College of Humanities Journalism

Diego Cortez has a deep relationship with tattoos. Inked artwork on his body has played a major role in his life, he said, from his incarceration to his current association as a staff member with The Other Side Academy, a free life skills school for adults who have struggled with addiction, incarceration and homelessness.

Salt Lake City has a large recovery community, with even more communities hidden within it. For many, like Clay Josewski, a former addict and now staff member at The Other Side Academy, music has become an impactful and transformative experience.

The crowd erupts in screams and cheers after each set. Pop music blares during timeouts and team huddles, prompting fans to stand up and dance. About 3,000 fans pack Bruin Arena at Salt Lake Community College on this Saturday night for Salt Lake City's final game of the inaugural season of LOVB Pro, the nation's newest professional volleyball league.

At Salt Lake City’s Derby Depot, where music ranges from fat P-Funk bass grooves to buzzsaw punk chords, a jammer glides smoothly around the bend.

The Glendale Middle School field stirs with the excited sounds of cheering and shouting on a warm, sunny late March afternoon. The spring season is underway for the Majestics Girls Rugby Club, so they’re not letting the nice day slip away. They’re spending it hard at work, running drills on their West Salt Lake City practice grounds.

The first time that University of Utah basketball assistant coach Dasia Young saw Lindsey Kirschman, the reaction was visceral. “When I first seen her, I was like ‘dang, she’s jacked, like she’s ripped,’” Young said. It’s not easy to create a body that looks like that. It’s even harder to maintain it at 37 years old. But Kirschman loves a challenge.

It’s 9:30 a.m. at the Zions Bank Real Academy in Herriman. The building echoes with the rhythmic beat of soccer balls passing back and forth as players for the Utah Royals FC warm up for their preseason practice.

The backstage is scattered with bags, water bottles and weights. Shirtless men sporting colorful spandex outfits pump iron while waiting to be told it’s their turn to enter the ring. An operator watches real-time footage of the match outside, waiting to cue the wrestlers that it’s their time to fight.

Maile O’Keefe stands at the edge of the mat behind the vault, stilettos digging into the soft flooring. Paired with crimson billowing slacks and a crisp, button-down white shirt, the look is a distinct shift from the sparkly leotards she wore as a Utah gymnast the previous five seasons. A year after finishing her bachelor’s degree, the former 2023 NCAA all-around champion, dubbed the “beam queen” for her winning record in the balance event, O’Keefe now works for the University of Utah’s Red Rocks as a student coach.