Cydney Gillon Creates Student-Athlete Scholarship

When an athlete uses their platform to provide opportunities to others to succeed beyond just the realm of sports, it's a beautiful thing. As the world already knows, LeBron James recently opened his I Promise School and in the near future, WWE Superstar Titus O'Neil has plans to open up a tuition-free pubic school of his own, which for anyone who has followed the career of the former Tag Team champion and founder of Titus Worldwide, that should come as no surprise. Others from football to basketball to soccer to baseball to hockey have done this, but (to my knowledge) I have yet to hear any bodybuilder do this...unil now. This week, the current number one figure competitor in the world has stepped up to the plate to prove that she is #MoreThanAnAthlete.

Hats off to Cydney on this amazing opportunity!
Photo credit: Her Instagram

Current Figure Olympia Champion Cydney Gillon announced on Monday via her social media accounts that she has launched her own student-athlete scholarship, which began taking applications on Tuesday. Here is what she said about the scholarship from her Instagram:

I am a firm believer in always giving back to the community. I’ve been a Student-Athlete my entire life; therefore, I understand juggling both endeavors can be very taxing. While attending the University of Pennsylvania for my undergraduate education, I worked 2+ jobs, ran Varsity track, joined a sorority and participated in numerous clubs while simultaneously preparing for NPC Nationals (where I received my IFBB Professional Card). I believe having financial assistance, in general, will decrease the amount of stress students have to endure.

Therefore, I am excited to announce the Cydney Gillon Student-Athlete Scholarship.  I will be rewarding 1 high school student-athlete and 1 college student-athlete $1,000. For those who are interested in participating, email me at cydney@cakefactoryfitness.com. The necessary information will be emailed to you directly. Upon receiving the information, review the requirements and submit all materials no later than September 14, 2018. At that time our board will review & the process will commence.

Winners will be announced by December 31, 2018. If you meet the qualifications or you know a student-athlete who is also qualified, #tag them so they can be aware of this opportunity. Also, feel free to #share and spread the word!

To say this is amazing would be an understatement. It's one think to SAY you want to be a role model to people. It's another thing to ACTUALLY back it up, which is exactly what Cydney is doing. And it has not gone unnoticed by the competitors, as not only did several of them congrats her on this, but Pro Physiques (which is run by current Fitness International Champion Whitney Jones) will match Cydney's scholarship amounts, meaning the high school and college athlete will get a $2,000 scholarship instead of a $1,000 scholarship. Personally, I would love to see this from more competitors. Who knows...maybe once FitGems Nation is financially able to...we just might do something like this somewhere down the line!

Check out all the links to view everything about Cydney and Whitney, as well as their respective fitness companies (Cake Factory Fitness and Pro Physiques). We can thank Cydney enough for getting this up and running and for Whitney to join her fellow sister-in-iron and supporting her by action. Good luck to all scholarship participants!

Cydney Gillon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyd.hunay
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vytamin_c

Cake Factory Fitness
Website: https://cakefactoryfitness.com/
Email: cydney@cakefactoryfitness.com

Whitney Jones
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhitneyJonesFitnessPro/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/WhitneyJonesAZ
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneyjones_ifbbpro/

Pro Physiques
Website: https://www.theprophysiques.com
Email: AZProPhysiques@yahoo.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheProPhysiques/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheProPhysiques
Main Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theprophysiques/
Prep Team Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepros_ifbb_npc/

Jenny Worth Is BACK!!!

DISCLAIMER: We own none of these photos. All photos belong to their respective owners.  

The Return of The Queen! 

Tampa, hope you're ready! 

If you have paid attention to us during our existence, we are HUGE fans of Jennifer (Jenny) Worth. If you don't know who she is, you need to brush up on your memory, but we'll give you a small dose on who she is:

Jenny is a former Fitness International Champion, multiple Fitness Olympia competitor (runner-up in 2001)...long story short, she is considered by many fitness fans as one of the best to ever compete in the industry. We feel she is the best to never win the Fitness Olympia title. Jenny's last show was the 2003 Fitness Olympia, where she placed 10th with a decent routine but her physique was FAR from what many expected out of her. The reason for that was she got injured which drastically changed how she had to prepare for the show. Jenny would end up retiring after that and would have her first son Dominic. While she bring a healthy child into the world, her pregnancy and thyroid issues would cause her to gain 80 pounds. With hard work, perseverance, and faith, she would take the weight off and over time brought her competition look back. She moved to California in 2010 with her son to start a new life as a trainer rather than an athlete, creating the Worth It brand and developing top competitors from all divisions in the NPC and IFBB. She has also went on to do some guest performances to the delight of fans all over the country.

Old-school photo of Jenny

In recent months, Jenny has showcased her physique via Instagram and Facebook in a way that many people (including yours truly) were wondering if a possible return to the stage was in the works. She has teased the idea a few times on social media, but nothing was set in stone...until now. Word got out that Jenny signed a athlete's contract to compete in the 2017 Tampa Pro as a fitness competitor. And on Facebook and Instagram, Jenny made it officially known...she was coming out of retirement! We can't stress how excited we are to see one of the best of all time compete in the division she holds near and dear to her heart.

The Tampa Show is one of the biggest shows of the year not named the Arnold or Olympia, but Jenny's return now makes this a must-see event. Seriously, how cool is it going to be to see this living legend competed with some of today's top fitness stars, including the returning Myriam Capes (who is one of the current top ladies in fitness and will be making a comeback of her own after an injury sidelined her for several months). And how awesome would it be to see Jenny WIN the Tampa Show and punch her ticket to to Olympia for the first time in 2003! Regardless of the outcome, Jenny is a winner for even returning to the stage in the first place. If I were competing in Tampa in two weeks as a fitness competitor, I would make sure to watch her routine like a student and take notes. While Oksana came to the industry and brought a style the likes the fitness world has never seen before, to me, Jenny is one of the first TRUE artists of the fitness division. It wasn't just routines she did. They all mean something to her, even her guest routines she's done for the past few years.

Of all people, Jenny has what it takes to pull off the comeback of a lifetime. You tell her it's impossible, she'll tell you "watch her". She has made a career out of proving people wrong, and in 2 weeks at the Tampa Pro, Jenny will do it again. She will prove that no matter what age you are or what obstacles come your way in life, you can do anything you set your mind to, but you have to put in the work to do it. Good Luck to fitness's Jenny from the Block!

She's still got it! 

For more on Jenny, check her out on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/WorthItFitness/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/WorthItFitness/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/WorthItFitness/).

Why WWE's Dana Brooke Competing at the Arnold is Significant

DISCLAIMER: All photos belong to their original owners.

Slowly but surely changing the game (no offense, Triple H)

Photo credit: WWE

It's one thing to be in shape for wrestling.
It's another thing to be in shape for a fitness competition.
Try to do both at the same time.

Yeah, that sounds like torture and pure madness. Why on Earth would anyone put their body at risk to do both instead of choosing one? If you just happened to be named Dana Brooke, the answer for her is in the form of a question...WHY NOT?!

This weekend (Friday to be exact), Dana Brooke (real name Ashley Sebera) will be stepping on stage among some of the best fitness competitors in the world at the 2017 Fitness International during the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, Ohio. The brand split has let WWE Superstars be able to do more things outside WWE with schedules being a tad easier than in the past. Chris Jericho has his podcast and band outside WWE. Seth Rollins is enrolled in the Crossfit Games as an active competitor (as soon as he's healed up). And John Cena is freaking EVERYWHERE in Hollywood and still has an active role in WWE. And it looks like Dana will be able to be a fitness competitor while still under contract with WWE, which is unheard of. She did it in 2015 as part of the NXT roster, when she hadn't made it on TV yet and was only doing house shows in Florida. She competed in her first Arnold Classic that Friday and the very next day (as well as that Sunday) she wrestled against Bayley (current WWE Raw Women's Champion) and Carmella (Smackdown Live competitor) as part of the first-ever WWE Experience at the Arnold (Side note: she won both matches).

Most of you know what fitness competitors go through to get ready for one show. The diet, the training, the practicing of the routines...it's stressful weeks of prep but rewarding for that one show. Now, consider that this is the Arnold we're talking about, and you're talking about the biggest show on the schedule NOT named the Olympia. Most that compete have regular jobs and don't take bumps in a wrestling ring and get tossed around like ragdolls. That's where Dana is different from every other competitor competing at the Arnold this weekend. Taking bumps in a wrestling ring and get tossed around like a ragdoll IS her job and a job she loves dearly. She has stated on multiple occasions that she wants to be among the best in WWE history, but she also realizes what brought her to the dance in the first place...the fitness world. She wants to give back and everyone (whether you like her or not) should give her credit and respect for not forgetting her roots, which is something that sadly most people tend to forget once they make it big. While others have the indies to thank for their road to WWE, Dana has the fitness world to thank for her road to WWE, which we personally hope doesn't end anytime soon, as we feel we've yet to see the best from her. Dana at the Arnold (to us) helps close the gap between the fitness industry and WWE, hopefully bring in more male and female talent for NXT, Raw, Smackdown Live, 205 Live, and other aspects of WWE.

Potentially paving the future for others to compete in fitness shows while being part of WWE at the same time.

Photo credit: Getty Images

If some of the guys can do it all and still be active members of WWE, why can't Dana?! It's only fair. We hope what Dana is doing paves the way for others to follow ALL their dreams. In this day and age, you CAN do it all if you put your mind to it! Cena is, Seth is, Jericho is. Now...It's Dana's turn. For the IFBB AND WWE...PLAYTIME IS OVER!!!!

For more on Dana's Arnold journey (and other random stuff from WWE's resident Queen of Flex City), follow her on Snapchat at asha_DanaBrooke, on Twitter at @DanaBrookeWWE, and her Instagram at ashasebera_danabrooke . Be sure to watch the Arnold Sports Festival on their new home on Generation Iron at http://generationiron.com/ this Friday and Saturday. Good luck Dana Brooke! We're rooting for you! :)

EXCLUSIVE Interview with Brittany Beede

Last year, fans of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) were introduced to a Diva who described herself as three simple words: Sexy, Strong, and Unstoppable. Her name is Brittany Beede, although most WWE fans will know her as Jamie Keyes. Whether she was ring announcing on Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and WWE NXT Season 2 or kicking butt in the ring and competitions during NXT Season 3, Jamie seemed to find a way to get the attention of many of the WWE Universe. She's been gone from the WWE since October 2010 and has since begun to help people reach their fitness goals and begin her own journey into becoming one the next top fitness celebrities. Although her schedule is as busy as ever without WWE, Brittany was kind and gracious enough to conduct this interview with us.

All pictures used in this interview were provided by Brittany herself and are property of the original companies.

Original source: Body by Brazil

FitGems Nation: May you start off by telling a little bit about yourself?
Brittany Beede: I'm Brittany Beede, 26 years old, and blessed to be born and raised in the beautiful city of Sarasota, Florida!:) I found my passion for the fitness lifestyle at a very young age. I was extremely active growing up, taking part in every sport I was able and was very serious about my 11 years as a cheerleader! I have always liked challenges and when I saw there was a wrestling school in Tampa (FCW) I enrolled with the goal to make it in the WWE. Lucky for me I achieved that goal and after a short time training in the WWE developmental program I was on TV as Jamie Keyes.

FitGems: We’re gonna get the wrestling questions out of the way. First up…what made you become a fan of pro wrestling in the first place?
Brittany: My dad was always a fan of wrestling! I grew up watching it on t.v. with him and attended a few local shows. He was very supportive and proud when I expressed my interest in becoming a diva myself.

FitGems: How did you begin your wrestling career, and how did you end up in WWE?
Brittany: As I stated earlier, I attended FCW's wrestling school before being hired with the company. I was actually attending nursing school at the time. I began training to be a wrestler (sports entertainer!) under the leadership of Steve Kiern and Norman Smiley. I actually drove over an hour, the day of the first class, and was greeted by the Celtic warrior himself, Sheamus! I wasn't hired immediately after completing the school, but with persistence and drive I was given my opportunity! I made the move to Tampa, Florida and ended up on the road after only a month!

FitGems: You were brought into WWE as the announcer for Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and WWE NXT Season 2 and eventually became a Rookie Diva on NXT Season 3, going by the name Jamie Keyes. What did you enjoy about each of your roles while being a part of the company?
Brittany: I think wrestling fans are incredible! Being able to perform live and impact audiences in sold-out arenas as both an announcer and a wrestler was a tremendous opportunity and blessing!

FitGems: During your time in the company, did you learn any new workout tips that helped you out when it came to training?
Brittany: We were given the privilege of being trained by WWE's incredible strength coach, Rob MacIntyre. Through his knowledge and expertise I learned the importance and benefits of the power lifts and Olympic lifts. I still look to his mastery when planning my own Booty camp group classes.:)

FitGems: I gotta be real with you…I thought WWE didn’t do enough to push your character during your time, and from what I gathered from others, they feel the same way. Were you the least bit surprised that you were the first person eliminated on NXT Season 3?
Brittany: Not at all! What I think people don’t realize is how quickly I was put on the road. I was only in developmental for a few months. I didn’t have as much time to train once I was hosting. Then all of a sudden I was on NXT. I was honored but overwhelmed. The other girls were much more experienced than I was. I was lucky to even be there. I am honored to have fans that feel differently but the truth is I felt my inexperience was apparent.

FitGems: And now the million dollar question, in your own words…What (at the time) was the reason (or reasons) you decided that WWE’s just not for you right now? In other words, what’s the REAL story behind your release?
Brittany: Ha ha. I wish I had a scandalous story for you! There is no story really. As I said in the previous answer I hadn’t been there long before I had been put on the road. It is hard to imagine how tough the WWE schedule is until you do it. I joined the WWE because I was a fan, and wanted to promote the fitness lifestyle. However, after being with the company for a while I learned I loved fitness more than wrestling. Everyone treated me great. I loved the people. I loved the opportunities. I didn’t have any fights backstage or anything interesting to talk about. I just felt I could pursue a career helping others with health and fitness that would be more fulfilling to me.

FitGems: Since your time in WWE, you have shifted gears towards fitness, which has been your main focus from the beginning. How did you get involved in fitness in the first place?
Brittany: Like I stated previously, my adoration for the fitness lifestyle was apparent at a very young age. I participated in countless extra curricular activities and began teaching group fitness classes while attending nursing school and continued through wrestling school. Even with the tedious schedule on the road with WWE I always made my workouts a top priority. It's something that I take very seriously and will carry with me for the remainder of my life!


FitGems: Let’s be honest…from your recent pics, you look like you can step on stage and hold your own in a physique competition. Do you actually see yourself competing one day?
Brittany: I have no interest in competing. I stay in shape for me and because I truly love working out.

FitGems: What is your favorite kind of workout to do?
Brittany: My workouts constantly change, but there is nothing like lifting heavy weights at fast speeds over your head or the feeling after completing a long run! I like to do it all! I want to be known as the girl who knew her limitations only because she consistently challenged them. I want to look back at my life and have no regrets! If I am capable, I will attempt it!

Original source: Lift Studios/Hardbody

FitGems: When your website (BrittanyBFit.com) was launched, many WWE personalities went to Twitter and put you over, including Natalya, Chris Jericho, and Joey Styles. Did you expect some of the WWE people to do that, and how did it make you feel?
Brittany: I felt very honored! WWE is successful because of every single person involved! Everyone from the cooks to Mr. McMahon himself were welcoming, supportive and encouraging during my entire career with the company.
It's an incredible feeling to have been given the opportunity to work side by side with such talent and prestige!

FitGems: How important do you think fitness modeling is for the fitness industry? Some competitors just work out and compete and that’s all we ever see them is in competitions.
Brittany: I am certainly not an expert on the industry but I think in the world of women’s fitness, there is more of a differential between competing and modeling. Competitive male bodybuilders sell men's magazines. Fitness models sell women’s magazines. They don’t necessarily have to compete. The people who buy these things don’t really know who won the fitness Olympia. They just want to see a hot, fit girl. So I see no problem if someone just wants to compete. There is not a shortage of fitness models.

FitGems: What magazine would you like to be on the cover of someday?
Brittany: I'd love to be on the cover of Oxygen! I love what they stand for and have had a subscription for years!
 
FitGems: If you were not in fitness, what would you be doing right now?
Brittany: Wishing I was!

FitGems: What advice would you give to people who want to start living healthy lifestyles?
Brittany: I would tell them that it's a process, yet something that will be the most positive, life-altering decision they will ever make. Fitness and making smart decisions with nutrition is not easy! If it were, every person would be healthy and fit. I don't believe that anything worth it is ever comes without a tremendous amount of passion, dedication and hard work! Set your mind to be ready for the change and be consistent!

FitGems: Oh…here’s the OTHER one million dollar question all former wrestlers are asked…is there a chance that one day you might be back in WWE?
Brittany: Never say never.

FitGems: What are your future plans in the fitness industry, and where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Brittany: My goal is to continue to be a personal trainer, life coach, and source of inspiration to each and every person that I am able. Fitness has changed my life in so many incredible ways, and I plan to share my revelation with as many people as possible by empowering them to live positive, healthy, happy lifestyles, through proper diet and exercise.
Of course I will always continue the challenge of refining my own physique and lifestyle to be the best I can be!

FitGems: How can your fans connect with you and contact you if they want to know your upcoming plans or want to book you for future endorsements, commercials, print work, etc. (website, email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)?
Brittany: Other than www.BrittanyBFit.com, please contact me through Facebook and twitter! Here are the links!:)
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BrittanyBeede
Official Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brittany-Beede-Jamie-Keyes-WWE/151485664892299

Original source: Body by Brazil

Again, huge thanks to Brittany for doing this interview with us! In addition to the links she provided, she writes for this very blog periodically, so be on the lookout for more articles from Brittany in the very near future. Hope you all enjoyed this special interview, and to all wrestling news sites, if you plan on reposting the interview by parts or in full, please credit FitGems Nation. Thank you.

IFBB FIBO Pro Germany

For those that don't know, there is going to be an IFBB show in Germany this year (on April 16, to be exact)! This is a special contest, as this is the ONLY contest to be held in Germany and one of the few outside the U.S. This is also one of the few contests for competitors of women's bodybuilding and women's fitness this year as well.

As of press time, there are only TWO competitors in both divisions. For women's bodybuilding, competing thus far are Skadi Frei-Seifert and Andrea Zürche. For women's fitness, competing thus far are Minna Pajulahti and Regiane Da Silva. However, not on the list but hoping to compete in women's fitness are Camala Rodriguez and Stacy Wright.

Ladies in women's fitness and women's bodybuilding, if you want a chance to see a different country and compete to get a chance at competing in the Olympia at the same time, I highly encourage you to enter this contest. If you need money, send out emails to your fans, family, and friends. Post it on your websites and Facebook fan pages and profiles. A little can go a LONG way.

For more on the FIBO Pro, go to http://www.pro-championships.com/index.php.

Hope to see many of you make the journey to Germany in a few months!

Save Women's Fitness Now!!!

For those that has paid attention to the fitness division as of late, fitness has been on the decline over the last few years. Absolutely NO disrespect to any of the other female physique divisions, but fitness is arguably the most entertaining division of all the female divisions out there. Creativity, high-energy, personality, dedication...all of that is in the fitness division. For fans, they are in awe of what they can do. For photographers and those that take video, capturing their routines on film is like watching poetry in motion. In the NPC and IFBB, there's just nothing like women's fitness. So I'm scratching my head into seeing why fitness is at an all-time low.

Is it the work that is needed? The time that's needed? Now enough contests? Not enough competitors stepping up? Too many not going into the pros after their winning their pro card? I wish I knew the answer, but I don't. What I DO know is this: something needs to be done, or fitness will be nothing but a distant memory.

Siouxcountry has stepped up to the plate with the Lets's Save NPC and IFBB Fitness thread, and since fitness is what made me a fan and supporter of the female physique sport in the first place, I'd thought I'd step up to the place and contrubute to the cause by creating a blog called Save Women's Fitness Now! It's a blog that will focus solely on the IFBB and NPC fitness division, including posts on ideas to increase awareness about the division, coverage from fitness shows, posts from past, present, and future competitors, links to fitness competitor sites, and more!

Please join me in helping to reignite the flame of the IFBB/NPC fitness division and keep it from being a footnote in IFBB history.

Please view and bookmark the following links:


Save Women's Fitness blog

Save Women's Fitness Twitter

For more information, please email me at save_fitness@yahoo.com

The NEW Bodysport.com

12 years ago, Terry Goodlad had a dream and created Bodysport. With the help, support, and friendship of many people such as Ana Tigre, Kevin Myles, Liza Hughes, and many, MANY others, Bodysport has grown and developed into one of the best fitness news sites around for fans and competitors of fitness, figure, and bikini. But now, Bodysport has evolved into something bigger than just a fitness news site. It's not a women's fitness online magazine. More content, more contest footage, more opportunities, same positive Bodysport attitude and respect.

Here's what Terry mentioned in regards to the new site:

The off-season is a time for everyone to make improvements and we are no exception. This year begins the 12th year Bodysport.com has been online and times have certainly changed since that day we first went online yet as much as things are different, our enthusiasm for sharing the news and so much more is still the same or even stronger.



This is the new look for Bodysport.com. We are not just a fitness news site any longer. We are an online Women’s Fitness Magazine and while this initial launch presents the bare minimum of content right now, it won’t remain this way for long. Expect daily updates and often times we will have frequent updates throughout the day.



Some cool things you will find on Bodysport:



* The Weather module. If you want your local weather or weather for any place you may travel to or are simply curious about just type in the name of the city and click go.
* Twitter News. We follow the tweets of many of the fitness industry’s top stars as well as many women’s magazines and will be posting our own breaking news tweets as well as re-tweeting others that you need to know about. This will be an on-going activity all day long so check back often.
* Competitors Section. While we want to meet the needs of all women interested in the fitness lifestyle we also want to meet the needs of those women who compete. Articles, videos, and interviews will be posted daily throughout the site so let us know what you want to see and what interests you most.
* You can search keywords now to find articles you may be interested in. On the bottom of each page is a search box. Type in a name, a topic, anything of interest and if its on the site a list of articles related to your search appear.
* Popular articles. Found on the home page this module displays the articles being viewed most frequently.
* Log in. You are not required to Log in to View Bodysport.com at this point but member registration will be required later on to view the site.
* Share links. If you have a personal website you want us to post on our links page then send us an email bodysportads@me.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it



I hope you enjoy the new site and I want to thank you for your loyalty to Bodysport.com.

It's awesome to see this already great site evolve into something like this. Despite Bodysport existing for a little over a decade, I have a feeling this is only the beginning for the site and its creators.

Visit the NEW Bodysport at http://www.bodysport.com.