With the fast rise in popularity of the NPC Bikini Division, there seems to be certain attributes that the top competitors have in common. All of these top women have well conditioned physiques that certainly say "yes I train and I take my training seriously," a poise about them on the stage that screams charisma and beauty and an all around attractive package that you would see on the cover of any national fitness magazine.
All of these three key ingredients can be found in Florida NPC Bikini Athlete Vanessa Campbell. This drop dead gorgeous Puerto Rican athlete and Mother of two grew up in New Jersey. She has only competed in two NPC events and she already has two overall Bikini victories. Vanessa possesses that rare quality of model diversity. She is a wonderful active wear model, a gorgeous portrait subject and can simply turn a light switch on and become a very sexy polished and classy lingerie model. This diversity matches her personality which is always fun, upbeat, motivating and real.
I had the opportunity to photograph Vanessa a few months ago prior to her NPC debut and I was simply amazed at her modeling talent. She has the potential to be someone special in the industry and her unique look and diversity will attract many fans.
The following is an interview I had with Vanessa.
Where were you born?
Puerto Rico
Do you have any children?
Yes! I have two beautiful Energizer bunnies.
Do you train with anyone?
I train with Shannon Dey and Team Bombshell.
What is your occupation?
Team Bombshell Coach
Why did you pick the NPC Bikini Division?
Because the Bodybuilding Division was out of the question J
What do you enjoy the most about being an NPC Athlete?
Well not only is the NPC a great organization to be part of, the athletes that compete in this organization are the best of the best and that alone makes me enjoy the sport, and enjoy being an NPC Athlete.
How many shows have you competed in and how did you do?
I made my debut in May at the NPC Pittsburgh Championships and I also competed at NPC The Eastern Seaboard in Atlanta. I brought home the "bling" from both shows by winning the Overall in Bikini!
How many days a week do you train with weights?
I love weights! If it were up to me I would train every day but right now I’m training 5 days a week.
How close do you stay to your contest weight in between shows?
I believe that staying close to contest weight between shows is very important. Not only is it better for your health, it is also better on your contest prep. I rather stay close to contest weight between shows than have to spend all day on the treadmillJ.
What are your goals and aspirations in the sport?
Right now I’m focused on my next show. I’m training hard and completely committed to doing well at Team Universe. I’m going for a Pro Card all the way. As far as down the road from now, I want to keep working on developing a better physique for every show that I compete in. I also want to help other athletes achieve their personal best. I would like to inspire Mothers to follow their goals and to make their dreams reality. I want to show them that they can be fit and healthy for their kids. Yes, it does take hard work and dedication to balance a family, a career and this lifestyle but it can be done.
Who in the sport inspires you?
There are a few Athletes that inspire me but my true motivation comes from the people around me, my coach, my family and my team. They all work so hard to achieve their goals and that keeps me focused.
Given two Novice Bikini Athletes with equal National potential what personality qualities do you think will make one better than the other?
I like this question! Personally I think that no matter how high your potential might be physically, if you are lacking personality or even worse, have a bad personality in my eyes that is setting yourself up for people not to see you in a good light. For me the best qualities are being friendly, helpful, and just a nice person all around. This is a very tough sport and it takes a very special individual to make it so don’t mess it up by having a poor personality. Just be good to the people around you no matter what.
Tell us your funniest moment at an NPC show that you competed at.
The funniest: Wow, trying to get my 5 foot trophy through the security belt at the airport. I didn’t have enough time after the show to pack my award properly and there was NO WAY I was leaving it behind so I took it on the plane with me. It took a whole lot of convincing the flight attendantsJ.
If you could have "one" best body part, what would it be?
Wow! This is an interesting question. I would like to develop a better physique all around but if I had to choose one best body part right now I would say glutes. For the Bikini Division I think having a nice tight, curvy, muscular but yet feminine physique is a great package to bring to the stage.
What is the most frequent compliment that you get?
I’m frequently told that I’m nice. That’s my favorite compliment to hear. I love helping other athletes backstage and just being there for my other teammates. I take pride in that.
If you were n
ot an NPC Bikini Athlete, what would you be?
An NPC Figure Athlete
What in your past experiences contributed the most to your early NPC Bikini success?
Definitely the guidance from my coach, the support of my family, and my determination to want to succeed.
What's up next for you?
I am training right now for Team U in July. I’m very excited and looking forward to doing this show. Team U has all my focus right now!
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