For the last weekend in July, Las Vegas and its extreme heat played host to over one hundred of the fittest women on earth as the Women's Tri-Fitness World Challenge rolled into town. A unique competition, the WTF consists of a wide array of events — a physique & grace round, a fitness routine round, an obstacle course round, and a fitness skills round. Competitors are awarded prizes not only for winning an overall event, but also for coming out on top of their specific age grouping.

Physique & Grace
Las Vegas Academy Theater

After a short delay, the first round got underway as emcee Katie Uter greeted the crowd and all the competitors made their way on stage. From the beginning, it was apparent that the WTF attracted a multitude of skill levels — from first time competitors to hardcore athletes. Because of the different age brackets and various events, it allowed the women to excel in their specialties, while still garnering experience in the other formats.

The standouts of the physique portion include Sylvia Ferrero, Cynthia Hill, Danielle Edwards, Sarah Orbanic, Mocha Lee, and Julie Green among others.

Obstacle Course
Durango High School

The hot Las Vegas sun and triple digit heat provided little relief for the competitors as day two at the obstacle course was truly a lesson in hydration. The obstacle course was teeming with energy, as competitors made final preparations — physically and mentally — for the task at hand. This event is a little different than the others, because competitors can form small teams of 4; just another competitive element. After a quick group walk through to ensure everyone knew what to do, the first pair of women headed to the starting line to begin the event.

It was really great to see the excitement and passion these women had for what they were doing. You would constantly see throngs of fellow team mates running alongside the competitors on the course, cheering them on and offering words of encouragement. That kind of team work and camaraderie is something that isn't readily available on a day to day basis, so it's great that the WTF event allows it, even if it's just a few times a year.

One thing to possibly improve the event would be to announce the two competitors before they began the race. Many times, the only way for spectators to know who was racing was to listen to their team mates chant their name as they were cheering them on. Also, there was very little water on hand. Half of the water fountains weren't working, and the ones that did were hot enough to boil rice. A water vendor would have made a killing at the event, so if the situation is the same next year, yours truly is going to head to Costco the night before and sell bottles for $1.50 a pop.

Fitness Skills
Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino

The final event of the WTF was the fitness skills portion — which included bench pressing 60% of a competitors bodyweight, a shuttle run, and a box jump.

At first, things were running smoothly, but eventually chaos reared its ugly head. The event was set up as 3 different station in the Monte Carlo ballroom, and some competitors left their station momentarily and missed their turn. This caused a domino effect, and because of a very tight time schedule, the event became a lot more stressful than it should have been.

The event itself was fun to watch however, because there was always something going on. The bench press area had the biggest crowd, followed by the box jump. Spotters were on hand to ensure the athlete's safety, as well as providing motivational support.

By the end of the night, the majority of the competitors were drained — physically, emotionally and mentally. It had been a tough couple of days, but they achieved what they sought out to do. Most of the competitors don't participate in the WTF solely to win the "Overall Champion" title. Sure, it's nice to have, but the friendships, the team work, the camaraderie — and most importantly — the memories, far outweigh what any trophy can provide. That is why they return in droves to the Women's Tri-Fitness year after year. And that is why FitSights will return as well.

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