Challenging themselves to minimize their own 'safe places' is what's allowed both Grand Canyon University Club Powerlifter Fernando Cortes and Grand Canyon University Women's Hockey forward Reese Gingrich to grow into themselves. It's also why they are the latest GCU Club Sports December Student-Athletes of the Month honorees.
 
Fernando Cortes: Powerlifting
 
Talking to Fernando Cortes, a softspoken junior Cybersecurity student from Las Vegas, Nevada, you wouldn't immediately think "energy", and yet, that's exactly what he's brought to GCU Powerlifting in his second year with the team.
 
"When I first met Fernando, he was very quiet, but he always worked hard," said GCU Powerlifting Head Coach Dawson Aaron. "Now he brings that same work ethic and also raises the energy at team practices and meets. It's been incredible to see him come out of his comfort zone. He's someone that everyone loves to be around."
 
More than just energy, Cortes brings some big numbers to the team as well, setting recent personal records in a GCU win at the AZ University Cup Challenge with his 165-kg squat and 110-kg bench. Though the strength might make Cortes seem like a natural, the road to GCU Powerlifting actually started in a different sport: CrossFit.
 
"(During) my senior year of high school, I started getting into lifting weights and CrossFit - mainly just to get more physically fit," said Cortes. "To see how that interest in lifting has gradually grown into the serious strength training that I'm doing now has been really cool."
 
As a freshman, Cortes continued to "do his own thing" when it came to fitness, often lifting on his own in the various gyms on the GCU campus. It was at the GCU Club Fair during his sophomore year when an interaction with Aaron and a few other GCU powerlifters piqued his interest.
 
He started coming out to team practices shortly after that.
 
"A lot of the growth I've experienced as a lifter has come from just listening to and observing Dawson and some of our more experienced lifters," said Cortes. "To get that experience in practice is awesome, and everyone on the team is really encouraging and supportive."
 
While Cortes has grown a lot in his lifts, he would argue that his growth in his faith since joining GCU Powerlifting has had a larger impact on his college experience.
 
"Joining the team has been something that has really helped me take more steps with God," said Cortes. "I started going to Dawson's weekly Bible study groups pretty early on, and being surrounded with those kinds of people has been great for that area of my life."
 
Aaron notes Cortes as one of the most consistent attendees of the weekly Bible study group.
 
"Fernando always shows up and asks awesome questions," said Aaron. "It's been incredible to see him grow in his walk with the Lord and actively follow the Gospel."
 
Next up for Cortes and the rest of the GCU Powerlifting team is the Arizona State Championships in early March, where Fernando thinks he can take his deadlift to the next level, and Aaron agrees.
 
"I'd say deadlift is my favorite and best lift," said Cortes. "It's definitely my goal to end the season with a big PR and nail some more weight next time."
 
"Fernando barely missed his deadlift PR attempt at the last meet," said Aaron. "All of the hard work he's put in has increased his strength so rapidly, I think he'll have a huge jump to end the year on an even better note."
 
Reese Gingrich – Women's Hockey
 
"I know a lot of former athletes that did it. It's competitive and I enjoy competition, so that's where I want to go."
 
That's one of the first things that comes out of the mouth of GCU Women's Hockey player Reese Gingrich when we sit down to talk.
 
Coaching? A hockey academy? Taking up a new sport? Nope.
 
It's simply the soon-to-graduate Marketing major showing how specific she's preparing for the future.
 
"I've loved GCU, but grad school isn't where I'm heading," said Gingrich. "I want to get into sales after commencement, then eventually get into medical device sales because it's a very competitive field."
 
Yes, the four-year Lopes' frontliner is always competitive, but is also in tune with the timing of it.
 
"If you want something, you have to train harder and be better than the person next to you, but you have to know when to be competitive and when to be compassionate," said Gingrich. "As a leader, I'm supposed to serve my teammates, and know when it's the right time. Be competitive to push your teammates, not cause problems. Push them so they get better, not to prove to yourself that you're better."
 
Gingrich had a strong and grounded family life growing up in Dayton, Ohio. It was a life that taught her about work ethic, since she'd play soccer for Vandalia High School in Dayton, then commute several hours to Traverse City, Michigan to play club hockey several times a month, and still keep her studies on track.
 
It also taught her about comfort zones, since when she graduated from high school, she immediately knew she wanted to blow hers up.
 
"Most of the schools I visited were in small towns, and it was cold, and I wanted to go to a bigger school and city in a warm climate," said Gingrich. "I also wanted to be away from home – even though I'm close to my family. I wanted to experience something different, meet new people and get out of my comfort zone. GCU had all that, and I loved the Christian atmosphere, so it fit the bill."
 
Gingrich wasn't that different from the normal GCU freshman as she tried to find her way, but hockey and her competitive drive combined forces to create that new comfort zone.
 
"It didn't take long, since hockey starts quickly in the fall, and you meet people so fast," said Gingrich. "Everyone's so outgoing and it's easy to make friends. In all my classes, the professors have real-world experience, so they're teaching you what you need to know."
 
The real-world experience also translated to the ice, since Gingrich and her teammates have seen a few coaching changes since she first hit campus, which tested their resolve, and prompted her to step up.
 
"It was sometimes tough adjusting to how each coach wanted things to be, but the positive to that is that we got very close and leaned on each other when we weren't sure what we were being asked to do," Gingrich said. "Someone had to be a leader, and it didn't matter who. I love the sport, and nothing can ruin it for me, and since I saw what my teammates were going through along with me, it just seemed natural to be one of the leaders, and it's cool that my teammates see me as that."
 
It's also gratifying for the senior forward to see that the influence of first-year Lopes' Head Coach Reid Miller has brought things full-circle.
 
"We now have a team where everyone is bought in, and everyone is on the same page – including coaches," said Gingrich. "Now that I'm leaving, I feel good knowing that I'm leaving on a good note. We have a lot of younger players, and they're all starting to step up in different ways, so the team has a good future ahead with Coach Reid and his plans for the program."
 
So the path is paved, and Gingrich hopes those following behind her see the benefits of her road.
 
"College is a time where you get to be away from everything you know," said Gingrich. "You grow a lot as a person, so get yourself out of your comfort zone. Hockey is also a great way to meet people, but you also learn that the more time you spend with them, the closer you get. It becomes less about hockey, and more about the people you love."