The Femsport Women’s Strength and Fitness Competition in Moose Jaw on Aug. 18 had a distinct Estevan flavour.
Out of the 82 women who entered the competition, approximately 40 of them were from Estevan. It was a wonderful site for Jennifer Olfert, who entered the competition, and is a personal trainer and has long been a local advocate for women’s fitness.
“Femsport is an all-female competition, so to speak,” said Olfert. “You can register as a team or as an individual, and even if you’re registered as a team of three, you still compete as an individual, and then your … scores are combined to get your total team score.”
Femsport is based in Western Canada, with two events in B.C. and two more in Alberta, in addition to the event in Saskatchewan this year.
Each competitor participated in six different events. One of them was to do 50 box jumps in a three-minute span, using a box that was 18 inches in height. Then they had to do 15 clean and press lifts with a 40-pound sandbag, and do burpees as well.
The participants also had to flip a 300-pound tire six times, drag a 125-pound tire 30 feet, perform kettle bell carries with weights that ranged from 45 to 70 pounds, and complete an obstacle course.
Olfert said it’s a taxing event, but it’s only as tough as people want it to be. She did her 50 box jumps in 59 seconds, which shaved two seconds off of her personal best.
“I think these women are incredible,” said Olfert. “It was more than just the competition. It was about women empowering each other, and doing things that you never thought you could do.”
She cited the example of one of the women she has been training for seven years through her business, JO Fit, who was able to execute a box jump despite some long-time reservations.
“This woman ended up jumping on this box, that she’s never done before, 29 times within that three-minute cap,” said Olfert. “It was unbelievable. I was crying. Strangers were going up to her and crying and hugging her.”
Olfert said that she teamed up with Natasha Tinant and Kimberley Pastachak to compete at a Femsport event last year. They were among the nine local women entered, and enjoyed the experience. So they spent the last 12 weeks training the 40 women who entered.
The age of those women ranged from early 20s to grandmothers.
Different athletic abilities were also represented.
The team of Pastachak, Cheri Haberstock and Karla Van der Schaaf, known as 40 Stronger, finished second in the masters division with a score of 129.5, just half a point behind the winners, while 2 Fit 2 Quit, with Jennifer Cook, Shannon LaCoste and Stacey Lawrence was third at 132.5.
Haberstock had the best overall score in the masters group at 15.5.
In the novice division, the entry of Courtney Colbow, Courtney LaFrentz and Meigan Wilhelm finished fourth with a score of 340.
Olfert, Tinant and Sandra Tegart were second in the open division with a score of 109.5 for their team, Happily Ever After.
Tinant was also recognized as the recipient of a Cory Holly Institute bursary for her commitment to fitness.
When Olfert teamed up with Tinant and Pastachak last year, she found Femsport to be an amazing experience. She then brought it up with the women in her program, and they agreed it would be great experience.
“Girls from other gyms decided to join, and I offered my service free of charge for the last 12 weeks to train them, and it just snowballed from there,” said Olfert. “It was powerful.”
Olfert explained to them how Femsport affected her, and how she challenged them to do the same thing.
Her husband and her two daughters were in Moose Jaw for the challenge, which was held on Cordova Street on a hot and hazy day. Other participants had their family members there.
“Our kids and our family members got to see us pushing when we wanted to stop, when it was difficult, and we didn’t stop, so I think that’s a good way to show and to teach that sometimes when stuff gets hard, we can just keep pushing hard and get through, and be successful at the end of that.”
Olfert said she would like to continue competing in Femsport events and training women so they can also be involved, but she would also like to start an event similar to Femsport in Estevan to showcase and empower other women.
“When a female can see how strong they are in any situation, and can do more than they even realize, and as a coach when I can recognize and see what my girls are capable of doing even before they can do it, and then when they embrace that and they get it, there’s nothing more powerful than that,” said Olfert.
It’s hard to say what it would take to start up an event like that here, but she wants something that women can aim for and attain, while showcasing their strength and abilities.
