Cranbrook’s Laurie Dickson has officially achieved her ultimate bodybuilding goal, and she couldn’t be any happier.
Dickson has been invited to be the guest poser at the upcoming National Physique and Athletics Association (NPAA) Federation Championships in Calgary on September 30.
As guest poser, Dickson will perform a two to three minute routine in front of 500 or more gathered athletes, judges and more.
“It’s a dream of mine come true,” Dickson told the Townsman. “People look to that as a focal point.”
Dickson said her physique and competition accreditations earned her the prestigious positions at the national competition, but she still can’t believe that as a mother of two she has been chosen.
“I never thought ever when I started this as a single mom that I’d be on stage as a guest at a federation,” she said. “This is what you aspire to. This is my ultimate goal.”
Most bodybuilding competitions have a guest poser that performs after all the athletes have completed the competition rounds.
“There’s not a lot of female figure guest posers,” Dickson said.
Joining Dickson on her trip to Calgary will be three of her clients from Aspire2bFit, the business she runs coaching fellow athletes and prepping them for competition. She also has a nutrition consultation business.
Dickson is a three-carded athlete with the NPAA, World Natural Sports Organization and the International Drug Free Athletes organization. That was a feat she never thought possible in itself.
“It’s wonderful because I always wanted one card,” she said.
Dickson is happy to be associated with the NPAA, an organization that supports amateur athletes by providing a fun, supportive atmosphere. She likes that the association gravitates towards the needs of each athlete.
“It is top notch,” she said.
Dickson has been competing for many years, but says she is done with that aspect of the bodybuilding lifestyle – for now.
“I don’t think I’m going to compete again, but never say never,” she said.
Just because she has stepped back from competition, doesn’t mean Dickson is retiring. The mom of two will be acting as a judge at the NPAA Championships, which she is squeezing in among a number of professional pursuits while balancing a family life.
Dickson maintains her incredible physique through intense workouts. She has a great workout partner, which she credits a lot of her success to – her boyfriend.
“It’s amazing. It’s a lot of work,” she said. “My workouts have been extremely intense.”
Dickson said she keeps up with bodybuilding because she has a driven passion for competition and wants to teach her children about dedication to a goal. Keeping fit is part of her business lifestyle too as she runs two fitness related businesses and is head trainer at World’s Gym. At the end of the day, Dickson said she also just enjoys being in top physical form.
“I love how it feels to be in this kind of shape,” she said. “It’s part of my business. It’s what I do.”
Her workouts are done six-days a week. Dickson said she’s lucky that she can skip cardio and do a very intense one-hour workout targeting specific body parts.
“I’m very fortunate that I don’t do cardio.”
With two businesses, workouts, speaking engagements and fitness writing on her plate, Dickson said the number one important thing in her life is her children, aged nine and 12, and she always has time for them.
“Don’t even ask me how I do it,” she said. “My children are not put on the back burner ever. Even if I don’t have the time, I make it.”
On top of all that, Dickson said she is currently working on her biography to be released in 2013.
At the upcoming NPAA show, Dickson will have her children watching from the audience for the first time ever. She can’t wait to have them cheer her on.
“I hope that they follow in my footsteps in drive and passion in whatever field they decide to take on.”
