The Fittest Female at North Star
By Aaron Cady
CrossFit is a well-known fitness program. Many people do it for a variety of reasons, from general fitness to weight-loss to competitions. The CrossFit Games are a major competition among some of the world’s fittest people for the crown of Fittest Male or Female on Earth. These games have age groups, and one of North Star’s own students competes in these high-level contests.
Sarah Bowser is a sixteen-year-old student here at NSA. She is from Chesapeake, Virginia, but she has lived all over the United States. She has two younger siblings, both of who are a part of North Star. Sarah’s road to where she is now began in 2013. “My family and I moved to a new house in Virginia. We just so happened to move across the street to the future 2015 CrossFit Games Champion, Ben Smith,” she said. “I was a competitive gymnast for a while but decided in March of 2018 that I wouldn’t be continuing with gymnastics. God was calling me to do something else. I wasn’t sure what that was, but after a month of trying to convince me to join CrossFit, the Smith Family convinced me to take a class at their gym, CrossFit Krypton. I did a starter class and fell in love with not only the sport but also the atmosphere that the gym has. It is one big family! I wouldn’t be where I am today without the coaches at Krypton!”
Sarah has been a part of NSA for three years, starting in 2018. “I have been homeschooled since I was 7,” she says. “When I moved to Virginia, my parents enrolled me in a public school. It definitely wasn’t my thing. I am a huge introvert!” After that, her parents decided to try homeschool. “In the summer of 2018, my parents were trying to decide what I was going to do for high school because I was going into 9th grade. I didn’t want to go to public school, so my mom looked for a school that was just like NSA. She found NSA, and it was one of the best decisions we’ve made,” says Sarah. “My favorite thing about NSA is the amazing teachers! They make such a big impact! NSA gives me so much flexibility to train in the mornings if I choose to. Also, I can work alongside training as well, which is a lot of fun!”
Sarah started CrossFit in April 2018. “My first competition was the 2019 Open Online Qualifier for the CrossFit Games,” she said. “At the time, I had been doing CrossFit for less than a year. I ended up finishing in the top 100 in the world for 14-15-year olds, which meant I qualified for the second round, and another online competition. I finished in 61st place in the world.” After that great performance, Sarah has continued to do well in competitions. “At the beginning of March, I competed in the 2020 Online Qualifier. I finished in the top 100 for 16-17-year olds,” she said. “Earlier this year I qualified 1st for the 2020 IF3 Teen World Championship through an online qualifier. I was supposed to go to Canada in June to represent the USA in Functional Fitness, which is basically CrossFit just a different name.” However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the competition was moved online. Sarah participated in the competition on September 21. She also competes in smaller, local contests. “One of my favorite competitions is Compete for a Cure, which my gym hosts,” Sarah said. “This year they raised over $111,000 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.”
CrossFit is a mixture of multiple types of exercise. It consists of high-intensity cardio, weight-lifting, bodyweight exercises, and gymnastics. “I think there is a big misconception with CrossFit,” Sarah says. “I have had a lot of people ask me why I do CrossFit. They say stuff like, ’If you lift weights and work out all the time, you’ll look like a guy.’” However, that isn’t true. CrossFit is a great way to exercise and stay healthy or to participate in high-level physical contests. The training for such serious competitions can be intense. But Sarah loves it all “… except running and the assault bike,” she said. “I was a gymnast, so any movement where I can be on my hands or swing or a bar, I love! Honestly, my favorite about CrossFit is the people. I laugh and have the most fun with the people I get to work out with! Funny, right? I have died in workouts with the people I laugh the most with. Like I said, one big family. They push me to be a better person and a better athlete. They deserve the biggest thank you!” Sarah trains for about ninety minutes each day of the week, not including accessory work or stretching. She also trains with the elite team at her gym once a week. But that’s not all. “There are a lot of other things involved. I stretch for 30 minutes to recover every night,” Sarah said, “What I eat is also very important. I meal prep to make sure I eat the correct amount of food every day.” This may sound like a lot to some people, but Sarah wants to do more and keep pushing.
Reading about Sarah’s accomplishments is inspiring. It makes you want to go to the gym or start working out as soon as possible. But some people may be a little nervous or shy about going to the gym. Sarah’s advice to anyone thinking about starting CrossFit or just working out is simple. “I would say don’t be scared to go to the gym because you think you need to be the best or lift the most or be the fastest,” she says. “You are always able to scale a workout if you are having trouble. Anyone is capable of doing it!”
Aaron Cady is a senior at North Star. He has attended NSA for six years and has written for the Navigator for three of those years. Journalism is one of his passions, and he hopes to continue with it after graduation.