Model Pages individual

Shorty, midget, munchkin, quarter pint, little bit, squirt--this long list of nicknames all come from one very distinct feature of my physique: I am only 4'11". This obvious lack of height and a tiny, baby face have invited many a person to think of me as a child, and it was in defiance of this that I took my first step into the weightroom. I suppose I felt I needed to prove to others that I could wear my independence on my sleeve, or in this case on the high peak of my biceps, and if squatting 250 doesn't prove that to the public today, then I don't know what will. I have been blessed with the luxury of bumping into the right people at the right times. While at the University of Texas at Austin, preparing for my English degree and teacher certification, I met a nationally-ranked collegiate powerlifter by the name of Derrick Jenkins. From that moment forward, I ventured out of the cocoon of step aerobics and spread my wings to encompass a whole new realm of working out. I quickly learned that I have a propensity for gaining muscle and strength. Guys would often state--as they still do today--that they didn't want to work out around me because I embarrassed them by lifting more than they did. I reveled in the comments, worked harder, and soon walked onto the powerlifting team where I won my first competition in the 104-pound weight class. That trophy still sits on my bookshelf today amidst a multitude of others. When I graduated from college and returned back to the high school I graduated from to teach ninth grade English, I still could not shake the need to lift heavy. Thus, I did one more powerlifting meet before determining, with the help of another trainer, that it was time to move into a new direction. In fact, I had always trained for a purpose, a goal, a vindication. I decided it was now time to train for myself. I did this for two years before the ache to reach high into the sky and grasp the tip of a star returned. The Galaxy, an obstacle course competition, called out loudly to me. I had one major problem though. I was--and still am--petrified of heights. The Galaxy competition involves a 15-foot high cargo net and a 10-foot high rope wall, and while I could learn to run sprints properly and swiftly and while I had the strength to carry the 60-pound water jugs, I could not shake the intense fear and trepidation that pounded in my blood when I thought about being stuck at the top of those two obstacles. This did not stop me, though. One quality--for better or for worse--that remains instilled in me is my stubborness. And while this quality got me into loads of hot water with my parents, it managed, after six long weeks, to get me over my nemesis: the cargo net. Unfortunately, the fear never left me. It gripped my heart like a vise tightened on a piece of pliable wood, crushing my spirits every time I looked at the cargo net during practice. And practice I did. Two to four times a week for weeks on end I glared at that monster with the neon yellow ropes. I maneuvered my small frame up and over the cargo five, six, ten times for each practice session, and my fear still would not dissipate. Nevertheless, I competed in three Galaxy competitions, and my heart still pounds, races, and skips a few beats when I picture the mammoth cargo net. While I placed 18th, 15th, and 12th--respectively--in the physique rounds against 60+ girls in the three competitions, I blew any chances of making the final round because of my fear of heights. Did I lose? No. I actually won. I found a new sense of courage, self-esteem, and determination that I never realized I had in me. A true sense of grit and pride engulfed me, and I decided to take these newfound qualities into the NPC. I made the right move. In my very first bodybuilding competition, where I had the pleasure of meeting the late DeShay Ebert, I took the novice title at the Texas State Championships in San Antonio in 2001. I also placed fourth in figure. I went on to the Heart of Texas, where I took second in the open class for bodybuilding and third in figure. I not only went home with two trophies from that show, I also took a business card from my soon-to-be trainer, Jason English of MJFitness. With his help and expertise, I found myself on stage just a few weeks later, and I again took home two trophies: second in figure, qualifying me for Nationals, and third in bodybuilding. Most recently I placed fifth at the 2003 Figure Nationals. What a ride! Fortunately, it's just starting. I improve my physique every time I step into the gym. I work out with an intensity that stupefies others. I still, even when I'm under 10% bodyfat, push up over 400 lbs. on leg press for sets of 20 and more. My mind is the greatest tool that I have, one that will outlast the rest of me, and it carries me through the long days that start at 4:30 or 5 a.m. and don't end until 10 or 11 p.m. Of course, I need to attack everything with a sense of humor in order to achieve some sort of sanity, which is sometimes hard to achieve without my requisite dose of chocolate. I have a love for helping people, for reading and learning, for experiencing my dreams and sharing my success with others. There are more stars for me to pluck out of the sky. Just look up one day, and you'll see my legs dangling as I grasp onto the edge of another one and hang on for dear life. And then maybe you too will find