Living Easy Outside of Crossfit

“Yeah, they’re sore, they hurt, but everything they do outside of here is just easy,” said Big Sky CrossFit owner and head coach Ryan Smith of his devoted trainees, who attest to the credo that what is gained through the rigors of CrossFit finds expression in its athletes’ external lives.

This past May, Smith rope-climbed, box-jumped and handstand-walked his way to finish 22nd at the West Regional CrossFit Games, and twenty of his clients were on hand to root him on.

The 29-year-old’s cheering section traveled from Montana to Washington to watch him compete in the three-day event, which featured almost 200 top athletes from the northwest U.S. and western Canada, all vying for five spots in three divisions for the CrossFit Games this summer.

“It was awesome,” reflected the 29-year-old, who emerged from the qualifying Open in February as “fittest in Montana.” “I couldn’t have asked for a better show of support.”

To say nothing of Smith’s charisma, there’s something intrinsic to CrossFit that fosters a sense of community in and out of the gym and forges bonds between its enthusiasts that no amount of squats, deadlifts, barbell snatches and kettlebell swings can… [ Read More ]