North Shore nurse and physical trainer a CrossFit star
Julie Ackermann again proved her bona fides as a personal trainer and coach when she placed seventh worldwide in her age group at the 2022 CrossFit Games, Aug. 3-7 in Madison, Wisconsin.
A Highland Park nurse practitioner who also coaches people in CrossFit at Rally Point Endeavors locations in Northbrook and Niles, Ackermann - despite moving up to the women's 50-54 division - improved upon prior finals appearances in 2017 and 2018 in the 45-49 division.
Seventh is an amazing feat, considering starting in February three stages of competitions winnowed the field from thousands to a final 10.
"I did the best that I could. My goal was really to make it there," Ackermann said.
Last year her son, Nate, then a high school senior at Highland Park High School, won the boys 16-17 age group at the 2021 CrossFit Games.
As he suspected at the time, things got tougher after he aged into the 18-to-34 division. This year, Nate Ackermann made it through the quarterfinals, his mother said, but didn't advance out of THE semifinals.
Julie said Nate is moving to Naples, Florida, to train with coaches and other CrossFit competitors.
First, though, he joined a large pro-Ackermann delegation of family and friends in Madison to watch Julie compete in eight often colorfully named events, such as "Rinse 'n' Repeat," which combines several rounds of a 50-meter swim with ergometer sessions of accelerating difficulty, repeated every two minutes.
A former Wisconsin Badgers diver originally from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Julie Ackermann had her greatest success in that event, second among the 10 finalists.
"Even though I swam in a different pool as a competitor there, it was still really cool to be back at a Big Ten diving and swimming venue," she said.
Particularly when as a student at the University of Wisconsin she met her husband, Ron - a soccer player there. He was in medical school and Julie in nursing.
Their daughter, Carissa, attends Wisconsin, and Julie's brother and his wife are alumni. It seems a good bet the youngest Ackermann child, Sam, a freshman at Highland Park High School, will attend Wisconsin, too.
"Madison's got a nice space in my heart," Julie said.
It wasn't heart but the heat that gave her a little trouble at the CrossFit Games. After previously doing her training runs in the morning or evening to beat the heat, it could not be escaped in Madison.
"We had an event in the middle of the day in the pure sun, and I was not prepared at all," Ackermann said.
"It's a very unique experience. It's very special, and to have my family come watch me, the people from the gym come watch me, it's pretty cool. It's almost depressing when it's over because you train for it so long, and then it's done."
She'll take a well-earned break from the constant training that CrossFit demands - "doing stuff I want to do instead of stuff I have to do, because the last couple of months have been pretty intense," she said.
Though she feels a little beat up, she's likely to compete again in 2023, and for the foreseeable future.
She said she loves it. As long as an athlete feels that, the lure is hard to shake no matter the grind.
The positive reinforcement Ackermann received over the past year, culminating in the final CrossFit Games, certainly helped.
"I had a lot of fun. You feel very special, like you're the best in the world," she said.