BY OLIVIA MCQUIRE
HOW MY JOURNEY TO BODYBUILDING BEGAN
BY OLIVIA MCQUIRE
In 2005 , I had the incredible pleasure of meeting Jim Morris at the OPA Mississauga Regionals in May .
I attended the event as a spectator with tickets a friend gave me . I had never been to a bodybuilding show or knew anything about bodybuilding . Much to my surprise I thoroughly enjoyed the show , in particular the Figure Master category . I found the physiques on stage spectacular .
During intermission , I approached Jim and introduced myself . I asked him how one gets stage ready to compete . He told me to first hire a reputable trainer and gave me two names . I reached out to one of them , not intending to compete , just to get in better shape and learn about bodybuilding . I started training with a trainer in May of 2005 . Jim kept in touch with me , full of inspiration and encouragement . He suggested I prepare for a show or have that goal and mindset to stay disciplined and dedicated to my nutritional and training plans . I quickly started to see my composition improve , I was 42 years old . As the months went by , I started to embrace and love this new lifestyle . My energy increased substantially and I felt an unstoppable desire to reach new heights in my health and wellness .
Jim suggested I compete at the OPA Brantford Regional event being held in October of 2005 . I suggested this to my trainer and she agreed that we could work our way towards that show . I was very reluctant , however , with Jim as a fully supportive system , I decided to compete at that show . I didn ’ t tell anyone except my daughter who was 12 years old at the time and who was not on side at the time . She has since become my Number One fan . I finally convinced her to come with me , with a lot of bribing . I did have the fear of going on stage in a two-piece posing suit in front of many people and I also thought the other competitors would not be supportive and highly competitive .
The show day approached and I was very close to backing out , however , Jim and my trainer strongly encouraged me to do the show . Back in 2005 in the Figure Division , there were 3 rounds , 1 piece , 2-piece black and 2-piece show suits . I met other competitors who were very friendly , helpful & motivating . This made me feel more comfortable and less nervous .
I placed 8th place out of a very large group and it was at that moment I realized how much I truly loved competing and caught the competitive bug . I ’ ve continued to compete . I ’ ve competed in 37 shows throughout North America with several federations . I ’ m 61 years old and I ’ m currently preparing for my next show in 2025 . For the past two years , I ’ ve had the honour & privilege to compete at the highest level of Natural Bodybuilding - the Ben Weider Naturals .
I often think about Jim Morris . I ' m grateful to have known him , he set me on my way to this incredible path and journey , which truly changed my life for the better . He was very instrumental in my life as it is today . I ’ m truly blessed and thankful to have had him as a mentor and friend .
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