Ivancik catches a dream
BUTLER TWP — Catching a dream isn’t always easy.
In Theresa Ivancik’s case, it took a lot of frustration and a couple of years. But it’s been snagged.
Ivancik, 33, of Butler earned her professional bodybuilding card Nov. 19 by placing first in the heavyweight female division at NPC Nationals in Miami, Fla.
She became the first Butler area bodybuilder — male or female — to earn a pro card and the first woman in the Pittsburgh area to do so in 25 years. Pittsburgh’s Kim King earned her pro card in 1991.
“I’ve competed in 17 shows over the past nine years,” Ivancik said. “I had set three goals for myself: One, to own a gym, which we (Jeff Harlan and herself) do; two, to become a personal trainer, which I have, and three, to compete as a professional bodybuilder.
“I will be competing for prize money now, better rewards, sponsorships ... The big thing is I will now be competing with girls I’ve admired for years. I’m going to be on stage with them.”
To qualify for a NPC national show, competitors have to place among the top three or five in events within a year’s span. Ivancik had done so and gone after her pro card before.
She fell a point shy in Miami last year, finishing second at nationals. She fell a point shy again in Las Vegas last summer, again settling for second.
A first-place finish at a national show automatically earns a pro card.
“After Las Vegas, I figured I’d try the women’s physique division as opposed to bodybuilding, thinking maybe I should change my approach,” Ivancik said. “But I only finished eighth out of 18 in my next show. I was too big.
“I decided to switch back to bodybuilding.”
She also decided to get a new coach. Through a mutual friend in the sport, Ivancik found Brian Hoydic, a pro bodybuilder living in northeastern Ohio.
Hoydic has coached competitors to 38 first-place finishes over the years.
“I met him face to face only once, a week before the Miami show,” Ivancik said. “We exchanged texts for nine weeks before that. I kept sending updated photos of myself and he changed my diet every week.”
Hoydic changed her dieting philosophy as well.
Ivancik went from a diet high in protein with moderate carbohydrates and zero fat to a diet consisting of moderate protein, no carbs and high in fat.
“It was a radical change for me that took some getting used to ... But it paid off,” she said.
Ivancik will now compete in the International Federation of Body Building (IFBB), which has five major competitions scheduled in 2017. They take place in Canada, Puerto Rico, Nebraska, Chicago and Arizona.
Ivancik plans to compete only in the Chicago event, slated for the end of June. Pros must earn eight points along the way — through a judging system — to qualify for the final show. Prize money is in the thousands of dollars.
“I just want to get my feet wet next year,” she said. “I’ll plan out my game a lot more in 2018.
“I’m planning on competing as a pro for a number of years.”
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