Members of the Com-petitors' Club at Coast of Sunshine Fitness in Gibsons are taking things to the next level.
Earlier this year, Coast Reporter introduced readers to this new club at the fitness facility in Gibsons.
The Competitors' Club is starting to take off, with a core group training together every week.
Katie Duncan was one of the members Coast Reporter had profiled.
Duncan competed in her first body building competition late last year and is gearing up for her next challenge -the B.C. provincial finals set for Aug. 19 in North Vancouver.
"I'm hoping to do well, but on the other hand, I'm terrified too," Duncan said. "Every morning when the alarm goes off at 4:15 a.m. I want to turn over and snooze for another couple hours like most people, but I know that I need to work even harder right now to reach my goal."
Working with Charlene SanJenko, Duncan has seen her confidence levels grow and has seen her body take on a shape she only dreamed about.
"The first show gave me a chance to get my feet wet and see what the sport is all about," said Duncan. "I saw what I did right and what I did wrong and those are the things I've been working on with Charlene. None of this happens overnight. You have to work hard to see the results. I want to go to North Vancouver and compete and see how I stack up against the best in the province."
Duncan's drive, desire and enthusiasm are rubbing off on the other members in the Club.
Carol Skytte, Dawna Jones, Reesa Rutherford and Ainsley Krone will be competing Sept. 9 at a show in Nanaimo in the figure division.
It will be the first time any of them have competed. All of them say they are looking forward to the opportunity."For me, I got hooked when I first saw Katie compete," said Skytte. "We've all been training together, pushing each other and encouraging each other. It's just such a great group."
Each of the women has seen changes in herself and also in the lives of her loved ones.
"My kids' food choices have changed. We're a much more active and healthy family now," said Rutherford.
"The positive influence I've had on my 14-year-old daughter is really gratifying for me," added Jones."Beautiful doesn't mean skinny. It's about having that inner strength and feeling fit and healthy," Krone said. "We're all going through this experience together and I think that's helped a lot."
SanJenko is proud of all the women and is looking forward to seeing everyone compete. "I think the other girls saw Katie and what she did and realized they could do it too," added SanJenko. "This program actually has very little to do with muscles. It's more about building women's self-esteem, self-confidence and self-acceptance of their own bodies and their limitless potential. We certainly want to spread the word and grow the group up and down the Coast."
