Bella DeVivo - Keep your head high, No matter what
TS- You've been training at TS since you were in 8th grade. What gave you the courage to start?
BD - I first started training at TruStrength because I was influenced by my friends around me. I thought it'd be a great way for me to get stronger and perform to the best of my abilities in my three sports and I'd always heard TruStrength to be a fun atmosphere, and it really lived up to its reputation.
TS - What's your favorite thing to do in the gym? What's helped your performance the most?
BD - My favorite thing to do in the gym is back squatting and deadlifting. I like working on my form and doing reps of 8, and setting new PRs (personal records). I see these benefiting my performance the most and giving me a tremendous amount of strength in my lower body for my sports.
TS - I've taught kettlebell classes where adult men don't swing the size bells you do. What does being a strong female do for your confidence?
BD - Swinging heavy kettlebells does a lot for my confidence and my performance. My favorite thing is to see my friends and I in the gym all swinging heavy weights, because it makes us all feel great, and really proves how strong we are as females.
TS - Beyond physical training, you took a program here that taught you about nutrition, sleep, mental toughness and leadership. What stuck with you the most?
BD -I think the nutritional aspect of this program has helped me the most. It taught me so much about what I need to put in my body at any time of the day to have energy for whatever it is I have in front of me. As well as learning more about good nutrition habits, it's helped me pass them on to my teammates so we can all perform with the energy we need.
TS - You had a great ski season finishing 4th in GS and slalom at KVACs. How do you get mentally prepped before a run? BD - My Junior year was overall my best ski season yet, not only my results, but the team's results were incredible, especially for only having four girls. Skiing is a big mental sport, and it's very important to prepare myself for my run. I do love to fool around with my teammates and blast some music on the chairlift ride up, but once we're at the top, and my jacket is off, it's time to focus. When i'm in the start gate I take a few breaths to myself. I learned this skill at TruStrength from Jesse's mindfulness breathing classes he's done many times with me. This helps me to forget about everything else in the world and focus on that minute long run ahead of me. TS - What was your favorite run of the season?
BD - My favorite run of the season was my second run at a Giant Slalom race at Mt. Abram this year. My first run of the race I slipped out at a gate on the headwall, I managed to stay on course but added on many seconds to my time. After my first run I was in 14th knowing that wasn't good enough for me. But in skiing it's all about having two good runs, so I needed my second one to be great. I took all my frustration out on my second run and put down the third fastest run of the day.
TS - Your brother also had a phenomenal year. Who skis harder, you or Mario? BD - I think we all know my answer to this question, which would differ from his. I will admit Mario is a lot stronger than me physically, and I'm even afraid sometimes of how hard he hits the gates. TS - What's your favorite powder day ski song?
BD - While I don't have a powder day ski song, I do have a race day song. You'll often hear my teammate Lizzy and I singing "Party in The USA" on the chairlift ride up before our race.
TS - Ladies softball has had a smoking hot start but everyone knows it's all about how you finish. How do you lead the team to stay focused for this run into the postseason?
BD - Our softball team is doing great so far having only two losses on the season to Messalonskee. We have two regular season games left facing pretty good teams. We're looking to finish the season with some big wins and head into the playoffs looking for revenge on Messalonskee. Playoff softball is so much fun and I believe we are prepared to take it far into playoffs. I believe I can lead the team in the dugout and keep everyone's heads high no matter what.
TS - You've "gone yard" back-to-back twice this season! First off, how does that feel?
BD -Honestly, it feels pretty great. As the lead off batter in our lineup I'm not really expected to hit home runs. But in two games now I've hit a homerun on the second pitch of the game. It feels really good that all this time I've spent in the gym this year is paying off.
TS - You are packing a ton of power right now in that small frame, where is it coming from?
BD - All my power is coming from my lower body. So much of my time in the gym is spent back squatting and deadlifting which I enjoy so much because I see the most progress afterwards.
TS - Are there are any similarities between staring down ski gates and staring down a pitcher?
BD - I think a similarity would be the breathing I do while I'm in the start gate before a run, and the breathing I do before I step into the batter box. This helps me focus and forget everything else and be in the moment.
TS - It's hard to believe with the ski and softball season you're having that soccer is actually your best sport. Senior year is coming up, what does that mean for you?
BD - I have started to look at colleges for the fall of 2022, and where I would like to play in college, and my senior year of soccer means so much because it's my time to show the best of my ability. I'm excited going into this season and have already started prepping with our new coach for the fall and to welcome the incoming freshmen as best we can. I believe we'll have a great run this fall in playoffs.
TS - If you could play at any college where would it be?
BD - If I could play at any college it would be the University of Colorado Boulder. I'd love to end up in college out west and UC Boulder has a great Physical therapy program which I plan on majoring in.
TS - We are really coming into a time of celebrating female strength and empowerment rather than discouraging it. I think what you're doing sends a great message to the younger girls in the community. What would you tell them?
BD - I love to include girls of all ages in what I'm doing each and every day, whether it's hosting a summer soccer camp, reffing younger girls games, or going to their games practices to cheer them on. Female empowerment is so important to me and I love helping the younger girls in our community. If I could say anything to them it would be to perform to the best of their own ability, and be the best teammate there is
