Dawn Fernandez, Sabrina Nicole, and Danielle Delikat have been named the NPC Athletes of the Month in Figure, Bikini and Fitness for the month of September.
FIGURE: DAWN FERNANDEZ
Accomplishment: IFBB North Americans Figure Overall and Class F winner
Age 44
Height 5’6
Weight 128-130
Residence Phoenix, Arizona
Contest History/Highlights 2012: USA Championships 3rd Class E; Team Universe 10th Class E; Junior Nationals 2nd Class E; Gold Coast Muscle 1st Class E and Overall; 2011: IFBB Arnold Amateur 6th Class E; Team Universe 8th Class E, 10th Masters Class C; USA Championships 9th Class E; Nationals 9th Class E; 2010: Natural Western Regionals 1st Class and Overall; Bikini Tall and Overall; Muscle Contest 4th Bikini Class D; California State 5th Bikini Class E; West Coast Classic 2nd Bikini Class E, 4th Bikini Masters; Masters Nationals 4th; USA Championships 16th Bikini Class E; Nationals 15th Bikini Class E; 2009: Western Regionals 2nd Bikini Tall Class; Excalibur 2nd Bikini Tall, 1st Bikini Masters
Go here for more photos of Dawn Fernandez!
IT’S JUST A NUMBER “I don’t see my age as a challenge. I see my injury as more of a challenge – I was in a car accident in 2004 and suffered a lot of nerve and soft-tissue damage in my mid back up to my neck. But as far as my age, sometimes I think I have to prove myself a little bit more than others. People get this image of me and then when I show up they are like ‘Wow! This is what 44 looks like?’
A LITTLE OBSESSED “I was 30 when I started weight training. I always ate in moderation but I was that skinny fat that we talk about. I wanted to see what my body would look like with some muscle on it. I remember doing front raises one day and seeing that little muscle on the front working and that was it! I was hooked. I wanted those same muscles everywhere. After that, if I didn’t go to the gym I was doing pushups and sit ups and jumping jacks in a garage or in the front room. I might have been a little obsessed!”
COMPETITIVE STREAK “I’m very competitive. No matter what I’m doing I want to win. I always come to win. I’ll make adjustments, take criticism and feedback – whatever it takes. If there’s a contest at work, I want to win. I want to be the best no matter what I’m doing. For all those that doubted, I do deserve to be here and I’m gonna prove it to you and prove it to myself.”
OFFICE HOURS “I work for a large financial institution, so I have a very conservative, very structured job. So this sport allows me to let my hair down and release some of the tension from the office. Everyone there is extremely supportive, I think they’ve gotten used to this now! I go in at 7:30 in the morning and get off at 4 pm, so that works in terms of me being able to get to the gym at a decent hour in the evening and still have time with my family. “
WORDS TO LIVE BY “I have two sayings that I live by. The first one is ‘Everything in moderation.’ I live by that no matter what I’m doing or eating or drinking or whatever. The second one is ‘Being fit and healthy is a lifestyle’. It’s not seasonal. For me there is no offseason. It’s something I do all the time. I don’t care what time of year it is, I could be ready for a show in week.”
