Athletes left it all on the floor at The Summit Games CrossFit competition Sept. 12, 13, 14. The annual event is designed to test physical fitness against those in each division. This year the Summit Games consisted of three to six events spread across male and female Scaled, Intermediate, Masters and Elite divisions allowing for athletes at all skill levels to find a division they fit into. Scaled is for those just starting out, Intermediate is for those who are training for more. Masters is for those who are at a high skill level and have been training for a long period of time. Elite is for those at the highest skill level looking to win the cash prize of $1,000. 

“I wanted to create something that helped people to be their best including myself, and also with something that would be a continual journey or climb,” said Brigham Nielsen, who coordinated the event with his wife Sarah Nielsen. 

CrossFit is a branded fitness methodology consisting of powerful movements combining weightlifting cardio and gymnastics to build fitness.

The Summit Games is designed to be a place for all those who want to become healthier physically and mentally. The CrossFit community is unique compared to other sports. It is an environment full of genuine camaraderie, including with direct competitors.

“This is my first competition.” said Brayden Wilko who competed in a partner division with Joey Southern. “It is a roller coaster of emotion, I’ve been at the highest of highs and lowest of lows for the last 36 hours but it’s fun.” 

“Seeing what I’m made of sometimes you think you’re more fit than you are or you find out you’re more fit than you thought,” said Southern. “This is the equalizer.” 

Kate Tolsma has been doing CrossFit for 16 years, training at the Rockwell CrossFit gym in Woods Cross. “What I love most is that it’s really humbling because you always have to work on something so you’re never great, there’s always room for improvement,” she said.

The event consists of different levels of cardio, gymnastics, lifting and more. The competition is always evolving. 

This was Brett Dietrick’s first competition experience. “CrossFit impacts my health, and I feel better,” he said. “My family life is better my kids respect me more and it keeps me on schedule with a good routine. 

“I enjoyed seeing all the people from across the state that I only see at these competitions, but we’ve competed together for many years,” said Chad Call, a Woods Cross resident who also trains at Rockwell. He has competed in the Iron Games four times and twice when it became the Summit Games. 

“Overall, in terms of the vision of the competition for next year, we’re really looking forward to continuing to have divisions for individuals and teams and building our masters,” Nielsen said. “We’ll continue to build out the festival like the obstacle course will be its own thing and there’ll be a separate run. They’ll be other separate fitness challenges and activities that everyone can participate in and even participate in all of them for one grand champion.”