If you were to ask me 3 years ago when I began powerlifting if I thought I'd be here typing about my Road to Olympia I would say, "No Way!?" But, here I am. Simply because I pursued something I fell in love with.
When I hit my late 20's a few years ago I noticed that pounds weren't dropping off as easily as they used to and suddenly I wasn't as motivated to get out and move like I used to be. I had been an athlete most of my life and extremely self-motivated to stay in shape; so you can imagine how distraught I was when it all came to a screeching halt. After trying a bunch of workouts and signing up at a few gyms that just didn't stick, I realized I couldn't do it on my own anymore.
Around this time my now husband (Joe) and I moved to Manhattan Beach and he was determined to find a small old school type gym where you throw around lots of weights (think Gold's Gym at Venice Beach at the height of the body building movement. Yeah, like that). After a few weeks he and a friend found a place called 4 Star Gym in El Segundo, California, which was exactly what they were looking for. Immediately he became a member and began pushing me to follow his lead.
I went with him a few times to check it out but was reluctant to sign up. I told him "I can't workout here because every time I lift a weight my muscles get huge and I just don't want to be big." I had always felt larger and more muscular than most girls in my circle and for years had been the brunt of jokes and off the wall comments. Dealing with that for years had made me very insecure about my build and in my head I thought this was finally the time where I can try to fit in and look 'normal'.
Then fate stepped in...
One day I was messing around in the gym while Joe was getting a workout in and I saw a guy working out a group of women. They looked like they were having a blast and they were all in amazing shape. Little by little I inched closer to them out of curiosity. Then one of the girls said "Hey!" and started talking to me. As the conversation unfolded I found out that the guy was Jason, the Owner and Head Strength Coach for Game Time Strength, and the girl I was speaking to was his wife Anna. For those of you who know these two you know they can be very persuasive so by the end of the convo I was signed up as a member of the gym and on the GTS program. (They should be lawyers or something, haha)
What really put me over the top with this group was that they embraced me and accepted me for who I was. They loved my build and wanted nothing more than to help me achieve my fitness and health goals.
What was a run in with fate has now turned into family, the best shape of my life, numerous competition medals, a brand new outlook on health, fitness, life AND ultimately an invite to Olympia.
Olympia is arguably the most prestigious Powerlifting competition in the Nation to qualify for. To qualify you have to be ranked in the Top 10 list of powerlifters in the US. I was ranked #9 in 2013.
It started as a Body Building competition in 1964 and was made famous by guys like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Larry Scott. Now it plays host to many other fitness categories like Powerlifting.
It was my dad's dream/goal to get an invite to compete in Olympia. He was a competitive body builder and it was the ONE thing all body builders would strive for in their career.
Ironically, he gave up his extremely successful body building career for me. I had been born the year prior and it was becoming too difficult to keep up the demanding schedule of a competitor and be a good father at the same time.
Now, 30 years later, I will be going in his place and living out his Dream! I feel I owe it to him for giving me the life and opportunity he and my mom have.
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| Olympia Live Stream link for Friday |
I say all this to tell you that the Road to Olympia was one that had been under construction for quite some time. A work in progress. It was finding out how to live in my truth, how to just be myself and how to embrace the gifts that I was given instead of hiding them that led me here. Oh, and can't forget about my parents' sacrifices.
Olympia is simply a byproduct; the greatness that came when I began living the life I was meant to live and given the opportunity to live instead of fighting it by trying to be "normal" or fit in.
Just be and love who YOU are! Live the life YOU were meant to live and you will find your own Road to Olympia.
