Wednesday, August 5, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
5
Athletes strive to be ‘Fittest in Sisters’
By Jim Cornelius
News Editor
Athletes ranging in age
from kids to over-50s tested
themselves in a grueling
series of trials on Saturday
morning at the Sisters High
School track. At stake was the
title “Fittest in Sisters,” but
what drove most of the ath-
letes wasn’t a first-place fin-
ish, but the feeling of having
photo by emily Green
Zach Imel on his way to winning the
level 5 summer games.
taken on a tough challenge
and come out the other side.
The event is billed as the
Level 5 Summer Games, and
it was staged by Ryan Hudson,
owner and coach at Level 5
Fitness in Sisters. More than
30 athletes competed.
“What’s really cool is
we’ve got nine kids,” Hudson
told The Nugget.
The event, in its second
year, also drew five “masters”
competitors — people over 50
years old.
The athletes competed in
categories based on age and
level of experience. The trials
consisted of a 400 Triathlon
— 400 meter row; 400 jump
ropes; 400-meter run — a
clean-and-jerk barbell lifting
ladder and other workouts
involving box jumps, kettle-
bell swings and other actions
that tax both strength and aer-
obic capacity.
Scores are cumulative, so
the athlete who does the best
overall across the range of
challenges will prevail.
Jennifer Banning success-
fully defended her women’s
title and Zach Imel dethroned
McKi bben Wo m ack t o
take the men’s title. Henry
Banning was the top youth
athlete, while Conrad Kiefer
and Shayla Curtis took honors
among intermediate men and
women respectively. Ray
Stoneback was the top mas-
ters men’s competitor and
Vicki Moschetti was the top
masters woman.
Several athletes turned
in remarkable performances
in individual events. Leigh-
Anne Durham was blazing-
fast in the 400 Triathlon,
turning in a time of 5:47.
Tim Green topped the leader
board in the event with a time
of 5:36. Sisters High School
senior Logan Schutte made a
275-pound lift that is a per-
sonal record and a SHS gym
record.
Caitlin Wyman, Leigh-
Anne Durham and Jennifer
Banning all pushed up 143
pounds and Hudson Jones
and Henry Banning lifted
99 pounds among the youth
lifters.
Hudson scheduled the
event very early on Saturday
morning to beat the high-90s
heat of the day, but conditions
still taxed the athletes.
The Level 5 Summer
Games are based around the
Crossfit-style “workout of
the day” (WOD). It’s a form
of exercise that has become
wildly popular because it’s
never boring and repetitive, it
produces results, and people
photo by Ceili Cornelius
Jennifer Banning, left, was overall women’s champ. the event started with
a 400-meter row.
who participate develop a
strong camaraderie forged
among people who have
endured something tough and
made it through.
Ray Stoneback, 55, has
been working at Level 5 for a
year. His very first exposure
to this type of program was
competing in last year’s sum-
mer games. That’s not exactly
easing into things.
“I thought it was for begin-
ners,” Stoneback explained
with a grin. “When I showed
up and saw all the Level 5
guys, my heart fell into my
stomach. But it was fun. I was
exhausted.”
Yes, for folks who dig
into the program, “fun” and
“exhausted” go hand in hand.
“Every time I go into the
WOD I have butterflies,”
Stoneback admitted. “But you
finish it, you feel really good
about yourself. You’re ready
for the day.”
Stoneback also enjoys the
work because he shares it
with his wife.
As he watched some of the
top Level 5 guys warm up for
the first event, he reflected on
the value the fitness program
offers to those with the grit to
push through.
“I wish Crossfit had been
around 30 years ago,” he said.
The event Saturday was
a fundraiser event for the
Womack Family for medi-
cal expenses for their three-
month-old daughter. Half the
entry fees went to them in a
total of $600.