Our athletes of the month for April are two folks who bring it on a daily basis with how fierce they are. Babs and Hector!!
Babs Powell is well known around the gym for being seriously fit and seriously friendly. She is a natural ambassador and always extends a smile and a welcome to a new person. I remember the day that Babs joined, she showed up to the gym with her buddy Hallie, took one class and was like “ok let’s do this, sign me up”. Since then she has become a ubiquitous part of Solcana and I can’t image the gym without her. Outside of the gym, Babs is an all-star runner and is fast as freaking lightning. She even recently started her own mindful running group, that you can join if you want to run with Babs.
Coach Kristina said “Babs brings a lot of positive energy to Solcana. She was a great team player for the CrossFit Open and I have witnessed her always cheering on anyone and everyone she’s working out with. She’s been showing up to endurance, rowing and run club and contributes to making “running newbies” feel comfortable and confident. In CrossFit, she pushes herself hard and has a great time doing it. She’s also a pretty amazing writer, and recently wrote a poem called “Athlete” based on her experiences in CrossFit so far.”
Babs is a great friend; kind, considerate, inquisitive and hilarious. If you haven’t met her yet, you can frequently find her at WTF on Saturday and Sundays, or 6:30 am class during the week! You can follow along with her adventures on her blog The Day Between where you can find her poem “Athlete”.
Hector Edwardo Chavarria AKA Big Gay Mexican is the personal life-coach we all need in this world. Hector is actually the Solcana brand ambassador and uses his social media swagger to help us spread the word about our gym. If you haven’t met Hector yet I feel sorry for you, because you don’t know how great life can be. Hector is one of the parts of the 6:30 am class that makes coaches excited to get up early AF. He is a ball of joyful energy and has a dance move for every situation. He walks the walk when it comes to body positivity. He has true body love and it pours off of him so that those around him have better self-esteem just from being in the same room. Hector has great taste in music, the sexiest clothes, and can strut better than anyone I know.
Coach Jeff said “Hector is so consistent in his attendance. His body awareness has come a long way since he first started with us. His squat in particular is looking really good. His positive attitude is infectious. He is so unapologetically himself that it makes other people feel good.”
Outside of the gym, he is a performing artist and an incredible singer. You can find his videos on his youtube page, where you can hear his singing skills. My personal favorite is his most recent cover of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”. You can also follow him on instagram at @biggaymexican where you can see all his snaps from the gym and find out when he is performing next. If you want to meet him, show up to the 6:30 am class sometime for some fun!