Team Universe '06 Final Report...Mission Accomplished!

"And in 2nd place, number 9 ......" When there were only two of us left standing and I was number 6, those were the best words in the world to hear. For the past 2 years I had stood on that same stage, in the same situation, and had my number called for runner up. This year however was different.

Winning my weight class at the Team Universe competition has been a major goal of mine for the past few years. Once I won the ANBC National Championship in 2002, I immediately set my sight on this title. Winning your weight class at the Team Universe contest (in my opinion) is the biggest, most prestigious thing a natural bodybuilder can do. It means that you have privilege of representing the United States at the World Amateur Championships.

I think this title was "extra sweet" for me this year for a few reasons. I had a hernia repair surgery this January that set me back, and then the show was moved ahead three weeks, giving me even less time to prepare. But they say everything happens for a reason and maybe it's true, because I truly believe that these initial "setbacks" were really a blessing in disguise. Having less time and more work to do than normal really forced me to increase my training intensity and basically get down to business with no messing around.

I started preparing this year with a clear goal to get in the best condition possible. I basically wanted to make the other competitors look soft compared to me. I knew I might not be the biggest in my class, but that didn't mean that I couldn't be the best. With the help and support of my training partners and family I truly believe I hit my all time best for conditioning and that's why I was able to place ahead of people who had beat me before.

It was without a dream come true and one of the greatest moments of my life.