Publishers Note
2
Florida Fitness Photography
John Hawley, Publisher
Photographer/Videographer
John Hawley (904)333-3527
11604 Surfwood Ave, Jax. Fl 32246
Editor Nellie Hawley
March 4, 2015
In This Issue:
Ashleigh Gass
Please share something of your background and how it relates to your current interest in fitness and modeling.
Growing up in Victoria, BC, Canada, I was an athlete. That's all I knew - sport. I was highly competitive in gymnastics, tennis, track and field, and as a soccer player through University at The University of Victoria (UVIC). Fitness, and competitive sports were my motivating forces right out of the womb, or so it seems. I was lucky to have opportunities to pursue education in the field of exercise physiology/kinesiology and turned these interests into a career.
Please share with us a bit about your contest history and most memorable show experience.
As a little one (age 18-21) I competed in Victoria on the natural bodybuilding scene and got my arse kicked by much older women (ha!). 2009 was my first show in the US, in the relatively new sport called 'figure'. From there I've competed in ~9 shows, winning an overall in 2011 at Tim Gardner's Hurricane Bay, consistent top 3 spots around Florida State shows and currently working towards recognition on the national scene.
What motivates and or inspires you to workout, diet and compete in fitness? Which part do you have the most difficulty with?
Motivation is and always has been a strong side to my personality. There's a fire, a storm inside that never lets up - the drive to climb and succeed is ever present. Success, reaching others, making a difference, and being better keep that fire strong. Competing is a natural by-product of the training and lifestyle I maintain naturally, which is perhaps why I'll stay in the game long-term. There isn't this big off-season lull nor a massive ramp up into shows - it all flows together with minor tweaks depending on the training phase. Dieting in the true sense of the word doesn't exist for me - it's always just more or less of the same stuff, different peri-workout manipulations, that sort of thing. The greatest degree of difficulty boils down to managing the increase in training volume over time during show prep. Fatigue can get very real - and it accumulates. Thus, recovery strategies and high attention to stuff like sleep is necessary during that time. I run several arms to my business, and must manage time and people well, at all times (cont. pg. 6)
Florida Fitness Photography