About Us

North Florida Heritage Sports Inc. (NFHS) is a passionate non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and creating opportunities for strength sports, including sports with cultural significance. We host various events throughout the year, fostering a love for athletic competition and creating a welcoming space for athletes and spectators alike. Our biggest event (in numbers) is the Southeast Heritage Games (SEHG).

President – vacant

Secretary – Angela Ivy (she/they): I fell for Strongman in 2019 because of the community. I’m still here because it makes me brave everywhere I go! Just like my practice of the Bantu philosophy of Ubuntu. It’s often translated as, “I am because you are.” Ubuntu embodies many values and characteristics that describe how we belong to each other and are individuals because of our collective humanity. Around the Iron Vault, the birthplace of Southeast Heritage Games (SEHG), “I’m strong if you’re strong” is a common response because my strength reflects yours in a culture rooted in respect and trust. The inclusivity and care represented in that simple statement have become a cairn for our community, extolling our strengths and guiding the way. My vision for the future of SEHG is to expand on that by celebrating the rich cultural diversity of our region while entertaining, educating, and empowering others to explore the edges of their strength!

Treasurer – Whitney Doyle  (she/her) is a passionate strength athlete and advocate for accessibility. The Southeast Heritage Games provides a platform for athletes of all backgrounds to showcase their abilities and foster a sense of community. Whitney envisions the SEHG growing into a premier event that not only highlights athletic prowess but also promotes cultural exchange and understanding. Looking to the future, Whitney hopes to see the SEHG expand its reach and impact, creating more opportunities for athletes with disabilities to participate and excel. She believes that events like the SEHG can play a crucial role in breaking down barriers and changing perceptions about disability and athleticism.

Whitney works for a national nonprofit, Amputee Coalition, as the Director of Operations and Capacity Building. With a passion for transparent and accessible non profit finances, Whitney’s volunteer experience includes being Treasurer of the Florida Independent Living Council and a member of the National Council on Independent Living’s Finance Committee.

Athletics Director – Brett Fain (he/him) is a seasoned Athletics Director with over 20 years of experience as a strength coach and a passion for empowering athletes of all abilities. Based in Tallahassee, Brett Fain is the owner of the Iron Vault Gym, a premier facility for strength training and athletic development. An international strongman competitor, Brett Fain brings unparalleled expertise and firsthand experience to the world of sports and fitness. For the past six years Brett Fain has excelled as an athletics director.

Director – Juan Reyes (he/him) has been lifting weights for over a decade, and has been involved with the sport of strongman for 4 years. A volunteer with the Special Olympics, and engaged in many other pursuits, Juan has developed a love for strength sports as a means to better oneself and to heal physical injuries. Juan is passionate about spreading the spirit of togetherness developed through the trial of strength that the strongman sports display.

Juan is encouraged that the Heritage Games will put on a magnificent display of strength, education about other cultures, and bring people from all walks of life to enjoy a spectacle unseen before in the North Florida area.

Director – Anika Fields has been lifting weights for many years and absolutely LOVES it; however she would not refer to herself as a strength athlete. She enjoys watching strength competitions and is totally in awe of the amount of weight some people can manipulate seemingly without much effort. She is so thrilled to have been asked to join the SEHG Board of Directors and is looking forward to being thoroughly involved. What she likes most about SEHG is that it is dedicated to diversity and inclusion and there is a desire to become culturally astute. Her vision is that SEHG will grow to become one of the largest in the state and ultimately the nation. 

Anika is a clinical psychologist licensed in the state of Florida and is currently the director of Counseling Services at Florida A&M University. In addition, she volunteers with Special Olympics Florida, working with powerlifting and track and field athletes; and she volunteers with several ministries at the church she attends. She and her husband of 40 years are the proud parents of an adult daughter who is a chiropractor.

Event Coordinator – Lyric Kali (she/they), event coordinator and organizational wizard, has a love of integrating the disparate bits and pieces into a whole to achieve quality and inspiring installations. She is thrilled to be a part of Southeast Heritage Games, not only for its cultural commitment to the rich heritage found in the southeastern United States, but also its focus on athletics and strength. As an ecstatic and contact improvisation dancer and avid hiker, Lyric is committed to forging the steel of her will into the gold of embodied achievement. She believes that one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your children is a love of athleticism, regardless of body type, size, or ability.