Fittest began in 2018 with a vision to unite the Upstate fitness community and provide a premier platform to find who is the fittest male and female in the Upstate of South Carolina. Fittest has over 2,000 Athletes throughout the state of South Carolina who compete in stage one of our online qualifier through the CrossFit Open. From there, we create our customized leaderboard based upon the athletes' CrossFit Open Scores. We then take those top 35 athletes from each division and put on a 3 day competition on the largest and most prestigious platform in the state to crown Fittest of South Carolina. There is no other invite-only competition like this in South Carolina and that is why we strive to provide the best platform with top prizes for our state-wide athletes.
At the heart of Fittest is providing the amazing athletes the opportunity to showcase their hard work and talent on a grand stage. Each year, Fittest continues to grow in its pool of top athletes as well as sponsors and vendors from all over the State who come together to support and cheer on these premier athletes.
Annie Lake
Co-Owner & Athlete Experience
Annie started CrossFit in 2016 and immediately fell in love with the community and sport from day one. Over the course of three years, she received her Level 1 & 2 certification, managed a local CrossFit box for one year, then opened her own CrossFit box (CrossFit Simpsonville) with her husband. Annie brings 5 years of experience in event planning as she worked at Jackson Motorsports & Events group as their Event Coordinator before leaving to manage CrossFit Simpsonville full time. As a past collegiate athlete, Annie loves the community that comes with competition. As a past qualifier for in the Female Elite division in 2019 and Female Masters Elite division in 2020, her heart is to give the South Carolina's top athletes the best experience and to showcase their talents across all divisions.
Gordon Lake
Co-Owner & Fittest Director
Gordon has an extensive background in competing that varies from powerlifting to bodybuilding to strongman. Gordon discovered CrossFit in 2016 when he watched the community encourage and empower his wife Annie when she started classes. Gordon was immediately drawn to the competitive nature however more importantly the way each and every person cheered and encouraged one another until the final rep was complete. Gordon states, “Being able to provide the platform, Fittest of South Carolina is an honor and a passion of mine for our athletes to showcase their talent and years of hard work and perseverance.”
Danielle Owens
Vendor & Spectator Experience
Danielle’s athletic background is very diverse. From captain of the golf team to MMA fighter, Danielle has been a part of several different sports, both team and individual. Danielle discovered CrossFit in 2012. Danielle was immediately engrossed in the competitive and welcoming atmosphere. She started coaching in 2013 and most enjoys watching people exceed their own expectations of themselves! Danielle states, “I love that CrossFit celebrates both talent and hard work; and I'm excited to highlight the talent and hard work of our South Carolina athletes at FITTEST!”
Haley Rogers
Logistics Coordinator
Much of Haley’s upbringing revolved around competitive athletics, and she was first introduced to CrossFit in 2009 as a way to improve her performance on the indoor volleyball courts. While training, she competed in several local competitions and volunteered with the Famously Hot Showdown hosted by Carolina CrossFit. At the peak of her athletic career, Haley was an inaugural member and team captain for the UofSC’s Beach Volleyball team, and was awarded the program’s first Strong Gamecock Award for excellence in the weightroom. Haley brings over 5 years of experience in marketing and project management to the Fittest team and is excited to combine her passions, strengths, and fun-loving energy to support the community that helped her achieve so much.
Jenn Green
Sponsor & Volunteer Director
Jenn has been a part of the upstate CrossFit community for over 13 years, including owning CrossFit Greer. Jenn has hosted & supported several Upstate competitions as well as worked with non-profits for sponsorship and raising money for a cause. Jenn is passionate about being a part of the FITTEST team because she loves seeing athletes pour their hearts into training and then finally getting to game day and showing off all the hard work they've put in. Jenn currently works for CrossFit as the regional community field rep, where building community is her heart. Jenn states, “It is in competitions that I see the biggest of rallying together to support these top-notch athletes.”