Ashley Cooper

Miami BB - Figure and Fitness Champion 2007, Southern States Champion 2008 & she deserves to get her IFBB Figure Pro Status. An absolutely stunning & talented model...

Growing up in Cincinnati, I was the type who always wanted to run before I could walk. Never able to sit still for too long, I found sports to be the greatest outlet for all of my energy. I played them all: basketball, softball, diving, dance, tennis and, my two favorites, gymnastics and track & field. By the time I was in the fourth grade I'd convinced myself that I was the next “Flo Jo”, and my world revolved around sprinting and long jumping.

One hot summer afternoon when I was 12, I was competing in a track meet in the open 100, 200, and long jump. When it came time for me to run the open 200 meter dash, there were no other girls signed up for the event, so I was given the option to withdraw or run against the boys. Never second guessing myself, I opted to compete with the boys. As we lined up on the blocks, I kept quiet as they taunted me for being a “stupid girl." I loved the hate, used it as fuel, and took first place. For me there was no greater high, and to this day I am addicted to competition and proving people wrong. My passion for competition continued through high school where I set school records in both track and gymnastics, and earned the MVP award.

My freshmen year of college I attended Springfield College, where I was part of the dance team and met some great people, but soon realized this was not the school for me. I worked hard on my grades that year and was accepted into the University of Miami. I studied Sports Administration, Broadcast Journalism and English while in school, with plans of becoming a sportscaster. I landed many amazing jobs and internships while in college, and I knew that with all of my experience and hard work in school, along with a great resume tape, I'd be able to find an on-air job eventually, but it just felt like something was missing.

I was fortunate enough to be given the responsibility of interviewing athletes before and after games, and do press conferences. I'd wanted to do sportscasting since I was in high school, knowing that sports were my passion. I wanted to be involved somehow, but analyzing and discussing sports was not enough for me. After I finished with competitive sports, I lived for lifting weights and training hard, but with no goal in mind other than to keep my figure.

One day in a grocery store I came across a magazine with a beautiful, athletic woman on the cover. I bought it and read through the pages filled with diet and training tips, as well as updates for fitness and figure competitions, and the women who did them. I thought to myself, “This is something I would be perfect for!” That day I set two goals for myself: 1) to become an IFBB Figure Pro and 2) to become an Oxygen cover girl. Not really knowing anything about the sport or how to get involved, I knew I'd need to find someone who knew the ropes.

The next day fate stepped in. I was on my way into my gym, when I saw a woman who looked like she must know something about figure competition. I approached her, and sure enough, she was an IFBB Figure Pro. She said she'd love to talk to me about it, and we made plans to chat the next day. As I told her my goals to become a pro figure competitor and fitness model, she told me that she had recently been on the cover of Oxygen. Her husband pulled it up on the Internet and, sure enough, it was the same cover that had inspired me to get involved with the sport. I was sitting across from coveted fitness model Kristal Richardson. I took this as a sign and began on my journey!

Since that day I have found great success in the sport of figure competitions, this success has led to great opportunities in fitness modeling and writing. I have been one of the selected few fitness models chosen by photographer John Stutz for the upcoming book, Fit Girls, Volume 2, and have been featured on fitness sites such as ProBodyBuilding.com and BodyBuildingWeekly.com. To the great pleasure of my father, I am putting something I learned in college to work as I have become a featured fitness writer and the resident fitness expert for TheTrustedBeautyGuide.com.

In order to be successful in this industry I've learned that you must have supportive people around you who are willing to put up with all the craziness. I'd like to thank my family first and foremost-- my mother and father Martin and Robyn Cooper, my big sister Monica and her daughter Emerson, my adorable little brother Drake, and the talented Kim Taylor. To Steve Conner, my high school track and gymnastics coach, your support has meant the world to me over the years. Huge thank you to my personal trainer Bjorn Moncur, my family at Brickhouse Fitness Miami, and Tessie Lobon. Another very big thank you to my sponsors at CriticalBench.com for the support and many opportunities. Finally, a very special thank you to my coach Kristal Richardson and her husband Tom for everything they've done to help me in my journey.