While competing in athletic endeavors such as soccer, swimming and cross country
mountain biking, I have been an avid fan of bodybuilding since I was young.
My first glimpse into my future as a bodybuilding competitor came at the age of
ten, when I witnessed my uncle bench press 500lbs.
Behind the closed doors of Gold's Gym in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan lurked a world
of which I was in awe. As a mere spectator of the sport at that time, I admired both the men and women equally. The women
possessed shapely, symmetrical and strong, yet still feminine bodies.
Years later, while competing in cross country mountain biking, I had never forgotten
the images of those strong, sexy women in the gym.
Fast forward to 2001, and I found myself spending more time in the gym and less
time on my bike. My competitive spirit was still thriving, so I decided to focus my energy on competitive bodybuilding. I
spent my first year learning about the sport of bodybuilding - perfecting my training technique, dieting, posing and
cardio. I spent my second year fine tuning what I had learned the previous year.
The competition season was quickly approaching, so I decided to enter a novice
level bodybuilding contest. I spent the next five months preparing for the show. I was literally eating, sleeping, and breathing
bodybuilding.
The competition day finally arrived, and unbeknownst to me at the time, I would
later take first place in the middleweight class. I was now qualified to compete at the Provincial Championships held one
month later where I again was victorious. This qualified me for the National Championships. Knowing the calibre of the competitors
at the national level, I spent the next year training like a demon.
My first attempt at the Canadian National Bodybuilding Championships was in my
hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The quality of the competitors was absolutely amazing! Although I received positive feedback
from photographers and fellow competitors, I was disappointed with my placing but more motivated than ever.
