Airman fulfills dream of figure competition trophy

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Raymond Hoy
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo --  In between arranging schedules and preparing meals for the Academy's superintendent, one busy Airman found the time to follow her dream to compete in a figure competition.

Staff Sgt. Chiquita Green realized that dream when she finally competed in the NPC MET-Rx Rocky Mountain Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure and Bikini Championships Nov. 13 in Denver.

Green was one of 160 competitors and took first place in novice figure, first place in overall novice, and first place in open figure, a category in which the field was opened to all female competitors.

Green didn't start training for the event until Aug. 31. However, in the span of 11 weeks, she went from 23 percent body fat down to 12 percent body fat in October. She didn't get the opportunity to measure her body fat just before her competition.

"I can't believe how much I've accomplished over the past 11 weeks," she said. "It's amazing to watch your body transform. That's really what kept me motivated. One day I woke up and looked in the mirror and said, 'My two-pack has turned into four.'"

And that didn't just happen by watching what she ate. Green spent hours every day in the gym working on her figure.

She initially spent about an hour and 30 minutes in the gym every day. She did some sort of cardio for 30 minutes and then hit the weights for another hour. For the last two week she bumped her regimen up to two hours of cardio and one hour weight training.

Her drive to compete started early. Green started weightlifting as a senior in high school when she decided to take a class instead of getting to leave early from school since she had to drive her sister home every day anyway.

"It was me and two other girls in a class full of guys," she explained. "The coach was just as hard on us as he was on any of the guys. By the time it was over, I was benching and squatting as much as a lot of the guys."

Green saw an opportunity to continue her weightlifting when she saw a bodybuilding competition coming up while stationed in Korea, which she eventually won.

"I thought, 'Wow, this is awesome! When I come back to the states I want to do a no-kidding, real-deal show,'" she said.

She decided to pursue her dream when she got stationed at the Academy earlier this year. However, she felt like she was getting the runaround by local trainers and just couldn't get things going. Green decided to take a break from training until she eventually hooked up with an Academy firefighter Nola Trimble. Trimble is a prior enlisted member and had experience participating in bodybuilding competitions while in the military.

Trimble competed in her first event in 2003 and has competed in 17 others since. She got her start in figure competitions, but has since moved over to bodybuilding. In the meantime, she started sharing what she loves and training others to succeed in the gym.

"Through the years, I have worked with many people to help transform their bodies and their lives" Trimble explained. "It's truly an amazing feeling to help someone achieve their goal physique."

And they are just as excited to achieve it.

"I was so excited because I felt like somebody finally understood my goal and was there with me 100 percent," Green explained. "It really helps that she's competed in the past, so she knows what it takes to train me and tailor my training toward my goal."

But Green soon found out what that meant when she started Trimble on rigorous routines.

"Nola never gave me any slack," Green said. "She's one tough cookie. She's a great trainer and pushed me every step of the way."

Being an enlisted aide means spending a lot of time around food. Green had to develop some mental toughness to keep her hand out of the proverbial cookie jar.

"As an enlisted aide, a lot of my duties involve culinary items; preparing meals and making sure things are squared away for functions for my boss," she explained. "And every time I'd see the table, I'd just think, 'Oh, I wish I could just take a taste.'"

Green did have one slip up, if you can call it that. She explained how a run-in with an M&M jar almost derailed her dream.

"I had a weak moment where I had access to the M&M jar and I grabbed six M&Ms," she said with the look of anguish on her face. "I felt so guilty, I had to call my Nola right away and let her know."

"When training for a competition, the regimen is very important," Trimble explained. "I designed Chiquita's training, nutrition, cardio and supplement programs and in order for her to get as lean as she needed to be for the stage, it was critical that she followed these plans to a T. We did not have the luxury of having 12 or more weeks. We only had 11 so we had to make good use of each and every day we had together.

"I was disappointed that she gave into temptation, but at the same time I commended her for being woman enough to tell on herself and come clean with me about it. I simply told her that her competition was not cheating that close to a competition, so she had to pull it together and stay focused. To be honest, six M&Ms wouldn't have done a whole lot, but if a trainee cheats on her diet once, she's more likely to do it again and again."

"After that, I didn't even glance at the M&M jar," Green added.

Lucky for her, her slip didn't amount to anything and she went on to fulfill her dream ... in 11 weeks, no less. This win made Sergeant Green eligible to compete at national level competitions. If she wins there, she will be eligible for her pro card. And from there she can compete in the Ms. Olympia and Arnold competitions.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Chiquita will go far in this sport if she so chooses," Trimble said. "I would be honored to be with her every step of the way as she climbs the ranks to nationals and eventually the pro circuit. She is proof that if you want something badly enough, you will do whatever it takes to make it happen."