ACTIVE LIVING “Athletics is something that I was raised with from the time was four or five years old – football, baseball, basketball, lacrosse. If my father could sign me up for a sport, he would sign me up for something. I played lacrosse from when I was five all the way up through college. I started working out in middle school and high school, but it wasn’t until college when I really started getting into it not just for sports, but for a lifestyle.”
THE EAST COAST MECCA “I started going to Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym this summer, and it’s the only place I’ll go and train now. It just takes it to a different level. You look anywhere on the wall and someone up there might be in the gym, like Kevin English or Kai Greene. The other day Jay Cutler was there. You can’t walk into that place and not be motivated. The whole atmosphere there is unlike anything else I’ve ever been around.”
COMPETITIVE SPIRIT “Competing is something that’s always been a part of my life, it’s not just something I flip on and off. I don’t want to say everything I do is a competition, but I’m always pushing myself to do better. That comes from sports. Growing up that was my passion. It’s what drove me at first, but when I grew older I took that competitive spirit and applied it to whatever I was doing in my life to take it to the next level.”
ELITE EXPERIENCE “My first pro show will be the New York Pro – I’m just really looking forward to the opportunity to be on the stage. The athletes I’ll be on that stage with – from bodybuilding to physique to bikini to figure – these are the elite. The NPC and the IFBB are the best federations in the world, so to be a part of that will be an amazing experience.”
SET UP FOR SUCCESS “As far as expectations, I’ll approach it the same way I approached the Nationals – push myself to be the best competitor I can be and bring in a better package each time I step on stage. As a competitor you train to be the best, but you prepare for whatever can happen. I’ll go in with high expectations for myself because that’s just who I am. Anyone who doesn’t set high expectations really isn’t setting themself up for success.”
