| People October 1, 2008
|
Natalie onstage at the
2008 IFBB North American Championships.
(Photo August 2008 by Doug Schneider) |
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Natalie Waples on Winning at the
North Americans
Natalie Waples shot up the competitive figure ranks and
attained more titles faster than any other Canadian competitor ever has. I know firsthand
because I’ve been her coach for the entire time.
Natalie started focusing on figure in 2005 and won three
titles with only three months of preparation. In 2006 and 2007, she won provincial- and
national-level titles. The 2008 season has been her best yet. First she won her class at
the Arnold Amateur IFBB International Figure Championships in March, and then she won her
class, and was the runner-up for the overall title, at the IFBB North American
Championships in August. That win at the North Americans earned her an IFBB Pro Card. She
plans to make her pro debut in 2009.
While I know Natalie’s story as well as anyone, even I
don’t know exactly what this most recent win at the North Americans meant to her. So
I sat down with Natalie just a few days after her win to learn how she felt about this
most recent victory, and I’d like to share her thoughts with our readers. Here is
what she had to say:
Doug Schneider: We started working
together in August 2005. Now, just three years later, you've earned an IFBB Pro Card. Did
you expect any of this?
Natalie Waples: Well, I am certainly
a self-professed "planner" and was hoping to achieve IFBB professional status
one day, but to have done this less than three years after I first stepped foot on a
figure stage is more than I could have ever imagined. I am ecstatic and have already
started planning my professional career/aspirations.
DS: At what point during the North
Americans did you feel that you might actually win?
NW: I knew I had done well in my
height class when the judges had me in the first callout. They put me towards the
middle of the group for both of the prejudging rounds. However, I was not sure of my
placing. I could have been first, second, or third. I was also in the same class as a
competitor who had beaten me by one placing the year before. Therefore, I was uncertain.
After they announced my name as the winner of my
height class I was elated, but had to quickly pull myself together for the overall judging
that involved all six of the height-class winners. From this judging, two IFBB Pro cards
were to be awarded.
DS: During the overall judging, you all
did your quarter turns and the head judge asked you all to stand to the side. There was
almost a minute between the time you got there and when the winners were announced. What
was going through your head during that time?
NW: It was the longest set of turns I
had ever been through during a single callout. When they completed their judging and had
us stand on the side of the stage to announce the winners, I did not feel that I had a
chance as the other competitors were all superb athletes and looked fantastic.
DS: When your name was announced as the
first runner-up and you were told that you would receive an IFBB Pro Card, how did you
feel?
NW: When they announced my number, I
literally teetered in my heels, composed myself, and just walked to the middle of the
stage with a beaming smile on my face. It was so unexpected, and being a dream of
mine, the realization of it was overwhelming. I just kept thinking "I cannot believe
this is happening!"
DS: Georgina Valenzuela of Mexico won
the overall title and, obviously, also received an IFBB Pro Card. Did you have a chance to
talk with her following the event?
NW: I congratulated Georgina
backstage, which was actually difficult to do as she was surrounded by her Mexican
teammates in celebration. But I congratulated her and let her know she was a very
deserving winner. She’s a beautiful woman with a great physique. We also took some
photos together with Mr. Jim Manion, president of the IFBB Pro League and the NPC. I
look forward to seeing her again this year on the pro circuit.
DS: At the beginning of your figure
career, you had a goal to simply "fit in." Now you're one of the top competitors
in North America. What kind of advice can you give someone who might be brand new to the
sport, a little shy, but would like to get ahead?
NW: For aspiring fitness or figure
competitors, I believe the formula is simple for getting started: Choose a goal (such as
your first show), select a trainer or workout partner if you need someone to push/motivate
you through your training, and create a nutritional plan and timeline for getting
yourself into contest shape. The online resources available to athletes these days
are never ending, and there are countless forums that can be used to find other athletes
with similar training goals.
I began this journey with the goal of one day looking like
a figure competitor and holding my own on the competitive stage. Looking up to beautiful,
strong figure athletes such as Nina Luchka, who is also a pro figure competitor, gave me
the motivation to find the right support network (a coach who's also my nutritionist and
trainer, others who encourage me) and to pursue a focused training program, without the
use of drugs or other quick fixes. I also learned to appreciate my body for its
capabilities, while simultaneously learning my limits and consistently being disciplined.
Goal setting is something I believe in very strongly, and if an athlete's goal is to get
up there on that stage, I commend them for the hard work, discipline, time and dedication
it takes.
I have made so many wonderful friends in this industry, and
I only hope that I can bring as much awareness to this wonderful sport as other athletes
have done for me, and help women in realizing their fitness goals along the way.
DS: Thanks, Natalie.
. . . Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com |
