In 1997 while lifting at a YMCA in Daytona Beach, Florida, I was approached by two guys who invited me to a powerlifting meet.  “You’re strong.” they said.  “You should come and lift”.  I went, and ended up winning the teenage and open divisions at 17 years of age.  The very next month I tore my ACL (first of several times) and did not compete again until nine years later.  Although only in the sport a brief time, it impacted me in a way that would change my future.

In 2005 I underwent several major abdominal surgeries, and due to a heart problem had lost 25 lbs.  I wanted to get strong again, so I typed “powerlifting meets Seattle” into my search engine and found a link to USAPL in Washington.  The 2006 state meet was coming up and I was determined to compete.  I trained, practiced my lifts, studied the rules and purchased my singlet.  I won the bench-only division in the 52 kilo class.  More importantly, I met several people who proved to be integral in my powerlifting career (Kevin Stewart, Faith Ireland, Paula Houston, Todd Christensen, Bull Stewart and Willie Austin).  I competed regularly in bench-only until late 2007 when I decided to try full-power.  My first equipped total was 777 lbs in the 56 kilo class.

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