New IPL Bikini Pro, Michelle Alexander!
“…I went into the October show like, ‘I got this.’ It was a whole different kind of confidence.”
Michelle Alexander’s return to the IPL Bikini stage at the 2017 2nd Annual IPL Southwest Grand Prix Pro/Am in Phoenix, AZ was a brilliant one.
Michelle’s first IPL competition was just five months prior, at the Arizona Championship. At that contest she placed a respectable 4th in Bikini Open Class A. However, in October, Michelle would step up her game and bring an even better package than what she presented in May.
At the Grand Prix Michelle would win five of the six scored categories in Bikini Open Class B: Muscularity, Symmetry, Conditioning, Posing & Presentation, and Model Walk at Finals. 2nd place finisher Anna Maria Carranza had the highest score for Suit, and came in just one point behind Michelle in the Model Walk round. The score card indicates that Michelle Alexander was the clear winner in the class as she earned 1st place and her IPL Bikini Pro Card. Shout out to Claire Sime (3rd), Priscillia Priscilla Weninger (4th) and Linda Vasquez (5th) who rounded out the top five.
Then it was on to the Bikini Open Overall Pose down. Here, Michelle Alexander would face Class A winner Glenda McFarlane. In an epic pose down between the two, McFarlane managed to garner enough votes for the Overall win.
“…I WENT INTO THE OCTOBER SHOW LIKE ‘I GOT THIS.’ IT WAS A WHOLE DIFFERENT KIND OF CONFIDENCE.”
BEN YOSEF: Congrats on your win at the Grand Prix! You were awesome! How are you feeling about what you brought to that show?
MICHELLE: I feel like I brought a ton of improvement from my last show, especially in my stage presence. I’m not typically a nervous person on stage, but since the May show was the first show I ever did in my life, I was kind of in a “learning experience” mode.
I feel like from May to October, I grew physically and mentally and went into the October show like “I got this.” It was a whole different kind of confidence.
BEN: Well, you were pretty amazing at the Grand Prix. So, you were feeling pretty confident after Prejudging, going into Finals?
MICHELLE: Thank you! It’s a hard read after Prejudging to really know how you did. I felt good because I was confident overall. But honestly, it’s a long day and a culmination of hunger, lack of sleep from nerves and trying to keep everything looking good for Finals really put me in a place where I didn’t necessarily feel like I had the win going into Finals.
I was actually kind of in a state of shock when they called my name. Not because I didn’t feel I deserved it, but because I was in a daze at that point. Another thing is the competition was fierce. And, I don’t like comparing myself to others but sometimes you can look at a group and feel like you may be top 3 or 4. Other times it’s like, everyone’s good and looks amazing.
I was up there with my girlfriend Priscilla, who is comparable in muscularity and is beautiful. But, when doing your own thing on stage, you can’t see “oh how’s my posing or stage presence in comparison?” Because you are focusing on your own thing.
BEN: I hear you! I can certainly say that your win was well deserved! And, I am honored to have you in the IPL Pros. What is next for you and when will we see you back on the IPL stage? For your Pro debut… [smiles]
“I WOULD LIKE TO WORK REALLY HARD…AND JOIN THE RANKS OF THE ATHLETIC OR FIGURE GALS…”
MICHELLE: Well, since I have basically been on a stringent regiment since May, I took December off of my strict diet and didn’t count a macro. [smiles] I still eat clean and exercise every day because I need it and love it.
Now that the holidays are over, I have been easing back into my year-round clean eating plan and I am looking at debuting in the April/May timeframe. After my debut, I would like to work really hard to stack on some more muscle/definition and join the ranks of the Athletic or Figure gals by the end of 2018!
Thank you so much for the opportunity! I am really excited to see what 2018 brings. I never thought I would end up with a lifestyle like this, but I am loving every minute! My kids are so proud of their “almost 40” mama and I love being a role model and showing them that with discipline, you can do anything! NATURAL BIKINI
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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