Rose Kolupar

Growing up, I was the ultimate introverted extrovert. I remember being painfully shy, but felt happiest being around people. My family moved around a lot, so I had the opportunity to live in a variety of places, including Colombia, Arizona, and Oregon, with a few stops in the Midwest before landing in Wisconsin permanently. Any touchpoints I had with athletics were purely from a social standpoint. I was never the first one chosen for sports teams, and you could often find me in the outfield, choreographing a dance routine and praying that nobody hit the ball in my direction.


When I was 17, I was hit and run over by a pickup truck while crossing the road. My skull was fractured, and I had a variety of other injuries that landed me on bedrest for three weeks after the accident. That time in my life was tumultuous in many ways, and it pushed me to figure out how strong I could really be. As I recovered physically, I found myself drawn to HIIT, dance, and kickboxing. I learned that there are sports that don’t require hand-eye coordination, and I was hooked.


My brain took a lot longer to heal, and a push from my family and some of my medical team brought me to Wisconsin for a fresh start. After college, I taught kickboxing and HIIT at a local gym before finding my way to CrossFit in 2013. To me, this is the ultimate social sport. CrossFit offers challenges for every individual, and I just love that our community can come together to challenge ourselves individually, cheer each other on, and do things we never thought possible.

I love meeting new people. I’ve been blessed beyond measure with some incredible challenges and opportunities. I try to take each of these nuggets and tuck them into my pocket to help guide my life with compassion and understanding. I find joy in helping people feel like they belong. When an athlete walks into my class, I want to help them win their day. I want to guide them to accomplish what they came in for, whether their goal is to hit a new PR, feel better, or anything in between!