National kettlebell competition coming to Langford

Kettlebell athletes from across the country and the U.S. will be coming to Langford next month to compete in the Canadian Kettlebell Sport Nationals.

The sport rose in popularity during the pandemic, when retailers couldn't keep up with demand for the equipment.

The sport doesn't get any simpler, you only have one piece of equipment. It's an awkward, iron, cannonball-looking thing with a handle.

During competitions, athletes take to the stage and try to complete as many reps as possible in a 10 minute set.

If you've spent any time in a gym, chances are you've seen one, or picked one up.

Corissa Sivorot's gym in Victoria is full of them.

"The first time I did a kettlebell workout, I fell in love," she told CTV News.

"Then, years later, I found out there's a sport to compete in."

Now, Sivorot competes all over the world, and she coaches. She was also a gold medalist at the 2017 kettlebell world championships in Seoul, Korea.

Mike Read is another local kettlebell expert. He has represented Canada at several world championships and has taken home a gold and a silver medal at two events.

He says that anyone can succeed in the sport.

"Could look like you, could look like me," he said. "There's no particular body type to lift kettlebells."

He says you only have to start worrying when the weight starts talking to you.

"The bell is telling you, 'this is starting to get really tiring,' and your mind is listening to the bell."

He says the secret is telling the kettlebell to shut up.

When Langford hosts the Canadian Kettlebell Nationals on April 1, competitors hope the event will draw more attention to the sport.

The event will test athletes' pain threshold, and hopefully just their own.

"I have lost my grip and they've gone flying into the judge's table," said Read.

"I've never dropped it on someone's foot," said Sivorot.

"I have hit myself in the head," she said.