#11
Rick Alire brings more than four decades of lived mental health experience to the ice — years shaped by the challenges of growing up with a single parent, raising children as a single parent himself, and navigating the difficult realities of substance abuse and domestic violence. His journey has been anything but easy, but every chapter has forged a deeper strength, empathy, and purpose within him.
Rick and his family come from the Taos Pueblo and Mescalero Apache Nations, carrying forward the resilience, cultural pride, and ancestral strength that have guided their people for generations. Those roots — grounded in community, healing, and endurance — continue to shape the way Rick walks through the world and supports those around him.
Today, Rick uses those hard‑earned experiences to lift others up. As a Peer Recovery Coach and Harm Reduction Advocate, he stands beside people fighting their own battles, offering hope, understanding, and a path forward that only someone who has walked that road can truly provide.
This year, Rick is joined on the ice by his son, Riley Greywolf Alire, skating beside him as a continuation of their family’s strength, culture, and shared commitment to healing.Rick skates in the DAWG Nation Survivor Game as a testament to resilience — proof that even the heaviest struggles can become a source of strength, healing, and service to others. His story reminds us that survivors don’t just overcome; they inspire, they lead, and they help others find their way.