..::BIOGRAPHY::..

I was born and raised in Northern California where I continue to reside. From as far back as I can remember I have always participated in some type of competitive sport. In high school I played 3 sports and went on to be named female athlete of the year and am a member of the Kelseyville High School hall of fame. In college I played volleyball and tennis and took it as far as I could. It was at this time that I discovered weight training. In order to compete at the college level I needed to have strength and stamina. I soon found myself staying after practice to lift long after the others went home.

In ‘95 I lived on the small but beautiful island of Guam where I worked part time at a gym. This is where I started taking in all the information and knowledge I could. That summer a competition was scheduled on the island and a lot of the members were training for it. I had never been to a competition before and didn’t know quiet what to expect. I had been told that a Professional Bodybuilder named Lenda Murray was going to be there and she would be worth seeing. Two months before the competition my friends at the gym encouraged me to enter just for the experience of it. I decided to give it a try since I had been training for a while, was young (20) and my metabolism was still pretty fast which made leaning down much easier. I took 1st in the under 21 and 1st in the open. I will never forget the rush I got that day when I heard my number announced on stage. I was hooked!
I moved back to the mainland in 97 to finish my degree. I continued training on a consistent basis but with no real goals. At this time figure competitions were not around. I went to the gym because it was fun and I enjoyed it.

In ‘99 I lost my father suddenly and my whole world got turned upside down. I found myself no longer having the drive to go to the gym. I was overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions while trying to finish my last semester of school. I found myself
heading down the wrong path. I was depressed, gaining weight, and shutting my loved ones out. When my weight had reached a high I decided it was time for some life changes. I change jobs, moved to a new town and joined a gym again.

In 2001 while training at Gold’s Gym I had the good fortune to meet Tenya who at the time was training for her first figure competition in Sacramento. We quickly became friends and training partners. After watching Tenya take 1st in her class and overall I knew this was a sport for me. I was excited about having a goal to work towards.
In February of ‘02 I decided my first show would be the Contra Costa in May. That gave me a little over 2 months to get ready. With the support and guidance from my good friend I was able to place 2nd in my height class. I came off that show with a high looking for my next show. I decided to compete in the Cal which was 3 weeks from the Contra. I didn’t eat as clean as I should have thinking I couldn’t do that much damage in just 3 weeks, What a mistake! I didn’t even place at the Cal and my high was lost. At that moment I vowed to never walk on stage if I was not 100% ready. I competed in one more show in 2002 in Sacramento where I placed 2nd again. After talking with the judges I had an idea of what changes needed to be made. I came back in 2003 and took overall at the Contra and placed 1st at the Sacramento. I was very pleased with the gains I had made.
Next my sights were set on getting my pro card. I decided I would compete in April at the Jr. USA’s in Connecticut. Depending on how I place I hoped to then go on to the Nationals in New York in August. This dream was shattered in November when I wrecked on my motorcycle. Now my sights were set on just being able to be active again. I had damage to my left knee and trapezius as well as plenty of abrasions. I had ten stitches on my kneecap and was on crutches for weeks. I knew it would be a long road but I was determined to get myself back in the gym. I started physical therapy as soon as I could. I was careful to listen to the doctors and therapist as well as my family to not push it. I didn’t want to end up re-injuring myself and being out even longer. Without being able to exercise my weight started to go up and my mood started to go down. With the love and support of my boyfriend and his pep talks I was able to return to the gym in March. My knee is still not 100% but my muscle memory is coming back. I will not be ready for the April show but depending how well my body reacts I may be ready for New York in August. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!

ACHIEVEMENTS
2003 NPC Sacramento Figure Championships- 1st Place Medium Class
2003 NPC Contra Costa Figure Championships-Overall
2002 NPC Sacramento Figure Championships-2nd Place Medium Class
2002 NPC Contra Costa Figure Championships-2nd Place Medium Class
2002 NPC California Figure Championships- 13th Place Medium Class

MODELING EXPERIENCE
NPC News the magazine
npcnewsonline.com
Fitnessdivas.com
Alluringfitness.com
FTVideo.com