“I Believe in a Life of Service”

Alex Love lives to serve, and that service has come as an intelligence analyst with the United States Army, as an officer with the Westminster Police Department, as an owner/coach at her Boxing with Love gym, and now as a membership and compliance manager with USA Weightlifting. When asked about what drives her, Love said simply: “I believe in a life of service.”

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The Monroe, Washington, native always admired and respected the military. Her grandfather on her father’s side served, and she grew up playing soldier and hoping one day join the service herself. Love also loved boxing and rose in the sport so much that at age 20 she competed as an international athlete with USA Boxing. Her accolades in the sport include winning the 106 pound gold medal at the 2012 USA Boxing National Championships at 22 years old after just six years in the sport. Love said there’s no standalone moment that she can point to that solidified her love for the sport. “I just found it and fell in love with it and it’s as simple as that.”

“I love the progress and work that you have to put in," Love said. "I love the discipline. I love the rawness of the sport, the strategy, and how it’s like a game of chess. You figure out who you really are when you’re in the ring and I love everything about it.” 

Love’s jump from USA Boxing to the United States Military came at 20 when she decided to join the Army’s World Class Athlete Program where she served in dual roles as a U.S. Army boxing athlete and all-source intelligence analyst. 

“Being an Army athlete was one of the best experiences of my life. Reaching the international podium and earning a gold medal while looking at the American flag and hearing the national anthem was a breathtaking experience beyond just being a Team USA athlete. Not only was I defending my country as a soldier, I was fighting other countries in the ring,” Love said. “I loved the Army and the job I was given. I got to be an elite athlete and soldier, I got to train other soldiers and help develop them, and I got to use my skills as an analyst in the field. I got to follow two passions at once.”

Love’s work with the Army included non-combat deployments to European countries where she worked with NATO-allied militaries to show how the U.S. sourced and analyzed data. Her work was challenging but rewarding. In some instances she was working with countries that didn’t have many women serving in their ranks so she had to overcome various hurdles relating to being a woman operating in male-dominated spaces. 

Love left the Army for no other reason beyond she just wanted to serve her community in a different way. She said she never had a “I have to get out” moment, she just always had a passion to be a police officer and felt it was time to try something new. 

“Instead of serving my country with the military, I was able to serve it as an officer,” Love said. She went on to work just outside of the Denver area with the Westminster Police Department for just under five years. 

Throughout her time with the military and WPD, Love most enjoyed the camaraderie and sense of community the positions helped create.

“It’s great to be a veteran and talk with other veterans and live in Colorado Springs where there’s a lot of service members and military bases,” Love said. “It’s the camaraderie, it’s the brotherhood and sisterhood. That’s what I enjoyed most, and that's what I still enjoy now that I’m out.”

Her jump to USA Weightlifting came because she loves sports and wanted to get involved again. Love was a member of the Team USA Athletes’ Commission, formerly the USOPC Athletes' Advisory Council, and a connection thought she’d be a strong fit for the open membership position at the time based on her personality. Love applied and accepted the role and has loved the past two and half years with the organization and its members. 

Boxing With Love, her gym she runs while splitting time with USAW, rounds out Loves’ commitment to her community. Love had a goal to open a gym for years but didn’t originally foresee that dream materializing until her late 40s or 50s, but the opportunity came about three years ago and she’s ran with it. 

“Running this gym has been so rewarding. It goes back to service. I get to serve my community. Through everything I’ve done - even with USA Weightlifting and especially with this gym - every day I’m growing. Through the challenges of people looking for a place to fit in and find where they belong, to finding an answer to a seven year old asking ‘Why would I want to get hit in the face?’ Everyday is a chance for growth for me.”

Love has found her peace. She’s grounded through her work at USAW and her boxing gym, and she was recently engaged and is busy building a family and planning a future with her partner. The transition from service work isn’t easy, and to anyone taking those steps to transition to life beyond the military, Love has a piece of advice. 

“The camaraderie and family check-ins are important, and when you get out of the service you don’t always have that, so you have to honor that it’s hard. But you can’t stop and you can’t quit, because your community loves you and they respect you and they’re going to be there for you.”

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To all of our military service members and veterans, thank you