Filed on 5/29/03

Career Highlights

Why did you become interested in fitness?
I saw my first fitness competition in a bar in my last semester of college – it was an FAP show on ESPN. I have never been an athlete, but I have always been flexible and interested in gymnastics. I looked at the screen and thought “I can do that!”

Of course, everyone laughed at me because my only “sport” all through school was marching band (which I did in high school and college). Upon graduation, I was looking for something new to do and was starting to go to the gym to lose the Freshman 15.

When I started lifting weights, I made friends with a female bodybuilder at the gym. I discovered that my body gained muscle relatively easily (I guess I’m a mesomorph) and that I enjoyed the challenge of trying to improve my record. I started taking gymnastics classes and trained to build muscle. Even though I attended several local fitness shows, I always made excuses not to compete myself until my friend and gymnastics coach did her first show, almost 4 years later. I realized that I could make excuses forever or just suck it up and do a show. That was in April of 2002, and I set my sights on the NPC Central States in September 2002.

The plan was to do one show, and decide from there if I ever wanted to subject myself to the diet and training to compete again. I placed a close second, and have had “the bug” ever since!

When did you first start working out?
As explained earlier, I was never an athlete as a child. Other than a little figure skating at age 12, my only hobbies were school and music. In college I started working out to combat the weight I gained from the dorm cafeterias (soft-serve ice cream at each meal is NOT the way to keep a girlish figure). By coincidence, I started training with a female bodybuilder after college. She taught me the basics of lifting and pushing yourself to your limits.

What other physical activities do you enjoy to stay fit?
Since my “athletic rebirth”, I have taken up running (I’ve done 2 half-marathons), triathlons (I’ve done 3 sprint and 2 international distance races), rollerblading, and I just started boxing classes.

What are your goals within the fitness industry?
Now that I’ve caught the bug, it’s my goal to get a Pro card in the NPC. I plan to compete in Fitness and Figure divisions, but my preference is a ProCard from Fitness.

 Additional Notes
I’d like to thank my husband, Karl, who has been my diet conscience, my tan-painter, my workout-motivator, my financial sponsor, and my sanity coach through the whole process. I’d also like to thank Gloria DeCoste, my coach, choreographer, fellow competitor, sponsor and friend. Between the two of you, you’ve worked as hard for my success as I have!

I am always glad to talk to potential new competitors about starting in the sport as a newbie (not a cheerleader, gymnast or dancer) and also someone who struggles to lose weight. If a non-athlete who can’t go a day without chocolate can do this, so can you!