Bodysport.com Your body, Your sport, Your magazine. Your online women's fitness magazine.

In many respects it's a much greater challenge earning an IFBB pro card as a Canadian than it is as an NPC competitor simply because the number of IFBB pro cards issued by Canada each year is limited to only one or in some cases maybe two.  So when we see a new Canadian Pro emerge onto the pro stage for the first time, they usually come with years and years of experience and a level of professionalism that can only be gained by competing more times than most.

Allison Ethier has been an amateur competitor for years and while that says a great deal about her tenacity and love for the sport, when she makes her pro debut at the Arnold Classic, those years of experience will be inescapable on stage during her presentaiton and performance.

Team Bodysport: First I would like to extend a huge congrats on behalf of Bodysport and myself on your invite to the Arnold! I can imagine what an exciting time this must be for you and even more special that it will be your Pro Debut! Although you have earned your IFBB Pro Status, you are no stranger to fitness competitions. Can you share with us how long you have been competing in fitness and what keeps you in "it"?
Allison: I have been competing going on 11 years now. My motivations have changed over the last few years. First I just wanted to test the waters and see what this was all about. Then I wanted people in the industry to take notice. Then I wanted to win. Then I wanted my IFBB Pro card. I just want to be able to live in the moment and enjoy the whole experience.

Team Bodysport: Most of us U.S. Citizens do not realize how difficult it is for athletes from other countries to earn an IFBB Pro Card. Here in the U.S. there are several opportunities every year to compete at IFBB Pro Qualifiers. You are from Canada, how did you earn your IFBB Pro status?
Allison: In Canada, there had been only one opportunity per year to get a pro card. The Canadian Bodybuilding Federation (CBBF) would only hold one National event that qualified you for an IFBB Pro card. They would guarantee that one pro card per division for the overall (fitness & figure), and there was a possibility that a second pro card may or may not be given out in each division. It was up to the judges to select if there was other athletes who deserved a pro card. At that year's National show I placed 2nd in my division.
Luckily Gary Udit, Promoter of the NPC North Americans, added a Pro qualifying fitness division which those from Canada, the US, and Mexico were and are encouraged to attend. I won my IFBB Pro card from the first ever North American Fitness Championships in August of 2009.
This year in 2010, the CBBF has added a second opportunity to earn a pro card at the National Natural show in April 2010. I am pleased to see that there are more opportunities for athletes to move forward in their careers.

Team Bodysport: What are your goals going into your Pro Rookie Season?
Allison: In competition - To watch. To learn. To experience. To get noticed. I have personal goals of doing well for myself, then letting the outcome be what it is. I just want to be confident in my posing, my routines, and have fun with it all.
In modeling and some other aspects of the industry I do have some goals that I would like to achieve. I want to be out there more, and perhaps start my own personal training & support business for those girls entering the industry. I want to do more modeling and take those opportunities and run with them. Most times due to my schedule I have to say 'no' a lot, and now I am more open to saying 'yes'.
Hosting or co-hosting event is something I would love to be doing. I have always been such a big fan of the girls. It would be a wonderful way to stay involved in the industry in a more public form, while getting my motivation kick from attending the events.

Team Bodysport: Has your training and nutrition plan changed going into this season? What are you looking to improve in your physique? Routine?
Allison: Both. Physique has always been my biggest obstacle as I am a small-framed girl naturally and having a lot of muscle is not easy. I am just not a big girl. I can get really lean, but I am out muscled by many. Routine I am always trying to have some new tricks, new skills and present a different side of me. I like to have a balance between having enough muscle to compete, and be able to tone it down when I need to for modeling. I enjoy doing both, so I have to keep that in mind.

Team Bodysport: Last year you were the Bodybuilding.com Spokes-model winner and are also a well-known fitness model. With your beautiful looks and figure, will we expect to see you cross over and compete in Figure at some shows?
Allison: Thank you. (blushing) It was such an amazing year, and I continue to work with and for Bodybuilding.com. I was very honored to be their first Bodybuilding.com Spokes-model and with that a cover of Ironman magazine. I have met some wonderful people in the industry and consider this experience to be extremely valuable and an opportunity for growth. I will be at the Bodybuilding.com booth for the upcoming Arnold on Saturday and Sunday.

Crossover to figure - never say never right? Who knows how long my body can do the gymnastics at this level? I can feel aches and pains sometimes, and wonder if that is a sign that maybe I should be trying other things. But for right now my heart is in fitness, as I just love performing the routine.

Team Bodysport: Being a schoolteacher, how do you manage your getting your meals in during contest prep?
Allison: It is really easy to be busy, and diet. It is when I have extra time on my hands that I find dieting to more of a struggle.

Team Bodysport: What is a typical workday look like for you schedule wise?
Allison:
4:30am up, go to gym
5 - 6:15 train, transfer time
6 am - shower, eat
7:45am - son to daycare
8:15 to 3:45 at school.
4pm - get Zach
5 pm - prep supper for family
6 pm - supper for me, cooking for next day
7 pm baths, snack
8 pm bedtime, books, snuggle
9 pm bed for me

Team Bodysport: How do your students feel about their teacher being a Professional Fitness Competitor and Model?
Allison: Not sure. They say things like, "I saw you on the Internet". Like it is a TV show or something. And I say, 'really?' And that is pretty much the conversation. It is not that I don't allow them to ask me things; they just don't. With teenagers you give them an inch, and they try to take a mile. Besides, most of them are too caught up in their own daily dramas to be concerned with what I do. Sometimes it is better just not to talk about it than to open that can of worms. I know they know. I hear the whispers. I realize I am a role model to them, and to others. Sometimes whether I want to be or not. I am conscious of my reputation and my image, and hope that my every day actions of being a good role model speaks louder than simply -"Hey, I saw your teacher on the Internet in a bikini."

Team Bodysport: Aside from the Arnold, have you made plans on what competitions you will be entering?
Allison: I am taking it one show at a time. No plans for other shows just yet. I have checked the schedule though. :)

Team Bodysport: Does your teaching career play a role on what shows you pick?
Allison: Sometimes. It is tough to take these days off, when I do not get personal days. I get sick days, and proving you’re sick for 3 days and then come back with a tan is a bit tough. I take days without pay on approval. They always say yes, but it is quite a bit of work to plan the supply, and return and try to see what the students actually accomplished.

My family plays a bigger role. My husband needs a break every now and again, and I respect that. You cannot take without giving. I don't like being away from them for more than 3-5 days per month. I feel like I am missing out. My son is only 3, and every minute is so precious. Children are like a movie you can't rewind.

Team Bodysport: Is the school system supportive of your Fitness/Modeling Career?
Allison: Absolutely. So are the students' parents. I don't think I could ever switch schools, as then I would have to "break them in" to all of this. The diet thing everyone gets, and they don't understand how I can do it. They saw me fall off the wagon when I was pregnant. They have seen both sides of me; being super big (I gained 50lbs) and super skinny (for contest). They are amazed that food and diet can do that to a person. They always ask if I am still training? Always training I say, not always on the competition diet. Even my principal does not know how I do it; he tells me that frequently.

Team Bodysport: Do you work with a Coach/Choreographer on your routines?
Allison: No coach. No choreographer. I have always done my own routines. Although I am open to suggestions, but I am limited by my schedule and there is no one near me (within reason) who does what I do. I do have a friend who is a contortionist, who offered to help but we never ended up getting together. I think we would socialize too much. Ha. I really enjoy the process of coming up with new routines, new ideas. I find the whole process therapeutic.

Team Bodysport: How far out of a competition do you have your routine choreographed?
Allison: I try to have it done at least 4 weeks before the show. But I am always thinking of ideas, music, and making files for routine ideas with music. Now I am a little late on this routine, usually it would be done, but I keep tweaking it. About 3 weeks out I make a point to firm up the skills, so that I commit it to memory. So that the movements flow naturally and I don't have to think about it; just perform.


Team Bodysport: Is there anyone you would like to mention or give thanks to?
Allison: Absolutely. First and foremost my husband who always lets me be me.
Slimquick Extreme - Sponsor
Erik Ledin - LeanBodiesConsulting - my trainer & consultant
Mike Davies - trainer
Paul Rickard - Web Designer - mirapdesigns.com
Bodybuilding.com
JanTana - tanning services
Elaine Goodlad - makeup
Tamee Marie - swimsuit
Crystal Corner - swimsuit
ProGym - Sherbrooke - Gym

You can learn more about Allison by visiting her website: www.allisonethier.com

By Liza Hughes