Coming together for crossfit
CELINA — Typically people are just getting started on their fitness journey in early January but all day Saturday, athletes from near and far were testing how far they have gone on their fitness journey as they competed in the CrossFit Crave Winter Classic.
With 90 athletes competing, the follow up to July’s Summer Classic was larger than CrossFit Crave’s initial plan but Owner Matt Shindelecker said that expansion of teams was driven by demand by teams hoping to show their grit and determination.
“We had 20 teams over the summer at our first competition and we had set that as the number of teams for the Winter Classic,” he said. “We had slots for five teams of two for the scaled division, male and female for each, and five teams of males and females for the RX Division. About a week and a half later we had a total of 40 teams signed up.
“The phone kept ringing, messages kept coming in on Facebook, I was getting text messages from people wanting to sign up. We wound up adding five more spots for the female scaled division and we cut it off there because we wanted to keep the number of people under control.”
In addition to limiting the number of people in the gym because of COVID restrictions, Shindelecker explained that the day would be plenty long with the timing for each exercise and the setup and sanitation between each event. The day began at 7 a.m. and lasted until 5 p.m.
Even with a larger than expected list of participants, every event ran on time.
“Part of that was that we had months of preparation and the other part was the incredible work of our volunteers who were so efficient and athletes did their part to keep everything moving along,” Shindelecker said. “It took a lot of people to make it happen but it went extremely smooth. We were on time to the second all day long.”
After five events for each male and female division, the top teams were awarded a $250 prize. The top
RX male team was the Greatest Showman, comprised of Jeremy Stokes and Chris Paye, while the top RX female team was Team Smash, Mary Deming and Ashley Michael. First place in the scaled division went to Built by 1926 (Lucas Sammo and Blair Ellenberger) for the men and Swole Sisters (Maria Zenz and Jenna Maag) won the female scaled division.
While the competition from the athletes was fierce during the workouts but as soon as the timer ended, athletes were congratulating and encouraging each other, regardless of the outcome.
“That’s what crossfit is all about,” Shindelecker said. “We’re a community of people who want to get healthy and get better at whatever it is they’re doing. It’s not about all the fancy stuff, it’s about friends working out together, being accountable and encouraging each other. Sometimes that encouragement and community is enough to help get someone across the finish line.”
That community has helped grow CrossFit Crave, despite the business closures throughout 2020. Shindelecker said the gym added six or seven new members while the building was closed. During the shutdown in the spring, workouts were being completed on Zoom and athletes would be working out in their garage or driveway and would have neighbors stop by to see what they were doing. The next day, he said, there would be a new face on the Zoom meeting giving it a try.
“Those neighbors found out they really liked it,” he added.
In addition to adult classes, CrossFit Crave offers youth classes for elementary and middle school-aged children as well as a LIFE class for senior citizens.
The youth classes are focused on building the foundations of a healthy life. The workouts are structured more like a game but still serve to get kids active and building good skills.
“The class is based on their age group so the younger kids are doing things like running obstacle courses and things that build hand-eye coordination and the older kids are starting to get into the fundamentals of proper workouts,” said Shindelecker. “Our LIFE classes are still cross fit but they’re scaled back and are more focused on keeping people active as they age so they can be independent longer.
“It allows them to stay strong to continue doing the things that they want to in life.”
CrossFit Crave can be found on Facebook or by visiting the gym at 715 S. Sugar St. in Celina.
Hours of operation are 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday as well as 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.