At CrossFit 1710, our primary goal is to help our athletes become the healthiest & best version of themselves. Our coaches focus on helping athletes move and feel better in their everyday lives AND have fun with training. The time our athletes invest in training with us in the gym is an investment into long term health and mobility.
We measure our individual progress with benchmark workouts and the annual CrossFit Games Open. According to the CrossFit Games website, " The Open is the first stage of the CrossFit Games season. It includes a series of workouts, with one or more workouts released each week over consecutive weeks... Athlete performances in each workout are judged, validated, and ranked on the CrossFit Games Leaderboard. The top qualifying athletes and teams from each recognized competitive region* will qualify to compete at the next stage of competition."
The Open
This year was a record setting year for CrossFit 1710 with 27 Athletes competing in The Open and 12 registered judges.
We asked our athletes to share their 2024 Open experiences. Check out what they had to say below.
1. Why did you sign up for The Open this year?
I was highly encouraged by various other athletes to sign up for The Open. -Janie
I signed up for the Open this year to give the Open a TRY. I hear all the CrossFit athletes talk about how they signed up and how fun of a challenge it is but I always tell myself “I’ll do it next year.” This year was different; I just wanted to challenge myself this year. Also, my gym besties Licia & Janie talked me into it 😅 -A'Lexis
You will never know your strength until you push it to the highest level and that’s what I wanted to get from signing up to The Open. -Lissette
My wife, Jodie, signed up. I wanted to spend my Friday nights with her, so I signed up too. I also wanted to see if I had improved since last year. -Gabe
I had been attending CrossFit 1710 for almost a year and figured it would be a good time to challenge myself and see how I would do. -Amanda
This was my second Open. I signed up again because I really enjoyed the challenge of stepping outside my comfort zone and testing my physical and mental strength. -Renee
I love the challenge of competing with the women in my age group and level. -Sarah H
The coaches and previous year's participants talked about how much fun it is. -Yvette
The Open is so much fun. I believe this was my 6th year participating. Love the way everyone is cheering for you. And the best part is watching our coaches because they are BEASTS! -Teresa
I love the energy that comes with the Open. Our gym has been really trying to keep our members actively engaged by providing that sense of community and consistency. The Open was a great way to continue that momentum. -Shannon
I signed up because I wanted to prove to myself that I can do hard & scary things. I wanted to try and do something I’ve never done before. I was skeptical to sign up but
with everyone’s encouragement to try it out, I did it. -Ashley A
I signed up for the open because of the encouragement of all the other athletes! I didn’t think I could do it after only attending 16 classes. -Melissa
2. What was your favorite Open memory this year?
My favorite memory this year would have to be during the 2nd workout… myself, Jodie, Jason, and Patrick were all in the same heat and just pushing each other as hard as we could for 20 minutes. You wanted to let up because you were pushing yourself so hard for so long, but the moment you look over and see your friends pushing just as hard with you, it’s motivating and such a cool experience. -Justin
My favorite memory this year is RXing the first Open workout. -Skylar
My favorite memory I made in the open was RX’ing all three workouts, I feel proud and happy I did that. -Taevion
My favorite memory made this year at the open is being surrounded by various types of athletes some new and some of the OG’s all coming together to support one another. When you think you can’t possibly go on anymore or you just want to give up. There will be a crowd cheering you on to get up! Don’t stop! You got this! -Janie
Knowing that I did my best and I can do better next year -Juanita
Being able to cheer people on and seeing what is possible for the future if you just keep showing up! -Lissette
Finding out I was pregnant a week before the Open! -Alexis
The people cheering and encouraging me and participating with my son and daughter. -Claudio
Being able to compete with my gym family; I love for us to be together and celebrate one another. -Jason
That this was the biggest participation ever since joining CF1710. -Teresa
Setting a goal of how many rounds I wanted to complete and finishing past that. Also- seeing our amazing Coaches compete and cheering them on! 🥰 Amanda
Getting to see our new members participate in The Open. We have members who have been at the gym less than 2 months sign up for The Open for the camaraderie. To see them be brave enough to compete and give it their all was the best part for me! -Shannon
Seeing my daughter standing there to support me. I didn’t know she was coming, and it meant the world to me! -Melissa
Doing my first chin to bar pull up during The Open. -Cesley
Competing for the first time with my daughter. -Yvette
The excitement, and camaraderie in the gym. As an athlete participating, it is very exhilarating, as well as motivating, to hear the cheers and encouragement from your CF family. Likewise, as a spectator, it’s fun and exciting to cheer on my fellow athletes. -Renee
3. What did you learn from The Open this year?
Coach Jason DOES sweat, and he can sometimes breathe a bit heavy during a workout. I learned it doesn’t matter how much in shape you are, how much training, or how much you can lift there will always be something in The Open that challenges you. -Janie
Choosing your hard is exactly that - a choice! CrossFit is hard, but so is struggling with mental health, grief, being overweight, staying healthy and life in general! -Melissa
Give it all you got to succeed and it will all fall into place -Juanita
I have a lot to power through but with a supportive group anything is possible.
-Lissette
Competition isn’t always about who’s the best. It’s also about trying your very best and encouraging your fellow athletes to do the same… and have fun! 🥵 -Amanda
I have progressed in various ways with my fitness and mental ability & new personal goals I want to continue to work on for next year. -Licia
I got a long way to go but I know with my coaches and dedication making progress next year is a for sure thing! -CJ
Health & Fitness looks different to everyone. And the path that we take to get there may be the same, but it is better traveled together. -Amani
There will be trials, but just keep going.
-Ashley C
CrossFit is a mental challenge. We do the work in our daily WOD's and the open is just to see us challenge ourselves. -Teresa
If I push myself like I did in The Open, I could do better during the daily workouts.
-Cesley
I can Rx an Open Workout! Coach Jodie pushed me in the first Open workout to do the RX weight and I did! While I didn’t finish it, it let me know I could do it!
-Shannon
I need to push myself more in my WODs and be more consistent. I need to try to add that extra .5 lb, fight for that next rep, etc.. -Ashley A
I am capable of a lot more than I thought.
-Kassandra
I can do chin over bar pull ups even though it took a little while to get there. -Skylar
4. Anything else you want to add about The Open?
I could probably list a thousand reasons why I did not want to do the open. But I am glad I did. Life is going to give you a thousand reasons you can’t do something. Just get up and do it! I am blessed to have a group of athletes like CrossFit1710 that forcefully made me do the open (j/k) I did it! Who knows, I might do it again next year. -Janie
Just how proud and lucky we are to have a gym like we have, something so close knit that cares about each person, athlete, member, and their families on an individual level. We are always here for each other. 😊 -Justin
It is important as a member of the gym to participate in the Open no matter where you think you stand in fitness ability. It is a great way to challenge yourself. -Claudio
The Open is for everyone. My family went from watching me in the Open last year to participating and being members of CrossFit this year. It’s a fun exciting way to challenge yourself. -Licia
Be patient, it doesn’t mean you stop working. Nonetheless, you understand that your outcome is going to look different than those around you. -Amani
Doing the Burpee challenge in the month of December helped me tremendously in the gym and in the Open this year. -A'Lexis
This was my 4th Open and most of the same ladies in the top 10 in the Foundations division of my age group have been doing this together for the past 2-4 years. I call us the “old ladies with the stick.” It is greatly appreciated that those of us in our 60’s can compete at our own level. -Sarah H
I can’t wait to see the difference between this Open to next year and I’m really excited for the results to come. I already feel them in just 2 months, and I can’t wait to see a year’s difference! 🥰 -Lissette
I truly feel like I've found a group of people that are soo supportive and welcoming. There have been days I just didn't feel like showing up or I don’t feel at my best when I have those days and I still show up. By the end of our workout I feel so much better because of the amazing, supportive family we have at CrossFit 1710. ❤️ -Kassandra
I encourage everyone to do The Open. It's fun and challenging! -Cesley
I’m 44 years old and still improving year by year. Don’t let your age slow you down; it’s just a number. -Gabe
I learned that as we age, we can still become fitter through the years. -Jason
Participating in the Open allowed me to meet others at CrossFit 1710 that I may not see in class, and I felt so welcomed with the first hello. -Melissa
Don't let the open be intimidating! It's for everyone! -Yvette
I’m soo glad I participated in this and look forward to the next one! -Amanda
Quarterfinals
The next level of competition is Quarterfinals.
According to the CrossFit Games, "Quarterfinals are the second virtual stage of the 2024 CrossFit Games season when the pool of competitors is whittled down and the top 25% of athletes and teams from the Open are invited to continue their competition season alongside others from their gym and in the community.
Athletes and teams will complete a series of workouts at their affiliates to determine who will advance to the Semifinals."
Four of our athletes qualified for Quarterfinals this year.
Patrick Gilley and Justin Henson qualified in the Men’s Individual Division.
Jason Llanes qualified in the Men’s Individual Division & Men’s 40-44 Age Group.
Jodie Hutchinson qualified in the Women’s Individual Division & Women’s 40-44 Age Group.
They completed 4 Quarterfinals workouts over the course of 4 days in the gym with a ton of support from the whole CrossFit 1710 Team. Here’s what they had to say about Quarterfinals:
What was your favorite Quarterfinals WOD and why?
The 2nd workout with the wall balls and burpee box jumps. I pushed myself harder than I have in a very long time and surprised myself with how long I was able to hold on to that intensity in the workout. It tested my endurance, will, and mental capacity. -Justin
Number 3 because I thought my strict HSPU would be bad and slow me down. I learned that I’ve made more progress in them than I thought. That was a huge win for me. -Patrick
Workout 4 was my favorite because of all the support and hype our gym members had for us this day. -Jason
WOD 4 played to my strengths, so I was very excited for that one! I really like a heavy barbell and love lifting with Jason, Justin, and Patrick. What made it even more exciting as having my husband, Gabe, as my judge for all the workouts and the tremendous energy and support from our family and friends. -Jodie
What is your biggest take away or lesson from Quarterfinals?
A few times a year I get to compete locally or in virtual comps like The Open and Quarterfinals. God created me with a competitive spirit that really comes out through CrossFit. I had some lingering leg injuries this year, so this season was the least amount of pressure I put on myself and the most fun I’ve had cheering on all my teammates. God reminded me that I CrossFit to be healthy throughout the year. Competing is a lot of fun for me, but it’s the non-competitive days that help me become the healthiest version of me I can be. -Jodie
Relax and have fun! The Open and Quarterfinals are a yearly exam of the work you’ve put in. You know your weaknesses, now work on them. – Jason
I am proud of how far I’ve come. I like to compare myself to the best out there, but I have learned to compare myself to myself. It’s not about how far someone else has come or how hard they have worked. It’s about how far you’ve come and how hard you’ve worked. Celebrate the small victories. -Justin
What was a memorable Quarterfinals experience this year?
Doing workout 4 with so many people around cheering us on was amazing! I couldn’t hear myself think because of how loud everyone was and it made the workout so much better!
-Patrick
For me it was having the members show up. There’s an unforgettable feeling to have other people come and be happy for you and encourage you. They came and cheered us on when they had so many other things they could be doing. I’ll never forget that feeling!
-Justin
We have something very special at CrossFit 1710. We truly are a family. The texts, calls, words of encouragement, and prayer I continually receive from my teammates extend beyond competition. The Open and Quarterfinals are sweet reminder of the continual love I have for and get from my CrossFit 1710 teammates. -Jodie
Coach Jodie and myself have had a goal of getting more athletes in to the Quarterfinals round. We met our goal by having two more athletes join us this year! Congratulations Justin on your first Quarterfinals! Patrick, it’s good to have you back in the gym after a few years away! Congratulations on your quarterfinal placement. -Jason
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