Daylis Stadium has been the venue for games and on Saturday it was a competition with a special bond and a special camaraderie.
CrossFit Billings hosted Summer Crush for the second time.
Lewis & Clark middle school was the site in 2019 and COVID forced the cancellation in 2020.
"It's a 400 meter run with some stair climbing involved in it, and they come back in from the run, and they're going to do 15 squats together as a team," Yurii Hansen, CrossFit Billings owner, said about one of four outdoor events.
The top finishers competed in one more event indoors at CrossFit Billings.
"177 competitors coming in from all across the state, as well as Wyoming to come and throw down," Hansen said. "You know Crossfit is just like a big family. We're also doing some stuff to raise some funds to help some people."
The teams made up of three men or three women, motivate and inspire the athletes.
"Keep pushing and you just tell each other, you know, another you know one more lap one more lap keep going you know stay on the bar 15 reps you can get it," said Ben Pagono. "You know it just keeps you going the whole time."
"You look at someone and say hey good job out there, whether or not you saw them actually do it," said Nick Lahur. "But you can see in their face, you know maybe they're tired from the event but you know what they went through."
"You know I have these other two guys around me and stuck it out," said Nolan Tewell, one of Pagano's teammates. "So definitely the team atmosphere is going to push you more than you would on your own."
CrossFit helps athletes in other parts of their lives.
"The idea behind CrossFit is being prepared for anything and everything," Hansen said. "We want to train people in the gym to be better outside of the gym."
"It's all about being 1% better and improving yourself," said Jessica Welch. "What I love most about CrossFit is the strength and character that it builds in you as a person. Who am I becoming as a person and what do I do when I hit hard things in adversity? Do I have that mental toughness to push to that next level?"
"We're doing something that maybe 90% of the community is not doing today," Lahr said. "And you can feel really good about yourself for that."
"Some people that are up in their 60s, 70s still doing it," said Pagano. "So hopefully I can do that too."
"I think I'll ride this thing until the wheels fall off," Tewell said.
"Quality of life and longevity, so that's why we do it," Welch said.
"My dying day, I'm going to be doing CrossFit," Hansen said.
