Andover, KS Health and Fitness

Blackhawk Fitness, Powered by CrossFit Wichita

Husband-and-wife duo David and Crystal Wells threw their mutual passion for fitness into the creation of Ring Side Fitness Center. They outfitted the gym with high white ceilings, a soft red floor and a boxing ring, corralling passionate students and leading them through boxing classes. In addition to teaching foundational footwork and techniques, David maintains professional status in MMA, and Crystal ranks as a professional figure competitor in the National Gym Association and National Physique Committee. They apply their professional experience toward building full-body workout plans, but stay in touch with the fitness limitations and aspirations of everyday people. As working parents, they make efficiency paramount—drop-in classes span 75 minutes and work the whole body, including the dorsal fin.

Bermuda grass fairways and bent grass greens form a challenging layout at Augusta Country Club’s nine-hole golf course, which has blanketed the Kansas countryside since 1922. Every hole features two separate tee boxes, which means golfers can enjoy two distinct experiences of each hole when they play an 18-hole round. The opportunity to play the same holes twice also grants golfers a chance to redeem themselves by avoiding a bunker or water hazard the second time around. The same waterway runs horizontally across the fairways on six different holes, forcing golfers to send shots over its glassy surface or tunnel underneath it with a makeshift shovel made from divot tools.

Although Shawn Strickland is a certified trainer with a masters of education in exercise science, it didn't take a genius to see the benefits of smaller workout groups. Rather than leading large boot-camp classes where some students can fall behind, mishear instructions, or simply feel isolated, he has designed his boot camps for groups of no more than five at a time. This way, he can afford to guide clients through more intricate training regimens, employing kettle bells, resistance bands, and floor routines while observing the correct form and progress of each individual.