Contest History/Highlights 2012 Continental Championships 1st Class C and Overall; Nationals 16th Class D
BORN TO COMPETE “Growing up I played soccer, softball, volleyball, and a little basketball. The sport I played and loved the most was soccer; I started at age five and continued playing into my four years of college. I was a natural-born athlete and competitor, always wanting to make everything a competition or a race. I loved working out, but with no more competitive soccer, I needed some kind of competitive sport in my life.”
BE THE BEST “I was introduced to the weight room by one of my most influential coaches, Amy Baker, at age 14 for summer volleyball open gym practices. It was at this young age I learned I was a strong girl and I loved every minute I spent in the weight room with my older sister Marie. These summers helped develop the dedicated work ethic I have today. Throughout high school, we had many required lifting sessions and speed/agility type practices. I would be in the weight room outside of these required sessions just because I loved lifting and wanted to be the best I could at whatever I was doing.”
BE YOUR BEST “I love setting a goal and doing everything I possibly can to reach that goal. My ultimate competitive goal is to be the very best version of me I can be. There is no better feeling than stepping on the stage knowing you gave 110 percent your whole prep, because then no matter what the results are, you have no regrets. My favorite thing about competing is the rush you feel right before you step on stage, because all the hard work has been done and it’s just time to have fun.”
ROLE MODELS “I have many role models so it’s difficult to narrow it down, but two of the most inspiring people for me are Nicole Wilkins and Dana Lynn Bailey. Both of these women train extremely hard and show such dedication; they are both positive influences in the bodybuilding world. Nicole is the person who I saw pictures of when I first started training and I said to myself, “I can do this, that girl has thighs just like me!!” My coach Vijay Puri has been an awesome inspiration for me also. He has inspired me to help others and give back to the sport that has already done so much for my life.”
LEARNING EXPERIENCE “I stepped onto the National-Level stage pretty early in my career, but after winning my first competition and qualifying for Nationals – which were only 6 weeks away – I couldn’t turn down the challenge. I wasn’t expecting to win or anything but I had hoped to place better than I did. I was disappointed, but after seeing the competition I realized I just needed more time to develop; I was the youngest competitor in my class of 50 women. I had trained my heart out getting ready for Nationals and still held my head high with my placing. I went back to the drawing board and looked at my strengths and weaknesses and started training hard again. I plan to step on the national-level stage again this November as a lean mean machine and I am so excited to show the improvements I’ve made this year.”
