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Most Improved! Celia Kooistra

“Hard work and a lot of patience is what it took, along with relaxing and just having fun at the show.”

Celia Kooistra was amazing at the 2018 3rd Annual IPL California Championship on May 5th in Sacramento, CA. After placing an impressive 2nd in both Bikini Novice Class B and Sports Model Novice (two STACKED classes) Celia had one final mark to make in Cali.

In the final division of the contest, Evening Gown Open, Celia appeared at the top of her game. In this class it all came down to Celia, Frauka Kozar (a Pro in Evening Gown Masters) and Abigail Comstock (who had won her Sports Model and Fitness Angels Pro Cards earlier in the evening). What a show these three elegant beauties put on!

That being said, there could only be one winner. And, Celia pushed her way to that 1st place spot, with enough points to earn the coveted IPL Evening Gown Pro Card. Kozar in 2nd and Comstock in 3rd. We are super excited to see Celia Kooistra hit the Pro Evening Gown stage in the future!

BEN YOSEF: Celia! Congrats on your success at the California Championship this past May. You were amazing! How are you feeling about the package you brought to the show?

CELIA KOOISTRA: Thank you so much! It was an amazing experience. Hard work and a lot of patience is what it took, along with relaxing and just having fun at the show. I feel very good about my overall package, including all the little details like proper sizing and adjustments of the suit, sports model outfit and evening gown, makeup and meal prep.

BY: Well, you really looked incredible. And, with so many improvements since your last show. I remember bumping into you at the show and was like “whoa, you are like the most improved athlete!” [laughs] It was that moment that was the catalyst for this Natural Bikini Magazine feature. What were some of the things you tweaked between shows in order to step your game up the way you did?

CK: Wow! Thank you very much for the compliment, Ben! I remember that conversation and you have no idea how much it meant to me. I was like wow, he knows who I am! [laughs] You have no idea how excited I was after running into you. It made me feel like I was on cloud 9. I felt accomplished that my hard work had paid off. I feel honored and blessed to be a part of the IPL and this amazing magazine!

So, what really helped me was not letting myself go during the holidays. I kept up with my workouts and diet. I’m not going to lie, it was definitely hard to say no to all the treats but I decided to do something different. I didn’t want to rebound. I did some research and decided to try a reverse diet and, like I said, I still continued with my normal workout routine.

When it was time to start prepping again, I was already ahead of the game. I was able to lift heavier and challenge my body with new workouts. I also feel like since this was my second show, I kind of knew what to expect and felt more comfortable to bring it on stage.

BY: You were also really amazing in Sports Model Novice, placing 2nd. And that class was super stacked. What was it like going up against that class?

CK: Thank you, Ben! I didn’t realize how big the class was until I saw the video. [laughs] Honestly, it was a lot of fun! I just relaxed and enjoyed it! Sports Model is such an energetic and overall fun division, it was easy to let go and have fun with it! All the girls were amazing! We all seemed to have the same level of excitement!

BY: Your final division was Evening Gown. And, wow. You were absolutely stunning. This was your second time competing in this division. Your first being at the West Coast Pro/Am last September, where you placed 4th in the Open. But this time you nailed it, winning the class and earning your Pro Card. What did you do in order to improve so much in Evening Gown? And, when will we get to see you make your Pro Debut?

CK: Thank you so much! I made sure to work out all the right muscles in my back, shoulders and legs along with everything else to make the overall presentation look that much better. I also hired a seamstress to custom fit my evening gown along the way right up to my final 24 hours to make sure it was perfect.

The icing on the cake goes to my wonderful coach Caroline Tsutakawa for last minute pointers on my T-walk right before I went on stage and my teammate Abigail Comstock for helping me back stage. I plan to make my Pro debut sometime in 2019.

BY: Any final thoughts?

CK: Thank you very much for the opportunity and I look forward to future shows!

About the interviewer:

Ben Yosef

Ben is the Publisher of Natural Bikini Magazine and the President & Founder of the International Physique League.

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