CrossFit athletes pushing for personal bests at 7th annual Rock Games

After completing a gruelling, hour-long workout, drenched in sweat, the Tuesday eveningCrossFit class atIslander Athletics is all smiles and high-fives.

The 8,000-square-foot St. John's gym will play host to the seventh version of the Rock Games on Saturday and Sunday.

"If we are going to talk about a peak in the season, the Rock Gamesis kind of the peak for everyone here," Islander Athletics manager Dee Rees told CBC News.

The two-dayevent consists of five different events infive divisions, with athletes coming from all over the island to compete in teams.

The Islander Athletics manager has been a part of the event for the last for years and has watched it, as well as CrossFitas a sport, grow.

"It's grown substantially," Rees said. "We've noticed a big change in our membership."

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CrossFit is a community one thats gearing up for the 7th annual Rock Games

6 months ago

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Sixty athletes are attending the Rock Games, a two-day event in St. Johns that consists of five events. This year, strongman and strongwoman events have been added to the competition.

Rees'sday job is with the St. John's regional fire department, and her CrossFit trainingover the last decadehas certainly helped during her 10 years fighting fires, she said.It's a high-intensity workout brand that presents itself as training for any real-life physical contingency.

"To be a woman in the fire service is hard enough but to be capable of doing the job, that means a lot to me and the pride that I have with it," said Rees. "This place prepares me for absolutely anything."

The Rock Games is also taking a step forward with this year's event by adding a strongman and strongwomancompetition.

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"Generally those two communities kind of go hand in hand and they're a real personal community too," Rees.

"Community" is a term that Rees uses a lot when talking about CrossFit.

"It's welcoming, it's for everyone,it doesn't matter your abilities," she said.

"It's a no-judgment space."

While the weekend competition will crown champions for many of the more than 60 athletes taking part, it's about trying to break personal bests.

The long list of donated prizes from various sponsors won't hurt either.

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