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Crystal at the first FrostFit event. (Photo: Sandra Benz)[/caption] FrostFit was the first functional fitness competition hosted in Winnipeg, and it happened way back in 2011 at the original CFW location on Des Meurons. It was a great idea, and it was a chance for members of the local community to come out of garages and globo gyms to meet each other and compete. Functional Fitness 204 followed that up about a month or two later by hosting Subzero’s Intergalactic Throwdown competition, which allowed us to make new friends and indulge in our love of general pirate behaviour. Without sounding like your grandpa, it was also a simpler time in which almost no one had extensive experience in fitness competitions. People generally just showed up without doing any preparation other than regular training, and I don’t think anyone really worried about which shoes would give an advantage during a particular workout. All that was pretty cool, and it’s worth mentioning in a time when competitive pressures force athletes into weird behaviour that usually involves excessive fretting, too many supplements and event strategies that have more to do with logistics than fitness. As you all know by now, I believe the fittest people always win even if they don’t have the latest speed rope with ABEC 9 bearings originally engineered for space shuttles. [caption id="attachment_1739" align="alignright" width="300"] PR for Sparrow.[/caption] We had two athletes compete in the first FrostFit event, which was actually a pretty large percentage of our “membership”—a collection of friends who got together a few times a week at the Assiniboine Athletic Club and in Dale’s garage. Will and Crystal represented the very young Functional Fitness 204, and the winners of the original FrostFit, Jenn and Tyson, ended up on our coaching staff a short time later. I have a lot of favorite moments from previous years. Masters competitors such as Pat have always fired me up. I liked watching Brett easily clean 300, I was thrilled when Michelle won an award for great movement, and I was proud when Crystal chose to compete a day after losing her dad, who was her first coach. I loved hanging out with Sparrow and being treated to his dry wit between events. It was fun to watch Boyd become the only competitor to beat Tyson in any event. This list goes on, and I have fond memories of all our athletes. [caption id="attachment_3545" align="alignright" width="300"] 300.[/caption] Over the years, we’ve had members compete in every edition of FrostFit, and their reasons have varied quite a bit. We’ve had athletes who entered looking to pour blood and sweat in order to win, we’ve had athletes who wanted to use the event to develop further, and we’ve had athletes who just wanted to have some fun being fit. We’re of course proud of those who do well, but we’re equally proud of any who step onto the competition floor. Beyond that, we’re most proud of all the members who come out to support the ones who compete. That’s really the best part. In pictures from the event, I usually look past the athletes in the foreground to see who’s behind them, both literally and figuratively, and there’s always a crowd of people shouting support. That’s inspiring, as our gym is firmly based on community and an all-for-one, one-for-all philosophy. The success of our competitors is shared by their training partners: all our members. [caption id="attachment_3128" align="alignright" width="300"] A few of the crew from 2013.[/caption] At the end of every FrostFit—or any competition, for that matter—Crystal and I always marvel at the percentage of our membership who came by to offer support either for an hour or a full day. The presence of the 204 crew means a lot to us, and it means a lot to the athletes on the floor. I’ve written about this before, but it never gets old for me. In 2015, a few commitments will keep me away from the event on Saturday for the first time in five years, but I’m happy to be represented by our members, and I’ll be around on Sunday to watch the competition conclude. Classes will run as usual at 204 on Saturday and Sunday. Come on out and get fit, then go cheer for your friends later in the day. You can view the heat schedule here: http://www.Functional Fitnesswinnipeg.com/2015/01/frostfit-2015-heat-schedule-day-1/ Good luck to all. See you there!