| People October 1, 2006
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Deanne's just 22 years
old and is already competing in figure at the national level in Canada. She has a
positive, healthy, and athletic appearance that can help inspire others to succeed as
well.
(Photo Aug. 2006 by Doug Schneider) |
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Meet Deanne Ortman – Our Newest
Girl of SAF
At the recent CBBF Canadian Figure Championships in
Edmonton, a number of people came up to me to tell me about this "dark-haired
competitor in the Medium height class" that I should watch out for, since they knew
that SeriousAboutFitness.com is always on the lookout for fitness-type models with an
attractive, healthy, and positive image. No one who told me about her actually knew her
name, but they certainly liked the way she looked.
Little did they know that I’d already seen and spoken
to her on the previous day, and I knew right off the bat that she’d be an excellent
candidate for our GirlsofSAF.com site. She is 22-year-old Deanne Ortman, and she has been
competing in figure for only two years. In fact, she may have been the youngest competitor
in Edmonton, and I suspect people noticed her not for how she did in the competition that
day – she didn’t even crack the top five in Edmonton – but, rather, for her
distinctive appearance and finely toned physique.
Deanne was born in Humboldt, a small town in Saskatchewan,
but when I spoke to her in Edmonton she was living in Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan.
Now, though, she has moved to Halifax to further her education – she is in the
"applied human nutrition" degree program at Mount St. Vincent University.
Obviously, Deanne’s rise to the national stage seems
swift but, in reality, it didn’t happen overnight. Deanne was quite active when she
was young and, like many, it took her a while to find her way, which she talks about quite
candidly. "I have always been an active person," she says. "However, I have
had my ups and downs like everyone else. In high school, I played every sport imaginable
(volleyball, basketball, fastball, track and field, etc.), and I experimented with weight
training back then, but due to lack of knowledge, I never took it too seriously. Also due
to lack of knowledge, I did a great deal of yo-yo dieting. After numerous failures to
achieve my ‘ideal’ weight (i.e., constantly fluctuating), I decided to
start educating myself about proper nutrition and weight training. If I only knew then
what I know now, I would have saved myself years of turmoil, as would many other women if
they would realize earlier on that a diet of severe calorie cutting is not something that
you can maintain. Adopting a healthy lifestyle of proper nutrition and exercise is the only
way to achieve your fitness goals. Furthermore, a secret I have learned about achieving my
own fitness goals is that there is no secret. It takes hard work and discipline to get
what you want. From my own personal experience, there is nothing more rewarding or
satisfying."
Finding that balance in her life and realizing that a
combination of diet and exercise could give her the physique she wanted led Deanne to take
weight-training more seriously. After that happened, she started to consider competing.
Deanne explains, "As I started to get more and more serious about weight training, I
decided to take my training to the next level. I have now been competing in figure for two
years and I can honestly say I am in love with the sport. I find it so motivating to be
surrounded by other competitors who have the same drive and motivation that I do. I admit
that this sport can be trying at times, as there is only one winner and everyone feels
that they are deserving, but I have altered my views about competing since I first
started. I used to get extremely upset when I would not do as well as I wanted to, but I
now realize that I should be proud of myself regardless of the outcome. It takes true
dedication and discipline to compete, and not everyone has what it takes to push
themselves the way competitors do."
It's apparent that Deanne has learned quite a bit in a
relatively short time, and that’s helped take her to the national level; however, she
hasn’t stopped learning. In fact, learning is a priority for her and she sees the
degree program she’s in as helping her move forward not just in figure competitions,
but in a future career as well. Deanne says, "[I want to] further my knowledge in the
health-and-fitness industry. Over the years I have become more and more interested in this
field and I am truly ecstatic that I will one day be able to pass my knowledge about
proper nutrition on to others. I strongly believe that something needs to be done to
better educate individuals about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Lack of knowledge,
I feel, is the biggest reason that our country has an obesity epidemic on its hands and it
is my goal to be a positive influence on this issue."
As I mentioned, when I met Deanne I knew right off that
she’d be a great role model on our sites, but it wasn’t just because of her
appearance. Deanne obviously has a good head on her shoulders and possesses the proper
attitude toward weight training, nutrition, and competing that can help inspire others.
Furthermore, in talking candidly with her I also learned
that although she’s serious about competing, she’s staunchly against the use of
dangerous drugs to forward the appearance of her physique, which I think is a strong and
positive message to send to other women who are thinking about competing but know the bad
reputation that physique-type contests have. As a matter of fact, one month after the
Edmonton show, Deanne competed in the CBBF National World Qualifier in Toronto, which is a
drug-tested event. This time Deanne did make the top five, and she was obviously
happy with that result.
So, what’s in store for Deanne’s future?
Obviously, her education is a priority, but she’s planning to compete again next year
and would like one day to attain pro status. She’d also like to continue on with
fitness-type modeling, something that’s she’s obviously well-suited for, based
on what I’ve seen so far. And, no doubt, given her age, talent, beauty and ambition,
there will likely be more in store for her.
So, while this is probably the first you’ve heard of
Deanne Ortman, we’re certain that it won’t be the last. This small-town girl can
make it to the big time and we're certain you're going to be hearing much more from her.
...Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com |
