WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE!

On July 6th, we had 13 teams of 4 compete in a team CrossFit competition in Collingwood, ON and we could not be more proud! We had such a diverse group of athletes – from seasoned CrossFitters to new athletes, and even some Olympic Weightlifters participated too! Some of our coaches even got in on the action. Nonetheless, regardless of people’s experience or skill, everyone came together and fought hard in each of the 4 workouts. 

In case you missed it this year or you want to relive the memories, we have put together a brief recap.

Enjoy!

PS. Thank you to Sanja for being our photographer for the day! These are just a select few of the photos that she took – the rest will be made available to everyone ASAP.

The UG Games is known for incorporating exercises into their workouts that most people have probably not encountered before, or do not practice regularly, and they did not disappoint! The four workouts contained a mix of cardio, lifting, teamwork and skill, so all of our athletes had to strategize, work together and adapt on the fly!

​One of the first workouts was an AMRAP with rope climbs, and burpee and atlas stone over the wall. We were so impressed with everyone on this one! While we do have a rope at the gym to practice, most of our athletes have never faced a true 15 ft rope. 

This challenge would have frightened a lot of people, but what we witnessed was true determination and grit! Everyone hung on tight and did their best to climb their way to the top. Moving on to the wall, athletes quickly found their rhythm and blasted through as many reps as they could in 2 minutes. Stones and our atheltes were flying everywhere – it was awesome!

​With pairs working for a full 2 minutes, athletes were able to push the pace and earn their 2 minutes of rest. A huge shoutout to all of our athletes who conquered their fears on the rope and never stopped moving over the wall – way to go!

To take advantage of the location, this competition is known for incorporating swimming into a workout. Of course, there was a burpee alternative for those who were unable to swim (or a life jacket). For those that made it in the water, I’m sure they will all attest to how refreshing the water was. Swimming in cold water with an elevated heart rate is not easy feat! On top of swimming with a crowd, you’ve got a scenario which most people would not willingly participate in. However, every single one of our athletes jumped in the water and did their absolute best! Shoutout to Jamil and Elizabeth for conquering their fears and for jumping in the water after more than a decade of not swimming. You’re an inspiration!

Of course, you had to earn your time in water. The other work included rowing, sled pushes and pulls, and cinder block carries. Again, these objects are ones that very few people have used before, so all athletes were forced to figure things out on the fly. Teams motored through the sled and then sold their souls to the devil on the row. With this workout being scored as two separate scores, teamwork and strategy was key to maximizing performance in BOTH workouts (time and calories).

A huge shoutout to all of the teams who proved others wrong, who casually surpassed people in the water and who swam their way to domination on this workout! Who knew we had so many fishes at 6S!

Then, there were the lunges. Alllll the lunges. The neat thing about this next workouts was that it required teamwork and communication from all 4 members (not usually very common in team competitions). To begin the workout, athletes had to lunge with a slosh pipe (pipe with water) in unison first before completing mixed-pair step ups. Then, a lunge with the KB brought them to synchronized thrusters, and then the movements were repeated back to the starting line. Talk about a leg burner!

Each team had their own strategy but all seemed to work well, and teams were able to make all of their repetitions count. What’s more impressive is that most of our teams do not regularly train together – each team had such a mix of athletes – yet, when it came time to work, they did so together! 

Then, there was a typical CrossFit couplet of deadlifts and pull-ups – all movements had mixed pairs and both movements needed to by synchronized. This workout again came down to strategy – one pair would complete the full workout before tagging the next pair in. The rep scheme was 21-15-9, and wow did we see some fast times! With some teams having little experience working out together (and some people stepping in to compete last minute), it was incredible to watch athletes communicate and move together. 

This competition is always a reminder of how incredible our athletes are – as exercise racers and as humans. The amount of camaraderie among our group and of our group with other competitors is part of what makes 6S so special. The entire experience was nothing short of amazing, and we cannot wait to see what next year has in store for us!

Thank you to everyone who participated – you should all be extremely proud of your effort! 
Thank you to everyone who came to support our athletes, to make sure their spirits were high and their stomachs were full. 
Thank you to the organizers of the event for making all of this possible for us and all of the other competitors!
Thank you to our coaches who led by example and practiced what they preach!
Thank YOU for reading and for sharing this incredible experience with us!

Until next year!