Here is my interview I did with Jennifer Nicole Lee, just after the win at the Bodybuilding.com/Ironman Spokes Model Contest.
Official Blog of Allison Ethier
- Allison Ethier
- Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada
- Official blog of Allison Ethier NSCA Personal Trainer, ISSN Sport Nutrition, Educator & Mom
27 January 2009
I won the Bodybuilding.com Spokesmodel Contest!
(Dexter Jackson, Mr. Olympia)
Wow! What a weekend! This is not what I ever expected. I entered the contest simply for more face time to let Canada know I would like my IFBB Pro card in fitness - I guess I got what I asked for...and then some.
I won the 2009 Bodyspace Spokesmodel contest - I will be at the Bodybuilding.com booth for the Arnold Classic this year, and at the Olympia in September.
Quick recap of the week's events:
Wed - travelled to LA - met some of the BB.com staff, checked into hotel. I met one half of the contestants - Pete - from Toronto Canada. He was on my flight so it was easy to meet him. Nothing much happened the first day - I was so wiped from traveling and a 3 hour time change - ready to go to bed.
Thurs - Went early am to gym (5am PST is really 8am EST) so it was not early for me. Met DebraAnne - a mom of 2 children and entrepreneur - she has her own clothing line, we both chatted about the contest, what is expected of us, and well, worked out.
Went back to room, got ready for the photoshoot - with Michael Neveau. (how cool is that???)
During the photoshoot I met 3 other male contestants - Anthony - premed student goes to school in Pennsylvania, he was only 19 , so we called him 'kid' the whole weekend; then there was Chad - a personal trainer who was ripped - and this was basically his shape all the time - had a great story of triumph and overcoming obstacles through training and good nutrition, and lastly Peter - was in our group too. He was a 23 year old engineering student who is a champion eater.
I was thrilled to learn that Michael Neveux was shooting. I have loved his shots for sometime. It was great to meet him too - he is like a big teddy bear.
We also took turns interviewing each other for the video interviews on Bodybuilding.com - it was a lot of fun, and everyone did great work.
Pretty tired by the end of the day, so we headed back to the hotel. The other contestants (whom I did not meet yet) were all planning to go out at 10:30pm at night - a meet and greet - and well I skipped out on that as the time change, and getting my sleep was important. We had a 10am call time next day, so I wanted to make sure I was rested.
Fri - We all met at 10am - the remaining contestants were - Kim, a mom of 2, whose husband was kind enough to come along for the trip; Norma - another mom of 1; Jason - whom I have been talking to on Bodyspace since we found out we were finalists; Sean - a trainer; and lastly Paula - a trainer from Alaska.
We all were off to Universal Studios as we were going to be put in groups of 5 (one girl, one guy) with a laptop and get people to sign up their emails to become a bodyspace member. The judging was on our crowd interaction. Unfortunately, it was raining pretty hard, so we all (all 10 of us), stood under a section that had an overhang, and ambushed people to sign up their emails. We were only there for about an hour - as it was pretty cold, and wet - even for California.
After that we had the rest of the day off.
Debra did not arrive with a suit for the stage presentation so I hung with her in the afternoon. We did walk a lot but managed to find a suit. Do you know that a swimsuit is considered 'seasonal' in California - who would have thought? After shopping we were both pretty tired, and had an 8am call time on Saturday so headed home.
Sat - In the morning we all were working the Bodybuilding.com booth, it was busy but not as busy as an Arnold. It was more of a west coast style show - laid back, but the booth was really busy, compared to other booths.
At around 5pm we all went back to the hotel to get ready for the night show.
I had hired a makeup artist for the night - Liza Macwaili - who is amazing! I did my tan, and revamped my hair - competition style. Anyone who has even done a show knows that you go all out for stage, bigger the better, and well my hair felt big but pictures don't show that.
When we arrived at the show, we had about 5 mins to get the final preparations done. Mrs. JanTana herself did my oil - I was thrilled. Then we all waited to get on stage for out individual interviews with Bob Chicerillo and then posing.
The other 3 girls (Debra, Paula, Kim) went before me. Norma ended up being sick so she did not do the night show. Then I went last. I felt my interview went well. You can see it on the video coverage of the Ironman Pro - on Bodybuilding.com - it would be near the end of the show as we were close to the final pose down. We did our quarter turns, and then got off the stage for the guys to have their turn.
After the guys, all of us, went on stage for the announcement of the winners - they announced me, and I was very shocked. Each contestant was worthy of the title - but I am very proud to be apart of the Bodybuilding.com family for the Arnold and the Olympia (I have never been to the Olympia).
To celebrate - we all went out to IHOP - yes exciting isn't it? Went to bed at around 1am, as I had a 9am flight the next day with 12 hours of traveling.
I want to thank everyone who has voted, as I could not be here without you.
Thank you for putting up with all my emails, and taking the time to vote.
Here are some pictures from Bodybuilding.com
Here are some pictures of the weekend - I will put more on facebook.
(Paula, myself, Kim, Debra)
Jerome Ferguson - aka Mr. Hollywood
Me, Jason Phillips
Kim, me, Paula
Me, Debra
Wow! What a weekend! This is not what I ever expected. I entered the contest simply for more face time to let Canada know I would like my IFBB Pro card in fitness - I guess I got what I asked for...and then some.I won the 2009 Bodyspace Spokesmodel contest - I will be at the Bodybuilding.com booth for the Arnold Classic this year, and at the Olympia in September.
Quick recap of the week's events:
Wed - travelled to LA - met some of the BB.com staff, checked into hotel. I met one half of the contestants - Pete - from Toronto Canada. He was on my flight so it was easy to meet him. Nothing much happened the first day - I was so wiped from traveling and a 3 hour time change - ready to go to bed.
Thurs - Went early am to gym (5am PST is really 8am EST) so it was not early for me. Met DebraAnne - a mom of 2 children and entrepreneur - she has her own clothing line, we both chatted about the contest, what is expected of us, and well, worked out.
Went back to room, got ready for the photoshoot - with Michael Neveau. (how cool is that???)
During the photoshoot I met 3 other male contestants - Anthony - premed student goes to school in Pennsylvania, he was only 19 , so we called him 'kid' the whole weekend; then there was Chad - a personal trainer who was ripped - and this was basically his shape all the time - had a great story of triumph and overcoming obstacles through training and good nutrition, and lastly Peter - was in our group too. He was a 23 year old engineering student who is a champion eater.
I was thrilled to learn that Michael Neveux was shooting. I have loved his shots for sometime. It was great to meet him too - he is like a big teddy bear.
We also took turns interviewing each other for the video interviews on Bodybuilding.com - it was a lot of fun, and everyone did great work.
Pretty tired by the end of the day, so we headed back to the hotel. The other contestants (whom I did not meet yet) were all planning to go out at 10:30pm at night - a meet and greet - and well I skipped out on that as the time change, and getting my sleep was important. We had a 10am call time next day, so I wanted to make sure I was rested.
Fri - We all met at 10am - the remaining contestants were - Kim, a mom of 2, whose husband was kind enough to come along for the trip; Norma - another mom of 1; Jason - whom I have been talking to on Bodyspace since we found out we were finalists; Sean - a trainer; and lastly Paula - a trainer from Alaska.
We all were off to Universal Studios as we were going to be put in groups of 5 (one girl, one guy) with a laptop and get people to sign up their emails to become a bodyspace member. The judging was on our crowd interaction. Unfortunately, it was raining pretty hard, so we all (all 10 of us), stood under a section that had an overhang, and ambushed people to sign up their emails. We were only there for about an hour - as it was pretty cold, and wet - even for California.
After that we had the rest of the day off.
Debra did not arrive with a suit for the stage presentation so I hung with her in the afternoon. We did walk a lot but managed to find a suit. Do you know that a swimsuit is considered 'seasonal' in California - who would have thought? After shopping we were both pretty tired, and had an 8am call time on Saturday so headed home.
Sat - In the morning we all were working the Bodybuilding.com booth, it was busy but not as busy as an Arnold. It was more of a west coast style show - laid back, but the booth was really busy, compared to other booths.
At around 5pm we all went back to the hotel to get ready for the night show.
I had hired a makeup artist for the night - Liza Macwaili - who is amazing! I did my tan, and revamped my hair - competition style. Anyone who has even done a show knows that you go all out for stage, bigger the better, and well my hair felt big but pictures don't show that.
When we arrived at the show, we had about 5 mins to get the final preparations done. Mrs. JanTana herself did my oil - I was thrilled. Then we all waited to get on stage for out individual interviews with Bob Chicerillo and then posing.
The other 3 girls (Debra, Paula, Kim) went before me. Norma ended up being sick so she did not do the night show. Then I went last. I felt my interview went well. You can see it on the video coverage of the Ironman Pro - on Bodybuilding.com - it would be near the end of the show as we were close to the final pose down. We did our quarter turns, and then got off the stage for the guys to have their turn.
After the guys, all of us, went on stage for the announcement of the winners - they announced me, and I was very shocked. Each contestant was worthy of the title - but I am very proud to be apart of the Bodybuilding.com family for the Arnold and the Olympia (I have never been to the Olympia).
To celebrate - we all went out to IHOP - yes exciting isn't it? Went to bed at around 1am, as I had a 9am flight the next day with 12 hours of traveling.
I want to thank everyone who has voted, as I could not be here without you.
Thank you for putting up with all my emails, and taking the time to vote.
Here are some pictures from Bodybuilding.com
Here are some pictures of the weekend - I will put more on facebook.
(Paula, myself, Kim, Debra)
Jerome Ferguson - aka Mr. Hollywood
Me, Jason Phillips
Kim, me, Paula
Me, Debra
23 January 2009
Bodybuilding.com Voting - I need your votes!
Hey Everyone-
The last round of voting has begun - I need your votes!
Click here. Scroll down and vote. There are pics of photoshoot with Michael Niveau, and video interview that I did with Furious Pete - who is a champion eater.
On Saturday night is the final show - at the Ironman Pro show. It starts at 9pm PST! I hope you are all watching and you can vote then as well.
Here is the link for the webcast.
Talk to you all soon,
A.
The last round of voting has begun - I need your votes!
Click here. Scroll down and vote. There are pics of photoshoot with Michael Niveau, and video interview that I did with Furious Pete - who is a champion eater.
On Saturday night is the final show - at the Ironman Pro show. It starts at 9pm PST! I hope you are all watching and you can vote then as well.
Here is the link for the webcast.
Talk to you all soon,
A.
17 January 2009
LA here I come!
Hi Everyone-
It has been a while since I posted last. Mostly that is due to the start of the school year, and well not much happening in fitness since then. It was my off season, a time to allow my body to get back to its natural set point. I know I am back to 'normal' when I :
1. don't feel the urge to binge eat
2. don't gain any more weight
My set point is around 130lbs. Anymore than that and I start to feel aches and pains in my joints, and lower back. I train much heavier than I had in the past, so perhaps this type of workout (which I tended to stay away from), keeps me leaner in the off season. Lesson learned - don't fear the weights!
My regular day time job continues to be a source of stress in my life; however my 'new attitude' that I am trying on seems to curb many negative thoughts on these 'changes'. I am a high school math teacher, and there has been an overhaul in the Education system where I live over the past 10 years. Over the last 2 years the changes have been implemented with the current level of students that I teach - that is - grade 9, and 10. The changes are not easy to understand, and by rehashing all that is 'the reform', I don't feel that this would be the best place to do that. However, I will say that I am handling the changes much better this year; enjoy my students much more; feel that I am teaching better; and like going to work every day. I only work 50% this year, as all those changes were affecting my family life - so I was able to cut back. So glad I did.
With that being said, the other half of my day is spent on fitness stuff. I do go to the gym in the morning - I love everything about the gym, the clanging of the weights, the sweaty guys grunting, the smell of the rubber floor....everything. I like being there. I am sure if my job was to be in the gym all the time I would not love it so much. Maybe it is the fact that I don't have to be there, that I love it so much. I mean I compete, so going to the gym is apart of that.
But eventually, not sure when, I will start to train people. I am NSCA-CPT certified, so I might as well put it to good use, eh? Maybe I am a bit scared to train people. All these folks around me seem to know there stuff, and well, I feel a bit behind on the 'why' of things. I can tell them 'how', but not always 'why'. And that is the part that I need to be able to explain to folk I train - the why. I am a teacher, so the 'why' is important. I am starting with my hubby, and a few friends, and will train them. That way I can get some courage to offer my services, to you out there, who so often request it. I am just not ready yet to charge someone for a service, and not be able to provide a quality service.
For now, someone is providing me a good quality training service - Erik Ledin of LeanBodiesConsulting (Shameless plug)
On to the fitness news - good news! I am off to Los Angeles next week for the Ironman/Bodybuilding.com Spokesmodel search - can you believe it?
Here is the story - I saw that bodybuilding.com was putting on a model search - the winner would receive a possible cover on Ironman magazine, and be at the Bodybuilding.com booth for the Arnold and Olympia. I thought this to be very cool, so I entered. The amount of people who view your bodyspace profile online gave you votes.
Allison Ethier's Bodyspace Profile
Round 2 was my first round. I did not end up being a finalists. So I thought to myself - how am I am going to get to the finals? I sent out more emails in one day than I had ever, hoping that everyone would view my profile and thus get me to be a finalist. To my surprise I was a finalist.
So there was 15 girls, and 15 guys by the end of the 3 round. To move on to the 4th and 5th rounds (in LA with travel provided by BB.com), you had to be selected by their team to move on. I was numb when I found out I was selected. I actually found out in Siouxcountry.com that I was a finalist. Too cool. I was shaking.
Luckily - all worked out on my end that I would be able to attend this event. All the finalists - women who were selected will be attending. You can see a list of the finalists here -
Bodybuilding.com Finalists
So this Wed I am leaving for LA and am vying for that top spot. I would never discount any of my competitors as we all have an equal chance of being chose - 1 in 5. I am very honour, and humbled to be apart of this. I will make the most of this trip as many have changed their personal and work scheduled to accommodate mine. Thank you.
Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I appreciate all your support and persistence in voting. Thank you so much.
The Ironman was an unexpected event that I will be attending, however, I am in full preparation for the Arnold Amateur - cannot wait to be on stage again. I am 46 days to the Arnold. Although I am not peaking for the Ironman, I will be ready for the Arnold
Here are some pics of January 7nd:
From my perspective, I have put on some size in the off season. Now I just have to lean out. 46 more days to the Arnold....
I will update after the Ironman show, post some more progress pictures, and talk a bit more about my training/diet. For now, I want to leave you with one more image - my son - Zachary, running his truck in my posing session.
He is 2.5 now, very verbal, independent, and funny. He laughs at his own jokes.
It has been a while since I posted last. Mostly that is due to the start of the school year, and well not much happening in fitness since then. It was my off season, a time to allow my body to get back to its natural set point. I know I am back to 'normal' when I :
1. don't feel the urge to binge eat
2. don't gain any more weight
My set point is around 130lbs. Anymore than that and I start to feel aches and pains in my joints, and lower back. I train much heavier than I had in the past, so perhaps this type of workout (which I tended to stay away from), keeps me leaner in the off season. Lesson learned - don't fear the weights!
My regular day time job continues to be a source of stress in my life; however my 'new attitude' that I am trying on seems to curb many negative thoughts on these 'changes'. I am a high school math teacher, and there has been an overhaul in the Education system where I live over the past 10 years. Over the last 2 years the changes have been implemented with the current level of students that I teach - that is - grade 9, and 10. The changes are not easy to understand, and by rehashing all that is 'the reform', I don't feel that this would be the best place to do that. However, I will say that I am handling the changes much better this year; enjoy my students much more; feel that I am teaching better; and like going to work every day. I only work 50% this year, as all those changes were affecting my family life - so I was able to cut back. So glad I did.
With that being said, the other half of my day is spent on fitness stuff. I do go to the gym in the morning - I love everything about the gym, the clanging of the weights, the sweaty guys grunting, the smell of the rubber floor....everything. I like being there. I am sure if my job was to be in the gym all the time I would not love it so much. Maybe it is the fact that I don't have to be there, that I love it so much. I mean I compete, so going to the gym is apart of that.
But eventually, not sure when, I will start to train people. I am NSCA-CPT certified, so I might as well put it to good use, eh? Maybe I am a bit scared to train people. All these folks around me seem to know there stuff, and well, I feel a bit behind on the 'why' of things. I can tell them 'how', but not always 'why'. And that is the part that I need to be able to explain to folk I train - the why. I am a teacher, so the 'why' is important. I am starting with my hubby, and a few friends, and will train them. That way I can get some courage to offer my services, to you out there, who so often request it. I am just not ready yet to charge someone for a service, and not be able to provide a quality service.
For now, someone is providing me a good quality training service - Erik Ledin of LeanBodiesConsulting (Shameless plug)
On to the fitness news - good news! I am off to Los Angeles next week for the Ironman/Bodybuilding.com Spokesmodel search - can you believe it?
Here is the story - I saw that bodybuilding.com was putting on a model search - the winner would receive a possible cover on Ironman magazine, and be at the Bodybuilding.com booth for the Arnold and Olympia. I thought this to be very cool, so I entered. The amount of people who view your bodyspace profile online gave you votes.
Allison Ethier's Bodyspace Profile
Round 2 was my first round. I did not end up being a finalists. So I thought to myself - how am I am going to get to the finals? I sent out more emails in one day than I had ever, hoping that everyone would view my profile and thus get me to be a finalist. To my surprise I was a finalist.
So there was 15 girls, and 15 guys by the end of the 3 round. To move on to the 4th and 5th rounds (in LA with travel provided by BB.com), you had to be selected by their team to move on. I was numb when I found out I was selected. I actually found out in Siouxcountry.com that I was a finalist. Too cool. I was shaking.
Luckily - all worked out on my end that I would be able to attend this event. All the finalists - women who were selected will be attending. You can see a list of the finalists here -
Bodybuilding.com Finalists
So this Wed I am leaving for LA and am vying for that top spot. I would never discount any of my competitors as we all have an equal chance of being chose - 1 in 5. I am very honour, and humbled to be apart of this. I will make the most of this trip as many have changed their personal and work scheduled to accommodate mine. Thank you.
Thank you to everyone who voted for me. I appreciate all your support and persistence in voting. Thank you so much.
The Ironman was an unexpected event that I will be attending, however, I am in full preparation for the Arnold Amateur - cannot wait to be on stage again. I am 46 days to the Arnold. Although I am not peaking for the Ironman, I will be ready for the Arnold
Here are some pics of January 7nd:
From my perspective, I have put on some size in the off season. Now I just have to lean out. 46 more days to the Arnold....
I will update after the Ironman show, post some more progress pictures, and talk a bit more about my training/diet. For now, I want to leave you with one more image - my son - Zachary, running his truck in my posing session.
He is 2.5 now, very verbal, independent, and funny. He laughs at his own jokes.
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