This month we have two magical unicorns as our Athletes Of the Month: Drew Stever and Alicia Tatley. Both of these two super humans started with us at the same time and came in excited to get to work. Since then they have become an integral part of our community, both jumping head-first into the gym challenges and events, as well as using their extra energy to help our community grow.
Alicia is the type of person you can talk to forever. She is a great listener and always has a unique perspective to contribute. I feel like every time I talk to her I learn something new, like for example did you know that she was homeschooled by her Mom until high school? That’s awesome and I am supremely jealous that she got to skip middle-school altogether. She also has a little fluffer dog named Missy and an excellent partner named Grace (both are v adorable). In the gym, Alicia has really blossomed into a talented weightlifter. When she was first starting she (semi-begrudgingly) agreed to do the beginner weightlifting meet. As soon as she started practicing for it, I saw this new determined person come out. I loved watching her progress, and seeing her at the meet as a totally confident badass on the platform was truly inspiring. Alicia has also gone out of her way in the last couple of months to make our community a better place, by helping to lead the Gender and Sexuality workshop, as well as creating the Solcana Queer Peer Group, which is an opportunity to be connected with other queer people in the community. If you want to be part of it, just let us know and we will get you connected. Thank you Alicia for being so rad!
Drew is a person who gives great advice. They are kind and generous with their time and energy. Since the moment Drew started with us they have offered so many opportunities for us to grow and be better. In the first month they were here, we had a conversation about whether there could be classes for folks who had experienced sexual assault. Because of that conversation, I took a trauma-sensitive yoga training and we are holding a trauma-informed fitness training for all of our staff in August. Thank you Drew for pushing us to grow in that way. Drew has also come a long way in their fitness, including participating in the beginner meet as well as being a dedicated teammate in the Open. I will never forget seeing Drew during the beginner meet, looking super fierce and holding their own in a dang-ole singlet. Drew has also brought us some amazing new opportunities, partnering with Alicia on the Gender and Sexuality clinic, AND organizing an upcoming drag show at the gym (details coming!). Outside of the gym, Drew is involved in making queer space in faith communities, which is something you should ask them about because it’s incredibly cool. Thank you Drew for being you!