BILLINGS — At Rocky Mountain College, a fast-paced challenge happened Saturday, when the Billings YMCA held a Vii Sports competition.
The amateur sporting competition has participants running through an 8-sport course with a time limit of three minutes and has been featured on ESPN The Ocho.
"It’s kind of a sports obstacle course. Anyone who has any sports-type background could come out and try it. You have up to three minutes to go through it. It seems like that’s not a lot of time, but we’re getting through it in less than a minute and a half," said Kim Kaiser, the CEO of the Billings YMCA, on Saturday. "It’s eight different sports. You can golf, you can hit a softball, hit a tennis ball, football, basketball, soccer. You run, throw some heavy balls, and then sprint to the finish line. It’s really fast-paced."
Vii Sports is a newer sporting competition.
“It was actually about two years ago, at a Y conference, the inventor came up with this idea and asked if there were some YMCAs that would want to pilot test this. So last October, we actually ran this event," Kaiser said. "We went inside the gym and held a pilot program, pilot test. So some of the sports have been adapted over the last couple of years. Now he’s kind of getting it streamlined for the local, regional, and national next year, is the whole idea."
Kaiser jumped on the opportunity to help the sporting competition get its start. She brought the competition to the Magic City.
Billings is one of 10 locations nationwide leading the way.
"We’re really ahead of the game in Billings, Montana, but it’s exciting," Kaiser said.
Kaiser competed in the first-ever Vii Sports Invitational in May and took home the trophy for the top female competitor champion.
“There were four women and four men that competed in the first invitational Vii Sports in Nashville in May. When I did the interview right before it aired on ESPN The Ocho I couldn’t share, but I did win! So I was the top female and brought that trophy home to Billings," Kaiser said, referring to an early August interview with MTN News. "So I’ve got the title so far, it’s been one competition. The title is the Top Female Competitor Champion for Vii Sports."
To learn more, head over to the Billings YMCA, located at 402 North 32nd Street in Billings. The gym just got a makeover and you can sign up with no joiners fee through Sunday.
“We have no joiners fee until tomorrow. Brand new weight room, training center, it’s amazing," Kaiser said. "So if you’re trying to get back into things, we have great programs and no joiners fee through tomorrow. So come join, come join us at the Y."
