BYU–Hawaii students, Lindsey Ferrin, Hailey Page, and graduate Hayley Rice, competed in a CrossFit competition on Oct. 5 at Schofield Barracks in both group and individual races. Not knowing they were to compete until days before, they said they performed well enough to place seventh out of 21 groups.
The women did not know until the afternoon of Oct. 4 they were going to compete but decided to do it. “It sounded like fun,” said Ferrin, a senior studying psychology from Oklahoma, “and then I started eating a ton of food to prepare for it.”
CrossFit is a fitness regimen that was developed by Coach Greg Glassman, who trained athletes, celebrities and police in California, and is meant to gather people to workout together, according to CrossFit’s website. Its aim is to “forge a broad, general and inclusive fitness,” says the website.
By not specializing in certain sports, it optimizes fitness through various workout movements. People who get involved in CrossFit learn how to move safely and effectively, what it means to be fit, and how to eat with good nutrition.
In alignment with CrossFit’s community aspect of getting fit, competitions are held often. Rice, a graduate in biomedical science from Canada, said it may be competitive, but you are competing more against yourself. “You’re just pushing your own limits and seeing how far you can go.”
Page, a senior studying exercise education from California, said she enjoys the challenging aspect of CrossFit, saying she thought she was in shape before she started but realized how out of shape she was. “I thought I was strong, but when I started lifting weights, then I realized I could really be strong,” said Page. “It was kind of like passing a limit you didn’t know you had.”
Page said in high school, people were worried about becoming skinny and thin, not wanting to get bulky from lifting weights. CrossFit changed that for her. “I realized two things: Number one, you don’t really get bulky, and number two, it was amazing to feel strong. And feeling strong is definitely one of the coolest feelings.”
Each one of the women said if someone was thinking about starting CrossFit, they should just do it. “Just start going and start doing it,” said Rice. “Everybody once was where you are starting now.”
Ferrin said, “It's a competitive atmosphere, but it's not the same thing everyday. It's always changing, and you are getting stronger and can see the benefits from it.”
Ferrin said she started CrossFit after her boyfriend dared her in high school. She was a cross-country runner at the time, and he said that she would never survive a day in the gym. “So I went to prove him wrong and I never stopped going,” she said.
Page started CrossFit the summer after her senior year in high school, participating in it on and off. “It's a fun community, and they are supportive whether you’re winning or losing.
Rice started doing CrossFit because her fiancé was a CrossFit coach. “I started dating him and then I kind of got into it,” she said. Now she is looking forward to getting her own certification and to become a coach as well.