SALT LAKE CITY -- Allison Baver was doing cartwheels on skates before kindergarten. But it wasn’t until the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics she found her true passion for speed skating.
“I showed up to Olympic trials, broke the American record in the 1000 meter, competed, and it was literally an overnight 360 to go from a college student, that loved speed skating and training, to competing on the world stage,” Baver said.
A year before the opening ceremony of the 2010 Olympics, Baver’s teammate collided with her during the 1500m final world cup event, and broke her right leg and ankle.
Months later, Baver qualified in two out of four events for the 2010 Games, ultimately taking bronze in the Women’s 3000m relay, one of the biggest comebacks in sports history.
“The weird thing about that experience, is that I knew I was going to qualify. I had dreams of winning a medal,” Baver said.
The Olympian now draws from her experience in the Olympics to encourage others to be fit, fierce and fabulous.
FitCon Utah featured Baver in their 2016 event, where she put on a fitness class titled, Be Athletic.
“It started after the Olympics in 2010,” she said. “I went on a TV show and there was a bunch of girls in the crowd. Afterward they asked me, ‘What should we do at the gym?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know, wait I actually have a lot of ideas.’”
When asked what she would tell women today, given the chance, Baver gave her mantra: "Be Fit, Be fierce, be fabulous," because It’s about being confident and wanting to live everyday better than the day before.
This summer, Baver will launch her new, sleek gym bag called “The Power Tote” designed for women. She was inspired by her desire for a cuter gym bag rather than the normal duffel, or drawstring.
Baver and her fiancé now call Utah home.
