Interview: Kathleen Winters
Katie Winters has an interesting weightlifting story. First of all, she’s from Montana. I’ve been in Olympic weightlifting since the late 80s and I’ve known some outstanding lifters from Montana, but not a lot of them. It’s not a state that has traditionally pumped armies of athletes into the sport, like Florida or California, so it’s noticeable when a superstar emerges from there.
Second, Katie got into weightlifting through CrossFit when she was 15 and competed in her first meet in 2012. In other words, it only took her four years to go from her first meet to the 2016 Olympic Trials. The third thing I like about her story is…her coach. Katie is coached by Steve Gough, who was one of the most prominent coaches in the US during my top years on the national scene in the 90s. I’ve known him since I was around Katie’s age, and it hasn’t surprised me that she’s risen to the top of her weight class in such a short time with Steve and the legendary Mike Karchut working with her.
Katie came close to making the Olympic Team after four short years of training, and she’s still young. She recently represented the United States with a medal-winning performance at the Pan American Championships, and she’s hungry for bigger lifts. Weightlifting fans will have a lot of fun watching this little 48 kg firecracker continue her rise in the sport, and we’re grateful to her for sharing her story with Performance Menu.
Tell us about your background. Where are you from, where do you currently live, what’s your occupation (if you work in addition to training), family life, what kind of sports background do you have outside of lifting, etc.
I was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana. I currently live just a few miles from Bozeman, where I own and operate a Weightlifting Club (Team Montana) and CrossFit gym (CrossFit Belgrade). I am very close with my family. I live with my longtime boyfriend (soon to be husband *hint hint). Growing up, we were always a very active family. We hiked, fished, and camped. We loved being outside whether we were at the lake or just hanging out a local swimming pool. I grew up with six siblings all one year apart, so you can imagine what kind of trouble we got into. My sister and I competed in gymnastics growing up, so we never really had time to dabble in other sports.
Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What championships and international teams do you have on your record? What are your best lifts?
When I was 15, I gave up gymnastics and started CrossFit at a local gym with my mom, and shortly after my sister joined us as well. I took to the Olympic lifts quite easily and in 2012, I competed in a small meet at Max’s Gym in California. I ended up qualifying for the 2012 American Open as well as 2013 Jr. and Sr. Nationals. From then on, I basically put CrossFit on the back burner and started to focus on Weightlifting. I ended up getting 3rd at my first national meet (American Open 2012). In 2013, I competed at the Jr. Worlds in Peru and also the Jr. Pan Ams in Chile where I took home silver in the snatch and bronze in the clean and jerk and total. I got 2nd at my first Senior National Championships. I took a small break and then came back as a 48kg lifter for the 2015 Nationals, where I won all three events and was locked on to the World Team. I recently competed in the 2016 Olympic Trials as well as the 2016 Pan Ams where I took Bronze in the c&j and total. My best lifts to date are 81kg in the snatch and 95 in the clean and jerk.
Please give a basic description of your training. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.
I am coached by Steve Gough and Mike Karchut and we follow Bulgarian-style training. I do a lot of heavy singles four to five times/week with heavy squatting. I mainly do the full movements. I rarely pull from the blocks, use straps, do RDL’s, pulls or other accessory type work. Now that I have a bit of time before my next meet, I will most likely start adding some more strength type accessory work (RDL’s high volume squats, power movements, etc.). I have some things I would like to work on, such as a better finish, and I also have a couple of nagging injuries I’d like to get taken care of as well. As I get closer to my next meet, I will go back to heavy singles and the full movements!
Describe some of the obstacles you face, or maybe some things that frustrate you in your weightlifting life. What kinds of changes would you like to see, either personally or with the sport in general?
One of the biggest challenges for me is the mental aspect of being on the platform. I am a worrywart, so it is easy for me to start talking myself out of lifts before I even approach the bar. This is something I struggle with, in and outside the gym, so I try to keep a positive mind and remember it’s just weightlifting. There is always something to work on physically. I would say I can still make some major improvements in my technique and I could definitely use stronger legs! I think USAW is heading the right direction and I am excited to see what the future brings!
What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport? Do you plan to stay involved in weightlifting after your top competitive years are over?
Obviously my biggest goal is to make it to the Olympic Games in 2020 and/or 2024. I think it is important for me to get to as many national and international meets as possible, especially because I am so new to the sport. I own a weightlifting club of my own and I have tirelessly worked on growing the sport of weightlifting in Montana and will continue to do so even after my athletic career ends!
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
I am inspired daily by our armed forces and those who serve. I am coached by Steve Gough, who is a Vietnam veteran, and Mike Karchut. Not only do they bring encouraging energy, they remind me to remain grateful each and every day. I obviously couldn’t train full time and live the way I live if it weren’t for my boyfriend, who takes care of our finances. I have so much support from my mom, who is also my business partner, and of course my teammates and community at the gym.
You’ve got a great team behind you, Katie. Keep training hard and making the Big Sky Country proud!
Second, Katie got into weightlifting through CrossFit when she was 15 and competed in her first meet in 2012. In other words, it only took her four years to go from her first meet to the 2016 Olympic Trials. The third thing I like about her story is…her coach. Katie is coached by Steve Gough, who was one of the most prominent coaches in the US during my top years on the national scene in the 90s. I’ve known him since I was around Katie’s age, and it hasn’t surprised me that she’s risen to the top of her weight class in such a short time with Steve and the legendary Mike Karchut working with her.
Katie came close to making the Olympic Team after four short years of training, and she’s still young. She recently represented the United States with a medal-winning performance at the Pan American Championships, and she’s hungry for bigger lifts. Weightlifting fans will have a lot of fun watching this little 48 kg firecracker continue her rise in the sport, and we’re grateful to her for sharing her story with Performance Menu.
Tell us about your background. Where are you from, where do you currently live, what’s your occupation (if you work in addition to training), family life, what kind of sports background do you have outside of lifting, etc.
I was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana. I currently live just a few miles from Bozeman, where I own and operate a Weightlifting Club (Team Montana) and CrossFit gym (CrossFit Belgrade). I am very close with my family. I live with my longtime boyfriend (soon to be husband *hint hint). Growing up, we were always a very active family. We hiked, fished, and camped. We loved being outside whether we were at the lake or just hanging out a local swimming pool. I grew up with six siblings all one year apart, so you can imagine what kind of trouble we got into. My sister and I competed in gymnastics growing up, so we never really had time to dabble in other sports.
Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What championships and international teams do you have on your record? What are your best lifts?
When I was 15, I gave up gymnastics and started CrossFit at a local gym with my mom, and shortly after my sister joined us as well. I took to the Olympic lifts quite easily and in 2012, I competed in a small meet at Max’s Gym in California. I ended up qualifying for the 2012 American Open as well as 2013 Jr. and Sr. Nationals. From then on, I basically put CrossFit on the back burner and started to focus on Weightlifting. I ended up getting 3rd at my first national meet (American Open 2012). In 2013, I competed at the Jr. Worlds in Peru and also the Jr. Pan Ams in Chile where I took home silver in the snatch and bronze in the clean and jerk and total. I got 2nd at my first Senior National Championships. I took a small break and then came back as a 48kg lifter for the 2015 Nationals, where I won all three events and was locked on to the World Team. I recently competed in the 2016 Olympic Trials as well as the 2016 Pan Ams where I took Bronze in the c&j and total. My best lifts to date are 81kg in the snatch and 95 in the clean and jerk.
Please give a basic description of your training. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.
I am coached by Steve Gough and Mike Karchut and we follow Bulgarian-style training. I do a lot of heavy singles four to five times/week with heavy squatting. I mainly do the full movements. I rarely pull from the blocks, use straps, do RDL’s, pulls or other accessory type work. Now that I have a bit of time before my next meet, I will most likely start adding some more strength type accessory work (RDL’s high volume squats, power movements, etc.). I have some things I would like to work on, such as a better finish, and I also have a couple of nagging injuries I’d like to get taken care of as well. As I get closer to my next meet, I will go back to heavy singles and the full movements!
Describe some of the obstacles you face, or maybe some things that frustrate you in your weightlifting life. What kinds of changes would you like to see, either personally or with the sport in general?
One of the biggest challenges for me is the mental aspect of being on the platform. I am a worrywart, so it is easy for me to start talking myself out of lifts before I even approach the bar. This is something I struggle with, in and outside the gym, so I try to keep a positive mind and remember it’s just weightlifting. There is always something to work on physically. I would say I can still make some major improvements in my technique and I could definitely use stronger legs! I think USAW is heading the right direction and I am excited to see what the future brings!
What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport? Do you plan to stay involved in weightlifting after your top competitive years are over?
Obviously my biggest goal is to make it to the Olympic Games in 2020 and/or 2024. I think it is important for me to get to as many national and international meets as possible, especially because I am so new to the sport. I own a weightlifting club of my own and I have tirelessly worked on growing the sport of weightlifting in Montana and will continue to do so even after my athletic career ends!
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
I am inspired daily by our armed forces and those who serve. I am coached by Steve Gough, who is a Vietnam veteran, and Mike Karchut. Not only do they bring encouraging energy, they remind me to remain grateful each and every day. I obviously couldn’t train full time and live the way I live if it weren’t for my boyfriend, who takes care of our finances. I have so much support from my mom, who is also my business partner, and of course my teammates and community at the gym.
You’ve got a great team behind you, Katie. Keep training hard and making the Big Sky Country proud!
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Matt Foreman is the football and track & field coach at Mountain View High School in Phoenix, AZ. A competitive weightliter for twenty years, Foreman is a four-time National Championship bronze medalist, two-time American Open silver medalist, three-time American Open bronze medalist, two-time National Collegiate Champion, 2004 US Olympic Trials competitor, 2000 World University Championship Team USA competitor, and Arizona and Washington state record-holder. He was also First Team All-Region high school football player, lettered in high school wrestling and track, a high school national powerlifting champion, and a Scottish Highland Games competitor. Foreman has coached multiple regional, state, and national champions in track & field, powerlifting, and weightlifting, and was an assistant coach on 5A Arizona state runner-up football and track teams. He is the author of Bones of Iron: Collected Articles on the Life of the Strength Athlete. |
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