This month we're celebrating Collin Arnett! Collin is such a great addition to any class. All the coaches I talked to said the same thing: he's always affable and game to try whatever is thrown his way. Coach Garrett Hoffman says "I love Collin! He’s always looking to get better and asks good questions during class. He’s willing to try new things and is always chatty...
Hooray for the April Athlete of the Month - amazing Amanda Lovelee! Amanda joined the gym in January 2019. Coach Kk says "Amanda’s spirit is so bright, encouraging and fun. From the moment she walked in the gym, she’s given workouts her all. She’s passionate, creative and I love watching her dedication to learning new movements and correcting old movements. I can’t say enough about how...
We've got so much love for March's Athlete of the Month: Allison Johnson Heist! Allison joined Solcana in January of 2018. You'll usually see her in the mornings, but her dedication means you'll find her at 5pm when her schedule requires it. She lives close by with her husband Kevin and "a super cutie little son," according to Coach Hannah. "She became a mom right...
Congratulations to Lily Thiboutot, Solcana's February Athlete of the Month! Lily joined Solcana in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic as a way to create accountability and community for her fitness. Coach Garrett Hoffman says "Lily and I met in 2004 (!) and she has been an incredible force of good and hope in my life since the beginning. When she joined Solcana I was...
Our first Athlete of the Month for 2021 is the wonderful Rachel Moritz! Rachel and her wife Juliet joined Solcana in early 2019 after their child Finn took our classes, and has stuck with us through all the pivots of 2020 - including showing up online consistently week after week! You'll most likely catch her in the morning or noon classes, but she is committed to...
December's Athlete of the Month is the wonderful Riley Haberland! Riley has been a part of the morning workout crew for over two years. If you've not made it to a 6am or 6:30am class you've missed out on a serious lifting buddy and some serious laughs. Coach Jeff says "I met Riley doing Ragnar trail in 2018. Right away, I knew they needed to be a...
Congratulations to Matt Decuir, November Athlete of the Month! Matt has been a Solcana member since day one, consistently showing up with a smile on his face. Matt's affability has helped set the tone of the gym for so many members. Coach Jerik says "Matt is a fantastic ambassador for the gym community. Since we opened, I think any time there has been someone new in...
Our October's Athlete of the Month is Jessica Tokunaga! Jess and her husband Brian joined Solcana a little over a year ago after moving here from the Bay Area. "In the gym Jess is super consistent, a hard worker, and always open to feedback from a coach. I love seeing her in my classes and I am so grateful when I see her name on my...
September's Athlete of the Month is the one and only Marlee Leebrick-Stryker! Marlee has been a member at Solcana for a year and a half. According to Coach Kk, "Marlee started off as an athlete who wanted to improve their technique and strength for derby, due to an injury. Since starting, I’ve watched them expand their desire to be a better derby athlete into being the...
I originally wrote this post three months ago. It slotted in nice and easy as the next in a long string of “My Story” posts on this blog, and the first since COVID-19 shut down, well, everything. Then George Floyd’s murder woke up me, and millions the world over, that nothing about this is nice and easy. It hasn’t felt right to take up space...
August's Athlete of the Month is Heather Stratton! Heather's been a Solcana member for over a year and is committed to putting in the work of her fitness journey. Coach Garrett Hoffman says "Heather is an incredibly consistent and dedicated athlete whose drive and motivation are enviable! I love watching Heather as she constantly strives to improve her form on each and every movement." Heather lives in...
Congratulations to July’s Athlete of the Month, Matthew Rubbelke! As Coach Hannah says, "Matt is the kind of person you immediately want to get to know. He is warm and open, and makes you feel special right away! He is an incredible energy to have in class and probably won "best smile" in his high school superlatives." Matt joined Solcana last fall to supplement his existing...
With so many amazing athletes showing up to online classes, we have to celebrate two for May! Congratulations to Ewan Scotto and Josh Humphrey - both super consistent athletes who are stepping up to home workouts. Coach Hannah says "now that we are virtual, Ewan has totally embraced this time in their fitness journey and even brought their partner Elly on board for classes. It's...
"Hello?!" Carrie just uttering "hello?!" is enough to get giggles out of her fellow athletes. Spend a whole workout with her and you're sure to laugh. Coach Jenn says "I knew Carrie before she came to us and I am SO GLAD she is here. She took body adapt and beginner strength and then transitioned to CF. She’s such a bright light and her humor is incomparable....
Growing up, I was always acutely aware of the space my body took up. I dreaded my annual doctor’s appointment, where I would be lectured yet again on how I needed to exercise more. I felt like an anomaly among the women in my family, who were all so enviably small. I took solace in being a high achiever academically; sure, I may have come...
Mimi joined Solcana in 2017 with a strength training interest, looking to lift more seriously on a Powerlifting team. She's become a staple of the Solcana lifting community; attending meets, challenging herself and supporting her fellow lifters. Mimi focuses on Strength and Power Lifting, attending CrossFit and Mobility classes to support her training. Coach Jenn says to "watch Mimi stretch sometime - it is so...
Mike Carri came to Solcana in early 2019 for [Em]Power Strength, and quickly became a fixture of almost every class. He dives in to everything from Active Mobility to Olympic Weightlifting, frequently taking two classes a day to chip away at each area he wants to improve in. His dedication moved him quickly from a novice to a Game Day competitor. According to Coach Marijke,...
Growing up, I was far more of an academic achiever than an athletic one. (In junior high, I was voted “little Einstein” by my classmates. True story.) I was terrible at most of the school gym class activities, and my friends were mainly the kids I knew from choir, theater, and uber-geeky clubs like “Future Problem Solving” (yep, it’s a thing). I did not particularly...
Nick Cross was one of Solcana's first members and has been a consistent staple of the 5:30am class since 2014. Coach Jeff fondly remember's Nick's start: "his very first class was just him at 5:30 am. It was an outside workout and a guy in the alley offered to sell him some shoes. He kept coming to those early morning classes." When talking about Nick, the words...
Congratulations to December's Athlete of the Month - Molly Van Avery! Since joining Solcana, Molly has been a consistent presence at mid morning CrossFit classes. She shows up with an incredibly kind, supportive and enthusiastic attitude. Molly embraced the Open, tackling workouts with a smile regardless of the challenge. For the 20.5 heat she took part in all the 10lb wall balls were taken so she...
