April Female Athlete Spotlight - Kaylee Hoffman

When did you start CrossFitting? Who/what got you started? I started CF in January of 2018. Honestly, I had been very interested in CF for a while but I was in PT school and just could not commit to walking away from my GloboGym. Then my friend and I found a Groupon for a CrossFit gym in OP, which made us finally pull the trigger and I haven’t turned back since! The gym we started at had some pretty cool members, see below to find out who they are! ☺What is your favorite/least favorite WOD? I’d have to say my favorite WOD I have done is one programmed at the gym on the regular. It consists of deadlifts, box jumps and running. What more could a girl ask for!I’m sure you are all surprised when I say my least favorite WOD would have to be DT, it’s one of those hurt so good workouts for me. Side note, I’ve never done heavy DT but can imagine that is double the fun of DT. What is your favorite/least favorite movement? You will never catch me missing a workout with any barbell power movement in it, the more I can keep these stems from getting into a squat position the better! I also love a good bar muscle-ups.There are three movements that are not particularly my favorite-Single arm OH squat snatch: merely because my mobility limits me (tin man, for sure)-Squat Snatch: pushes the limits of my fitness but makes me better, both mental and physically! -RMU: I wouldn’t say I don’t love these; but they are just a mental battle for me, yet the most rewarding when accomplished!

Tell us a little bit about yourself I was born and raised in Hays, Kansas. I left Hays for my undergrad degree to go to the University of Wyoming and play basketball. I then moved to Kansas City for Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. I met JT Thurston when I moved to KC, we have dated for 4 years. We have three fur babies (The OG cat named Turk, our problem child (cat) Griffey, and our newest edition a 5 month old German Shepard named Rey). I enjoy beating JT in horse on our driveway hoop, baking anything unhealthy, going on walks with Rey, spending time outside working on our yard/flowers, watching Marvel/Star Wars movies and of course fitness with all of you! What was your workout routine before CrossFit?When basketball was over, I did not want anything to do with lifting weights or working out at all really. So, I took about a month hiatus from everything then become “Cardio Kay”. I would run 5-7 miles a day and do light weight lifting, HIIT style. I then met JT, the cardio faded out while body building type lifting faded in. After about two years of body building style workout I started adding CrossFit workouts into my routine, EMOMs, AMRAPs, etc. What did you think after your first CrossFit workout? I don’t remember what the first WOD was but I know we did back squats for strength. As I loaded up my bar in a very unfamiliar place I looked across the room and saw a Burnette and blonde that looked like they knew what they were doing and not to mention pushing some heavy weight. The whole class I was eye balling them and how fit they were! I remember leaving my first class loving the set up and structure of class, as well as, being eager to get to know these two girls.

What were your goals when joining CrossFit? Have you achieved any of those goals? I think the main goal I had when joining CrossFit was to fall in love with working out again. CrossFit did just that for me, it pushes me the same way basketball did. There is a coach to hold you accountable, to call you out when needed and to push you to be the best CrossFit version of yourself. Lastly, the most important part is the community; just like a basketball team we are all there for each other, helping reach individual goals, being supportive when you’ve hit a dark place in a workout and being your motivation when it’s nearly impossible to find. Has CrossFit affected your life outside the gym? CrossFit has absolutely affected my life outside of the gym. I know by now the suspense has been building over these two mysterious members I met at my first CrossFit gym. So, spoiler alert it’s Sadie and Nikki! Both of which I became best friends with in the gym and we now spend a lot of our time with each other outside of the gym hanging out, having drinks and enjoying each other’s company. We also have this little ginger friend that we FORCED to be friends with us! ☺ Thanks to CrossFit and me aggressively asking Nikki for her phone number the first day of meeting her, J and I’s lives outside of CrossFit are blessed with some amazing people! Do you have any other special memories/ achievements during your time here? My favorite memories have been attending and experiencing WZA with a great group of friends despite the open water PTSD that we all may have. Also, winning Bricktown Throwdown with my girls on team ThiccNThin; it was the most fun I’ve had with a CrossFit competition and boy did we celebrate afterwards!

What advice would you give to a newbie just joining CrossFit 913? Stay positive through the process and enjoy the ride. You are going to love CrossFit some days and hate it other days, but every day you are in their grinding you are getting better. And for those that like a little tough love I’d say “no one cares work harder”. I’ve told myself this one million during this process, it is just you against you! Something you might not know about me is?I actually grew up on a farm so I am pretty handy when needed to be. I can drive a combine/tractor, herd cattle and fix fence! BUT I’m not like SUPPPPER country; you won’t catch me out there in jeans and cowboy boots with a piece of wheat in my mouth.