I was born in 1975, in the small town of Kamloops, BC Canada. In 1983 I moved to beautiful Victoria, BC where I still call home, split with Nassau, Bahamas. My interests growing up included running, art (drawing), theater, and dancing.
Today I teach dancing through my line of instructional dance videos, and enjoy working as an actress in film and television. I am also a working fitness model.
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In elementary school I ran cross country and the 800m. I also was on all the team sports but enjoyed volleyball most. In 2001 I took up golfing by taking lessons with Lori Randle (Pro), but have only been to the driving range, pretty sad I know.
At the age of 13 with two 5lb dumbbells, (which I asked my grandmother for Christmas) I simply moved them around any way I could. Doing curls, shoulder presses and lying on my back and working my chest was my first workout.
At 16 I was starting to gain weight but didn’t notice until turning 18. I gained some muscle during my first two years of dabbling with weights, but with my unbalanced diet (too many carbs) I also gained fat. My weight was 140 lbs. When I lost weight from dancing (down 30 pounds), I saw that I had potential to build a nice physique. Joining a gym and learning about food was my ticket to my current condition. Today I balance my job as a pole dancing instructor with my passion for weight training and running.
For my first show in 1999, I found out what I was made of (physically and emotionally) and placed 1st in the women’s light weight, Muscle & Fitness Mania, in Burnaby, BC Canada. In Sept 2003 I competed a second time, but in figure rather than bodybuilding, and earned a spot in the Canadian Nationals! I am hooked, though it’s not always a piece of cake. Sometimes it’s the whole cake!
In 2004 I placed 9th at the Canadian Nationals, and in 2005 placed 5th at the Emerald Cup. My prep for the Emerald Cup was a combo of weight training and pole dancing. Teaching pole dancing 20 – 30 hours a week kept me lean but I know that for my next show, I will need to include other forms of cardio… I have competed many times since 2005 and have placed 9th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st at the Canadian Nationals and 2nd in Fitness America.
In 1998 I started a basic portfolio which quickly grew. Shooting with any photographer possible has giving me true sense of how to work with both the camera and person shooting. Until 2002 I had appeared in a few magazines such as Oxygen’s back cover for Muscle Marketing USA, and Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness’s last page for Cardillo Weight Belts. In Feb 2002 I decided to give modeling all I had, by entering the yearly model search for Malibu Body Wear. I was one of the two female winners and in June 2002 shot with photographer Alex Ardenti. My previous shooting came in handy, and I had my first shoot with a top fitness magazine photographer. In Oct 2002, I shot with Alex a second time with Canadian pro bodybuilder Mike Platz, for the cover of MuscleMag. This photo became the cover for March 2003s MuscleMag International!
With that cover, I had gained the confidence to go after my dream of becoming a recognized fitness athlete and model offering guidance, inspiring others to take better care of their bodies.
- I went by my middle name Louise until the age of 12. Fawnia is my birth name, however many people were calling me Sonia or Tonya, so my mom choose to use my middle name and gave me the option when I was older.
- When I was 9 years old I would dance for the other classes during lunch break, busting a move to Madonna songs like Lucky Star. The girls seem to enjoy it but the boys were rather bored.
- I have been on my own since the age of 15.
- My first job was at Yogen Fruz, and I have also worked at Tim Hortons. I’ve never waitressed, but that would have been better then the yogurt and donut shops!
- Being the vice president of the student council, I graduated high school with honors and 27 credits. (18 are required to graduate)
- I was the dance choreographer for singer Joanne Pennock.
- I have never taken a dance lessons…I learned to dance by watching and imitating stars like Madonna.
- I was a soft 140 pounds when I was 18.
- In 2000 and 2001 I played the lead in two films shot in Prague, Czech Rep. (Dakota Bound released in 2001, and Cries of Innocence release date in Spring 2004)
- In summer 2003 I was stuck in the largest black out in American history just three weeks before my figure show, and stuck to my diet and training as best I could. I was in Toronto and Mississauga, Ontario. Try searching for chicken every three hours with no power! I placed top 10 at the Canadian Nationals that year.
- Since January, 1988 I have kept a diary. (age 13) I have a record of every day of my life since then. My mother kept one, which is how I started my ritual.
