One Happy Coach

Last weekend was one to remember, and not because of any of my accomplishments. Saturday was spent at the Wisconsin Natural Bodybuilding and Figure Championships. My dream came true last year when a few other girls expressed interest in doing some of the fitness and figure contests alongside me. In 2008 we have about 15 girls training as Team Supreme Figure and Fitness. We are a branch of Cathy Savage Fitness, and follow her coaching very closely. I just want to take a moment to highlight each of the amazing girls who competed last weekend:

Amber Krasemann is one of those girls we all aspire to be. When she sets her mind on something, she not only gets it done, but she gets it done perfectlly. I mean look at her (far left)… her hair is perfect (she did it herself), her make up is perfect (also done alone), and did you notice the body? On top of all that, she is an amazing listener. I’ve bombarded her so many times with my life issues, and she is so good about talking through them. But best of all… SHE WENT TO HANSON WITH ME! Now that folks, is a true friend.

Next is Julia Wold. I just met Julia this year, but attended high school with her younger sister Vicki. I knew that if Julia was anything like her sister, she would be a blast! Julia trained very hard for this contest, and went at it like a pro. She most definitely deserved higher than third place.

Michelle Marten, another one of my partners in crime. I first met Michelle when she joined Supreme and I gave her a free personal training session. I immediately knew she was going to be a fitness icon. She started teaching a few group exercise classes, and now she is all over our schedule! She is an amazing mother, and is just as beautiful inside as out.

I’ve known Becky Jalbert for several years through our work at Supreme. Although not a mother yet, she completely reminds me of Michelle. She is another strong, motivating, and hard working person. She ALWAYS has a smile on her face, and looks at everything in life with a positive attitude. And that hot body of hers gave her two first place trophies! Heck yeah Becky!

Jenny Quinn should be an entire blog entry herself. She is yet another amazing group exercise instructor with a huge following at Supreme. Just two weeks ago, she lost her sister in a car crash. We all assumed she would disappear for awhile and give up on the show. But less than a week after the accident, she showed up at the gym determined to compete in honor of her sister. She was quite hesitant before the show, but when she walked on stage, we were all brought to tears. She strutted her stuff like a true, confident champion. We all know your sister is VERY proud of you Jenny, not just for doing this show, but for the amazing person you are.

I really got to know Mandy Roberts this year, but she reminded me that we took a life guard certification class together about 7 years ago. Crazy! As you can probably tell by this photo, she is yet another person who always has a smile on her face. Her positivity is VERY contagious! On top of the amazing personality, she is a talented model, actress, and teacher. And DAMN hot! Well deserving of her silver medal.

I believe April Caves is our biggest success story in this show. Unlike the other girls, April is very quiet and shy at times. Every week at practice she was disappearing before our eyes! She lost an amazing amount of weight for this show, and locked it in better than anybody else on stage! When the day of the show came, she was this transformed person: super outgoing and confident. It really showed on stage. I can’t even describe it, she was just rock solid. April, you’re amazing.

Kelly Lamb was another like April. She came to us very quiet and shy, but with a ton of drive. Her boyfriend is an amazing bodybuilder, so she had a great support system and was very knowledgeable of the sport. I was worried about her timidness before the show, but just like April, she went out on stage and shined!!!

Lastly there is Lisa Mueller. Lisa is one of my closest friends, and one of the first to join me in my fitness adventures. A few days after our competition at Fitness America Nationals, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, with a 15cm tumor in her chest. She has been undergoing chemo like a rock star and has the most amazing attitude of anybody I know. She is all about succeeding in everything she does, and supporting everybody she knows along the way. She did an amazing job of helping the girls with their make-up and posing on show day, and I cannot WAIT to compete with her this fall! She won’t even have to do her damn hair because she’ll get to wear a wig!

Needless to say it was a great show, and I am so excited for Team Supreme. We are in the process of publishing a Healthy Eating Cookbook with many of our diet secrets. Stay tuned!

After all of that mush, I now need to brag about the Madison Log Rollers. On Sunday, my dad and I took a group of our awesome kids to a tournament in La Crosse, WI, hosted by Katie Rick. As usual they all did amazing, but once again, I was most proud of how they all supported one another. After the contest we took them to Chuck E. Cheeses which was WAY more fun than I had expected. And their salad bar wasn’t half bad! The kids took in more pizza and candy than they should have, and created memories that will last a lifetime.

Looking back on last weekend, I realize how lucky I am to spend my days with such amazing people. And the neatest thing is, I really don’t have to do much as a coach. In both events, our positive energy and support drove each other.

United Way Honor

In 2008, my dear friend from HDSA nominated me for a United Way Community Volunteer Award. I got a notification in the mail that free lunch would be provided, so I attended the event today. I was shocked when I was selected out of over 80 nominees as an honoree! I had the honor of standing on stage with some of the most amazing people in Dane County.
This would not have been possible without my dear friends Melissa Worthington, Liz Molitor, the rest of the Huntington’s Disease Wisconsin Board, and all of the amazing HD families. Thanks for making me feel special today guys. On another note, after today’s lunch, I am really considering getting a job working for the Madison Concourse hotel. There were about 70 uneaten chocolate mousses left over after the event. Who gets to eat those??? I’ll be turning in my application this evening.

Latino volunteer gets United Way honor Pat Schneider — 4/23/2008 9:55 am

Longtime community volunteer Pedro Albiter was honored today with the second annual Mike McKinney Award at the United Way Community Volunteer Awards. First lady Jessica Doyle presented the award at a luncheon at the Concourse Hotel. Albiter founded Comite Festival Mexicano-Wisconsin, which organized two Mexican Independence Festivals, attracting more than 10,000 people in community celebration. His leadership in COFEMEX led to the establishment of several $1,000 scholarships for high school students sponsored by local businesses. Albiter's work also has brought many small businesses into the Latino Chamber of Commerce. He has worked with Latino and other minority youths and is active in the Latino Support Network and Latinos United for Change and Advancement.
Other volunteers who were recognized today include Shana Martin, a champion log roller and tireless volunteer and president of the board for the Huntington's Disease Society of America. The group raises awareness about the hereditary degenerative brain disease and the social stigma that can prevent families from finding employment and/or seeking support. At age 18, Martin helped form the National Youth Alliance, a support group for young adults living with Huntington's, now active in 22 states.
A group effort was recognized for the St. Dennis RespiteCare Team, which provides family caregivers with time off to renew their physical, emotional and mental health. The team, working with Catholic Charities Aging Services, has ministered care for more than seven years.
The luncheon kicked off a series of events celebrating volunteer efforts, including Global Youth Service Day, Friday through Sunday, and National Volunteer Week, beginning Sunday.
Last year, the United Way Volunteer Center referred more than 6,484 volunteers to 326 nonprofit agencies, while VolunteerYourTime.org received more than 45,000 visitors.

Ups and Downs

Laser Tag in Chicago. Yeah, don't mess with me.
Life is full of them, eh? The past few weeks have been quite eventful, but it seems as that is how my life goes. The first bit of excitement was being hired by MTV to be a fitness coach for the show “MADE”. It was a huge honor, and I was really excited about the project. After a few times filming, the main character in our episode decided to drop out of production. Thus Shana no longer is a fitness coach on MTV. I swear I am not a liar, but in recent times it really looks like that: my spot on the Tonight Show and my spread in Muscle and Fitness never turned out either. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut about things until they actually happen? Oh well, I’ve had plenty of marvelous opportunities in life to spend time complaining.

Ken is still a vet in Appleton, and it’s still killing me. I’m thrilled he’s happy, and that he has an amazing job, but its tough being apart; really tough. On top of that our poor Frankenstein (our adorable kitten) has more tumors. His cancer is back. He’s only three, totally healthy, and it just isn’t fair. But this is all part of life. I understand you can’t expect your pet to live forever, I just with Frankie would.

Another “down” was not being cast onto the show “Gladiators”. But a gigantic “up” came from that… I made a wonderful new friend while in line for the 10+ hours that day. I went back down to Chicago last weekend for a Health and Fitness Convention, and Kurt and I hung out both nights. It’s hard to find somebody who is willing to do completely immature things and act like a total goof without much help of alcohol, but Kurt was just the guy! We ate insane amounts of Mexican food, spent way too much money bowling, smoked a bunch of high school kids at laser tag, then heckled the knights at Medieval Times. A weekend I totally needed. So ladies, if you are looking for a winner in Chicago… Kurt is your man.

Now things to look forward to…

HANSON TONIGHT! If you know me you know I have a scary obsession with the Backstreet Boys and Hanson. Tonight I was able to talk my dear friend Amber into attending their concert with me. Poor thing doesn’t know what she is getting into. I had the amazing opportunity of meeting the guys back in 2005 when I worked on the Wayne Brady Show, and they were insanely friendly and laid back. Unfortunately my beloved Isaac is now married with one child and another on the way, so I suppose I should respect his marriage and not throw myself at him tonight. We’ll see. :) Poor, poor, dear Amber.

Next weekend I’m headed out to Boston to get my choreography from two of the most amazing fitness choreographers in the world: Cathy Savage and Paula Harvey. I am so excited about my music this year I could just pee my pants… but I will try not to on stage. I train with Cathy and Paula on Thursday and Friday, then for the weekend I’m going to hang out with the amazing Dave Jewett and Jason Berry at the Stihl Timbersports Series Collegiate Championship in New Hampshire. No log rolling or boom running for me, just watching the choppers do their thing! This will be yet another needed weekend away.

More to come later. I’ll give everybody the dirty details about the Hanson Concert. Maybe this is why nobody reads my blog??!!
Have a great weekend everybody… spring is coming!