Whitehorse’s Erin Light worked out to a third-place finish over the weekend.
The member of CrossFit Whitehorse won bronze at the Battle on the Border in Lloydminster, Alta., a CrossFit competition.
“I believe that placing third is a great accomplishment and that my training is paying off,” said Light in an email to the News. “This training has only been as good as it has because I have had some awesome support from the community at CrossFit Whitehorse. The community includes the owners, coaches and more than anything the other talented athletes.
“Placing third is a great benchmark to only improve. I was able to place first in several events throughout the weekend and this gives me confidence going into the next competition.”
CrossFit is relatively new sport with a world championship that describes itself as the “world’s premier test to find the fittest on Earth.”
Competitors lift and move heavy objects within a certain time and complete reps of pull-ups and other exercises.
“For event one we were given six minutes to do as many rounds of 10 snatches, 10 pull-ups and 10 wall-ball throws at a set height,” said Light, who placed second in the event out of 18 women. “My favourite movements are Olympic lifts like clean and jerks and gymnastics-based movements - pull ups or muscle ups using the rings - as I was a gymnast for 15 years.”
Light finished first in three of eight events over the weekend. She placed first in the “hang power clean ladder,” snatching 680-pounds over a series of reps; tied for first in the “muscle ups” with 10 reps on the gymnastic rings, and placed first in a “toes to bar” event in which athletes hang from a chin-up bar and touch it with their toes.
Light is currently one of about 10 registered for the CrossFit Open in Whitehorse on March 6. The open is a qualifier for regionals in June followed by the international CrossFit Games.
Light placed 11th at regionals (Western Canada) last year.
CrossFit Whitehorse was formed in April 2011 and operates out of Peak Fitness in Riverdale. Classes are held every day at Peak with about 40-50 active members, overseen by five certified coaches including Light.
Every day CrossFit Headquarters releases a Workout out of the Day. Registered athletes then have a week to complete it and register their times.
“CrossFit is about the community and the people you meet,” said Light. “It is for everyone regardless of ability level because all of the movements are scalable. We totally welcome newcomers and hope to see more people at the box (CrossFit’s word for gym). A typical training day consists of a warmup, mobility work and explanation of a movement, followed by the workout of the day.”
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com