Solcana blog

We are elated to announce that our October Athlete of the Month is (drum roll)…….. the fabulous Liz Behnke!! Liz is such a light in class so read more to hear about her experience at Solcana and what our coaches have to say.

Liz says, “Previously to Solcana, my relationship with movement was that I was never ‘enough’ and that I needed to use movement to take up less space in the world (either conscious or unconsciously when engaging in movement). Since starting with Solcana I have begun to repair my relationship with movement: celebrating where I am (that I am enough) and finding strength and power that I didn’t know I had. Solcana allows me to take up space unapologetically and accepting where I am day to day.”

Coach Hannah is so proud of Liz and says, “Liz has been an absolute star from the very beginning. She joined us as part of the first round of Body Relationship Bootcamp, then was a committed online member until she was vaccinated.  Now she is with us in person and has fully embraced lifting and getting strong as heck!

Liz is so loving and wonderful. I met her parents at the meet last week and I see exactly where she gets it from!!! She is funny, spunky, and has an attitude that anything can get done if you just put your mind to it. In her every day life she loves musicals and she teaches theater. She is exactly the kind of person who should work with kids, as she has a lot of patience and respect for other people.

She’s also come a long way in her confidence and respect for herself. I’ve been so lucky to be able to coach Liz so many times (shout out to the 12 pm virtual classes when it was just the two of us), and she has always been so ready to accept a challenge and take it head on. I’ve watched her gain an even stronger sense of self, and a confidence in what she can do. She rarely shakes her head now after a “bad lift”, and she just tries again. I love seeing her be more sure of what she is capable of, because I think we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg of what she brings to the gym community. Forever grateful this lovely person became a Solcanaut, and I am so glad we get to keep watching her grow!!!”

Liz’s two favorite things to do outside of Solcana are hiking MN State Parks with her partner and seeing any and all theater! We know we have quite a few nature and theater enthusiasts here at Solcana, so if you see Liz definitely connect with her about those things!

Coach Amelia adds, “Liz was such a consistent presence when I coached FFH. I loved having her playful personality in classes, always willing to try anything thrown at her. As a theater teacher she commits fully to Horsies and Piggies in a way that is a joy to watch on a wee zoom screen. She delights in a good dance break mid-class, which helps us all bump up our energy. I recently got to be fellow athletes with Liz,  sharing nerves and triumphs as we competed in our first ever meet. It was great to watch her dedication to training and her tenacious approach to lifting on the platform. YAY LIZ!”

Coach Garrett F states, “I miss having Liz in FFH, but I am glad that she has found her place in the gym. She is always willing to work hard. What I remember most though is how she always had a fun or interesting contribution to the QOD conversation as well as funny, encouraging and engaged comments on the FFH group. I can’t wait to meet her IRL someday.”

We are SO happy you found us Liz and can’t wait to continue to watch you grow!!

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