Kate Barbush

We chose Kate because she has been coming since she was a little one. She always come bright and early before school when not in a sports season. She works extremely hard each and every day! She’s the next generation of Phos!

Tell us a little about yourself, what do you do for a living, members of your family, do you have any pets (include anything else you see fit!)?

I am a 14-year-old freshman student at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls. You’ve probably seen my mom, Audrey, working her butt off every morning at 5AM, and occasionally my older sister, Lexi, who I am sure is very jelly of me right now, and Lauren, but she currently lives in Omaha. I also have two dogs, my pride and joys, Annie and Kilo. Some of my hobbies include being a world-renowned basketball player at LHS and, of course, getting up at 4:30AM to get a workout in at Phos before school starts.

How & when did you get introduced to Crossfit and what made you want to continue coming?

I started at Phos in November of 2017 when I was a short and chubby-faced 11-year-old sixth grader. Thank goodness working out at Phos helped burn some of that baby fat off. I started at Phos because my mom, aunt, and uncle had been working out there for a while, and I so desperately wanted to do so too. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, and I didn’t know that three years, many workouts, and a couple-inches-of-height later, that’d I still be doing it today, even with some of the same people who also went to 5AM with me those many years ago.

Is there anything you do now that you never thought you’d be able to do?

There are many things that I had never thought I could do before Phos, but a few things are being able to do big sets of double unders, lifting 170+ pounds, a single kipping pull-up or two, and actually waking up as early as I do to work out at 5AM (although I am still barely functional at that time of the morning, just ask anyone at the 5AM class).

What would you say to someone who’s scared or apprehensive about trying Crossfit Phos?

When I’ve told various people that I do CrossFit, they usually give me one of two looks: They either give me the “what the hell is CrossFit” look or the “wow, I’m surprised; CrossFit is so hard” look. I’m sure if they Googled CrossFit, they’d probably assume that I do all that tire-flipping, crazy gymnastics, and insane weightlifting – which I personally don’t mind them thinking that I do all of that, but it’s really not true for the average athlete at Phos. I, and many others, scale a lot of the weights and movements for metcons, which is okay, because it’s not about being the best athlete in the gym, but becoming the best athlete for yourself to get a good workout in. This is what I would tell others who feel like they could never be able to do CrossFit.

How do you manage to stay consistent in your gym attendance?

There’s really only one thing that helps- more like “makes”- me get up and attend a class at Phos, and that is my mom. Some nights before a gym day I’ll complain about not wanting to get up early, and my mom will just say, “You can go to a 5:30PM class then,” and I say no because Lord knows how exhausted I am after school (no offense to 5:30PM-ers, I respect y’all). And there’s some nights where I just really really don’t want to do that particularly hard workout that consists of some of my least favorite movements (*cough* Death Row *cough*), but my mom will just say, “Scale it if you need to. You just gotta get through it.” So I get through it. I drag myself out of bed, occasionally curse my mom inside of my head on the way to the gym for making me go, and I finish the workout. But every time I finish a workout, I think to myself, Huh, that wasn’t so bad. I’m glad I went today. And then the cycle continues, but I’ve started to realize it’s really only as bad as your mind makes it. If your mind tells you that the workout is gonna suck, then yes, the workout is gonna suck. But if you have someone like my mom, the optimist to my pessimistic mind, telling you that you’ll be fine, then attending the gym isn’t so bad.

What’s your favorite pick-me up food, snack, or drink on a busy day?

Most days my mom makes me some type of variation of a chicken/beef, rice, and broccoli dinner, but on the days she and I don’t feel like eating that for dinner again, we sometimes get sushi from Hyvee, which is pretty bussin.

What’s the most embarrassing fashion trend you used to rock?

I have a feeling this question is for like old people, but back in seventh grade I used to rock this trend called being a “VSCO girl”, and for all the oldies out there who are probably raising an eyebrow at this or are behind on Gen Z fashion trends, it’s like being a basic beach-y Californian wannabe girl and wearing an oversized Ron Jon Surf Shop with shorts, scrunchies, a shell necklace, Birkenstocks, and a Hydro Flask. And seventh grade me, being the trend follower that I was, made it my whole personality. There’s still some remnants of my VSCO girl phase on my Instagram (unfortunately).

Finally, what do you appreciate most about Phos?

There are many things I appreciate about Phos, such as the coaches (shout-out to my man Rory), the people, and the tools that are given to you to reach your full potential. But one thing I particularly love about Phos is the community (cliche, I know), but it’s not like going to GreatLIFE and doing your own thing without talking to anyone. At Phos, everyone knows everyone, and if they don’t, they’ll make an effort to get to know you or follow you on Facebook. One last thing I love is being able to spend time with my mom. During the school week I don’t get to see her as much because I go to school, come home, eat a snack and take a nap, do homework, eat dinner, and then go to bed. But being able to spend an extra hour and share a hobby with her makes all the difference, and that extra hour spent at Phos is one that I will cherish forever, especially as I get older.