The 2024 Evansville CrossFit Open FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Coach Austin, CF-L3, CrossFit Weightlifting Certified • February 2, 2024
This year we are going to be hosting “Friday Night Lights”. No, I do not mean the TV Series that ran from 2006-2011 (shoutout IMDB). I am talking about turning the gym into an atmosphere that involves camaraderie, improvement, support and A TON of energy!

What does that even mean?


Do you remember back in the good old days when the “Big Game” was happening Friday night? You and all your friends would meet at their place, get dressed in your team’s colors, paint your faces (or bodies if you were super wild), pregame and go to parties? Then you would all ride to the stadium, or the coliseum or field to watch your team face off against the opponents under the bright lights? Well that’s what Friday Night Lights is, but instead of us getting ready to go watch our team, we are watching and supporting our friends as they perform under the bright lights! And guess what? After they are done the roles are reversed and now it’s their turn to watch you perform! 


I know that may sound daunting. “Someone is gonna watch me work out? They are gonna judge me? I’m not good enough for that…” Well I say YOU ARE! Every one of you is beyond good enough to perform in Friday Night Lights! Every single one of you is good enough to come to CrossFit and do the WOD (almost) every day for weeks, even years, on end! Friday Night Lights is the same as that! Yes there is a little added pressure, but that is supposed to happen. That pressure may make you a little nervous and it might be scary, trust me, I’ve been there. But trust me, the added pressure, anxiousness and nerves helps you perform better. It does so because your nervous system kicks into overdrive, your adrenaline starts flowing a little more than normal and that amps you up. Add your friends and family on the sidelines cheering you on and instantly you get inspired to just send it!

Watch What FNLs for CrossFit City of Lakes is like

I know this is how it works because I have been a part of 10 CrossFit Opens before. Either as a competitor (this year will be my 8th), judge, coordinator, team captain, coach. You name it, I’ve been it. That means I have seen people that have the same thoughts, fears, concerns, aversions and whatnot as you may have. I have seen the same excitement, hype, hope and so on as you have as well. And I have seen everything else in between. I have seen people break barriers and I have seen people fall short. I have broken barriers and I have fallen short. That stuff is supposed to happen. That is where we learn what we are made of. By taking that risk you are establishing your boundaries which gives you your goal(s) of what to break. And then you break it.


That is what Friday Night Lights is about. It’s not about the Open, it’s not about who is the fittest, it’s not even about failing. It’s about trying something new out, sticking your neck out there, hyping up your friends and hyping yourself up too! It’s about getting a little nervous and then kicking its ass and showing those nerves who’s boss. YOU ARE THE BOSS! GO GET IT!


That sounds pretty awesome right? I think it does or else I wouldn’t be telling you all this. So what comes next? You sign up for your WOD time!!!


What does this do? A couple of things, actually.


First, this locks in your spot for when you would like to workout and perform Open Workout (or Test) 24.1.


Second, if you sign up and come to workout during your assigned time, you get a free 2024 Evansville CrossFit Open T-Shirt! If you don’t workout but you sign-up to judge you also get a free shirt. Heck if you are an EC member and you come to cheer on friends and you get a shirt!!! I know this is different from what we have done in the past but I will save why for a later post. Just come to Friday Night Lights and let’s rock!!! PLEASE!!!!


Third, and most important, this will give us a chance to plan ahead for the heats and how to set-up the gym. If everything goes the way I want it to go it will be packed with people warming up, working out, hanging out and watching and knowing who is going to workout, when they are working out and how many stations need to be set up ahead of time will help expedite the process and minimize unnecessary downtime. Doing so will keep the event moving and keep people entertained which will keep the energy high and help everyone enjoy what the Open and FNLs is all about! So please, sign up for workout time as soon as you can so we can begin figuring out exactly what we need to do! Oh also, if you can find yourself a judge ahead of time just makes things even easier. Thank you!!

Alongside signing up for Friday Night Lights, consider signing up for the 2024 CrossFit Open (click image):

If you are unsure about signing up for the Open, take a few minutes to read our post

What is the CrossFit Open, What Does It Mean To Me and Why You Need to Sign-up
By By: Sharon Gonzales July 23, 2025
This month, we're excited to introduce Sarah — a member of our EC community who’s proof that getting started is the hardest part... but also the most rewarding. When she’s not crushing workouts, Sarah loves to teach, read, spend time in nature, study, cook, and even color — a reminder that wellness is about balance in and outside the gym. 💥 Why She Joined “I joined in May 2025. My wonderful partner, who has done CrossFit before, had tried a few times to get us back into it — but I was scared and timid. We’d heard about Evansville CrossFit from a past member who raved about the environment. When we came to check it out, we loved the vibe. It felt so welcoming and non-judgmental, and I knew it was time to give it a try.” 🏋️‍♀️ Crushing Fitness Goals Sarah has made some serious progress in just a few short months: ✅ Took on Murph in her first week ✅ PRs in front squat, box jumps, bench press, and broad jumps ✅ Improved mile time & endurance ✅ Boosted confidence and walks out of most classes feeling empowered 💪 Overcoming Challenges “One of my biggest hurdles has been confidence. CrossFit comes with a lot of unfamiliar movements. It can feel overwhelming at first — and I’ve even had to relearn some things I was doing incorrectly from another gym. But learning, growing, and pushing through that has made me stronger.” 🔥 What Keeps Her Motivated “Having a workout buddy helps. But more than that — making connections at EC has made a huge difference. I’ve exchanged phone numbers with people, added them on Facebook... It really feels like we’re all in this together.” 💡 Advice for New Members “It looks harder than it is — don’t get frightened away. It’s the most empowering feeling ever. If you can commit to 3–4 days a week, you’ll see progress fast. And you’ll want to keep coming!” Also, she reminds us: Nutrition Matters . “If you’re giving your all at CrossFit and still not seeing results — look at what you’re eating. I’m able to thrive because of the way I fuel my body.” 👯‍♀️ The Power of the EC Community “The community is why I stay consistent. Between get-togethers after Murph, sand volleyball and pickleball games, or post-class conversations, there’s always an opportunity to connect. If you’re someone who loves a social vibe, EC has it.” 🏆 Favorite Thing About EC “Right now — it’s the Friday Hero Workouts. I’m a big fan of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and these workouts give me both. Every Friday this summer you get a chance to win a prize. I am able to push myself every Friday to do workouts I never would have thought I could've done a few months ago at a traditional gym. And at the end of the summer there will be a drawing for someone to win a grand prize if they completed all of the Friday Hero workouts. There are also monthly stickers given to members who attend at least 12 classes. ⏳ Fitting Fitness Into a Busy Life “CrossFit has saved me time. I used to spend over two hours at a traditional gym and walk away with less intensity, fewer calories burned, and less satisfaction. Now, in just one hour, I leave completely exhilarated (and exhausted) — but in the best way.” 🌟 Life Outside the Gym “The dopamine and serotonin after a workout? Real. I’m more positive. I text people encouraging things. I smile more. I sing in my car. I feel like I can accomplish anything after a class. It truly sets my day up for success.” 💬 Final Thoughts “At first, the cost scared me. Spending 4–5x more than a regular gym felt risky. But the changes I started seeing — physically and mentally — made it completely worth it. Everyone has something ‘expensive’ they prioritize in life. If you make CrossFit your non-negotiable, it will pay off.” Sarah — thank you for being such a bold, bright light in the EC community! Your story is proof that confidence, consistency, and community can truly transform your life — inside and out.
By Coach Austin, CF-L3, CrossFit Weightlifting Certified March 11, 2024
Nice work showing up and showing out last Friday for Friday Night Lights! The bars were set, the monitors were turned on and the ropes were flying! You all should be proud of what you did last week. That workout was no joke and being able to stick to it for 20:00 is very impressive!
By Coach Austin, CF-L3, CrossFit Weightlifting Certified March 8, 2024
Let's all hang out and get after tonights WOD! Last week was great, let's build on the hype!
By Coach Austin, CF-L3, CrossFit Weightlifting Certified March 6, 2024
24.1 Friday Night Lights had a good turnout, let's see if we can beat it this Friday for 24.2!
By Coach Austin, CF-L3, CrossFit Weightlifting Certified March 4, 2024
Take a look at all these amazing athletes and people ready to hang out and watch some awesome fitness! Thank you to everyone who came and supported!
By Coach Austin, CF-L3, CrossFit Weightlifting Certified March 1, 2024
Friday Night Lights begins TONIGHT! I know I have been hyping it up and I think it’s fair why! It is currently 11:51 am as I write this and we already have had a handful of athletes take their shot at CrossFit Open Workout 24.1 and we have seen some AMAZING things! Before we get into all the doo-dads of 24.1 there are some housekeeping things I need to take care of.
By Coach Austin, CF-L3, CrossFit Weightlifting Certified February 26, 2024
Some things are inevitable and there’s nothing we can do to avoid it, eventually time does catch up to us but there are things we can do to push back and delay the onset of those things as much as possible. This can range from cardiovascular disease to muscle and bone density losses or even mental health decline, to name a few.
By Coach Austin, CF-L3, CrossFit Weightlifting Certified February 23, 2024
The time is drawing nearer by the second! If you haven’t been paying much attention to the latest hype, the Open is *ALMOST* hare, and with it comes Friday Night Lights! I’m sure you don’t want to hear me ramble on about why the Open is important and that you should do it. BUT I will do a little bit of rambling here again.
By Coach Austin, CF-L3, CrossFit Weightlifting Certified February 19, 2024
On that day, we will be hosting the EC Gauntlet. The EC Gauntlet is going to be a local competition open to teams of males and females from as far as they want to travel to partake in this event.
By Coach Austin, CF-L3, CrossFit Weightlifting Certified February 16, 2024
First, what is FNLs? FNLs is a in-house competition-adjacent event.I say competition-adjacent because it will be in the format of a competition. There will be groups of athletes performing the WOD at specific times with judges scoring their workouts and enforcing movement standards. I say adjacent because there aren’t going to be “winners” or “losers” and there aren’t going to be multiple workouts that single day to establish who is the “fittest”. It’s a competition because each athlete will perform the WOD in a certain category (Rx, Scaled, Foundations, Masters, etc.). And it’s adjacent because it is just another WOD. FNLs is meant to bring the energy that a competition brings into the affiliate and to give athletes who haven’t experienced the thrill of a real competition a taste of what it feels like. It pushes people in ways that are extremely difficult to replicate in the day-to-day WOD that we perform in class all the time. Not only those things but it also gives us a chance to watch and cheer on our friends while they workout from start to finish and then gives them a chance to do the same for us. It gives us as an affiliate to do something we don’t normally do and to try and make it something fun, something that we will talk about for the rest of the year and give us something to look forward to next year.