By Mike Hazlip—
Love is in the air for a Citrus Heights horse vaulting team as three siblings who coach the team plan a triple wedding.
Michelle and Paul Solorzano run the Nu Balance team from their home in Citrus Heights, one of the few remaining properties in the city with a stable. Solorzano’s three youngest children, twins Cruz and Bali, and brother Pj, coach the teams along with Ariel Hold and Manny Valdez.
All three couples have been part of the Nu Balance vaulting family for years. Cruz Solorzano says a triple wedding is a natural fit for him and his siblings.
“We’ve grown up so close together, between the three of us and others,” he told The Sentinel. “Ariel and I have been together for about six years now, the longest of the three couples. At least between us siblings, we couldn’t find a way to have one walking down the isle but the other one not be there.”
Cruz & Ariel
Cruz Solorzano was the first to propose to fellow coach and childhood friend Ariel Hold, who have known each other since the ages of about nine and 10 when Hold started vaulting lessons. Solorzano popped the question on a dock in Old Sacramento with the help of the other coaches who convinced Hold she was in on another surprise.
While Hold thought she was helping Manny Valdez and Pj Solorzano give promise rings to Bali Solorzano and Kali Alise, Cruz Solorzano was waiting to propose to Hold.
“Ariel was in on all of that, she thought she had us,” Pj Solorzano said adding Cruz was further down the dock waiting for Hold. “She thought she had us, but we had her.”
Hold said the proposal was a surprise.
“He had roses all over the floor, he’s playing the song that I’ve always loved for me and him,” Hold said. “All my family was there, all my friends were there.”
Manny & Bali
For his proposal, coach Manny Valdez popped the question to fellow coach Bali Solorzano during a practice session. True to form, the acrobatic vaulter proposed while the couple was on horseback.
Their routine is based on the song “Love is an Open Door” from the movie Frozen, and a proposal is part of the act. This time however, the proposal was genuine.
“The music comes on and we do our little routine,” Bali Solorzano said. “Then at the end of the routine I’m on top of my horse with Manny and he gets down on one knee on the horse and asked me to marry him.”
Bali Solorzano said the moment caught her off guard and she thought the ring was a new prop for the show: “Once I realized he was actually asking, I was blown away because I didn’t expect it.”
The Nu Balance vaulting team was there to witness the emotional moment that was also captured in a video by Michelle Solorzano.
“My dad came out and I got to run to my dad and hug him and cry,” Bali Solorzano said. “It was really special.”
Pj and Kali
Pj Solorzano chose to re-create his first date with Kali Alise for his proposal. The couple went bowling at the same bowling alley and had dinner at the same restaurant.
“All the servers were in on it, but I didn’t know it at the time,” Alise said, adding she was suspicious of PJ’s strange behavior and noticed her sister’s vehicle in the parking lot. “I was so confused, and then I saw his dad recording, I start freaking out. He got down on one knee and he asked.”
With three brides and three grooms, the brides-to-be say they are expecting over 400 guests at the wedding planned for May 2023. The Nu Balance vaulting team will be part of the ceremonies, they say.
“They mean something to us,” Cruz Solorzano said of the vaulting team. “They all know us couples, we know them.”
“We’ve known most of them longer than we’ve known our significant others,” Pj Solorzano added.
Preparations have already begun and Bali Solorzano said the families are working together for the big day.
“My dad, he gave the boys a hard time at first but he’s excited,” she said. “My mom is really excited. She’s on board 100%.”
Amid the preparations for a triple wedding, Michelle Solorzano announced the team might be gearing up to participate in this year’s California State Fair. The team has brought the Cavalcade of Horses to the fair each year until the pandemic put those plans on hold for the last two years. Although the team is awaiting an official announcement, they are looking forward to resuming performances this year.
The brothers say they will make it through the next year with the help of their extended vaulting family.
“It’s quite the adventure so far,” Pj Solorzano said. “It’s nice to see how many people turn out to help. It really makes you realize what a family you have built around you.”
