“A Farmer and A Banjo-Picker Walk Into a Body Shop”
I sat down with Katie and Johnny for a relaxed and breezy socially distanced conversation on the turf at Manor Road after classes had all ended for the day on a Friday evening; it was the very last day of Spring. We were accompanied by some refreshing brews and Katie’s chill pup. Though the two had never met one another, they had an immediate rapport. Facilitating a fun and engaging conversation was particularly light work for your humble interviewer.
So Katie, since becoming Athlete of the Season, you’ve stopped coming to class? What do you think is the cause of that?
Katie Liesmann: Well, I don’t have to try so hard anymore!
You’ve reached the summit, so you’re good now.
KL: Uh-huh. No… it’s because of quarantine. It has been weird to come back. I’ve been doing the park workouts mostly.
Johnny Sullivan: I haven’t done an IRL class yet, but I feel like I have to just once- to see my name on the board! That’s the dream right?
Johnny, when you were named Athlete of the Season, what changed for you?
JS: Well, I mean it demarcated a new phase in my life for sure. Everything before that and everything after- it is how I mark time. Nah, nothing much changed- I’ve been doing the virtual workouts, I like them a lot.
And you’re good at the virtual workouts! Not everyone is great at framing themselves with their device so the coach can see them. It is a little bit of cinematography. What was your reaction to being named Athlete of the Season?
JS: Surprised. It was really cool. I’ve been coming for a couple years but that first year, I came maybe ten times. I started coming more consistently last July and never imagined that I would stick with much less be Athlete of the Season. It is very cool to be part of the community.
And both of you guys weren’t just in conversation for this cycle, we were talking about you for the last cycle as well.
KL: What???
JS: Woah! Cool.
I won’t tell you what it was that we dug up which caused us to vote against you last time, but we found some shit!
KL: Whatever- my record is clean!
I’ll get to that later- did you have a reaction Katie?
KL: I wanted to say “finally!” because I had always wondered what I had to do to get on there. Afterwards, I asked John what I did to get it because I was genuinely curious. He gave me three criteria like consistency, then attitude, then I don’t remember the third one.
The third is bribery. That is really where most of the criteria is weighted.
JS: Glad to hear that. Capitalism baby.
We ain’t no commies here. That is a great place to get things rolling-
JS: Capitalism?
Yeah, let’s have a real hard hitting conversation where we critique various systems of governance.
JS: That is pretty much what I was expecting for this interview.
Naturally. No, when I conduct these interviews, I usually ask other coaches if they have questions for the athletes and John was the one who came back this time. He came back with one for each of you, so we will start with Johnny. So you’re a prolific hiker, what are your favorite hikes? Do you have a most memorable hike?
JS: New Mexico is on my mind right now, because I was just there. We went up near Taos and hiked Mt. Wheeler which is the highest point in the state- a little over thirteen thousand feet. There is an alpine lake which is really cool because I grew up in the northeast and we don’t have those; it is basically glaciers melting into a lake. I went for a swim- it was extremely cold but awesome. We were hiking to the top and it kept getting windier; it was the fastest winds I have ever been in throughout my entire life. We were worried we were going to get blown off- truly almost getting blown over.
KL: So do you just come to Dane’s to get ready for hiking?
JS: No… but that is one of the things that prompted me to start. I went on a hiking trip 4 or 5 years ago and I hurt my knee just because I wasn’t in shape for it. I decided that I wanted to keep doing that sort of thing well into the future and I needed to get some regular exercise going.
Very cool. Katie, John’s question for you was about your journey from the company you were with when you started at The Shop to starting your own business to being a farmer. I think what he was trying to get at was having you talk about how awesome it is to be a farmer.
KL: What is he talking about?
Katie, no one knows what he is talking about at any given time.
KL: I think that John thinks that I’ve had the best year ever because I’ve gone through a lot of changes, but I don’t know- it has been hard. So I was in the tech industry- I got my degree in marketing. It was probably a good thing that I went into that industry because it is how I found Dane’s; the company I worked for paid for us to have a membership here. We had small private classes mostly with John and Autumn so we received really good form feedback which was awesome. I didn’t really love (the job) and the company got bought out and then they ended the membership so I became a regular member. I quit the company and started my own business, Jake and Juby’s- we made granola butter. It was really fun, but I closed it in February to go help my dad out. I just got a new job this week on a flower farm- that is what John is talking about, but it isn’t permanent.
But even though it isn’t permanent, is it epic? We’ve got to give John something to savor here.
KL: It is epic. All I did for three hours was take a pic axe and swing at chunks of clay dirt to break them up. Very exhausting and repetitive. I’m better at it than the farmer- no joke. And Dane’s has been with me for all of that. I thought his question would be about my hair.
Oh, I’ve got questions about both of your hair later. Now I don’t think you two know this, but when I created the first outdoor self-paced adventure workout during quarantine- Shop 2 Shipe- I received texts from two members who were doing it and it was the two of you! That is why I am so thrilled the two of you were named Athlete of the Season. I was curious what attracted you to doing that?
JS: It was really fun. Getting out of the house mostly. The video demoing the event was very intriguing. The wall walks on the trees definitely got me some looks. I did record a little video of myself doing the Rocky thing on the steps (of the Baker Center)- I think I forgot to post it. It was just way better than being in my house by myself. Kind of a depressing reason really-
I think we need to take the concept of depressing reasons off the table for our current COVID world.
KL: It was your marketing. The name was just so good.
JS: Yep! I think you and I share an affinity for puns- an apunity?
That is fantastic. Katie, we kind of got your origin story- Johnny how did you come to be at the Shop?
JS: I heard about it a long time ago- I had a friend who was a member and has since moved to Colorado. I actually did a tour with John and I don’t know why I didn’t sign up.
John just shit the bed on the interview didn’t he?
JS: Oh yeah- he was just like “so this is a place and we do stuff here…”
KL: How long did it take him to say that?
JS: Roughly 48 hours… But I finally signed up. I had gone to two classes and for the third one it was memorial day and The Shop does The Murph. I clearly remember sitting in my apartment with my girlfriend at the time and the workout was posted so I looked at it and just started laughing. I showed it to her and was like, “I don’t think of Memorial Day as a joke holiday, but they put a joke workout up!” that is so funny! No part of my brain thought it would be an actual thing someone would do. So I showed up and it was every jacked dude at The Shop. I was like, “this isn’t good”. So I ran a mile for the first time in years. I definitely couldn’t do a pull-up so I did a few pushups and squats and went home… and was wrecked just from that. But last July I started coming more and it just became more gratifying over time to feel like I was actually getting better at working out. Before coming here I had never even looked at a barbell. I definitely didn’t think of myself as someone who would or even could go to the gym sustainably. But I started slowly and eventually worked up to coming five days a week.
KL: You come five days a week!?!?!
JS: I’ve started coming Saturdays now, so it is usually six.
KL: Dang! I don’t deserve this!
I will say that, Athletes of the Season included, the average is 3-4 times a week. Johnny Sullivan is flexing on us!
JS: *laughing* That is not what I was trying to do. It is just a testament to the coaching and advice on form. The emphasis on just doing what you can.
That is our devious business plan- keep you from getting hurt so we can keep you paying us! Katie, did you have any similar adaptation issues when you started?
KL: I remember thinking it was hard, but I still feel that way. But I recently did a rope swing which I hadn’t done in a long time and it felt so much easier because I’m stronger- like I didn’t used to be able to hold on to a rope and swing out into the water. But I think John really eased us into the programming, so we had a lot of time to adjust.
That is very cool. Another thing I wanted to hit on was hair. Johnny, can you talk about your beard evolution?
JS: I cut my beard off four years ago and then I had it again for another four years and then last year I decided it was too consistent- I didn’t like feeling like I had to have the beard to look like me. So I shaved the beard for a friend’s murder mystery party. I took it as an opportunity to have a ridiculous beard- I left the mustache trimmed to points and then I left the goatee trimmed to a point and that went up into ever thinning strips on my cheeks. It was basically my attempt at a super villain beard. Then I let it linger for a few days and then went mustache for a while. It is time to mix it up again- I’ve had the beard since Movember ended I guess.
KL: Has your hair always been the same?
JS: I have a friend who asks people their hair history as a personality test- if the hair has always been the same he is just done with them. *laughing* He thinks it is important to have an interesting hair history. I grew my hair down to my shoulders in grad school, but it has been at various lengths since then.
The hair history thing is an interesting segue to Katie because you have recently made a very fetching but cataclysmic decision as far as your hair goes.
KL: I had long hair my whole life. I had a similar experience (to Johnny’s beard) where I felt like my hair defined me too much and I felt like I needed to rebel or something. So I shaved it all off- I started with a mullet and then made it a bowl and then I left just the bangs. And they all looked really good! So I kind of decided that hair just doesn’t matter. But I definitely have days where I feel self-conscious about it, but overall it has been a positive thing.
That is great. So I’m not on facebook, but I try to at least stalk people before interviews on instagram. Johnny, you mentioned you are learning the banjo. When did you start? I pulled up a video on your account and played it for my wife- you’re pretty good.
JS: Oh no. The banjo is a fun instrument in that respect because it is very easy to make it sound like something. So I’ve been playing off and on for a year or so.
Why the banjo?
JS: I just like the sound of it. It struck me as a fun goofy instrument. I wanted to learn a string instrument because I like folk and bluegrass music. Everybody learns the guitar and the mandolin is cool, but it isn’t as fun to play by yourself. I was just in a music shop and I was playing with a banjo and I just loved it. It is very rhythmic. The style I do, the strum used to be called the “bum titty” strum, but they’ve now changed it to the “boom chicka” strum because I guess that is apparently not as- yeah…
And you Katie- when I tried to social media stalk you for photos and you are off the grid girl!
KL: I got off of facebook a few years ago and I deleted instagram which I am sad about because I lost all those photos. Now I have a very secret instagram. I have three followers- I post whatever I want and it is amazing. It is just my roommate and my two best friends. There is nothing that I can feel judged for posting with them. It is great. Everyone should do it! There are so many stupid rules about how to post on instagram. I’m technically on Facebook though.
Yeah, but your last photo was from like 2016! So I like to hit some random questions with my Athletes of the Season. The first isn’t totally random- who has the best and worst music as far as all the coaches at The Shop?
JS: I really like Beth (Reyburn)’s playlist simply for the inclusion of the Arnold Schwarzeneger “More Energy Song”. *The song, if you’re wondering dear reader, is “Arnold” by Luke Million*
I would like to claim credit because I introduced that to The Shop, but it was actually a member- James Collins who called it to my attention.
JS: Okay then- James Collins has the best music. Some coaches have very distinct taste and so I’m not going to call anyone out for having the worst, because I like the variety. Mitch is always doing more of the current hip-hop. Eric brings early 2000’s pop/punk stuff.
KL: I’m just glad that I don’t have to pick the music. I don’t have any complaints. I will comment that when I’m doing yoga (in the Strength room at Manor), all I hear is Mitch’s rap music (from the Fusion room).
Is that good or bad?
KL: I don’t love it.
That is so funny because I interviewed the Hyde Park athletes last week and Meredith commented that she thought the hip-hop spilling over into the yoga class was oddly perfect.
JS: I’m going to brown-nose a bit here. I appreciate that you have calm music for the warm-up and then build up. You clearly pay attention to matching the music to the phase of the workout.
Thank you! Well moving on from music, this is a question I like to ask in an election year. The answer can be members, coaches, or anyone in the community- who would you nominate to be president of the United States?
KL: (with zero hesitation) Oh my god, I know my answer. I don’t know her last name, but Daphne.
Daphne Kao! She was just in my 5:30pm virtual class.
KL: She is very sweet, very polite, talks to everybody.
Absolutely. I can see that. Honestly, she might be in that category of people who are too good to be president. She might be too sincere to take on the facade that politicians seem to require-
KL: What do you want me to say Dane?!?!?
Good god no! I think Daphne is great.
JS: Dane has just been waiting for years for someone to say his name hasn’t he?
Ha! Yes he has. Do you have a name Johnny?
JS: (also zero hesitation) Kelly Foster.
KL: Ugh! That is another great choice.
JS: He would be a reluctant president, which I think is a good characteristic. He is data-driven, when we workout in Strength class, he has a spreadsheet that generates the weight you should be using based on your max.
If I were to put your two answers together, I would put Daphne at the top of the ticket, because she has that charismatic and affable personality and Kelly would be VP. He’s got that unflappable focus, kind of like Dick Cheney if Cheney weren’t an actual super villain. Those are great answers and in tandem. Bringing it back to you, if there were to be a biopic made of your life, who would play you?
JS: For doppleganger, people have suggested James McAvoy.
Oh yeah, I can absolutely see that!
KL: I would say Ellen (DeGeneres), because she is hilarious. Imagine Dory from Finding Nemo playing me in a movie?
That would be fun. If you go back to a younger Ellen from the eighties. Do either of you have a spirit animal? Mine is a goat.
KL: No! Have you ever spent time around a goat?
Maybe not enough.
KL: I grew up on a goat farm.
JS: See that is information John would want to know.
What were the goats like?
KL: Stinky.
I can be pretty stinky.
KL: Unintelligent- they get their heads stuck in a lot of places where you would never put your head.
I’ve got a big Irish head, it has gotten stuck in a few places.
KL: Okay fine, maybe that is perfect for you. Um… mine has to be something with a lot of energy. I’ve got a lot of nervous energy.
Like a fish? Like Dory?
That is kind of perfect.
Johnny?
JS: That is tough. I was going to say my dog Ellis, but I’m pretty outgoing… but I guess he is outgoing too, he just sleeps a lot. Yeah, you know he is down for whatever- chilling at home or a hiking trip. He loves food and people- generally pretty positive about the world. He has a great beard and I like to think I have a decent beard. My girlfriend just told me that she admires both mine and Ellis’s eyebrows. It was the highest complement someone could have paid me.
One final question before we wrap things up- what would be your song if you were a wrestler entering the ring. What is your pump up jam?
JS: “Boom” by POD. If you need a reminder, the lyric is “Boom, here comes the boom”. Yep.
Wow.
KL: I have one that I play a lot in the morning- I don’t know if it is a pump up song though. It is called “Get on Your Feet” by Gloria Estefan.
Gloria Estefan! I love her so much. That is a fantastic answer. The last question to leave things on is, we’ve had a lot of jokes and levity, but with your platform and podium as Athlete of the Season, what words of wisdom do you have to disseminate to your humble thronging masses?
KL: I do not consider myself to be an athlete, but here I am as Athlete of the Season, so if I can do it, you can do it.
JS: That is spot on. I played JV tennis in high school but definitely didn’t consider myself to be an athlete- I think it is just consistency. It doesn’t have to be your best workout, just showing up on a regular basis is huge. You start seeing the same people and getting comfortable with what is going on and you start believing you can do it.
