2001 The Show comes to ME!

There hadn't been a show in Winchester, Virginia for years but in 2001 the Shenandoah Valley Open came to my hometown which was the perfect opportunity to shine!

One of the best things was I had a chance to compete against my friend, Julie Michaels, who was the best female bodybuilder in town at the time (almost the only one!). Although she hadn't competed for years, I admired her. Before I had even started on my journey, Julie had competed at the Jr. Nationals and DC Grand Prix against some competitors who are now pros. If I could beat her I thought..... well that was a Challenge & I couldn't back down!

The Shenandoah Valley Open,  April 7, 2001 turned out to be my first overall win. In the photos below, I am in blue, my good friend Julie is far right. Julie & her husband Allen are great friends & they later helped me train for the 2005 Team Universe.

 Another unique aspect of this show was that it was the first show that I had been exposed to that offered a couples division. Let me tell you, that is a whole separate challenge! When you compete as an individual, you have complete control over yourself and the condition you come in at. When you compete as a couple, its NOT just you and you have to trust in your partner to do his/her part.  Another challenge is with posing & routines. It seems as when its a good time for one partner to practice, its not a good time for another.

But!
We managed to pull it off with a win in the couples division!







 Of course one show a year is never enough and the Pittsburgh Championships was just a few weeks away so we geared back up for competition in Pitts.

 ((

At the 2001 Pittsburgh Championships, I placed third (second from left in photo).

First place went to Sarah Dunlap who is now an IFBB pro.

Bodybuilding wasn't all I was up to, I was working on my Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering Technology at Old Dominion University and working as a mechanical engineer for a conveyor belt company.

I had the opportunity to travel to Europe
for the first time on business.