First used to train Olympians and Eastern European strongmen, kettlebells (weighted balls with handles) can be traced as far back as the 1800s. Kettlebell Sport (or Girevoy Sport as it is called in Eastern Europe) is an organized weightlifting contest that emerged in the USSR out of the original methodologies pioneered by elite Russian kettlebell lifters from the military. In international IUKL competitions (across all age groups) today, men lift one or two kettlebells weighing between 16kg to 32kgs, while women use a single kettlebell weighing between 8 to 24kgs. Winners are determined by the highest number of repetitions executed and fixated overhead without setting the kettlebell(s) down within ten minutes. A single hand-switch is permitted for one armed events.
Rylee Reeves has been training with kettlebells since she was six years old at Ice Chamber Athletic Performance in Richmond, CA. Her journey started when her parents (still members of Ice Chamber) joined the local gym almost 10 years to lose weight and get fit. Rylee, while accompanying her parents to the gym, assimilated to the sport by watching her role models, the renowned Ice Chamber Kettlebell Girls, train and compete at regional and national events. "Originally Rylee used kettlebells for fitness, as intervention for her ADD and other sensory regulation symptoms. But we noticed her uncanny ability to pick up great technique quickly at a young age," noted her coach and accomplished kettlebell athlete Sara Nelson.
By the age of 11, Rylee began to compete on the regional, national, and international circuit. At the 2014 IUKL World Kettlebell Championships in Hamburg, Germany, Rylee placed 4th out of 12 in the amatuer adult division lifting a 16kg kettlebell.
This year, she moved into the elite bracket in Dublin, Ireland. On November 27, at just 15 years old, Rylee Reeves, a member of Team USA, achieved 80 repetitions with a 24kg kettlebell in the advance division, earning a bronze medal for America. Simultaneously, Rylee became the youngest athlete in Kettlebell Sport history to medal in the advanced division at the IUKL Kettlebell Sport World Championships.
The Ice Chamber is an internationally renowned physical fitness training center (as featured in the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Magazine, and ABC News) located in Richmond, CA -- serving the local communities of Albany, Berkeley, and El Cerrito. The Ice Chamber Kettlebell Team is the most successful competition team in America, consistently earning Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals in National and World Championships, as well as holding North American and World Records in Biathlon, Snatch, and Long Cycle. To date, Ice Chamber have produced 7 Masters of Sport and 2 Masters of Sport World Class in Kettlebell Lifting – more than any other single team in the country. Visit http://www.icechamber.com for details.
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