W H O C O M P ET E D ?
Cora-Leigh Hutchins
My name Is C ora-Leigh H utchinson I am 4 1 years old and a mom , a bikini competitor with a career in sales . I have a long history of competing with some breaks in between . My first competition was in ���� and I trained with a bodybuilding pro , C harles K emp . I was working as a personal trainer at the same gym as him and asked him if he could help me train for a figure show . My daughter was only four years old at the time and I was a struggling single mom , working three different jobs and finishing my college degree at F lorida A tlantic University . There was nothing stopping me from getting ready for this show . It was the first time I went on a strict diet and I remember buying a Three Musketeers bar and keeping it on top of my refrigerator and once a week I would cut off a tiny piece to give me a little satisfaction . It sat up there for three months and I never even finished it .
My first competition was the Southern States in �ort Lauderdale and I placed second , ( there were only three competitors ) in the open short class . I was nervous , my posing was terrible , but I did it and I caught the bug to keep going . My next competition was in ���5 and I placed fifth . This time the class was bigger and the girls were incredible . I remember looking at their legs and seeing all the cuts in pure amazement . H owever , as I was training for this show , I noticed my body was not responding like the last show . I felt extremely tired and would lie in bed feeling my heart beat out of my chest . I knew something was wrong . I didn ’ t have health insurance and knew going to the doctor would be expensive , so I put it off until after the competition was over . It was then thatI was diagnosed with Grave ’ s disease . My choices were surgery or radioactive iodine to kill the tumor but also my thyroid gland . E ither way , I was losing my thyroid forever . I chose to take the radioactive iodine and had to stay away from my daughter for a few days so that I wouldn ’ t spread the radiation inside me to her . I had to be on medication for the rest of my life and run the risk of not being able to have more kids . The diagnosis and treatment put competing on hold , but I continued to train hard .
It took a year to adj ust to the thyroid medication and feel good again . D uring that time , I graduated from F A U and landed a career in pharmaceuticals . C ompeting was still on my mind , but my focus was on my new career . My manager at the time always pushed me and believed in me . I remember one day during a field ride he suggested that I compete again . With his encouragement , I started looking at doing the same competition I did in 2004 , only now it was 5 years later . There was a new bikini division I thought was perfect for me . I found a trainer at my gym , Trina Goosy , and she got me ready for the Southern States as a bikini competitor . She had so much knowledge on how to train for this , that I was so conditioned when I hit on stage . I placed second again and was thrilled . F rom 2009 -2011, I competed in several shows in the NP C . My last show was in C leveland at North A merican , where I won my class in Masters . It my last show for awhile again because I was in a relationship and every show ended in a fight or an ultimatum .
In 2015 I was single with the itch to compete again ! This time , I decide to try something new and researched the F itness Universe show in Miami . I reached out to a longtime friend , D avid Gandell , who worked these shows in the past . H e said that it would be an awesome opportunity . I entered and asked him be my coach . I fell in love with the organization . The shows are a class act and run so well - it was where I belonged . I came in second place after taking off four years and I was thrilled ! The next year , I was determined to come back and win and that dream came true . Not only did I win my class but I won the overall and became a P�� at the age of 4 0 ! It was a long j ourney to get to the pro level but I wouldn ’ t trade it for the world . I learned so many lessons over the years with challenges with my health , finances , relationships , but I ended up exactly where I was meant to be . I am successful in my career , found the love of my life that supports me in everything I do and my daughter is an honor roll student going off to college in the near future . Life is full of twists and turns , but one thing I have learned is that inner strength and determination will always
get me where I want to be .
taking theSTAGE
8 Natural Muscle Magazine March 2017