Thursday, October 1, 2009
Looks can be deceiving: KU Fit instructor Stephanie Thompson’s bright, warm smile hides her fierceness as an instructor, which has gained her a cult following.
Every time you walk into her class you are greeted with the biggest, whitest smile you’ve ever seen. And while that smile is sincere, it doesn’t show what’s coming for you: an hour-long workout that will leave you begging for mercy.
Stephanie Thompson, Lenexa senior, is one of 25 KU Fit instructors paid to teach weekly classes at the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center. She’s had the job for a year and a half and has developed a bit of a cult following. Her classes include Cardio Cross Train, Butz and Gutz and the Boot Camp Challenge, her favorite because she likes tracking the progress of her students through the semester.
Thompson has had a few people come up to her outside of class and complain that she worked them a little too hard, but she just laughs it off. She would never do anything to intentionally hurt anyone; it’s just all about fitness.
But being in great shape is just one of the job requirements. You also need the motivation. Instructors try out in the spring for yearly positions. The process includes weekly meetings, a performance exam, a written exam, shadowing a current instructor and finally an audition where you teach your own class.
But most importantly you need the personality, and anyone who’s taken Thompson’s classes knows she’s got it. She’s always cracking jokes and interacting with her students during class, no matter how hard it gets. And if she sees you on campus she’ll almost always say “hi,” just don’t whine about being sore.
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