As if I weren’t already looking forward to my Athlete Spotlight interview with Steven Hernandez and Marie Prendergast enough, my enchanting wife and I received an invitation to join them for homemade pizza and baked goodies at their house on the east side. With the funky tunes of Steven’s beloved Red Hot Chili Peppers setting a background groove, we were treated to an evening of lovey dovey anecdotes and exceptional food!
Coach Chad: Can you guys tell a little bit about your first impression of one another?
Steven Hernandez: I was impressed because she was there before me and I pride myself on being prompt-
Marie Prendergast: That’s not how we met though. We met on Ok Cupid.
So his first impression was analog and you first impression was digital?
SVH: My first impression was that she got there before I did and I was like, alright!
MP: I got there early because I had just started the online dating thing and I didn’t want to go through the awkwardness of who is going to pay. So I got there extra early, paid for my beer and sat down.
That is a boss independent move!
SVH: I very much respected that and so I went and grabbed my beer… and then more beers were had after that.
What was your first meaningful impression of him?
MP: He was the first person to message me on OK Cupid- on the day that I signed up. My profile was all about baking and he asked me “what is the thing that you’re most proud of having baked?”. My favorite thing to bake are macarons because they are tough to make- so I feel accomplished after baking them. I had baked a bunch right before our first date and he had recently gone to Japan, so I brought him green tea matcha macarons with chocolate ganache filling.
SVH: I ate most of them on the date because they were so good and I was like, “Oh man, I’m going to be in trouble!”.
MP: So my first impression was that I thought he was good looking in his profile pictures, but when I met him I was like dayumn! you’re even more handsome than you are in photos! That is not common.
So that was question one; question two is what was your first impression of Dane’s Body Shop?
MP: Steven had been going for like a year when we met. He kept talking about The Shop and how much he enjoyed it and said that I should join. My impression was look at (SVH)! You must have to be really strong and very athletic to join this gym! But he kept saying I should try it, so I decided to try one class and if I didn’t die, then I’d join. So he paid for a drop-in for me and I went to a class, no tour or anything. It was a John Gates Whitely class and I was scared and it was really really hard, but at the end I was like “well, I did it. I feel pretty accomplished”- I might have even cried, but it was good enough that I immediately signed up for the full monthly membership after that and I’ve been going ever since.
SVH: For me, I remembered when they started remodeling (The Manor Road Shop) which was formerly a dry-cleaners-
Which, by the way, I tried to convince Dane to call the Manor Road location “Dane’s Power Clean” because of that.
MP: Oh, that’s hilarious!
Wifey Becca: I think that “Dane’s Clean and Press” would be better.
MP: No actually I like that better too!
SVH: Both would have been great! I thought it was like a Crossfit gym and I didn’t really want to do that, but eventually after driving by a bunch and seeing what people were doing I decided to inquire. I emailed John Gates Whiteley: that is where the nickname SVH came from- I was teaching at UT at the time and would sign my emails SVH just as a brief thing, but John just started calling me SVH in the early correspondence. I told him that I had had a rough year and just wanted to change some things about my physical and mental approach. Then I met with Dane and Pete Tulumba-
Wifey Becca: COACH PETER!!!
SVH: We could only meet right before class and so it was just me and the two of them which was really intimidating because they are both so fit. When class started, it was packed and they were doing hang cleans which reminded me of playing football. So about a month later I signed up and the rest is history! As intimidating as it seemed at the moment, it also seemed very familiar because of football- but it wasn’t filled with pressure and competitive, it was very communal and supportive. Everyone I met in the first 100 days at Dane’s are like now invited to our wedding!
Remind me when that is?
Wifey Becca: You do not need to put that in there! Are you going to ask for the location too?
Yes! And what is your social security number?
SVH: 9-7-
STOP, Steven Stop!!! Those are both really fun answers. I want to get back to another question about you two- what is your favorite way in which your sweet little fiancee shows love?
SVH: This is going to sound dumb, but it is when she gets interested in a Dallas Cowboy Football game. If she’s like “That was a great run by Ezekiel Elliot”, I’m like “Oh my god baby, that was a great run by Ezekiel Elliot!”.
MP: We recently watched the Euro Cup Tournament and he was rooting for England because they were the underdog, but I have Italian citizenship, so I was rooting hard for them. It kept getting more and more heated and he was like, “Baby I love that you’re getting so passionate!.”
Oooo Spicy! What is it that Steven does for you?
MP: My love language is quality time and we spend a lot of time together. It did get to the point in the pandemic where we were literally only seeing each other and we did get a little sick of one another… but it took a really long time to get there! So quality of time is important to me and so is acts of service and he keeps the house really clean. He’s very thoughtful. Also, I’ve never been super into receiving gifts- I like giving them, but receiving hasn’t been a big deal- but he gives amazing gifts! He got me personal training sessions at The Shop! For my birthday this year, it was the pandemic and so he knew I wouldn’t be comfortable going out for a fancy dinner and so he hired a personal chef to come to our house and cook us a four course dinner of my favorite foods! How genius is he?
That is lovely! I’ve got a few more superficial questions and then we will get into some completely random ones. What is the sexiest exercise to watch one another do at The Shop?
SVH: Squats! Any squats- anything that puts that badonkadonk down and picks it right up again!
MP: I like watching him do high box jumps! You know what is not sexy? The deadlift. When he goes for a PR his face gets all red and he kind of looks like he’s going to pass out. While it is very impressive, it isn’t sexy.
And that is a sign of good form! I tell people that if they look attractive when they are doing a heavy deadlift, they aren’t doing it right.
SVH: Well I listen to all of my coaches at Dane’s Body Shop- Chad and Dane and Pete-
Oh Steven, you don’t have to plug us- you already gained Athlete Spotlight status! Ok, so you’re getting married soon- who is driving the planning of the wedding?
SVH: *zero hesitation* Marie.
MP: Oh yeah!
SVH: But I did insist on the colors-
DALLAS COWBOY COLORS???
SVH: Yeah baby!
MP: Silver and blue- those are good colors!
HOW BOUT DAT WEDDING?!?!?!
SVH: Yeah, so I picked the colors and let her decide everything else-
MP: Not everything! We are using the venue that you wanted and we agreed on the food together-
SVH: Burgers and Eastside Pies- very non traditional. And yard games- can jam, corn hole-
This does sound dreamy. Outside of working out at Dane’s Body Shop, what activities bring the most joy and fulfillment to your life?
MP: I love baking-
I figured we would hit on that! Which by the way, what is this delicious caramelized thing I’m eating right now?
MP: It’s called a Florentine and it has orange extract and chopped candied ginger. I love baking- Steven actually helped to turn the spare room into a prep room for my side hustle-
SVH: #bakedfromscratchatx
I’m all about plugging in these interviews!
MP: I’ve been baking my whole life- I started to learn from my Italian Grandmother. She didn’t have many successful bakes so I had to figure out a lot on my own, but one of my favorite things was bringing something like a panettone to her. Her Italian accent would come out-
*In an absurd Italian accent* Oh Marie, you make-ah my life so happy!
MP: Yeah, a little less Mario than that.
Nope, she was eating pasta and had a big thick mustache when this happened.
MP: I’m baking my way through an Italian cookbook and there are 75 recipes, so it has been a lot of Italian Desserts.
SVH: I’m surprised I’m not obese at the moment.
MP: It’s because you workout at Dane’s… Body…. Shop!
And what do you do for joy SVH?
SVH: Now this is going to sound like a plug- but it has been working out. It has always been a way to exorcise whatever day’s demons had encroached on me. Lately though, I’ve been into golf. The fact that I can out drive (Shop Operations Director) John Gates Whiteley.
And that is the important thing!
SVH: Yeah, with one year of golf under my belt I can beat John who has had decades of golfing. I kid, I kid! Golfing was something I could do in the pandemic and it was also something that gave me patience. It is a game where you can have a bunch of bad shots, but then you can have a couple good shots; it helps me to remember to look at the positive side of things and not always the negatives. It helped me to become more of a positive person. Also, you’re with friends! Just out in a glorious park, maybe sipping some beverages and having some good conversation.
I’m going to pair up the next two questions and you can answer them separately or as one question: why is fitness important in one’s life? and why is love important?
SVH: Fitness, for me, brings balance through the stresses of the day. I can go to the gym and have the stress washed away because I’ve taken it out on the weights or the mats- whatever we’re doing that day. Love… keeps you grounded. Love helps you to remember why the day is important and it doesn’t mask the bad things in life.
So fitness is sort of your reaction to the tough things in life and love is-
SVH: Remembering what is good in life.
I like that, that’s cool! What’s your answer Marie?
Wifey Becca: Can we just let the record reflect that Marie just smiled the most beautiful smile while he gave that answer?
That’s the perfect Ed McMahon moment for you Becca. Good job.
MP: *Bashfully* Fitness is important to me because I’m a really competitive person- I grew up the youngest of four and my brothers are basically geniuses, so I have a lot to live up to. We played a lot of board games and trivia which was challenging and I like having that challenge. Taking classes at Dane’s, as opposed to working out alone, offers that kind of challenge and keeps things interesting. It helps me to get better. I get to finish a day and feel like I’ve accomplished something. And then love is important because it is what makes each day good.
Is there a contrast or comparison you could draw between your fitness accomplishments and your love accomplishments? … Wow, I phrased that in an exceptionally weird way!
MP: *laughing* Oh, I’ve loved x amount more today than yesterday! No it is just so wonderful to have someone who is completely supportive, particularly during those times that I fail at a challenge or am getting in my head. He is just so loving and reminds me that I don’t have to compete with anyone else. Supporting one another and growing together.
It sounds like you both come from a place where fitness is the space where you push yourself and love is where you allow yourself to feel safe.
MP: Yeah, exactly.
Now transitioning to some more random questions- what is your all time pump up jam?
MP: Mine is “My Body” by Young The Giant. Any time you get tired in a workout, you throw that on and the lyrics, “My body tells me no, but I won’t quit because I want more”!
SVH: I got it… *proceeds to slowly turn up the volume on the music that has been set to a background level, revealing a funktastic Red Hot Chili Peppers song* It is not on any Chili Pepper album you can find- it is a b-side. It is kind of a secret song.
Marie, as a baker, and as we sit here enjoying your delicious baked goods-
Wifey Becca: I had two cookies!
What is your favorite “treat yourself” food or drink?
SVH: I love a burger from Crown and Anchor- even if it only costs $6, it tastes like it costs $60! That is my favorite burger in town.
Wifey Becca: *dreamily* their fries are really good too.
SVH: My god! The fries complement the burger so well that you almost want another burger!
MP: And they hold up in delivery! We definitely favored some of those during the pandemic. I am all about Karah’s Diavolo w/ house parm cheese from Patrizis.
That pasta is absolutely insane. Which coach at Dane’s Body Shop would you most want to see on a reality show and which reality show would that be?
SVH: Oh man… I would love to see John Gates Whiteley on “Naked and Afraid”.
But to be clear, you aren’t saying you want to see John naked right?
MP: I don’t know, Steven might!
SVH: Oh no!
MP: He just wants to see him afraid!
That is great! Marie? I’m sure you’ve watched plenty of baking shows.
MP: Well I don’t know who is good at baking!
Let me reframe the question: let’s pretend like it is MTV’s The Real World and all of the coaches are living together in an apartment, who do you think would freak out the most-
MP: John! I think he’d get tired of ya’ll real fast.
Final question! You two are now members of the pantheon of Spotlight Athletes: do you have words of wisdom to those who may come after you?
SVH: Patience! I was here forever before I was Athlete of the Season! Seriously though, it is about being a community and not being competitive. Making friends for life and understanding that the people around you are in the same boat as you and all they want to do is better themselves. Anything you do to uplift them, just acknowledging how hard a workout was or complementing their lift, goes a long way in building relationships and bettering the community.
MP: You can also take your engagement photos at The Shop and then Dane’s will be guilted into making you an Athlete Spotlight! *laughing*
Okay Okay! The question was more general advice, not suggesting ways to game the system! You two actually earned it! Marie, you had that experience of coming to The Shop and not thinking of yourself as an athletic person- any advice for those people?
MP: Just keep showing up! There will be days that you feel like you made improvement and there will be days where muscles hurt and you feel exhausted. Days where you don’t understand how to do a power clean, and you hate them, and you’ve done them so many times, and you get corrected every time, and you get different corrections from different coaches(!)… but then eventually you get to the point where you really do get how to do a power clean and one of the coaches says, “wow, that was a really great power clean!” and then you feel so good inside.
Weather the storm?
MP: Just keep swimming!
And to that I’ll just add the advice to make friends with Steve and Marie so that you can come to their house and have delicious homemade pizza.
MP: And cupcakes and cookies!
