At the end of last session we bade farewell to Booty Camp Trainer Theresa Freeman. Theresa was with us for FOUR years every morning and is adored by so many for the friendly tone she uses as she totally kicks our booties everyday of camp. SSBC blog sat down with her one last time for some final notes.
How did you come to be a booty camp trainer?
I was actually a camper at Volunteer Park camp first. I wanted some cross training for the Seattle Half Marathon of Fall 2009. By the time was in my 2nd session of booty camp, I got inspired and thought ‘I could do this!’.
What was it like when you started teaching?
At first I was very nervous and especially when I had a new person in class. It took me a lot of time to get over that. I would think ‘are they going to like it?’, ‘are they going to have a good experience?’ I wanted to make sure that I was giving a thoughtful well organized class for people at all different levels. The gals were so nice, they definitely made it easy to be there.
What’s your secret to becoming such a good trainer?
I went to lots of conferences at the beginning to see what other instructors were doing. I always started from scratch every week. With the exception of a few times I was sick I never repeated a class. My kids used to tell me ‘mom just use an old one no one will ever know’, but as campers were changing and abilities were changing I felt like I had to keep up.
How did Booty Camp positively impact your life?
There are millions of ways. It made me a regular exerciser. It gave me 8 hours a week outside in seward park. It’s hard to be crabby when you’re outside in the park.
What exercise would you do on your own?
I love anything that is full bodied, I love it when we are balancing and using a weight. I remember people would say ‘hey it’s not core day!’
What exercise would you never do on your own?
I don’t love stairs, I don’t mind hills but I don’t love stairs.
Fun facts:
I would get sore too, I remember telling Lisa and she said ‘and you’re not even doing the full workout!’
What memories sit with you now?
Times when people felt compelled and let their real selves out, happy or sad. That kind of sharing doesn’t really happen that often. Everyone was just so real and supportive of each other and loving of each other.
I remember one time a camper was crying in class and later we found out she was pregnant. And recently a camper’s cat died and she didn’t tell us at first but then decided to share it. These moments let you know a little bit more about them, help us understand each other.
I even like the memories of running in sheets of rain, huddling under trees. And of course there are the big stories like the camper falling into the lake. She thought it was funny and when she told her daughter she thought her mom was really cool.
Any last words of wisdom for your campers?
I hope that you take a minute to see what a treasure you have: the support, the camaraderie, the mental health benefits, and physical health benefits to getting out into the elements. Do not be distraught over the cycles of life. There are times when exercise falls to the bottom of the list. Remember not to beat yourself up, its just life, its just about coming back. We have medical things; we have family things; we have work things. It’s about coming back
We celebrated Theresa’s time with us at a party at Jessica’s urban homestead. Here is a slideshow of photos from the party.
Theresa, you will be greatly missed!
– Contributed by Camper Becka Tilsen
