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January Athletes of the Month: Kira Hasbargen and Mike Grewe

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This month we have something special to announce here at Solcana..... *drum roll*.......... THE 1000 CLASS CLUB! We have two athletes, Kira and Mike, who have surpassed this incredible accomplishment during their years at Solcana. They are such dedicated athletes and we wanted to honor them this month!! They both live in the neighborhood in sweet Seward houses. Mike has two kitties and Kira has two pups! Kira...


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December Athlete of the Month: Sam Taitel

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We are stoked to announce Sam Taitel as our December Athlete of the Month. Sam is as a total badass in and out of the gym. They can lift some pretty heavy stuff here and outside of Solcana they practice Aikido. Coach Hannah says "Sam is such an inspiration. They have been through so much in this last year, with overcoming an injury and dealing with...


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November Athlete of the Month: Angelica Perez

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We are thrilled to announce our Athlete of the Month: Angelica Perez! Coach Hannah says, "Angelica is SO GREAT. She joined us from a silent auction win, and she has been a consistent member ever since! It was so fun to watch her compete in the powerlifting meet and absolutely crush her lifts. She has been a great ambassador for powerlifting and welcomed lots of new...


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October Athlete of the Month: Liz Behnke

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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...


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September Athlete of the Month: Levi Weinhagen

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We are pumped to announce Levi Weinhagen as our member of the month for September!! What a true gem Levi is!   Coach Garrett H says, "Omg Levi. First off, he's funny AF, so that's always welcome energy. Levi cares deeply for the communities to which he belongs and shows that through genuine engagement and investing time and energy in learning about people and building relationships. He...


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August Athlete of the Month: Annalee Tomsicek

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Announcing our August Athlete of the Month: Annalee Tomsicek! Annalee was drawn to Solcana as a queer and feminist fitness space that seemed to walk-the-walk when it came to living their values. Making new friends has been a huge benefit for her - especially queer pals and people in her immediate neighborhood. The coaches have some great stuff to say about Annalee! Amanda says, "Annalee’s positivity &...


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July Athlete of the Month: Brigit Boler

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We are so excited to announce our July Athlete of the Month: Brigit Boler! Brigit first started at Solcana because they wanted to be more committed to exercise but struggled to find a direction where they didn't get easily bored. They were drawn to Solcana because of the Pride/Trans flags and BLM sign on their door, which they hadn't seen at a gym before. The benefit...


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June Athlete of the Month: Britt Johnson

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Shout out to our June Athlete of the Month: the incredible Britt Johnson! Britt joined the gym in January 2019 and can mostly be found bright and early at the 6AM Indoor classes! Coach Jeff says "Britt is as kind as they are strong. Which is to say, incredibly kind. They are so much fun to have in my classes even though it makes their spouse, Lisa,...


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May Athlete of the Month: Collin Arnett

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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...


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April Athlete of the Month: Amanda Lovelee

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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...


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March Athlete of the Month: Allison Heist

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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...


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February Athlete of the Month: Lily Thiboutot

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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...


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January Athlete of the Month: Rachel Moritz

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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...


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December Athlete of the Month: Riley Haberland

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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...


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November Athlete of the Month: Matt Decuir

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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...


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September Athlete of the Month - Marlee Leebrick-Stryker

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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...


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My Story: Bradley Machov

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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...


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August Athlete of the Month: Heather Stratton

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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...


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July Athlete of the Month: Matthew Rubbelke

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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...


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May Athletes of the Month: Ewan Scotto and Josh Humphrey

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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...


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April Athlete of the Month: Carrie Bain

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"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....


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My Story: Solcana Athlete Margaret Perry

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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...


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March Athlete of the Month: Mimi Amelang

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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...


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February Athlete of the Month: Mike Carri

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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,...


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My Story: Solcana Athlete Lara Friedman-Shedlov

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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...


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January Athlete of the Month: Nick Cross

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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...


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December Athlete of the Month

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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...


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AOTM November 2019: Jenessa White

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Congratulations to our Athlete of the Month: Jenessa White! I had to check several times to make sure that Jenessa had not already been athlete of the month, because she is such a huge part of the fiber of Solcana that it seems preposterous that she has not already gotten this nod. In the past she has won the Spirit of the Open award for being...


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October Athlete of the Month: Aaron Rutzick

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  Aaron is so kind to everyone in the gym. He calmly comes in, cracks a few jokes, calmly kicks ass through the whole class, and calmly goes off to SAVE LIVES! - Coach Jeff Aaron will often talk about how fit and able other people are while being one of the most able athletes himself.  Aaron will absolutely crush workouts and then commiserate with everyone that...


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