LAKEVILLE— Ashley Souza never imagined herself taking part in a CrossFit Competition. She took up the sport six and a half years ago to get stronger and become a better version of herself, but competing was never on her radar, she said.  

Until she found herself thrusting bars and weights into the air at a CrossFit competition on Saturday, Feb. 2 hosted by Millennium Fitness Gym in Lakeville.  

Souza, an Assonet resident who teaches classes and trains at CrossFit Dartmouth, did not have any expectations for her first competition, she said, and thought Saturday’s event would be the first and last one she did.  

Halfway through it, however, she started thinking differently. “Now I’m hungry. I’m thinking about doing more,” she noted, her voice full of surprise.  

Souza was one of 54 athletes, making up 27 two-person teams, that partook in four different physical challenges designed to test strength and stamina. Athletes reigned from all over New England to participate in Saturday’s event, which was part of a global CrossFit competition with 978 gyms competing virtually worldwide. Eight of those teams were from CrossFit Dartmouth.  

The challenges athletes had to complete included heavy Olympic weightlifts, rowing, and common CrossFit exercises like box jumps, where athletes jump on a raised platform as quickly as possible, pull ups and gymnastic moves.  

For Souza, the experience of pushing her physical limits alongside her CrossFit Dartmouth teammate and resident Kelsie Grant, was “out-of-bodyish,” she said. “It’s just such a rush.” 

Grant, for her part, did not skip a beat when asked what her favorite part of the day was. “Being able to workout with Ashley and be a part of her first competition was a great experience,” she noted with a smile.