​Kincardine Fit Forever team takes gold at Ontario Fit Body Games

The Squat Squad of Kincardine won the gold medal in the Fit Body Forever/Functional Fitness Division at the second annual Ontario Fit Body Games, held at the Davidson Centre field in Kincardine, Saturday, Sept. 16.

Team members include Sandy Liddle, Karen Dobson, Nancy Malcolm and Shelley Blackmore, competing in the division for participants, aged 55-plus.

"It was an inspiring day,” said Blackmore. “Participating in the games made us realize how much our fitness levels have improved!"

Hosted by the Kincardine and Goderich Fit Body Boot Camp, the event drew 144 athletes on 36 teams, from Goderich, Kitchener, Cambridge and Oakville, as well as Kincardine. Athletes ranged in age from in their 20s to mid-80s.

At the games, there are three divisions:
 

1. Fit Body Forever/Functional Fitness – men and women, aged 55-plus. This program is designed to specifically focus on building and improving strength, stamina and stability.
2. Goal-Getter Division - open age category, for men and women. In this division, women use 10-pound weights and men use 20-pound weights; for the biathlon event, athletes run 200 metres.
3. Fire-Breathing Dragon Category – open age category, for men and women. This is the elite athlete division with the most challenging expectations. Women use 20-pound weights, men use 25-pound weights; and in the biathlon event, athletes run 400 metres.

There are four events:
 

1. Tug of War - two teammates work together to pull an 80-pound sled back and forth across the field for eight minutes. The goal is to see how many lengths they can pull the sled in that time.
2. 15-minute maximum strength AMRAP - the team of four competes together to complete the following exercises in 15 minutes: slam ball slams, dumb bell split squats, partner sit-up ball pass, and dumb bell dead-lifts. The goal is to complete as many reps as possible.
3. Biathlon Relay - two teammates - one partner runs (either 200 or 400 metres depending on the division) and the other skis that same distance on the skiing machines. (Teams were made aware of these events and the expectations a couple of months in advance so that they could train and prepare. Then on the day of the games, the fourth and final event was a surprise!)
4. Five-minute THRUSTER BUSTER finisher - similar to event two - all four teammates participate in three exercises: five dumb bell thrusters, five burpees and a five-calorie ski. The goal is to see how many reps the team could accumulate in five minutes.

The Ontario Fit Body Games raised more than $2,000 for Special Olympics Kincardine and Area, to help purchase new equipment and train for future competitions.

Nadine Vandenheuvel, owner of the Kincardine and Goderich Fit Body Boot Camp, says the Ontario games are about creating an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to participate in things that usually only get chalked up for ‘athletes’.

“Day after day, working your tail off in the gym, putting in the reps, celebrating your session milestones - this event is an opportunity to put all that work to the test,” she says. “To celebrate your strengths, both mentally and physically. Be proud. It's a day to build your Fit Fam relationships deeper, to create new relationships. It's time to prove all those people wrong ... those who said you couldn’t do it.”