It’s about to get real in 3-2-1-GO!
The big event is Saturday, April 24th unless you’re doing the WODS off-site. Then it’s March 27th through April 17th. We wanted to give you some thoughts and tips to make it the best day of your year and maybe even a top 10 day of your life!
TAKE THE ATHLETES’ QUIZ!
You’ve read the WODs page and you’re ready for the comp right? Let’s find out. Take the Quiz Here
DOWNLOAD, PRINT AND SIGN THE WAIVER
Your Host should have copies available at check-in but it’ll speed things along if you already have the waiver, signed, in hand. We know you likely signed a digital waiver but we require the paper waiver for on-site competition.
BRING YOUR REGISTRATION CONFIRMATION
Have at least one member of your team bring a team registration confirmation if possible. Team members were emailed a copy at registration. All team members don’t need one. It’s not required to bring but it’s a good idea.
HOST CONTACT VIA EMAIL LIKELY
Your Host will likely be sending you an email in the few days before the event date with info about their specific Festivus Games event. If you don’t get an email it doesn’t mean there’s a problem. By the time you finish reading this message you’ll have 99% of what you need to know anyway.
What if your Host doesn’t send an email? Contact them on the Thursday prior to the event by starting here http://FestivusGames.com/host-list and then clicking on MORE INFO for your Host. If you want to ask your Host a specific question just click on CONTACT HOST once you are on the more-info page.
COVID STUFF
COMMUNICATION FROM YOUR HOST
We have advised every Host they should send all athletes an email at least 48 hours prior to the event with their policies on face coverings, physical distancing, guests you can bring, wellness checks at the door, equipment sanitation etc. If your host does not do this or you don’t get the email they sent and you have questions please contact your host direct by starting here.
REGARDING FACE COVERINGS
Festivus Games believes the face-covering guidelines provided by the CDC and WHO are the most valid at this time.
The CDC says “To reduce the spread of COVID-19, CDC recommends that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings when around people outside of their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.” https://bit.ly/2OYIE6L The WHO recommends face coverings for the general public in a variety of situations but the one I believe that applies universally to our event is this one …. “Settings where a physical distancing cannot be achieved (close contact).” https://bit.ly/2CKTjPY
REGARDING PHYSICAL DISTANCING
Festivus Games believes, based on CDC guidance https://bit.ly/3f8VsBT, that whenever possible, physical distancing of at least six feet should be maintained in public settings, when around people outside of your household. We hate the phrase “social distancing” because we should be socially connected but physically distanced. Anyway, we do not believe sustained, close-quarter, congregate settings are wise.
THE WIDE VARIETY OF GUIDELINES ACROSS THE WORLD
Gyms across the USA and world are open for business and serving their members every day. I personally have three memberships and am grateful to be able to attend my local gyms. I follow their guidelines and I don’t put myself in situations I don’t feel comfortable with.
Across the USA and the world, some gyms can have 100 people in the building and their county has no mask mandate. Other gyms are limited to 10 people in the building at a time and everyone must wear a mask – including members/athletes working out. Others are limited to outdoor training only. Still other gyms aren’t allowed to even open and haven’t been since March 2020. As such many gyms have gone out of business. .
Because we are an international competition with an incredibly wide spectrum of hosts with region-specific Covid protocols we have advised our hosts the following and we wanted you to know what we are recommending to hosts and what we are mandating.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOSTS
We recommend, for the event, that everyone indoors wear a mask, at all times, except for active athletes in their lane for competition.
We recommend hosts allow only the number of people indoors they can reasonably accommodate with the six-feet distancing guidelines, as the CDC recommends.
Hosts should consider dividing their athletes into 2-4 groups with assigned time blocks, so as to reduce the total people at their facility at any one time. If so, some athletes may only be at the host location from 9a-11a, others 12p-2p and so on. This would mean athletes would complete all the WODS within 60-90 minutes. We’ve advised our hosts that it’s also important they can issue awards at the end of any time block if they choose this option. If you make the podium we know how important that podium pic is – and we really mean that sincerely. Hosts who choose this option must notify athletes by email at least 48 hours before the event of when to arrive and what their time block is.
MANDATES FOR HOSTS
Hosts must email all of their athletes at least 48 hours prior to the event to let them know:
- A). Their face covering policy;
- B). Whether non-athletes (spectators/coaches) are allowed;
- C). Total people they’re allowing inside the building at a time.
- Hosts must follow all federal, state and local regulations with regard to Covid-19 and gatherings.
- All athletes must sign the paper waiver which you can see here.
Waiver–> https://bit.ly/3g7Is0W Please print, sign and bring with you. - Hosts must provide ample hand washing/sanitizing stations.
- Hosts must sanitize all equipment with each athlete change.
- Hosts must have, on hand, some disposable masks in case anyone doesn’t have one and wants one.
- Hosts cannot ONLY plan for an outdoor event. The weather is always a factor so there must be an indoor plan too.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ATHLETES
- If you have any host-specific concerns or questions prior to the event be sure and reach out directly to your host by starting here https://bit.ly/3gfjQ6e .
- If you have safety concerns on the day of the event try and find the person in charge and have a discussion with them. If you are not satisfied and don’t feel comfortable continuing to compete leave the event and contact Festivus Games with all the details of your position on the matter. https://festivusgames.com/contact-us/
MANDATE FOR ATHLETES
- If you are sick, have a fever or aren’t completely clear from your own Covid-19 illness OR you know you’ve been exposed to someone with Covid-19 in the past 14 days, do not go to your host.
- Be as kind and understanding as possible with any communication. This is a rough time for everyone.
OFF-SITE INFO
If you are doing the WODs off-site (any location other than a Festivus host) then you can submit scores anytime between March 27th and April 17th.
See this page for all the info regarding off-site guidelines.
http://festivusgames.com/offsite-guidelines
Beyond everything in the guide above here are a few more things to consider:
- Once your team has submitted a score you should notify your host directly. Otherwise they will NOT know you’ve submitted a score and might miss it. Hosts are being advised to review scores as quickly as possible. Contact Your Host
- If you registered by 03/28 your shirt will be at your host on 04/24. You should make arrangements with your host to pick up your shirts and also any swag if you podium. Your host is not obligated to mail you your shirts/swag but you may be able to work something out with them. I recommend whatever you do that you just try and work together. If your host is more than a three hour drive from you then we can move you to a pure VIRTUAL setup and we’ll mail your shirts and swag to you. Contact Us If So
- Off-site scores will count the same as any team’s score completed on-site. It’s very possible an off-site team could be announced as a podium finisher on the day of the event 04/24. That’s why we are having each host review the video submissions.
- Although you have until April 17th at 5pm pacific to enter scores I recommend you get everything done by April 10th so your host has plenty of time to review the workouts and to catch any “oops” in case you submitted the wrong video or anything else.
- IF you do the WODs off-site but then decide “The heck with it, we want to compete on-site” you will be able to do this, however, you should contact your host direct and let them know what you want to do and you MUST contact them by April 17th. If you do the WODs on-site whatever scores you get on-site will be THE scores your team gets. There will be no cherry picking best score when comparing off-site to on-site. On-site wins. No exceptions.
WHY OFF-SITE/VIRTUAL MAY BE HARDER OR AT LEAST NO EASIER THAN ON-SITE
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A. Judging on video may be harsher judging – more time to replay, slow it down, even freeze frame, and the judges were most often gym owners and head coaches – those with the highest training and critical eye – those who normally never judge their on-site comp because they are usually in admin roles.
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B. Teams can’t clean up no reps in real time like on-site can so all the subsequent reps count – judging after the fact means all no reps are just that.
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C. Although teams CAN redo workouts or do the workouts over multiple days 95% did not due to time constraints or other factors like one of the teammates being out of the country. The reality is life is busy and most just don’t have the time to do them again or over several days and go through all the hassle of setting up the camera, staging everything, getting a 4th person to judge/record etc.
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D. Is it fair to those competing offsite when WODProof screws up half way through the workout and they have to start over? Off-site teams had to rely on technology and had to deal a lot more with the stress of all that is related to SO many rules for submission.
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E. Is it fair that the on-site athletes get to see me discuss on the captains FB group the many examples of good and poor reps done by the off-site teams?
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F. Isn’t it an advantage to do the WODs on-site with other teams in the lanes right next to you, with an MC yelling through the microphone, with a judge eyeballing every rep, with music blaring and with all the hoopla that IS an on-site event? We think so.
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G. Many of the teams who did it off-site have covid restrictions in their area. Many off-site teams did all of the WODs wearing masks the entire time.
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In the end? Both on-site and off-site have advantages and disadvantages. As with most things in life when you really see it through the eyes of the other and we get all the details there’s a lot more to it and everyone has things they have to work through and are dealing with. We need more compassion folks – not pettiness.
Instructions for entering scores onto Competition Corner (Only your Team Captain can do this) are here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/35ybuvsrvi77hua/Festivus_Entering_Scores.pdf?dl=0
Printable Score Cards you definitely want to print and use are here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8bdj9qbp8p39fro/Festivus_April2021_Scorecards.pdf?dl=0
Here is a Zoom Recording we hosted with team Captains about scoring – it’s an hour in length.
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/Kd9z67Lj-gR4sMOTeM8pfzWYZou8E0oVmq6x-SH-NvhH8fgfHBKJgIZnDHkNoIvL.qxT1pHCuxZW4gmSF
Questions About Using Competition Corner should be directed to them. If they aren’t responsive let me know.
support@competitioncorner.net
OFFICIAL SHIRTS
If you registered by March 28th (and did not switch Hosts after that date) your shirt is included and you’ll have an official Athlete shirt waiting for you at your Host when you check in (assuming you didn’t switch Hosts after 03/28). If you are doing the WODs off-site then you will need to contact your host after 04/24 to make arrangements for pick up. Hosts are not obligated to mail you shirts and swag but you might be able to work something out with them.
If you registered after 03/28 the shirt isn’t included and won’t be waiting for you at the Host.
If you’d like to order an official, Festivus Games Athlete shirt (or an extra shirt) you can still do so by vising the link below. They are on sale at half off through April 30th only!
If you get the wrong shirt when you check in you may exchange it if our vendor receives it by May 31st it’s never been worn. Please make sure you include your full name, ship to address and what style/size you need as a replacement. Replacement shirts will be shipped by June 30th.
Exchanges should be sent so they are received by May 31st to:
Endurafit
C/O Festivus Games
3706 Crondall Ln # 103
Owings Mills, MD 21117
4 KEYS TO MAKE THIS A TOP 10 DAY OF YOUR LIFE
Keep just a few things in mind to help make it so:
1. Above all else? Good mechanics and have fun! Mechanics refers to technique – your ability to move properly. This means moving yourself and external objects in the most efficient, effective, and safe manner possible. Never sacrifice form, even with a max effort!
2. Have fun!
3. Remember, everyone involved is trying their best and is a perfectly flawed human. That includes your fellow competitors, judges, support staff and Host.
4. Stuff happens – as a member of this amazing community we’re taught to expect the unexpected. We expect a fantastic, smooth event but in case anything unexpected happens – hey, we roll with it!
We advise all our Hosts to make SURE their judging is impartial (no box favoritism) and that they educate their judges about how to score, proper form and when to call NO REP. Even so? It’s impossible, with dozens of Hosts and thousands of Athletes for mistakes not to occur. Heck, mistakes occur at the big-league Games with professional judges. Unless something is incredibly heinous or infuriatingly absurd please see the four guidelines above.
WORKING AROUND AN ACHE OR PAIN? TELL A STAFF MEMBER/JUDGE
We never recommend that an injured Athlete compete. No competition, especially an amateur comp, is worth making an injury worse. “No pain no gain” does not apply to connective tissue and injuries.
But if you are working around an ache or pain and you can’t do a movement be sure and communicate to a staff member at your Host and definitely your Judge to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Participating vs. Competing
We welcome adaptive athletes! And, if you are limited by range of motion or you have something nagging on your body but you feel you are safe enough to be a part of Festivus Games then here’s how it works and here’s the difference between PARTICIPATING and COMPETING. Don’t be bashful about asking staff at your Host how best to manage things like this. Your safety and fun are our top priorities.
Participate – if you are unable to complete the movements of your division with proper and full range of motion according to the standards written and shown you may still be a part of the fun. Communicate with your host and judges so they aren’t yelling NO REP! and also so adaptations can be made if necessary to accommodate your needs while you do the best you can. But also know that your judges will ONLY count the properly-executed reps you do when all things are considered including, but not limited to, range of motion, proper form, and order of movements. It’s quite possible you could get a score of zero for a WOD but still participate the best you can and have a ball doing so.
Compete – when you are able to complete the movements of your division fully as written and shown without any further scaling or adaptations being necessary.
SCORING AND LEADERBOARD RESULTS
We conduct all scoring OFF line. This means that, during the event, scores will not be visible online.
So when WILL scores be visible? All scores will be on our website, on our global ranking page by April 27th at 5pm Pacific time. We will announce when they are ready via Facebook and Instagram.
Of course awards will be issued at the end of your local event and your Host may choose to print your local the results AFTER the event and before we post the results on our global Leaderboard. That will be up to them.
We’ll provide the link to the Leaderboard as soon as it’s available.
Please do not bother the score keepers during the event. No hovering, looking over their shoulders or asking them how you stand so far. They have a tough job making sure all the scores are entered properly and they aren’t experts at explaining the ranking system, especially before the competition is complete and before all scores entered for every WOD.
We know some Athletes like to see their scores in real time as the event progresses. Some may say “Well I would have tried harder had I known where my standing was after WOD 2…” To that we just say this – Do your very best every time. Leave nothing on the table. Give it your all no matter what. The outcome will not be different had you known your ranking along the way if you do.
WOD STANDARDS REMINDER
Please take another look at the WODs and the WOD Standards Video here
https://festivusgames.com/wods/
TAKE LOTS OF PICS AND HASHTAG #festivusgames
The official hashtag is #festivusgames
Any pics or videos you post on social media please make sure you hashtag #festivusgames so we can find you. We may feature your pics on our Facebook or Instagram page!
SO HOW DOES THE DAY TYPICALLY GO?
More than half of our athletes are brand new to competing. So if you’re new you are in great company! Being nervous is normal and so we wanted to give you a general road map of how the day typically goes.
Check-In : Although you’ve registered you need to check in the morning of your event at the Host when they say you need to be there. If your Host has given you the time of your first WOD you still need to check-in along with everyone else bright and early. When is that? It’s normally 8am your time but it can be 7am or 8:15 or …. something else. So visit the INFO link for your Host and see what they say about it. http://FestivusGames.com/host-list
Gym Bag/Cooler : Your Host will have an area for you to put a gym bag, and small cooler. There may be room for a foldable chair but there might not. This is where you’ll hang out when you aren’t checking out others doing the WODs or competing.
Athlete Briefing : The MC, gym Owner or Head Judge will give all Athletes a run down of how the day is going to go, what they expect from you with respect to sportsmanship, to respect the fact that nearly all Judges are volunteering and paid nothing so be respectful and accept their decision, where to put your stuff for the day and so on. Some Hosts will also use the briefing to demo proper/expected form of each movement. Other Hosts will demo proper/expected form right before a new WOD starts in their day.
Assignment to a HEAT : You will be assigned to a HEAT (which is a group of athletes who perform a WOD at the same time.) If a Host has 50 athletes they may have 10 heats of 5 athletes each. This would mean you’d do whatever WOD is required with 4 other athletes at your specific time. They may have 5 heats of 10 athletes. In that case there’d be 9 other athletes besides you all doing a WOD at the same time. It is 100% up to the Host how to break up their athletes into HEATS and LANES (a station you do your WOD at). Assigning athletes to HEATS and LANES is how Hosts keep things relatively sane without having too many athletes active all at once.
Warm-Up Area : Most Hosts will have some designated area for you to warm-up. In smaller boxes there might be a very limited area possible for this. As an athlete we recommend you talk to your Coaches and be thinking about optimal ways you can warm up for each WOD without even having access to barbells or equipment and assuming a very small space to do so. The great thing about functional fitness is there are great body weight only movements or body weight + band/rope movements that’ll get you by in a pinch.
WOD Order : Your Host does not have to run the WODs in order. They may start with WOD 3 first or whatever logistically works best for them. What we ask all Hosts, however, is to make sure all athletes of a same division all do the WODs in the same order for fairness.
When Is Your First WOD? : Depending on what heat you are in you may be actively competing at 9am or you might not even have your first WOD until 11 or whatever. It depends on total athletes, how many heats and lanes the Host has sets up, and what heat you are in. You will know your heat after you arrive and can take a look at the heat sheet the host provides.
Time Between WODs : We advise all Hosts to try and give you a 30-minute to 90-minute break between WODs. Some flexibility to this is necessary though as Hosts need to do what is best for their space, safety, staff availability etc. But as an athlete you can expect that once you complete any WOD you’ll have about this much time as a break until you are doing the next WOD.
Floater WOD : Some hosts will run a WOD as a floater, some will simply include it as a regular WOD. If it’s a floater some Hosts will simply have a separate area for the Floater and it’s first-come, first-served. Some Hosts will ask that you sign up for a time when you want to do the Floater. Regardless of how the Host has the Floater WOD set up start thinking about WHEN you think you’re going to want to do it. The Host has the discretion to set the time it MUST be done by. This is because the Host knows it must be done by everyone before it’s time to figure out who goes to FINALS so that podium placements can be determined. For some Hosts they may need everyone to have the Floater done by Noon. Other Hosts won’t need to have the Floater done until 3pm or so. It’ll depend. Ask the Host if it’s not clear when it has to be done.
Finals WOD : There is no finals WOD for the April 2021 event.
Podium Awards : The top three Teams/Athletes in each division make the podium and get a cool Festivus Games medal and some great swag too!
Day Finishes : Most Festivus Games events finish by 4pm but some will finish by Noon and others won’t be over until 6pm or so. It really varies on total athletes, number of heats and lanes the host runs, space and more. Be prepared to start your day VERY early and not be leaving until dinner time.
What To Eat : We wrote a post that covers this topic really well. Check it out here. http://tinyurl.com/hdw4msn
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
Get a massage, stay healthy, take your vitamins and fish oil, your training should now be almost done, stay injury free.
We know this was a lot to read. If we missed something visit our CONTACT US page.
http://festivusgames.com/contact-us/
We look forward to seeing you all Saturday, September 19th!
David Greenwalt – Owner