ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Soccer brought
Kelsey Kiel '13 to Elmira College, but it might just be bobsledding that brings the former Empire 8 All-Conference honoree to Beijing for the XXIV Olympic Winter Games.
Kiel's journey from the grassy pitch at Campus Field to the Olympic training facilities in Lake Placid, New York, and Park City, Utah, has been anything but a linear path. And while her focus has shifted to earning a spot on Team USA, she's spent the past half-decade making a name for herself as an elite CrossFit athlete.
The Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, native was introduced to CrossFit in 2014 by her sister, Teresa, who was enjoying time at home after serving overseas in the Navy. Since then, she's been to the CrossFit Games on three occasions with different teams, most recently finishing 12th with Invictus Boston in 2019. But 2020 was going to be a milestone in Kiel's career, as she was awarded her first individual invitation to the Games after placing fifth at the Strength in Depth event in London. Unfortunately, changes forced by COVID-19 resulted in numerous invitations being rescinded, including Kiel's.
As one door closed, another opened.
Not long after her invitation was denied, conversations about trying out for the national bobsled team sprouted. Last week, she participated in her first competitive races in Park City at Utah Olympic Park during the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) North American Cup. On January 22, Kiel collected a gold medal with pilot Nicole Vogt, finishing first with a combined time of 1:40.60. The following day, Kiel and Brittany Reinbolt were clocked with the fastest time in the first heat but placed second overall after two races (1:43.21).
Hear more from the former EC women's soccer standout and Olympic hopeful in this edition of our Athletics Alumni Spotlight.
Q: Why did you choose to attend Elmira College?
A: I was recruited for soccer. I wasn't totally sure what I wanted to do after high school, but I visited Elmira and fell in love with the campus, and was really excited about having the opportunity to play after high school. It felt like it all fell into place to go to EC.
Q: What are your favorite memories that come to mind when you think about your collegiate athletics career at Elmira?
A: Any memories involving the team. The women I met and got to know through ECWS changed my life in the best way. They are some of my best friends and women I look up to and appreciate. Some of the best memories are with those ladies.
Q: What is the best advice you would give to a current Soaring Eagle student-athlete?
A: Soak it all in! The years go quickly!
Q: Can you share the story of how CrossFit evolved from a casual workout into a competitive career?
A: My sister took me to my first CrossFit class in 2014. I was so bad at it. Like, very, very bad. I decided it was something I wanted to continue in order to not suck so much, but it was just a workout regimen for me to justify the eating and drinking habits I formed. It wasn't until late 2015 when I did an individual competition and took first that I realized, "Oh, maybe I could be okay at this." I never thought, though, that I would be at the elite level. I ended up switching gyms, which opened up doors, and I ended up meeting the people who became my teammates at the Games in 2016. That season, I was forced to get better at the sport because I didn't want to let my teammates down. That was the beginning of it all.
Q: Where did the opportunity to try bobsledding come from, and why did the folks from Team USA think you were an excellent candidate to try out?
A: 2020 was a weird year for a lot of people. For me, however, I realize that it all transpired how it was "meant to transpire." My 2020 CrossFit Games invite was taken from me, but it was around the same time that the world champion bobsled pilot for the USA, Kaillie Humphries, reached out via Instagram and asked if I'd ever try bobsled. I had zero idea of what that even looked like, and for a while, it was just a conversation that I'd visit her and give it a shot. Well, in classic 2020 fashion, things changed rather quickly, and in September, I was invited up to the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, New York, to give bobsled a shot. I think the draw for them to reach out to me was my size and strength. The strength was there, it was just seeing if I was explosive/fast, and also if I liked going down the ice in a bobsled.
Q: How different are bobsled and the required training from the other sports you've played and/or CrossFit?
A: Training for CrossFit is all-encompassing. You train to be good at everything. Your weaknesses get exposed one way or another, and then you work on those things until they aren't weaknesses anymore. You need to be "across the board" fit. For bobsled, it reminds me a bit more of training for soccer; it's sport-specific. Bobsled training is all about getting better at the things that help you push a bobsled as fast as possible. That's it. Bottom line: push fast. So my training changed. I work on explosiveness and sprinting/sprint mechanics first and foremost. Lifting is a supplement to sprinting, as it's just there to keep me explosive and maintain my strength. We care less about how heavy I can go and more about how fast I can move something that's heavy. A bobsled weighs upwards of almost 370 pounds, so it's important to be able to be as explosive as I can be.
Q: The next Winter Olympics are Beijing 2022. What does the road look like for yourself as someone relatively new to the sport to qualify?
A: The ultimate goal is to get to the Olympics. Because of COVID, this year has drastically changed compared to other years. After the NAC races, which end early February, we have a short break before it is back to Park City and Lake Placid for team trials. Typically team trials are held in October, but the Beijing test event was postponed from March and moved to October, so things have changed in how Team USA selects their team. We shall see how it all unfolds.
Q: You've utilized social media, specifically Instagram, to market yourself and now have over 200,000 followers. What is it like being a workout and nutrition influencer?
A: It's crazy to think that I have over 200K "following" my life. I never, ever thought my life would be this, which is pretty awesome. I am beyond grateful for the life I get to live each day and the people who support me no matter what dream I am chasing. If I can help or inspire one person to be the best version of themselves, I believe I've been successful. Life is hard and messy, but if I can help people see that they can do hard things in this world, like love themselves, chase their dreams, be honest and vulnerable, and be a good person, then that's the ultimate victory. I try to use my social media as a way to reach people who I never would reach otherwise, people who may need to see that they matter and that they can do things they maybe thought they never could do.
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The Elmira College Department of Athletics alumni spotlight series was launched to showcase the student-athlete experience and the unique paths our alumni have taken to very successful careers, both in and out of the sports industry. If you are interested in sharing your story, or the story of a fellow EC graduate, please complete a submission form by clicking here.
