Julieann Challacombe
Imagine running a race, where no matter how close you get to the finish line, it keeps getting further and further away. Sweat is beading down your face, your body is sore, and you’ve found yourself in a place you’ve never been before.
A new limit has been unlocked; new potential has been reached.
You’ve found yourself inside the mind of Boston Renegades captain Katie Falkowski. Someone who loves the grind so much, she would search every corner of the world to find a better version of herself; leave no stone unturned to find success.
In doing so, she used one of those stones to build an empire by mixing her love of the grind and business to open up her very own crossfit gym.
For 10 years Falkowski pushed herself and others to be the best they could be. Using her passion, Falkowski helped her business sustain even through the pandemic, when one-quarter of the country’s gyms couldn’t stay afloat.
“That is still one of my proudest accomplishments to this day,” said Falkowski. She has since sold her gym, closing a successful and bountiful chapter of her life, to make way for a new one.
Falkowski was raised in New England, so naturally, sports are stitched into the fabric of her brain. She grew up a Patriots fan, and stood witness to the success of their championship culture.
Wanting a taste of it herself, Falkowski joined a flag football league, and within minutes fell in love with the idea of playing. Though she soon came to the realization it wasn’t enough for her.
There’s only so much work you can put into a flag league. The ceiling is short, thought Falkowski, she wanted to reach for the galaxy. So she lifted another stone and reached out to the one reliable source everyone knows they can trust for answers – Google.
A quick search revealed the Boston Renegades tackle football team, and soon she was in contact with Ben Brown, the team’s general manager. An hour and a half and one phone call later, Falkowski was convinced to show up, and when she did, she was sold.
“I fell in love with how the coaches wouldn’t accept anything but greatness,” said Falkowski. “And how the athletes wouldn’t either.”
She felt like she had found her equals. Athletes that push themselves to their limits and expect nothing less from her.
From the moment Falkowski joined the Renegades in 2019, she said, she’s given 100% and has enjoyed it the entire time. The way her teammates push themselves and uphold the Renegade standard, makes her want to work even harder.
She did just that by racking up 357 yards for seven touchdowns over nine games in the Renegades 2023 championship season, a performance she hopes to top this year on the road to Canton. She’s always working on becoming a better version of herself. As a captain, she said, that doesn’t change.
“It’s a great honor to be a captain, and it’s not something I take lightly, I hope I can make them proud,” said Falkowski. “My teammates have a very special place in my heart, so to know they voted for me and saw those qualities in me means a lot.”
Falkowski prides herself on being an all or nothing person, except the ladder is never an option.
She’s going to be a leader that taps into her team’s potential and pulls it out of them. She’ll stop at nothing to make sure she and her team outwork every lick of competition.
Because there are more stones to unturn, and even more to add in rings.