The Sooner State Games is Oklahoma’s version of the Olympics, with both winter and summer competitions, for which amateur athletes train year-round.
A new competition this year, the CrossFit “Fittest in Oklahoma,” will be held as part of Saturday and Sunday’s winter games. Event coordinator Aaron O’Neil said individuals and teams will compete in a number of events and workouts.
“The best time or most reps, depending on the event, is how these teams and individuals are ranked after each workout,” he said.
CrossFit competitions have been held worldwide for several years, but this is Oklahoma’s first.
“There are only a few states that have CrossFit as a sport in their state games, so that aspect of this particular event is what makes it unique,” O’Neil said.
Specifically, the “Fittest in Oklahoma” competition is about training for general physical preparedness and functional fitness. O’Neil said competitors train with movements that help with — and are replicated in — daily life.
“For example, picking up a child or a few bags of groceries off the floor: That is similar to a dead lift. Sitting down in a chair and standing back up: That is similar to an air squat,” he said. “The workouts the athletes will be competing in are not even released until the day before the event, so, as a competitor, they are training for anything and everything.”
The competition, open to anyone 18 or older, includes three divisions determined by age group.
Spectators will see athletes competing at a high level of intensity, speed and precision. Members of CrossFit gyms statewide will be on hand to cheer competitors through each workout.
“For those unfamiliar with CrossFit, this will be a great opportunity to see what it is all about as a fitness program. It’s a fun and effective program that keeps competitors healthy, looking and feeling great, and able to enjoy their lives on all different levels,” O’Neil said.
Other Sooner State Games competitions slated for this weekend include archery, basketball, table tennis and a trail run.
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This article appears in Jan 16-22, 2013.