Athlete Spotlight: Tamara Steil
By Searrah Herendeen
Athlete Spotlights highlight athletes competing for the first time or returning. We want to showcase the diverse sports community the Meijer State Games of Michigan has helped create and grown with. Today's Athlete Spotlight features a 2022 Athlete of the Year, Tamara Steil.
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About Tamara:
Photo courtesy of Tamara Steil
Tamara was raised in Grand Rapids and attended Grand Rapids Public Schools and Kelloggsville High School. After high school, she attended Western Michigan University (WMU) and pursued a mathematics and physical education degree. Her educational career did not stop there. Tamara continued her schooling at Aquinas College and obtained a Master's in management. She taught math at Grandville High School. She also coached cross country, diving, and swimming. Tamara has been retired for almost 13 years and now lives with her husband in a hunting lodge built in 1912 on the border of Wyoming and Grandville.
Tamara has been with her husband, Dave, for 32 years. They have raised two daughters, Rachael and Angela. Dave owns a business that manufactures items related to the office furniture industry. Their daughter Rachael is an author and motivational speaker specializing in disordered eating and mental health. Rachael coaches cross country and distance track at Grandville High School. Rachael and her husband donate plasma regularly and are substitute lifeguards and swim instructors at the YMCA. Tamara's other daughter, Angela, has recently earned her bookkeeping certificate, is studying accounting, and works in the beverage industry with her husband. He owns an upcycle clothing company.
Tamara's family has been making an impact everywhere. In 2012, she joined the Women's City Club. In 2015, Tamara joined the Sweet House Foundation and became the foundation's president from 2018 to 2022.
Tamara claims to have managed, “a successful slew of fundraising to preserve the history and the physical Italianate Mansion.” The mansion is an event venue in Grand Rapids. During this time, she got the privilege of working with Carol Dodge, the Sweet House historian, to combine her presentations and five cartons of information she had gathered over the past 30 and more years. Tamara explains, “[Carol] is now the proud octogenarian author of the book The Mayor, the Maestro, and the Mansion: Martin Sweet, Ottokar Malek, and the Sweet House.”
Photo courtesy of Tamara Steil
Getting involved with sports
Since Tamara graduated high school in 1971, Title IX, a law prohibiting sex-based discrimination, wasn't in existence yet. The law was passed in 1972, so she was unable to participate in high school sports.
Tamara has been a swim instructor for the YMCA and various city recreation departments and camps on and off since 1972. In her junior year at WMU, she could finally join a sports team. “I was a beginner dive and swam a bit of breaststroke to be included on the travel team,” stated Tamara.
After graduating from college, she began running in 1976 but became committed in 1979. In 1989, Tamara began her successful competitive running career in the cross country 5K Nationals, River Bank Runs, and other regional races ranging from track meets to marathons.
2002 brought an end to her running career for some time. Her hamstring tendons had taken her out of running. Tamara had to, “stop cold turkey, and fretted and fumed for about ten days. I was depressed and distraught.” While she had never seriously been a lap swimmer, she took this as an opportunity. She found a U.S. Masters Swimming group (USMS) to train with. After six months, she was competing in an annual state meet. Tamara was surprised to place in some of her events. She worked up to “High Point” for her age group in a few years.
Tamara was not going to be done running forever. In 2003, she started training again. Her friends convinced her to participate in a triathlon in 2006. The first triathlon she competed in was indoor at the YMCA in the winter. She set an age group record at that time and later qualified for a national outdoor triathlon. That same year, she discovered the State Senior Games, won medals and set more records in swimming, track, and triathlon.
The following year she brought home more medals. Tamara won her first national championship in the 200 breaststrokes. She also won the 1500 and 800 on the track at nationals. 2009 was another successful nationals year, setting records in the 200 and 100 breaststrokes.
In 2013, Tamara attended her first USMS swimming nationals and medaled in most of her events. She has been attending this ever since. The road has been a challenging one. In 2014, she sustained broken ribs, a broken clavicle, a punctured lung, a road rash, and a concussion from a simple training ride. Within two months, she was back in the water. With another two, she was ready to get back on the bike.
For fun, she has also competed in several open water swims like the Big Shoulders in Chicago, Swim to the Moon in Chelsea, World open water 3K in Budapest, and placed 2nd in the 1500m and won the 3k at the Barbados Open Water Festival. Barbados was her first time competing in salt water.
Photo courtesy of Tamara Steil
Greatest Accomplishment so Far
Tamara claims her most exciting moment was winning the USMS 400 IM long course championship in California in 2019. While she has had other national wins, USMS is more competitive.
Photo courtesy of Tamara Steil (Bright orange and purple suit)
Maintaining a Healthy Living style
Tamara declares, “I listen to my body.” While her routine may be basic for her, it is no easy feat. She swims 3000 yards Monday through Friday. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she runs 3 miles. She takes a break from swimming on the weekend but still gets in a 4-mile run and a 15-18-mile bike ride. She does a medium-weight workout three times a week and walks with her husband.
To maintain this high-energy routine, Tamara claims to eat a lot of melons. “It's a perfect pre-workout or pre-race meal,” according to Tamara. Sometimes she will add wheat toast with honey and a cup of coffee. She loves all fruits and vegetables, wines, pasta with red sauce, chicken, beans, red meat (when her body tells her she needs it), and many other foods. Her favorite sweet is dark chocolate. Tamara declares, “I don't deny myself anything. I am not ‘on a diet’ and never have been.” She trusts that everyone's body will tell them what it craves. You just have to listen.
Photo courtesy of Tamara Steil (Magenta Suit)
competing in the Meijer State games of Michigan
Tamara will absolutely be competing again this year. There are many things Tamara states she is looking forward to during this competition, "The atmosphere, positive people, seeing old friends, renewing acquaintances, meeting new people, seeing how I measure up with others my age, medals if possible, and wins!"
The Meijer State Games of Michigan is a multi-sport, Olympic-style event(s) that welcome athletes regardless of age or ability level. The Games embody the values of participation, sportsmanship and healthy living.