ADVERTISEMENT

    CrossFit Champ: Shellie Edington

    Crossfit is one of those topics about which there are slim pickings in the middle ground. If you love it, you love it obsessively. If you hate it, you hate it with rage… and those who ignore it, often ignore it with immense disdain for all the energetic controversy.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Regardless of the weird range of reactions to the discipline, the headquarters for CrossFit has nearly 1.7 million followers on Facebook. While the Olympics and the NFL have just north of 10 million followers, 1.7 million enthusiasts is nothing to sneeze at. CrossFit also has over 5,000 affiliates (clubs), that’s impressive growth for something that didn’t really exist ten years ago.

    According to Google Maps, there’s at least seven CrossFit gyms in Columbus, so it’s no surprise to find that one of the leaders in women’s CrossFit competition trains in Columbus.

    Her name is Shellie Edington and she just got back from the Reebok Crossfit Games in California. The event is the equivalent of the world championships. In Cali, she competed in the Masters division of the women’s competition (ages 45-49)… and she didn’t just compete: she brought home third place and a cash prize.

    To earn a place on the winners’stand, Edington had to compete in three grueling days of competitions that involved olympic lifting, track and gymnastics. The gymnastics elements might have come easy for the athlete: she’s a life-long gymnast and the founder of for Tumblin4Kids gymnastics programming.

    Over the days of competition, Edington had to complete tasks such as walking as far as possible on her hands, five sets of 25 pull-ups, and throwing 115 pounds up over her head a few times. Evenso, when asked what the hardest thing was, she didn’t mention any of those activities. She says the hardest thing was bleeding hands: “The bars are all made of metal and the sun was hot. My hands were all burned and blistered before I realized I should have worn gloves.”

    She continues, “So rising above the pain of ripped, bloody hands was the hardest part.”

    Edington’s training regimen involves working out five days a week. She follows and athlete’s diet too, with lots of meat and vegetables, saying that she goes “as natural and organic as I can find.”

    While the 2015 championships are almost a year away, she still stays involved in the competition scene. Edington says she’ll compete locally in a team event this fall. And she’ll be at the Fit Club Summer Games August 16 at the Scioto Audubon Metro Park, but not as a competitor. She says “I will be judging and cheering on all the athletes competing.”

    You can join her in the cheering at the event. Admission for spectators is free.

    For more information on the event, visit www.fcsummergames.com.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    Treat to Try: Cake From a Vending Machine?!

    When you’re a kid, vending machines have a certain...

    Photos: Crew Dominate New York 3-0

    Columbus Crew's impressive start to the 2024 MLS Season...

    Restaurant Review: Treasures of Eclectic Influence at Hiraeth

    Hiraeth, a Short North project from the owners of...

    Photos: Crew Advance to CONCACAF Cup Quarter Finals

    Columbus Crew moved on to the quarter finals of...
    Miriam Bowers Abbott
    Miriam Bowers Abbotthttps://columbusunderground.com
    Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer contributor to Columbus Underground who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric featurettes and occasionally pens other community journalism pieces.
    ADVERTISEMENT