October 1, 2008

Three Years Later

In August of 2005, I started coaching Natalie Waples for competitive figure. My goal at the time was simply to get her into good-enough shape to do quite well in a competition. Frankly, a top-three finish would have been fine. Natalie’s ambition was more modest – she simply wanted to "fit in" with the other women when she got on the stage.

However, we had far greater success than we expected. In just three months, Natalie won regional events in eastern and western Ontario, something that really surprised us, given our initial goals. That was a signal to both of us that she might well have a promising future in figure, at least in the amateur ranks. All of this is described in a series of articles I wrote in our "Detail" section called "Natalie Waples: A Two-Time Figure Champion in Just Three Months." The five articles explain the training, diet, and posing and presentation methods we used at that time.

Since then, Natalie has achieved much more. In 2006, she went on to become a provincial champion; in 2007, she became a national champion; and in the early part of 2008, she became an international champion by winning her class at the Arnold Amateur IFBB International Championships. Then, in June of 2008, Natalie became our first-ever SAF Elite Champion. Most recently, just three years from when we began, Natalie won her class and then took the runner-up spot among the other class winners at the 2008 IFBB North American Championships held in Cleveland, Ohio. That accomplishment in Cleveland earned her an IFBB Pro Card. For Natalie, the girl who simply wanted to "fit in," it was a dream come true.

In many ways, it was just as exciting for me too. When I started training Natalie, I wanted to prove that a woman could use sensible, well-established training methods along with commonsense dietary principles in order to compete successfully in figure. I also wanted to prove that it could all be accomplished naturally – in other words, drug-free. Natalie has never used any drugs (and never will), and her accomplishments far exceeded what I could ever have imagined. To-date, she’s my number one role model to demonstrate what can be achieved when you set out to accomplish certain goals and go about it in the right way.

So, where do we go from here? For Natalie, the next step is to enter the professional ranks. This is also true of Chantal Dicaire, a Quebec-based fitness competitor whom I’ve coached since 2002. Chantal is a five-time national-level champion who also attained pro status this year through her win at the 2008 CBBF Canadian Fitness Championships that were held in early August. The way it’s looking now, both women will make their pro debuts in early 2009.

As for myself, I will continue to coach both women in the pro rank ranks. They’ve accomplished a lot as amateurs, and I believe they can achieve even more as professionals. I’ll do everything in my power to help them succeed as they move up the ladder.

I will also continue to coach a select group of women in the amateur ranks, although I’ll probably shift my focus slightly. I had always wanted to take someone from the amateur level to the pro ranks, and in 2008 with Natalie and Chantal, I achieved that goal twice. Therefore, I’ll more than likely focus on something a little different with the women I help from now on. I’ll tell you more about it in the months to come.

I’ll also be focusing even more on the SAF Model Search events because they have such a positive impact on many women, not just the few whom I help directly. Our next competition will be held on November 1 in Ottawa, Canada: the Fall 2008 SAF Model Search. I’m looking forward to seeing who the top-three Fitness Model and Figure Model winners will be because they are the ones who will join our SAF Elite team. Along with the small group of women whom I coach, the SAF Elite team will also get quite a bit of my attention.

Three years have passed since I started coaching Natalie Waples and I’m certainly proud of what we have accomplished in that time. However, I don’t want to rest on previous success and victories. Instead, what interests me now is not so much what happened in the past, but what’s in store for the future. Look for more great things to come and, more than likely, more great accomplishments to write about.

. . . Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com

Doug Schneide, Natalie Waples and Chantal Dicaire will all be at the Fall '08 SAF Model Search in Ottawa, Canada. To learn more about this event, visit www.SAFModelSearch.com.