A
Champion Body Builder
Sarnia's Maria Mikola places first at competition held in Stratford.
- by Jim Miller of The Observer - May 12, 2001
Maria Mikola's debut in body building was
far from perfect. Held "somewhere in Michigan", she was
trained by a man who had her pose like a guy. Her bathing suit arrived
late and it barely fit.
I joined a gym and was soon told 'you're going in a competition'.
I probably wasn't ready. I cheated a bit (on dieting). I came back
to Sarnia the weekend before for the SCITS 75th Anniversary. Overall
it wasn't a very good experience."
Although disastrous, she placed third. It was the start of something
good. As a resident of Michigan at the time, she went in six other
bodybuilding shows winning four of them and placing in the other two.
Bodybuilding rules allow an amateur to compete only in the country
where they reside. Now back in her hometown of Sarnia, she returned
to the bodybuilding stage for the Festival City Bodybuilding Championships
in Stratford and took over where she left off -- in the winner's circle.
The Ironworks Gym member captured three championship trophies winning
her weight class, top poser and outstanding female of the meet. |
[ Observer Photo by Nora Penhale ]
Maria Mikola of Sarnia recently captured three first-place finishes
at the Festival City Bodybuilding Championships in Stratford. It
marked her debut in Canadian competition for this 33-year-old gymnastics
instructor. |
"It
felt good to win," said the 33-year-old. "I was nervous
because a lot of people from here (Ironworks) came up to watch me.
During the prejudging there weren't a lot of others in my weight
category so I felt I had a pretty good chance of doing well."
In bodybuilding, the winner is declared during the prejudging but
not announced until the evening when participants give a 90 second
demonstration for the crowd. Mikola' routine is set to the songs
"Cyrus" by the Allan Parsons Project and "She's A
Beauty' by The Tubes.
In competition, she's unrecognizable. The week leading up to the
event she tones her body down to where it's perfect for competition.
Her hairstyle is a carbon copy of Barbara Eden in 'I Dream of Jeannie'.
I'm actually pretty shy. It's strange because I can go out and entertain
people. I look at this as an art-form. I'm expressing myself through
bodybuilding. It's like art. I'm sculpturing my body. I'm also able
to use some of my training as a gymnast during the routine."
Mikola has been involved with the sport since 1995 starting contests
in 1997. She trains eight hours a week and concentrates on her diet
with high protein and low carbohydrates.
"I've won a lot of trophies. They're all in my small, little
apartment," she said.
Since returning to Sarnia in the summer of 2000 she's worked with
both Cam Davies and Chuck Lutz. She also acknowledges great support
from the Ironworks membership.
"I hope to go as far as I can in this sport over the period
of about a year," she said. "In bodybuilding, a Master
is considered to be 35 and I'm 33."
Mikola has debated turning pro which would allow her access to contests
on both sides of the border. However she doesn't like the high pressure
and bizarre dieting practices which go with the pro game.
She'll return to active competition on May 26 in Mississauga.
In addition to winning on the bodybuilding circuit, she's also done
well on the bench press circuit, winning the Give the Kids a Lift
competition at Ironworks for two straight years. This year she was
the top female with a bench press of 180 pounds.
Mikola is employed as the head instructor at the Bluewater Gymnastics
Club. She also works part-time as a personal trainer.
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