Telos Fitness in Billings recently hosted a Festivus Games event.
“The cool thing about the Festivus Games is that this is really like your Average Joe competition so it’s for your athlete that’s not like your stellar elite guy, so it really just kind brings in a new group of people that just want to dabble their feet and make sure like is this really what I want to do and so hopefully they drink the Koolaid and are like I love this," owner Dolan Hornbeck said.
The games were held at Telos, a hybrid gym which combines aspects of a fitness center with a studio gym and is meant to be more personable and increase accountability.
"We have a lot of cool toys that people can come in and check out, and you really get a high intensity workout. We focus on the Crossfit aspects but we also have different things for people of all ages," trainer Seth Wildung said.
The gym encourages fitness on any level.
"You see the Crossfit Games on ESPN and you see all these people with ridiculously ripped bodies and doing things that humans shouldn’t be able to do. That’s not Crossfit, Crossfit is about building a community, it’s about allowing every single person that is an athlete whether they’re able to lift 300 lbs, or able to lift 50 lbs, everyone is an athlete in their own way," Wildung said.
A fellowship is developed through hours shared sweating together.
"You establish a whole network of people here, so it just becomes way more involved. You’re not just using it for the facility for the equipmment, you’re there for the people too," Hornbeck
These games let competitors to showcase their hard work and training, and possibly even surprise themselves.
"One of the girls is actually in first place and she didn’t want to do it. So it feels amazing to watch her push herself and see what she can do,” trainer Samantha Harris said.
Harris is a a trainer and competitor in the games who practices what she preaches.
“Dolan a little over three years ago took me in. I had broken my knee and I was extremely overweight and I started training with him five days a week and he helped me lose over 130 pounds and so he asked me if I would come and be a trainer because I’m like the real life example that you can do it," Harris said.
The high energy, high support Festivus games are something Telos hopes to continue in the future.
“This is just really important because everybody can come out and we push each other and we cheer each other on, it’s just such a good community, like a sporting event, and we can all push each other harder than we could," Harris said.
Telos is located in the old Hancock Fabrics building on 24th Street.
