Inspired by Kelsey Kiel | Her Journey Back to The Games
If you know JUNK or cross functional fitness, you’ve probably heard of Kelsey Kiel. She is a ripping good athlete with a passion for fitness.
Kelsey started playing soccer from a young age and played through college. She then coached and played after graduation until a 2014 injury led her to discover CrossFit®. At first, it was just a hobby, until she surrounded herself with some top-level athletes. She quickly became serious about it and competed with a team at the 2016 CrossFit® Games. In 2017, she tried her hand at individual and competed at the CrossFit® South Regionals finishing in 11th. In 2018, she joined team Invictus Boston and competed with the gym at the Games in 2018 and 2019. Kelsey's strength and talent make her a standout athlete whether competing alone or with a team.
We were on a break
In 2020 she qualified for the Games, but due to unforeseen circumstances (you know, Covid...), they narrowed the spots allowed for the competition and her invitation was rescinded.
With a move from Boston to Vegas around the corner, Kelsey was approached by a pilot on the USA Bobsled Team, who said that, on paper, she looked like a great fit to be a bobsledder. It was known that it would be really hard to make an Olympic team in a year and a half, but Kelsey decided to try.
“I was 36 hours from moving out West.” Instead, Kelsey went back to Philadelphia and put her life in storage and waited to see what Bobsled would bring.
“A chapter from someone else’s book”
The experience of training for bobsledding was unparalleled. In the summer of ‘21, Kelsey worked one on one with a sprinting coach and trained hard for the USABS Push Championships that were to be held at the end of the summer. Bobsled training was working for the outcomes and numbers. It’s specific to the hundredth of a second and that could mean winning or losing, in a medal-driven sport.
“In July, I went to Lake Placid, with the mindset that this was probably going to be it for me.” The field of athletes coming back to Push Champs was stacked. On the women’s side, they were all fighting for about 3 total spots.
After individual Push Championships, Kelsey was invited back but declined, “I learned so much. It was really amazing to meet other high-performance athletes and honestly that has carried over and helped me even in CrossFit® today. It was an amazing year, a lot of learning, and it was a hard year. I’m grateful for that time and happy to be where I am now.”
Kick the tires, light the fires
So, what was next?
"I knew that I wasn’t in ‘CrossFit®’ shape, but I also knew that I wanted to get back into the sport, I just didn’t know at what capacity.”
Walking into OBA was a blessing for Kelsey. She found a group of like-minded people and was truly having FUN doing the sport. In a way, the break fromCrossFit® to try Bobsledding was perfect timing for her. “I always say the best programming is the one you commit to and do. Amazing coaches and programs and camps are great, but the one you dive all into is the one that works best for you.”
Kelsey hired a new coach, was at a new gym, and was diving back into the CrossFit® scene. She competed in Wodapalooza in 2022 to get a competition under her belt.
Fire. Lit.
“I got back into it and was lucky enough to have an amazing group of people around me. Wodapalooza showed me how much I loved CrossFit®. It got me back into that competitive mindset. The break with bobsled was just want I needed. I rediscovered my desire to compete.”
The 2022 season was a wild ride for Kelsey and Team OBA, but ultimately the crew punched their ticket to the Games and finished 11th after the weekend in Madison. The team was happy, but still hungry. The goal didn’t change – if anything it snowballed. 2023 Team OBA was committed to going back to the Games to fight for a top spot. With a new female teammate, “We’re not dead yet” is their unofficial team slogan with an average age on their team around 32. It'll be fun to see what they can do in Madison this August.
“I’ve always said if you’re the smartest in the room, you’re in the wrong room. If I’m the fittest, strongest, or most gymnastics inclined... same applies. This has been in my soul and my True North since 2015.
She loves to be challenged to be a better person, human, daughter, and it’s led her to where she is today, “The work is never done.”
Biggest Inspirations
“Some of my biggest inspirations daily are the people who have been doubted. The ones who have even doubted themselves. The underdogs. The people who are putting in the self-work, day in and day out. They are who inspire me. Whether they are my clients, my friends, my teammates, my family, or strangers who I’ve never met - I think it’s admirable to continue to grow and stretch and work to be the best version of yourself every single day. The goal is to be better than the ‘you’ yesterday. I feel inspired by all those willing to do that work.”
Check out Kelsey's Limited Edition, follow her and JUNK Brands on social and stay tuned for more from JUNK!
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