Fitness advocate Cosgrove wins spot on President Bush's team

Katherine Cosgrove

Like many athletes, Katherine Cosgrove credits her coaches for her success. So when President Bush appointed her to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, she called her master's adviser, Wayne Osness, KU professor of health, physical education and recreation.

"He is such a cheerleader for his students, and it's very fun to be one of his protegees," says Cosgrove, g'85. "When I was in Washington, everyone knew Dr. Osness. He's so well respected in our field."

Cosgrove traveled in June to Washington, D.C., where she was sworn in along with 20 fellow appointees, including Olympic medalists Marion L. Jones and Derek Parra, professional golfer Nancy Lopez, and football greats Emmitt Smith and Lynn Swann. Members of the council, which Cosgrove likens to a think tank, include athletes, scholars, physicians and executives. The group reports to Tommy Thompson, secretary for health and human services.

Cosgrove says Osness and other teachers through the years helped her parlay a childhood love for sports into a professional calling. She owns F.I.T. Bodies, a fitness consulting company in Overland Park, Kan., and for 17 years has trained clients, given speeches and written fitness articles. The name of her company, she says, recalls the basic ingredients of good exercise: Fitness, Intensity and Time. "It was probably a test question in Physical Education 101, and I'm still using it," she says. "It's more than the name of my company — it's the principle behind what I do."

As she continues her advocacy on a national platform, Cosgrove will serve on the council's subcommittee on communication and information. She already has met with her new colleagues and officials from the Centers for Disease Control and the Alliance of Physical Fitness and Dance. "Secretary Thompson is a very big proponent of prevention," she says. "Illnesses such as diabetes and obesity very much affect our healthcare costs, and a lot of those costs can be decreased when people make wise individual choices. As a nation, we've got to help one another become healthier."

As a longtime KU volunteer, she also plans to raise awareness about her alma mater. "I was tempted to hand out Jayhawk stickers at my first meeting, but I'll wait for the right time," she says. "I'm such a proud Kansan and proud American to serve — and to be appointed by a president who walks the walk — and runs the run."

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