Are you looking to get fit, but don’t want to join a team sport? Or do you enjoy weightlifting and athletic competitions? If so, CrossFit is the perfect fit for you.

Edina High School Junior Anya Gudorf has been competing in CrossFit—a mix of weightlifting, gymnastics, and cardio workouts—for three years. She was introduced to CrossFit when her swim coach taught her and her team a CrossFit routine for a dryland workout. “About six months after I started [CrossFit], I quit swimming altogether because I liked CrossFit a lot better,” Gudorf said.

Gudorf competes in CrossFit a few times a year and most recently attended the regional competition. “I have seen a huge improvement in myself…I really enjoy the training aspect,” she said. The competitions are two to three days long and include events such as rowing, running, deadlifting, and bench pressing. The contestants are given points based on how high they rank in each event.

In addition to competing in CrossFit, Gudorf is attempting to letter in weightlifting at EHS. Students must complete 36 hours, regardless of rigor, in the weight room before they can be considered for the letter. Gudorf typically uses workout routines that her CrossFit coach has taught her during her lettering sessions. “I just thought that it would be cool to be a girl who has a letter in weightlifting, and I hate to say this, but it would set me apart for college applications,” Gudorf said. She would like to see more girls in the weight room because she thinks that it will help with their self-confidence. “I think that the stereotype is that girls are going to get big if they do weightlifting, but that is actually really hard to do,” Gudorf said.

Eventually, Gudorf would like to train full-time with her coach in San Diego, California, so that she can improve her abilities. “I would like to make it to regionals, which is like top 40 in the region, but less than one percent of people make it, so it is really competitive,” she said.

“People are involved in LA Fitness and Lifetime in a lot of different ways, but if they want to come in here and quickly get their workout in, it helps them get through their day and put fitness and wellness as a part of their lifestyle,” teacher Reed Boltmann said. The fitness lettering program was founded in 2000 with the goal of maintaining student athlete fitness in the off-season. Applicants are given a pre-test and a post-test in order to measure their progress throughout the weightlifting period. Students also have the option of using the wellness studio—an addition that was made during the summer remodel—to practice yoga or pilates for lettering credit.