Alan Shaw, co-owner of Rhapsody Fitness in downtown Charleston, SC, has started a new CrossFit Open tradition. The tradition brings together gyms in the area for a Friday Night Lights event, which is a staple in the CrossFit community.
Rhapsody Fitness and a couple of other gyms in the surrounding area launched the Downtown ChuckTown Throwdown last year and brought it back for the 2025 Open.
- This year, Rhapsody Fitness, Holy City CrossFit, and Pale Horse CrossFit are all participating in the throwdown. Each Friday, they take turns hosting athletes.
The CrossFit community around the globe has been at a crossroads when it comes to handling the 2025 CrossFit Games season. The death of Lazar Ðukić at the 2024 CrossFit Games brought everyone to a halt, and as a result, some athletes and affiliates have chosen not to participate this year.
For Rhapsody Fitness, Shaw saw it as an opportunity to come together and focus on CrossFit at the community level.
- “I think with all the noise that’s happening right now with everything […] what’s happening day in and day out in our affiliates is what CrossFit actually is,” Shaw told the Morning Chalk Up in an interview.
Shaw and his husband founded Rhapsody Fitness in 2018 after moving down from New York City. They have a little over 200 members and pride themselves on being a gym for anyone and everyone.
- “We live in an amazing city — we’re by the beach, and we have warm weather for most of the year, and people like to live that beach life here. Being able to sort of balance that here is really important to me,” Shaw said.
The majority of Shaw’s members are there to get a quick workout in and go back to their daily lives. His members love the CrossFit methodology and being able to come together for fitness.
Shaw says he didn’t tell his members to sign up for the Open — instead, he left it up to them to decide.
- “I’ve been telling people whether you signed up for the Open or you haven’t signed up for the Open, as long as you’re showing up and and and committing to the workout, I think that’s the most important thing,” he said.
As a seven-year affiliate owner, Shaw has seen the changes and significant events in the CrossFit space, including everything that went on with Ðukić and the effect it’s had on the community as a whole.
- “We’re at a turning point right now with CrossFit in general and understanding what really matters is the day-in and day-out dedication that affiliate owners give to their gyms pulling 12-to-16-hour days for a methodology that we all know that works and that we’ve seen people’s lives be changed, including our own,” Shaw said.
Whatever happens with CrossFit and the Open in future years, Shaw plans to continue hosting the Downtown ChuckTown Throwdown. While he hopes it will remain tied to the CrossFit season, he’s interested in where the sport is headed and how affiliates will contribute to that narrative.
“We’ll see what happens in the next couple of years,” he said. “But for me, it’s one of those things where it’s going to stick around for sure.”
One last thing: It’s the final week of the 2025 CrossFit Open, and the 25.3 announcement will be made on Thursday at CrossFit Spur in Glenmont, NY.
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Featured Image: Peyton Raybon, @peyray.photography / Instagram
