BIOGRAPHY

Growing up as an athlete in an athletic family, I started ballet and tap dancing when I was only four years old, and gymnastics at age seven. I also ran track (100 and 200 meters and long jump), going to the AAU Regionals at age 12, and competed in the Empire State Games in diving when I was 13.

Though actually a better diver than gymnast, gymnastics was my passion. At age 15, already focused on going to college on a gymnastics scholarship, I moved two hours from home to live with my coach and go to a great school. It was a tremendous experience.

I did very well competing while in high school, but the demands of the sport put a strain on my body: in three years I tore my hamstring, tore the ACL in my knee, and broke my arm. But with aggressive rehab and perseverance I was able to recover and earn a scholarship to Radford.

In college, I made the best of friends and had the time of my life competing. Plagued with injuries again, I had surgery to mend my broken arm, but still worked out every day- running, stair machines, weights, gymnastics- while wearing a full arm cast!

At the end of my freshman year I returned to competition. Radford was invited to the NIT where I placed on balance beam and received All-American honors. During my sophomore year, I injured my right knee again, had orthroscopic surgery first, then another ACL reconstructive. I redshirted my junior year. In my senior year I reinjured my knee again, so I was given a medical scholarship and became the team's Assistant Coach and strength and conditioning coach, while also interning at Virginia Tech's Weight Club. About this time I saw a fitness competition on television, and with encouragement and support from the people at my gym, I decided that this was something I wanted to do.

Graduating Radford with a B.S. in Exercise Science and a minor in Psychology, I enrolled as a graduate student in nutrition and exercise physiology at Illinois State. That year I placed fifth in my first fitness competition and learned what I needed to do to improve.

After graduating Illinois State with a Masters of Science degree in Exercise Physiology, I accepted an Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach position at the U.S. Naval Academy- the first female ever to hold that position. The environment and athletes were unbelievably wonderful. Opportunities continued to present themselves and in 1998 I became a Strength and Conditioning Coordinator for the University of Florida Gators women's athletic teams.

In the summer of 2000, I won the Mid-Florida Muscle Classic, the Jan Tana overall, and my height class at USA Nationals. Winning at the Nationals gave me professional status, and I was ecstatic that I had earned my pro card so quickly.

In 2001 tennis season I was called upon to be Monica Seles' performance coach, handling everything from her nutrition to fitness training on the road and at home. As you can imagine, the experience was phenomenal!

Finding an opportunity, I became the Director of Strength and Conditioning at the National Cathedral School in Washington, DC, and began to train at Gold's Gym in Arlington, VA. My current goal is to continue doing my best in my fitness careers.