聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Six local CrossFit teams with Living Skies CrossFit in Carlyle have returned from the eighth annual Spring Fling competition which was held in Regina on June 17 鈥� 18. The two-day CrossFit Competition saw two of those teams earn podium finishes: Danielle Steele and Kenzie Craig finished first in the Women鈥檚 Scaled Division, while Tyson Hislop and Matthew Klemack finished second in the Men鈥檚 Scaled Division.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Also competing in the Women鈥檚 Scaled Division were Brittany Smoliak and Erica Nicholson (9th) as well as Ashley Miller and Katie Mryglod (10th); in the Men鈥檚 Rx鈥檇 Division were Nathan Corrigan and Cam Jarvis (6th) as well as Scott Nicholson and Brandon Hodgkin (16th).
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Attending in a different capacity was Living Skies CrossFit鈥檚 own Carson Brady who was acting as a judge during the competition.
What is CrossFit?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 CrossFit is a high-intensity strength and conditioning program, which states that its specialty is not specializing 鈥� it takes elements from a variety of sports and exercises and incorporates them into one. Although it is a strength and conditioning program, there are also competitions in CrossFit which have become popular.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淐ompetition weekend all five of the workouts are released one week before the competition,鈥� Craig explains. 鈥淚t gives teams the opportunity to both try them and make a strategy for each event.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 just want to add outsiders, when they hear CrossFit instantly think of competitive type athletes, yes some of us train to be competitive, but the majority of the gym members attend each day to better their lifestyle! I love watching the small victories for people like doing a burpee for the first time.鈥�
On the podium with Steele and Craig
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Of their win Steele and Craig, who have both been in CrossFit for three years, were very excited to earn a spot at the top of the podium in something they have both come to love.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淜enz and I have only competed together three times [Spring Fling 2016 and Hwy 9 Throwdown 2016 in addition to this year鈥檚 Spring Fling],鈥� Steele says, then laughed, 鈥淪he鈥檚 so strong and I need her on my team to do all the heavy lifting.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Adding to this Kenzie says, 鈥淒anielle and I as partners complement each other well in team competitions because we both carry different strengths. Danielle is really gifted with gymnastics type movements (pull-ups, muscle ups, toes to bar, etc鈥�) and I鈥檓 good at cycling a barbell and moving heavy weights. Danielle is also really good at the mental side of competitions, she keeps me from having a melt down and reminds me to stay focused often,鈥� she says with a laugh.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he workouts played out in our favour last weekend,鈥� Steele explained. 鈥淲e were given five workouts over those two days and the top four teams competed in one final workout that was announced immediately before it started. You don鈥檛 really know what the workouts are that far in advance, so you just have to be prepared for anything and go out there and do your best.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Regarding the competition on the weekend Craig explained that nerves are a factor, but that this is what they鈥檝e worked for all year: 鈥淲e all work so hard all year and this is the time to prove it!鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Steele added, 鈥淪pring Fling last year was our first competition and we finished 11th, I believe. To win it this year feels pretty good; we鈥檝e put in a lot of hard work in the last year, so it鈥檚 nice to have it pay off.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Craig added, 鈥淲inning is a great feeling. Knowing all the hard work and hours spent training is worth it! It makes you excited to train harder and set new goals. There is always lots to improve on.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The pair also plans to compete in The Highway 9 Throwdown in Yorkton this October, while Craig also plans to direct focus on Olympic weightlifting in order to enter a competition this fall as well.
On the podium with Hislop and Klemack
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Hislop began his CrossFit journey nine months ago 鈥� through encouragement from friends like Craig who was already involved in it 鈥� and Klemack began approximately a year and a half ago 鈥� he had been body building, but decided to try out the program and found that he enjoyed the variety.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The mentality for CrossFit competitions was also appealing: 鈥淚t focuses a lot on endurance and cardio health, so it鈥檚 about putting the gas pedal to the floor and holding it there. The guys that got first on the weekend were impossible to catch. They came out flying. So, you鈥檝e got to be mentally tough in order to push yourself to do what you need to do.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭his was the first competition for me and Tyson. Once we got into CrossFit, we both started working towards competition. So, this one was a way to get our foot in the door and see if we liked it鈥� I think we both enjoyed it and would like to continue competitions.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Hislop spoke to the weekend specifically saying: 鈥淲e went in to have fun and just kept working hard. The first event for us went well right out of the gate and that first day we just kept encouraging and pushing each other, and the fans were really encouraging as well, they were great. We were in second after the first day and the second day had more challenging WODs [Work Out of the Day] for us, but we managed to make the final.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In the final WOD, which involved the top four teams, Hislop and Klemack finished third, which gave them an overall finish for the weekend of second place.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淕oing in I didn鈥檛 know where we would be at, so we just decided to work hard,鈥� Hislop added. 鈥淲e kept our cool and just enjoyed every moment of it. It was a lot of fun.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淎nd CrossFit Regina ran it perfectly, they did a great job putting it on, and thank you to everyone who came out and watched; they were very supportive. Also, thank you to Carson [Brady], Colin [Wilson], and Scott [Nicholson], and all the other coaches. They鈥檙e so supportive and committed, and it鈥檚 a family more than anything else.鈥�
Why CrossFit?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Craig鈥檚 decision to first start with CrossFit came as a sort of therapy for her: 鈥淚 openly shared my story about my struggles with depression and eating disorder a few years ago on social media. I was never active or athletic growing up. CrossFit became a place where I could go clear my mind and be with like minded individuals. It was a place where I could focus on what my body was doing, not what it looked like.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淭he community that is built at the gym is a place you want to keep going back to! It becomes addicting because you keep seeing changes all the time, mentally and physically!鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Steele first got into CrossFit with encouragement from a friend, although hesitant, she attended and says she was hooked after the first class: 鈥淭he thing about CrossFit is that you make it as intense as you want. If you鈥檙e there just to get moving then great! There are all sorts of options for people who haven鈥檛 worked out in awhile, have mobility issues, have injuries. The competition side of it isn鈥檛 for everybody and there is zero requirement to push yourself that hard.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚 like that I can track my workouts and see the improvements. One class you might have a 400m run and you might only be able to walk it, but next year when you test it again you might be able to run it all. It鈥檚 exciting to see how far you鈥檝e come.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Klemack adds, 鈥淚 was body building before, so was already into a healthy lifestyle, but just liked CrossFit, it wasn鈥檛 about appearance, but capability, and I鈥檝e learned skills that I never thought I鈥檇 take up like gymnastics; I鈥檓 a 23-year-old male who never thought that I鈥檇 be on the rings or bars. It was never in my repertoire. It鈥檚 really appealing though because you look in shape, but it makes you a more dynamic athlete and is focused on performance. It鈥檚 about personal growth and provides a great sense of accomplishment.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淚f anyone is thinking about trying it out, definitely talk to Carson, he does an awesome job at teaching efficiency in your movements. You鈥檒l learn skills that are not only used in CrossFit, but in everyday life. You鈥檒l just start moving better. I walked in there with an injury and now I feel better than I ever have before. It was a great adjustment in my lifestyle and it鈥檚 important for everyone to be physically active.鈥�
