ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Alexis Beaulieu

Alexis Beaulieu is a member of Windermere Prep’s weightlifting team and has gone to the private school since she was a Pre-K student. Beaulieu competes in the 129-pound weight division for the Lakers and has emerged as one of its top athletes. She won a district championship in the 129-pound division at the district meet at Trinity Prep in January and competed at the state competition at Port St. Joe Feb. 10 to 12. This was Beaulieu’s second appearance at the state championships after competing last year. 

What do you like about Windermere Prep? 

I like the environment. I’ve been here forever, so I don’t have much else to compare it to. Middle school was very enjoyable for me, and I’ve made a lot of friends here, especially on the weightlifting team. The environment in the weight room is so awesome, so I’ve almost created a second family. 

What do you like the most about being on the weightlifting team? 

I love the environment, the friendships I have made with my teammates as well. The environment is super supportive; we encourage mistakes because we want to grow from it. I also love that you want to grow personally and as a team and you’re always setting goals for yourself and not trying to compete with anybody else. You’re your biggest competition. I love that you can set little goals along the way, and as you achieve them, you start feeling better about yourself and growing physically and mentally. 

How would you describe having (head coach) Micah Kurtz as your coach? 

He’s great; he has a lot of titles and awards, and he’s nationally known and recognized, which is amazing, but knowing him all these years has been a blessing inside the weight room and outside the weight room. He’s given me so many opportunities. He creates that environment that makes you want to be better for yourself and not for other people. I think that’s great for anybody’s mental health, especially the times we’ve been going through lately. It shows the kind of person that he is, and he cares about everybody that sets foot in the weight room. 

You’re headed back to states. How does that feel? 

I competed last year, but I’m younger for most kids in my grade – I just turned 16 in August. Being so young, I was surprised to compete at states last year. Regionals wasn’t my best performance — I matched my worst total of the year — but I was still able to place 11th in the state. That was surprising for me. Going to states this year, we almost tripled the girls we brought last year. Bringing eight this year is a big improvement, and I’m happy about that for the team. With this being our third year, the goals that we have accomplished have been tremendous. 

What’s your goal for states?

To do better than I did at regionals, which is the goal every week. Another thing I want to do is have fun with my teammates and develop deeper bonds with them. We’re going to make a fun trip out of it and do better. It’s something to learn and grow from for next year as well.

What are your hobbies outside of the team? 

I’m president of the Sports Medicine Club, an editor for the yearbook, and I’m very involved with school athletics. I also assist Coach Kurtz with his FASST program (Future Athlete Strength and Speed Training) by coaching middle-schoolers every Tuesday and Thursday. It’s really fun being called “Coach Alexis.”

What’s your goal in sports medicine? 

I’ve always been interested in sports because some of my family members have gone to the University of Alabama. That piqued my interest because I love watching the team, Nick Saban and all that. When I watched the football teams here and saw the athletic training club doing their work, I wanted to be part of that – being on the sideline of the game, watching the games for free. I joined last year and became the president this summer. The club has grown to 100 people after starting at 20 people, which is one of the biggest clubs at Windermere Prep. It’s something I’d like to do in the future as well.