April 2019 Athlete Spotlight

Favorite exercise: Any squat variation, HSPU, and barbell snatches. I hated, absolutely HATED snatching during first year at IST because the lift was so awkward, technical, and required patience and coordination – which I lacked. But now I find the lift so fun, challenging, and rewarding.
Least favorite exercise: High reps of wallballs and rowing.
Goal for next month: Improve my gymnastics skills by consistently getting consecutive kipping pull-ups and eventually learning butterfly pull-ups. My goal by the end of the year is to get a bar muscle-up.
What I love about IST: The coaches. They are so encouraging and patient. Even when classes are big, they manage to critique every single person’s form and offer constructive feedback on how to improve lifts. They know my capabilities better than I do! The IST community is really great too! Everyone is so welcoming and supportive.
Hometown & Family members: I grew up in Willow River, MN but for the last twelve years, I have lived in west Duluth. I have a black lab named Thor, who is a great hiking buddy. Most of my immediate family lives far away, but I’m very close to my aunt Amy and uncle Scott. And I’m lucky enough to have some amazing friends (Hi Leslie and Rod!) who are like family to me.