Rylan Kirby, 17, working out at CrossFit Iron Refined in Eagle River on Wednesday, April 15. Kirby hopes to compete in the CrossFit Games in San Jose in July. (Bill Roth / ADN)
As member of a very active family, Eagle River’s Rylan Kirby has always had a passion for fitness through rigorous exercise. So he was naturally drawn to CrossFit training after trying it out.
“I just love working out,” he said. “It’s fun.”
The homeschooled student is still dedicated to being a full-time competitive youth hockey player as a member of Team Alaska. However, he took up CrossFit as his second sport a year ago and began taking part in competitions through CrossFit Iron Refined last year at just 16 years old, with gym owner Shelby Fields as his coach.
“Our family’s big into fitness, and then I got signed up for the CrossFit Open a year ago,” Kirby said. “I just loved it and started coming back, and Shelby has been training me ever since.”
Fields described CrossFit as a mixture of “a lot of complex movements and gymnastics,” which requires strength and endurance, both of which are areas where Kirby has made major strides in a short time.
“He’s able to do things that he wasn’t able to even think about doing a year ago,” she said.
Kirby recently won his age division in the CrossFit Open, the largest virtual CrossFit competition in the world. It consists of a three-week test that serves as the first stage of the CrossFit Games season.
Rylan Kirby, 17, does a bottom up kettlebell waiter carry while working out at CrossFit Iron Refined in Eagle River on Wednesday, April 15. (Bill Roth / ADN)
This year, 210,000 athletes from across the world participated, including 117,000 men. He placed first in the 16-17 age group division after finishing in 133rd place in the same competition last year.
“Just making that big jump against competitors is amazing, and then as an individual against the 117,000 grown men that have been doing this for a long time, he placed (in the top 500), which is phenomenal,” Fields said.
Kirby moved on to the quarterfinal stage after the Open and placed sixth. That was the second step on the way to qualifying for global CrossFit Games, which is essentially the Olympics for athletes in the sport.
“It’s where all the fittest get together and they crown the fittest (CrossFit athletes) on Earth,” Fields said.
The next step is the semifinals, set for May 7-11. From there, the top 20 will get an invite to the 2026 CrossFit Games this summer. While the finals will take place in person in San Jose, California, all semifinal submissions will be virtual as well.
“We have to film all the workouts and upload them on public YouTube links for CrossFit to watch, and then we are possibly going to an in-person competition at the end of May,” Fields said.
The CrossFit Games will take place from July 24-27, and according to Fields, an Alaska resident has never advanced to that level before.
“We’ve had a couple of athletes in Fairbanks and I think Anchorage has made it to the third stage of getting to the Games,” Fields said. “Having our first representative be Rylan would be absolutely phenomenal.”
Other CrossFit competitions that Kirby has participated in include the Mode Classic, which took place in Washington. He placed fourth overall.
“He was the youngest competitor out there, and shockingly, the smallest,” Fields said.
On the ice, Kirby was on the Team Alaska 18U team that won a regional championship and competed at nationals in Las Vegas last month.
“I think the intensity of hockey kind of translates to CrossFit really well,” he said. “It’s a lot of mental toughness as well.”
Rylan Kirby, 17, does a bar muscle up while working out at CrossFit Iron Refined in Eagle River on Wednesday, April 15. Kirby hopes to compete in the CrossFit Games in San Jose in July. (Bill Roth / ADN) Staying balanced and well-rounded
Kirby spends more time in the gym than he does on the ice, with a ratio of 2-1 and sometimes even 3-1. Not only are his hockey coaches OK with him being a dual-sport athlete, they’re happy to see its benefits on the ice.
“It’s helped me out a lot to just be more loose on the ice, and then I also feel stronger with the puck,” he said.
His responsibility and discipline when it comes to balancing both sports is constantly on display.
“He has the ability to be mentally present when he’s on the ice with his team, and then be mentally present when he’s here with me, training and knowing that he’s getting substantially stronger throughout the last year,” Fields said.
Kirby has been trying to get some of his hockey teammates to take up CrossFit too. So far, there haven’t been any takers.
His rapid rise has been a “super fun” journey on which he’s enjoyed becoming immersed in a growing community that shares his passion for fitness.
“Everybody is just so supportive and fun to be around,” he said.
Countering negative perceptions
Fields said one of the biggest misconceptions for athletes in other sports about trying CrossFit is that it leads to injuries.
“I think what happens is a lot of adults come into CrossFit gym that were previous athletes, and they don’t realize that they haven’t maybe moved or done things in a couple of years,” Fields said.
One of the main mantras at her gym for new and returning patrons is, “Check your ego at the door.”
“You have to go slow to go fast, which is one of my favorite sayings when it comes to taking things slow in the gym from an average athlete standpoint to them making progressions as you move,” Fields said.
Kirby has had a blast becoming a CrossFit enthusiast and intends to continue competing beyond high school. He said his improvement is a case for people to include physical activity in their daily routines.
“I think watching a young athlete be able to balance school, hockey, family, going to church and being extremely involved in church and other outside organizations will help people not make excuses for not making it into the gym,” Fields said.
