After 13 years, we are sad but excited (sadcited?) to announce that Kari Merrill will be stepping out of her role as Group Fitness Director and passing the torch to the amazing Sara Smith!

Don't worry! Kari's not going anywhere! She will continue bringing her passion and energy to her regular classes and into the role of Programming Director, cultivating new fitness programs, running Premier Classes, and giving more focus to our Rock Steady Boxing program.

Trust us when we say finding our next Group Fitness Instructor is not something we took lightly, and after spending many months working behind the scenes, we are SO excited for Sara Smith to be taking on the role.

Get to know Sara in her introduction below and get pumped for new adventures in Group Fitness!

Hi Everyone!

My name is Sara Smith, and I am the new Group Fitness Director at Western!

I joined Western about 7 years ago and fell in love immediately with all things Western. After being a member for about 2 years, I decided I wanted to take a leap and start teaching group fitness classes. I have been teaching since and love fitnessing with you all so much. It brings so much joy to my days.

A little about me: I have 3 kids and have been married for almost 18 years. After college, I worked in the healthcare field for 10 years. After having my 3rd child, I decided I wanted to be home more with my kids and was ready to say goodbye to night shift work.

I have the deepest gratitude for this incredible opportunity and am also very thankful for the support and guidance Kari has provided to me during this transition. I also appreciate the entire team at Western. I look forward to working together to achieve new heights for the Western team and members.

Western has the most amazing people - staff and members, and I am so happy to be a part of the magic.

Thank you,

Sara Smith

Group Fitness Director