Meet Laura Kratochvil, Trainer at the Indian Valley Family YMCA in Ellington

Hello All! 

My name is Laura Kratochvil and I am 22 years old. I have lived in Connecticut my entire life and will still complain about the cold weather every time the temperature drops below 30 degrees as if I was raised in a desert. And just because I hate the cold, skiing just had to be one of my very favorite winter activities (I wish snow didn't melt until about 50 degrees!). My family makes about 5 trips a year to all different mountains in New England and we LOVE it.

In the warmer weather, I like to pretend I'm a serious runner. That usually lasts until I complete my 5k's that I've signed up for... then I hate running again. This summer I will be participating in Color me Rad 5k (April) and Rugged Maniac (September).

My family and I climb mountains and go rock climbing during the summer. I know we sound really adventurous, but we're not.

I've also competed in a figure competition (Summer 2012). It was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I experienced in my life. It was very time consuming training so I plan to train for another one after I finish with school!  

I spend many hours a week in the Y playing several different roles and I am one of those obnoxious people that really loves her job. I coordinate the LiveSTRONG cancer survivor program and train the survivors of the group. I have been involved in this since the program was brought to the Y just over a year ago.

I am also a personal trainer and have been training for about a year now. I occasionally step in to teach group exercise classes but have no regularly scheduled classes, other than my Tuesday morning TRX class.

Whenever I am asked what my favorite part of my job is, I always struggle to answer the question. I think one of the things I love the most about my job is that I am able to give people the tools to really change their life in more ways than one... and it's like social hour while I do it. I get to meet and bond with some of the most fabulous, strongest, and most determined people (I wish I was more like some of my clients... they're amazing!). 

I am also currently working on my bachelor's degree in Sport and Leisure Management with three concentrations (Exercise Science, Sports Performance, and Sport Management). I will be graduating in December of 2013 and will move right on to graduate school. From there I have no idea where I will end up but I am 100% positive that I will be in the health/exercise field for the rest of my life.