Community notebook: Union HS student wins barefoot ski titles

CrossFit Fort Vancouver places 17th at CrossFit Games

Though his team didn’t reach the finals during the 2016 Reebok CrossFit Games, Adam Neiffer said his CrossFit Fort Vancouver team enjoyed the competition.

CrossFit Fort Vancouver qualified for the CrossFit Games for the eighth year in a row. This time they finished 17th among the 40 teams from around the world. The Games took place July 19-24. Most of the events took place at StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.

Additionally, Nathan Loren of CrossFit Fort Vancouver placed fourth in the individual competition for men ages 40-44. Dawn Regnier Sibilia from CrossFit Fort Vancouver placed ninth in the women’s 50-54 division.

CrossFit Fort Vancouver, which won the CrossFit Games team championship in 2010, qualified for the 2016 Games by placing third in regional competition held in May at the Moda Center in Portland.

In addition to Neiffer, who owns CrossFit Fort Vancouver, the team at the Games included Allan Dunlop, Bryan Weed, Mathew Hornung, Andrea Roozen, Betsey Simser, Christie Choma and Danielle Resha. Simser and Resha were first-time members of the CFV team.

CrossFit Fort Vancouver got off to a fast start, placing fifth in the first workout which involved a pair of 1,800-meter runs with four team members carrying a teammate on a litter in addition to pull-ups, squats and pull ups.

On the second day, CrossFit Fort Vancouver placed 30th in the ocean swim relay, but Neiffer called that event one of the highlights of the week.

“Any workouts that required teamwork or working together our team really excelled,” Neiffer said. “We worked well together and stuck together even when we faced some challenges.”

Neiffer said that every year the Games get more competitive and involve more imaginative workouts, which adds to the fun.

“Every year it feels like the first time,” Neiffer said. “We’ve always considered it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be at the CrossFit Games.”

Run/walk benefits family foundation

The Steelman Family Foundation will hold a 5-kilometer run, walk and roll at 10 a.m. on Saturday along the Salmon Creek Trail. The start and finish line is near Klineline Pond at Salmon Creek Community Park, 1112 N.E. 117th St.

Those in wheelchairs are encouraged to participate in the event. The top three female and male finishers on feet and on wheels will receive awards, as will all participants younger than 12.

The mission of the Vancouver-based Steelman Family Foundation is to support families touched by cerebral palsy and other disabilities. Cost to participate is $35 — $40 on race day — with discounts for groups of eight or more and for those who also register for the United Cerebral Palsy Walk and Roll on Sept. 17 in Portland.

To register or to learn more, visit steelmanfamilyfoundation.org.

Other runs on tap

• The Clark County Running Club summer series of Wednesday runs is at Leverich Park this week. The 5-kilometer run loops the park and includes the Discovery Trail.

The run starts at 7 p.m., with registration open at 6:30. Cost is $2.

• The Cosmo 7K, a race just for women 21 and older, will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday in Vancouver. The run will start and finish at the Vancouver Landing Amphitheater, 100 Columbia St.

Registration is closed for this event. To learn more, visit www.energyevents.com.

• The Free to Breathe 5K, a run and walk to benefit lung cancer research, will take place Aug. 21 in Portland.

Part of a series of Free to Breathe events around the country, the Portland event includes a timed footrace along Portland’s Eastside Esplanade. The run is scheduled to start at 9:05 a.m.

This is the third year of a Free to Breathe event in Portland, and the first to include a timed run. Registration costs $25 for those who register online by Aug. 17, $15 for ages 12 and younger. Event day registration costs $30, $20 for youths.

The race starts at 5 S.E. Madison St.

Vancouver resident Crystal Kroeller, the volunteer coordinator for the Portland Free to Breathe event, became involved in part because a friend’s mother died from lung cancer.

“One thing I love about it is you can see where the money goes,” she said, noting that all the money raised goes to Free to Breathe and its mission to double lung cancer survival rates by 2022.

To register or learn more, visit freetobreathe.org and search for the Portland event.

COMMUNITY SPORTS NEWS is published each Tuesday. Submit items by sending email to paul.danzer@columbian.com or call 360-735-4521.