Fitness Festival includes local athletes

UNITY ‑ Fitness Lair in Unity has had gym members and athletes regularly competing across the province in a variety of events.

Synergy Strength in Saskatoon hosted Voodoo Fitness Festival the first weekend of October and five two-person teams from the Unity and Meadow Lake Fitness Lair gyms battled in the competition.

Each pair were required to work together through five CrossFit style events over this two-day event. These athletes more than held their own amongst some of the fittest athletes in the province and western Canada. Unity’s Maxi Biederstadt and Heather Kelly, took first place in the women’s beginner event.

Heather Kelly says of her experience, “Hard to describe in just one word, but I'd have to say exhilarating!”

Kelly is a two- and half-year CrossFit participant saying she had no sport or fitness background before joining Unity’s Fitness Lair, but CrossFit has changed that for her.

Kelly says she and her partner Biederstadt practised and prepared ensuring they were in sync as well as getting a feel for how long it would take them each to perform the task.

Asked if there was ever a point in the competition she wanted to quit, Kelly responds, “Never! It was too much fun. Even if we hadn't done as well as we did, it was a really great experience and just for fun.”

This experience will help Kelly, who is a new coach at the gym, as she knows now, she can see things from another perspective, helping the athlete to navigate high-pressure situations along with navigating mental blocks or setbacks.

Biederstadt also affirms the event was exciting and was especially thankful for friends from Fitness Lair who came to support them.  

Biederstadt has been a CrossFit athlete since October of 2020, saying she was hooked after her first few classes. She also said she didn’t feel she was athletic or into sports prior to joining Fitness Lair.

Both women say their success came from teamwork, knowing they depended on each other to successfully complete each workout tasked to them.

“Honestly there was no point in the weekend where I wanted to quit, as the atmosphere is so great. And after winning our first event, we were determined to end up on the podium,” says Biederstadt.

Pushing themselves out of their comfort zones and learning they were capable of doing much more than they thought they could inspired them to help others do the same.

Biederstadt adds, “I encourage anyone that’s ever been curious about CrossFit to give it a try, whether your goal is to compete or not. It truly is a sport for everyone.” 

Fitness Lair doesn't just offer fitness classes and train athletes.  This business has held a number of pay it forward activities for various causes such as breast cancer and lymphoma. This business has also supported athletes that have been experiencing health challenges both in physical and mental well-being support.