have to do 40 under duress. So I think that's something and it actually can help you progress your way towards getting your athletes ready for that kind of thing. 
Sam Rhee: [00:12:58] No, absolutely. I think at the first year I did it, I did. I had to start with jumping pull-ups I think that year, and that went fine.
That was really challenging. I thought the scaled where it was no joke. And I think for all athletes of all levels, it really taxes you. 
David Syvertsen: [00:13:14] One more thing about this year, they have RX, they have scaled and there's going to be something called foundations. I don't know how scale that seems to me. That will be.
Another level, lower scale wise and scaled because you have a lot of people that we have a lot of people here that started within the past month. I don't know if they're going to be ready for some of the stuff, next month or in two months. So they'll have a foundation level open that so you can make it really inclusive.
Remember when I started this stuff, there was no scaled and the open it was here's the open workout. Oh, you just started go for it. And it, a little irresponsible, across it, the sport is evolving. Just the way that the program is. I 
Sam Rhee: [00:13:50] think the biggest part of it that I enjoy our teams, the intramural teams that we have, 
David Syvertsen: [00:13:55] whose idea that was coach 
Sam Rhee: [00:13:57] Terry, is that right?
Terri Wiatrak: [00:13:59] Really a little bit. 
Sam Rhee: [00:14:00] Yeah, that was awesome because yeah, I don't, regardless of what I'm doing in the open some years I might do great summit years. I, it doesn't like, I feel a lot of comradery with my team. I get to meet a bunch of people that I don't see at 6:00 AM. Get to know them, get to hang out with them.
This year, who knows how the social aspects are going to be in person. But that was probably the best part of the open for me almost every year. 
Terri Wiatrak: [00:14:25] Yeah. It's a lot of fun that, that's what I remember the most. Like quite honestly, like I'm not one to remember exactly what my score was or from year to year, my husband will say do you remember this year?
We did X, Y, and Z, this and I'm like, I don't even remember. I remember smashing ones, but like I remember. The teams. I remember who was on my team. I remember what colors we had. I remember Liz decorating the lobby in all red, the year that she was on the red team. We all walked into the room, open party and we're like, like I remember those things and that is what I love the most about it.
It's just like the people and the energy that everyone gets from that. And it's like a little bit of competition, but it's not so stressful that it's just takes an edge off of the feeling of being like so overwhelmed by the open. 
Sam Rhee: [00:15:11] What do you think now this year, the top 10% are going to go to the quarter finals or yeah, quarter finals. And there are a lot of people at our gym that are probably going to actually qualify. What does that mean? 
David Syvertsen: [00:15:24] So I think it's a really I love, I sound like such a, like a CrossFit truther when I talk like this, but I love it because in the past it was. For 99.9% of the people, it was the open and you were done because you basically, they just used to just take the top 40.
It was 60 then 40, then 20 to the regional level. And you're talking about 20 people, 20 guys and girls out of like over 10,000 people. So just like you almost had no shot of getting to that level right now. I did some math looking at last year's and it's hard to, because. It's hard to get a firm number on how many people were in from the United States guys and girls.
But we would have had probably 20 people from the gym make it to the quarter final level, just from the open division. And so that in my eyes is attainable that anyone really want that one at, to come here and work hard for a few years. Like I really, anyone could get to that level. It wouldn't, it might not be right away, but that's a lot like that top 10% is something that's fair where regionals for most just was not.
That was a goal of mine for a long time. I honestly never got that close and I worked my butt off and I just never really got that close. It wasn't good enough. And by, I think the top 10% is something that everyone can attain. And they're also doing the same thing with masters in every age group.
And if you do some math, they're like we would have had last year. It was you and Kathleen. I think we would had another 10 people. Get to that level. And just, it's just something to shoot for at the end of the day, like getting to the games is shouldn't be like the foundation of why you enter the open or try to get to the quarterfinal region.
It's something just to shoot for, to keep you accountable throughout your training throughout the year. Like I think goal setting is huge in any fitness program, whether you're CrossFit or at Pilates. Like I think that our goal is really important and I think that's something that's really objective that you can hang your hat on and.
Once you get to our age, we're all 35 plus now, you get to a new division every five years, and maybe that's something to shoot for Hey, when that gets to the I'm now the young person in my age group, like now this is a good year for me to go for it.
When you guys get to the young person in the next master's group, it's something that you could shoot for, and I just think that's really important. I think 
Sam Rhee: [00:17:34] What I love is that there are a lot of pretty new people at the gym, and a lot of them have a lot of raw potential or for sure, and you give them something to shoot for like that.
And they're going to do great. A lot of them are ex high school or collegiate athletes. They're used to competing. They're used to performing and you give them a venue. And this is why I think CrossFit is so great because if you're an ex softball athlete. If you're an ex football player, once you get out of college What are you going to do here all the time?
And you could play rec, but that's, yeah not really the level of competition that you were used to playing. There's no training for that or that's correct. And in CrossFit, every athlete has the potential to compete at a very high level. And you're right at. 10%. There's a huge chunk of people that could literally get there.
And that's no joke. To be in the top 10% of your continent in terms of fitness. 
David Syvertsen: [00:18:27] Yep. We said this before, I'm biased. I think CrossFitters are the fittest people in the world, just because of everything that's included. And if you're the top 10% of that, whether you're in the age group or not the age group, just the whole world, it's something that you should be really proud of and that you worked really hard to get to.
Sam Rhee: [00:18:46] It makes it a lot easier for me. I will tell you to try to make that top 200 last year was so hard. I was lucky, not lucky, but there was some luck involved. Just, it was just, the margin was so thin. And you couldn't expect it unless you were really talented to make it every year. At 10%, there are some amazing athletes at every age group from 35 to 39 to 40 to 44 to 40.
And that are going to be competing right there with everybody else which is great, because like you said, it's also a chance to test yourself. At another level I loved not loved, but I thought the AGOQ the age group online qualifier events were such great tests. Yup. 
David Syvertsen: [00:19:28] And I'll tell you what, beyond your accomplishment.
I think you inspired other people, like what you go back to what we initially talked about. We have a lot of new people in this gym for whatever reason. And some of them have these backgrounds. I'm like, all right. If they stick with this stuff for a few years, they're going to be competitive if they want, I don't like putting that on people because it's not like some people, they have zero interests.
Like they just want to work out, but they come here, they watch the open. They maybe come here and watch the age on my qualifier or the fact, the training times that you guys had, remember when we met in between Saturday class. But to watch you guys go through those workouts, that might someone to start thinking, look like, I want to do that.
And I've heard people here say it to you guys man, you guys have inspired me to like really take off. And I, maybe someone out there that's listening to this, like maybe that can be a motivating factor for you. Hey, maybe you'll never get to this level of top 10% or you'll never get to this level of the games, but what you can do to motivate somebody else and make a true impact because that, in my opinion is more important than your, athletic accolades.
That, I think that's something that you could really put something like, Hey, if you want to make an impact in this world, like you could do that. By saying just showing by example Hey, this is how you get there. This is how you do it. I think that's a big part of it. 
Sam Rhee: [00:20:41] One of the people that inspired me most was this past summer Ash, Win, yeah, because we did the legends and anything where you're working towards a goal where you're achieving with people for something and cheering him on, it was like a mini open sort of watching people do these events and just watching him move, compete and push himself it reminded me of when I started as well.
And I said, man, I just want that purity of effort of, pushing yourself, because every day we get down on ourselves we're getting older. We're not where we used to be. I look at my numbers maybe from four or five years ago, I'm not there but there is definitely a purity of joy to work out, to push yourself, regardless of I'm not as good as this guy or this person, but just the enjoyment of doing it.
Yeah. That means something. 
Terri Wiatrak: [00:21:35] Think about where you were when you first started. So this goes along the lines of like where you start and where you are now. And that's a great example. Like he, when he first started, there were things he couldn't do. And then now he's competing for something, and that, that is very inspirational.
And that's just what this place is. You just build people's confidence and they're learning and they're looking at other people around them and it's just great, it's so nice to see that people put themselves out of their comfort zones and they're not afraid to, and they go after something.
I think that's really important that if you have a goal of mine, like you should tell someone like tele coach, I want to get a pull up. Okay. Tell somebody, put it out there. And then you make yourself accountable and you'll get it. If you're accountable, if you just hide it, I really want to get a pull up everything I'm gonna pull up, but you don't tell anybody nobody's going to know that's what you want.
And nobody's going to be there to help you or ask you about it and push you 
David Syvertsen: [00:22:23] along. And like when it's like to build off that, if you tell somebody your goal, someone else is somewhat watching you. If someone says, I really want to get a pull up, but you never see them work on anything, pull up.
In that person might be like, crap. I shouldn't throw that person. I shouldn't have told that coach. Or if you want to keep this on the open Hey, this year I ranked 24,000 in the world. Like next year, I want to be top 20,000. Like this is something that a coach can help you with. It's not like we're going to meet every Saturday at 9:00 AM and work on stuff.
When you're here, I better see you working your ass off. Because you have a goal and I know about it and now, now it's time to work, and it's, I think that's a great 
Sam Rhee: [00:22:57] point. It's really funny. Even people that I would not have necessarily thought were so driven. Not that like my spouse, Susan, for example, I just was pulling through old video and there was one when she was on the pink team, I don't remember which year you're 
David Syvertsen: [00:23:12] talking about and she's 
Sam Rhee: [00:23:13] doing pull-ups. And she did. I used to make fun of her. Cause she did these little puppy dog pull up where she pulled and 
David Syvertsen: [00:23:18] then her. Yeah. And, 
Sam Rhee: [00:23:23] And just doing that in the open, made her say, you know what? I don't like being that person who does that, let me just see if I can do better. And I swear to God, I saw her practicing the other day and her pull-ups now. It's better than 
David Syvertsen: [00:23:40] agreeing to disagree to this. The open has pushed people to work harder. Oh, I agree. A thousand percent. Okay. Can we just leave it at that then? Like the that should be as something that we should all, if you're on the fence and I do think there are certain people that shouldn't do the open it's could Indra really related, and then you can get into some psychology, right?
If your fitness is a goal, you want to enhance fitness, you should sign up for the open. And there's I really, because we've seen this hundreds of times with people it makes you work harder throughout the year, during the dog days. And we all have dog days where you're just like, Oh my God, I'm back here again.
The stupid workout. I hate this coach, right? This programming sucks. Like my hands hurt. It makes you. Neglect the small unimportant things to go after the big picture, 
Sam Rhee: [00:24:25] I can tell you I'm never so motivated until after the open to work on my weaknesses 
this year, I'm going to work on my 
David Syvertsen: [00:24:32] two weeks after the open are similar to January 1st. They are because you have a year to work on things. That's when I hired my coach last year, it was right after the open. I agree. So 
Sam Rhee: [00:24:43] now bison is we just got the honor of being the number one affiliate in New Jersey. Number one affiliate in the United States. That's so cool. That is a really amazing stat. I actually cannot believe that. So what does that actually mean for us as a gym then, 
David Syvertsen: [00:24:59] man, I really do think like that. That was one of the coolest things. I think me personally. I've ever dealt with the gym, like any personal stuff, like individual accomplishments, like that's the coolest thing that's ever happened to me in CrossFit from a competitive sense.
And the biggest thing that I got out of that was every single member contributed to it. Scaled RX experienced, not experienced because that's what the affiliate score is whether you're RX or scaled, every rep is put onto our team score. And that's what I want people from here to think. It's not the open is not about the best athletes in our gym.
Like right now, again, someone that is very in tune with competitive athletes in our gym. I have no idea who ranks where I have no idea. I can make guesses. I have no idea, but I do know who was on the team last year, who contributed, who really pushed last year. And that's really important to me that people know that because when you talk about competitive stuff in general, it's hard not to go down the path of okay. Ah, they only care about the good athletes or they only care the people that were, snatch this or do these muscle-ups I care about people working hard and that's literally it. And that's what that is. That's what that affiliates fitness in America. It, the funny story about that is we saw on the CrossFit games story, a gym in Arizona.
Post their banner before we got our banner and that it said fittest affiliate. And I was pissed. I was like, we were number one, like I'm looking at the leaderboard. I'm like they were a ninth place in the country. We were in first place. I messaged CrossFit games over it. And I was like, what's up with this?
Guy's what? We're number one. I sent a screenshot of the standings, nine feet away from me, the two boxes with her. And I was like, Oh my God. But then like it had the Arizona state flag on it. Arizona state flag was so like, I just didn't even pay attention to it. And and then I get home that morning and I'm like, Tafaro texting me.
And I'm like, I'm pissed off. And I'm trying to feed Brock and. I was like, wait, Tav, there's two boxes in our, in the gym. I forgot. I didn't open them. Maybe those are the banners. And he opens them up one for the state of New Jersey, one for America, like every single affiliate in America, we were on top.
That is so awesome. It is so cool. What's 
Sam Rhee: [00:27:07] crazy to me about it is not like we made a special effort to do that. It seemed okay. Natural that we had a bunch of teams and everyone showed up and we were all cheering for each other and it was team maroon. It was bragging about how freaking awesome
and it was just. And just for that to be a natural occurrence from what we did that wasn't hard. That was just us having fun. Yeah. That's really what it was. It wasn't like we set out and said, okay, we need everyone to join. And we need all these people to do this. It was just, all right, let's make a bunch of teams and let's just do this work, 
David Syvertsen: [00:27:41] go do what we 
Sam Rhee: [00:27:42] do.
And that was what was so crazy about the whole thing. I don't know. So then just explain to me what this whole affiliate teams thing then is, because I know that there might also be some people 
David Syvertsen: [00:27:52] you're talking to the quarterfinals, right? So top two. So when you sign up, like we sign across it bison, and then we tell you guys are asked you guys to sign up and then your affiliate is bison.
That is what those banners are. All right, but you pay another, I think it was 25 or 50 bucks to make a team. Now and we do that too. Not every affiliate will do this though, but we did it just for the sake. And so now basically they take the top three scores from guys and the top three girls, three top three guy scores, top three girls scores.
And that's the sum, right? That is that is your team score that banners or affiliate we're talking about team right now. All right. And then they, the top 10% of the teams in the country make it to the quarter final, which is like the third week of April. And you make up the teams top two guys, top two girls are on a team, and then you have a guy alternate and a girl alternate just in case someone gets hurt before the competitions.
And then I think they're going to release four or five workouts on a Thursday night. And that team has to do the workouts together at a gym over the next four or five days. And they specifically said, The workouts will be that where you guys are, have to be together. So I'm assuming there'll be like synchro movements or I go, you go type stuff and who's on that team will decide, we'll come up with an objective system.
Like I'm pursuing something different this year. And I know some other people won't be around. So we'll probably set up a rule, Hey, top two guys, top two girls from the open leaderboard or from our own leaderboard that gets that those are the people that get to be on it. And it's.
From that window. We don't have any details yet, but the top, X amount of teams will make it to the semifinal. There's probably going to be two or three in the United States that you can make. And then the top few teams from there, go to the games. 
Sam Rhee: [00:29:40] That's amazingly different because before you could have these super teams where anyone could join an affiliate 
David Syvertsen: [00:29:46] story right now is Scott pancake was going to be on the team mayhem, even though he had lived nowhere in New York, Tennessee, right now he's 500 miles away from Tennessee.
So the rule is you have to live within a hundred miles of that gym. And you have to train there when you train at a gym, that's where you have to train. And so he's 
Sam Rhee: [00:30:00] out. So I think it's going to make a lot of teams. Like more affiliates. Like we have, we feel some pretty freaking good at 
David Syvertsen: [00:30:08] it.
Yeah. I think there's a good shot. We'll make a team to the quarter final. And then what happens from there? Who knows? I have no idea that it's going to be, this is new this year, so we'll see, but take the games out of it. I think it's a really cool experience for the gym and for again, something for people to shoot after.
And I actually thought about this for a while. We probably could make two teams from here. No, we've had a couple of people contact me about being on their Bisons affiliate for this open. And you make a couple of different teams and I've seen other gyms do that. Like mayhem has always had two teams.
And again, it's just another cool part of it that adds to it. It starts to be a lot like individual quarterfinals. Then you have your masters and you have your teams and But again, it's just something to shoot after. There are probably people in this gym that could see people from our gym, make it to a team and we all get together and we support them, cheer for them.
And then someone might be like, you know what? I want to be on that team next year. I want to do that two years. I want to do that in three years. And it's something that could inspire others and make them work harder and show someone that they have something in them that they don't even know. They have, 
Sam Rhee: [00:31:11] With all the new people being OG here. I think that's an incredibly mature attitude to say, I'm just going to have fun and I'm going to do everything that's there that I can do. And I'm going to take it as it comes. I know you weren't like that a couple years. 
Terri Wiatrak: [00:31:27] I wasn't. No, it just took a lot. Especially this year, I just stepped back in my life just in general and just looked at what was going on. And I just was like, listen this is important, this isn't important. I'm still exercising. I'm trying to do my best at this moment in my life. This is where I am right now. I'm not going to say like in six months, I'm going to be at this point who knows what I'm going to do next year?
Like maybe I'll be back in terms of wanting to compete more. Maybe all my lifts will be better. My shoulder will feel better and everything, but For where I am in my in my life. Like I have to give myself a little bit of grace and that's where it is at this point. And I'm completely happy with it.
I've come in and done workouts where we've had pull-ups and I'm doing Ringrose and I'm still getting a hell of a workout. Railroads are not easy, but I'm not doing what's prescribed. And that for a long time was very hard for me to do. It was our, is what's on the board. I have to do that.
And that's what I'm going to do instead of realizing okay Terry, you like your toes, the bar suck. So maybe you need to do knee raises. No, I'm going to do toes to bar. It's going to take me 15 minutes to get through that part of the workout. So I've just gotten to the point where I'm like, okay, step back.
This is where you are and just be you okay with that? And I am, and 
David Syvertsen: [00:32:41] it's okay. Terri is the most accomplished athlete. Added this tree over here. Oh, absolutely not. None of us played, like I made it one month of college sports. Like I wasn't good enough. I got cut from 
Sam Rhee: [00:32:51] My first 
David Syvertsen: [00:32:52] month. Was that even a sport?
No, but tear it. So this is where, and I love her for saying what she just said is this is where I'm at right now. I don't know where I'll be next year. This is where, but it's not like a snap of the finger decision. She went through some bad things or went through up and downs, make good decisions, bad decisions in workouts, out of workouts.
Were it? But like now, like that's an example that you want because we are going, this is going to happen. What she went through mentally and physically other people are going to go through it fact 100%. Oh yeah. Okay. The fact that she can say this right now, should, if anyone's listening to this, that is going to be in a similar situation to her, or might be in a sense, you should know that no, this is not the end for you.
This is not like for nothing is forever, right? Maybe she will want to next year go after this or go after that. And I think that no matter what you're going through, there's always an approach you can have that would make you better. That can make you happier. That can make you chase after something.
Sam Rhee: [00:33:52] Oh, there's no doubt. Terry has probably some of the best form I've seen on most of the movements that we do. And to set an example and show athletes, whatever level or experience you are, regardless of how good you are or how not good you are to set your expectations, swallow your ego, be realistic, especially when we also have a bunch of new right people who don't necessarily follow.
And I think I was just thinking of a new athlete that I just saw who saw two other people next to him and he just had to try to use the same and it never works. No. And Ash talked him down off of it, but I, but it's one of those things where that's why I'm really looking forward to the open because we get everyone.
Terry, a new person, you, me, all these crazy good athletes, chasing the same thing. And we're just going to be sitting there supporting each other, regardless of whether someone's doing ring rows, whether they're doing five pounds or 500 pounds, like I will just love as long as people are putting the effort in that's to me, what it's all about.
Absolutely. Yeah. 
Terri Wiatrak: [00:35:00] There's nothing like seeing somebody do something they didn't think of, they could do. 
David Syvertsen: [00:35:04] Yeah. 
Terri Wiatrak: [00:35:05] Nothing like that. It's the best it's. Yeah, just sitting there and watching it and you just see the smile and the happiness that comes over them. It's just, it's worth it. 
Sam Rhee: [00:35:12] And sometimes you just don't.
I remember sitting there with Jenna Lasser on a ring muscle up workout, and we both, there were two rings next to each other. We both sat there on the boxes to get up onto the rings and for eight minutes or whatever it was, we were just like swinging. Nope. Not happening. Yeah. But you never know. I have seen people just try something sometimes.
And it, it happens. That's where 
David Syvertsen: [00:35:36] you started. Great. Where were you last year? 
Sam Rhee: [00:35:38] Oh yeah. Doing ring 
David Syvertsen: [00:35:39] muscle ups and open workout about making it to the age online qualifier, right? Like you people it's not, you didn't wake up one day and be like, dude, I'm going to start cross it, dude. I've muscle up.
Okay. Because I'll tell you this right now. We'll probably talk about this later. That's a goal for a lot of people. I want to get a muscle up. All right, good. Let's go for it. No, I want it now. No, you don't. You're not going to get it now. You're going to go through some stuff before you get there and you, again, we want to progress your way there.
It might take in four years, not four days. It might take you four years. And again, that's what it took you, to be honest. And, but here you are. And I think I always say last man standing, they always won and I just, you just don't quit and you'll get there, I can't 
Sam Rhee: [00:36:20] wait for this year.
David Syvertsen: [00:36:20] It's going to be awesome. It's gonna be pumped. Awesome. 
Sam Rhee: [00:36:22] You can get every episode of Botox and burpees, wherever you listen to podcasts, or go to botoxandburpees.com. thanks for listening