My name is Catharine Greer and I am 22 years old, from Rye, NY. While growing up I was always extremely involved in athletics-- I danced ballet, tap and toe, did gymnastics, and I played soccer and basketball. In middle school I decided to give up all other sports and focus solely on basketball. After years of devoting my weekends to tournaments and countless hours every night for practice, I found myself falling out of love with the sport. I didn’t find the commitment to the sport enjoyable anymore, but rather it was a chore. Before entering high school I decided to switch my main sport from basketball to soccer. While I continued playing both soccer and basketball throughout high school and was the captain of both teams, I went on to become a collegiate soccer player at Tufts University. As a freshman I was the starting center defender on the women’s varsity soccer team. After a very successful four years of playing soccer at Tufts, I knew that I wanted to maintain an active lifestyle once I graduated college. Rather than continuing with soccer, I wanted to pick a sport that allowed me to solely focus on me- a sport in which my results would be directly proportional to my efforts. That way, I could hold myself 100% accountable. The perfect sport that fit the bill in my mind was bodybuilding.
I had gained a lot of experience and developed a love for weight training during the soccer off-seasons at Tufts, where my team would lift with the trainers a few times a week in order to prepare for the next season. My boyfriend’s passion for lifting and bodybuilding also definitely deepened my interest in the sport. After graduation, I began lifting on my own almost every day and adopted a moderately healthy diet, so I thought. While I was putting in hours of hard work, it was very difficult for me to see results. While the thought of prepping hard for multiple months and walking on stage seemed extremely daunting, I took the leap of faith and contacted Malenna. It truly was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. Over the past few months I have learned so much about myself and the sport of bodybuilding. While the sport is physically taxing, it is definitely just as mentally exhausting. This sport requires sacrifice, dedication, and persistence; all of which practice mental strength and toughness. Whether it be getting yourself out of bed at 5 am to do your cardio before work, or resisting all of the tempting foods that surround you on a day-to-day basis, your mental strength is challenged just as much as your physical strength. There are days that I want to hit the snooze button, there are days that I want to eat that cookie or that slice of pizza, but I never let myself. In this sport you only get out what you put in. I put in hard work 110% of the time, because I want the results. I have grown both physically and mentally over the past few months, and I am excited to see what the future holds for me in the world of bodybuilding.
A little bit more about myself outside of the fitness world, I graduated from Tufts University with a major in Biology. I am currently working at two different animal hospitals as a veterinary assistant, and my future plan is to go to veterinary school!
For anyone who is considering competing, I would say figure out what truly appeals to you about the sport. You need to do some soul searching and figure out what your end goal is. If you want to compete for the glitz and the glam or for the trophy, you are not going to succeed. Rather, if you want to compete to push yourself physically and mentally, to work towards a healthier you, or to gain confidence about yourself and feel happy in your own skin, then GO FOR IT!!!
