My name is Trudy Ireland. I was born in Abilene, Texas, on February 20, 1957. I moved around quite a bit while growing up living in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and California. I lived in three different states in the three years I spent in High School.

I've been a tomboy all my life. All I ever really wanted as a young girl was a horse. I lived, breathed and dreamed of having my own horse. When I was 11 my dream came true, I got my horse, her name was Comanche. I spent the next 5 years of my life riding her every day, during the hot summer and freezing winters, it was a great way to grow up!!! Forget the malls, roller skating rinks and bowling alleys, I was outdoors all the time!!!

As a six year old, I learned to water ski, we spent many summers at the lake, swimming and skiing. I thought I was a good skier until one day when I wiped out badly fracturing my tibia in three places, I was 22 with a bi lateral tibia plauteau fracture.....big ouch!!!!! The doctors at the first hospital I went near the lake told me I would never be able to walk again. Needless to say, I was devastated and told my dad to get me to Houston. I was very fortunate to get the Houston Oilers' physician, he put me back together again with screws and brackets (no rubber bands or bubble gum). At this time I was a total foreigner and a wimp to any sort of physical fitness.

Watching the football players go through physical therapy blew my mind. I had refused to do the re-hab due the pain, but I finally saw the light when I realized I was in my early 20's and had a horrible limp. It took months but I finally got to where I could walk without a limp. Since then I've had seven knee surgeries and need a total knee replacement which I'm putting off as long as possible.

Shortly after this I saw a magazine with Rachel McLish on the cover. I was single and wanted desperately to become independent and in charge of my own life. I went straight to a sporting goods store and bought a weight bench, a bar and some plates, plus, a book written my Betty Weider, Bodybuilding for Women. I put my bench together, and read my book, in my little one bedroom apartment, I taught myself each exercise. I had no clue what a tricep even was, so I got more books and learned everything I could on muscles, and what each one of them do and don't do!

Six months after beginning to train, I entered my first show at 102 pounds! I won the lightweight class at the Tulsa BB Championship in 1983, plus Best Poser. Needless to say, I was now hooked on training and on competing.

I continued competing, only taking a little time off when I had my two sons, Casey in 1986, and Colin in 1988. In 1990 I competed at the Junior Nationals in New Orleans where I placed sixth. At this time I decided to retire from competition due to family obligations.

I continued working out, but working full time and raising a family did not leave much time for contest preparation. In 1998 I decided to do one last show, the NPC Oklahoma, and won the Masters, the Lightweight, and the Overall. So much for it being the last! Since then I've done several local shows and a few national level shows.

Above all else, I love weight training. I love the gym. I am proud to be more muscular and stronger than I've ever been in my life. Lifting heavy weights and watching my muscles grow bigger and stronger is the ultimate! My training philosophy is train hard, train heavy, eat clean and get big! I love the bodybuilding life style and have been living it for almost two decades.

When I am not working out, running my boys to and from their activities I like to get on my 1980 Harley. I have owned it since 1991. I was lucky enough to go to Sturgis, South Dakota in 1990 riding there and back on the back of a 1976 Harly in a rigid frame. It was a long ride, let me assure you!! But, what was really cool was in Sturgis, there were women riding Harleys, something I had never seen!!! When I returned, I got my own, I love it almost as much as I loved Comanche!!

Now, to just keep getting bigger and harder!!!! I have taken off only a few days here and there over all these years of training. It is the best part of my day, when I go to the gym and do what I love the most, lift the heavy weights, feel my muscles get full and pumped, see my strength and power in action!!