|
|
 |
|
|
Athlete:
Jenna Homsey
Competition History:
I competed in my first show this year (2017 NPC Desert Storm) and am very humbled to say that I took home 3 first place trophies including the Overall Figure trophy! I am looking forward to saving up for Nationals next year! Look for me at the North American Championships or NPC Universe! I plan to continue this fitness journey and see what my body is truly capable of.
Background:
I was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona with my beautiful family. My parents and my older brother, Alex, did a wonderful job of making sure that our family stayed really close. I have always loved being with my siblings and wanted to do what they did. When my older sister, Megan, joined the cheerleading team in middle school and continued into high school, of course I wanted to do the same. My older brother, Alex, had basketball as his sport, my little sister, Brooke, had softball (of course I tried both and realized they weren't my sport) and Megan and I fell in love with cheerleading. I didn't have any gymnastics background, a little bit of dance and I was super uncoordinated. My parents still to this day do not know how I made the team my 7th grade year..
Flash forward to high school and college, I was the captain of the cheer team at Deer Valley. I learned multiple valuable lessons from my coaches and without them and that team, I would not have the same work ethic, discipline or passion that I have now with everything in life. After high school and through my college years, I taught cheer camps across the country to middle school and high schools teams being an instructor for the United Spirit Association. I graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2016 with two degrees: Criminology and Criminal Justice and Sociology. I was captain for NAU's cheer team two years in a row before I tore my labrum and had surgery my senior year. I lived with 3 of my best friends that year prior and that is when I really started looking into eating healthier, lifting heavier and more consistently and running at least 3 miles a day (I absolutely LOVE running)! I was constantly being asked at the gym if I competed or when my show was going to be and that’s when I really started looking into bodybuilding as a sport.
My older brother, Alex, is and always has been one of my biggest motivators and influential person in my life. He was the one who taught me how to flex my abs when I was little and truly made me fall in love with fitness. We were always comparing abs and muscles and he’d show me different exercises to try. I would talk to him all the time about if I should compete or not and he would be nothing short of encouraging.
A friend of mine introduced me to her trainer in August of 2016 and I was about to begin my new fitness journey with Whitney Jones. A few days after meeting with her, my whole world came crashing down. I received a call from my mom and later found out that my older brother, Alex passed away. He was 27. At that moment, I cannot begin to explain the pain that took over. I decided to discontinue my prep and took a year off to be with my family.
After that year, my best friend, Baylee Pfister, started pushing me again to compete. She knew it was something I’ve been wanting to do and it was something that my brother wanted me to succeed in. So, her and her boyfriend said they had the PERFECT trainer for me and that’s when I was introduced to my trainer, Tim Sparkes from Die Hard Gym. My life has significantly been changed by that man. Through my 4 month prep for Desert Storm, Tim believed in me and pushed me everyday to be the best I was capable of and more. He has always been understanding of my past and what my motivation is and always will be: Alex.
Competition Day:
Flash forward to comp day, I felt more ready than ever and could not wait to get on stage! Even just sitting in the auditorium with the other athletes, hearing Miles speak about the show, I just knew this sport was for me. Everyone was going through the same thing with their fish, rice cakes, peanut butter, etc. We were all SO ready to get on stage and show the judges what we’ve been working hard for the past several months. I didn’t worry about the other athletes because I knew that I put everything I had into my prep and went out there with a body I was extremely proud of. The show was so organized and my coach made it just in time to watch me take home the Overall trophy. Every time my name was called for that first place, I would look up and I felt my brother’s presence. He was there in the audience, louder than everyone else, cheering and applauding, and making it known that I was his sister. I will continue to push myself everyday to make him more and more proud of me and to make this world a better place just as my brother did.
I am now a kickboxing instructor for ILoveKickboxing in Glendale. My boyfriend, Tyler McDaniel, and I are pursuing our passion for helping others through personal training and are affiliated with 1st Phorm so we can help guide others with their supplementation needs. I love where my life is taking me and the new doors that fitness is opening for me. I miss my brother everyday but he continues to motivate me and makes me want to be better in all things in life.
“Grief can be a burden, but also an anchor. You get used to the weight, how it holds you in place.” -Sarah Dessen
|
|
|
