BUTLER TWP — After 10 years in bodybuilding, Theresa Ivancik has reached the pinnacle of her sport.

And the 33-year-old Butler Township resident got there well ahead of schedule.

Ivancik placed second out of eight women in her first professional show in Norfolk, Va., recently. The runner-up finish gave her enough points to qualify for the Wings of Strength Rising Phoenix Show Sept. 9 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

“It's such a mental game now,” Ivancik said of turning pro. “The biggest difference is you receive a list of the competitors you're going up against two weeks before the show.

“It's so easy to want to look them up, see pictures, know what you're up against. But that can be intimidating, too. It can mess with your confidence if you question whether you're good enough.”

Not only did Ivancik not check out her competition beforehand — she kept her own body covered up until she went on stage.

“I didn't want to show what I had,” she said.

The strategy worked.

Having faced competition from Brazil, Italy, Canada, Georgia, California and other areas at the Norfolk show, Ivancik will now be up against the best of the best in Arizona.

She will be one of 15 to 20 women bodybuilders, all competing in one open division, from all over the world.

“This is as high as it gets,” Jeff Harlan, owner of Harlan Elite Fitness in Butler and one of Ivancik's trainers, said. “This Wings of Strength event is like the Super Bowl in football or the Stanley Cup in hockey.

“Most women at that level are 38 to 42 years old. Theresa will likely be the youngest and most inexperienced pro in the competition.”

She still wants to win — or at least finish among the top five.

“You always want to win,” Ivancik admitted. “But the top five automatically qualify for this show next year, without having to earn the points to get there. That's where I want to be.”

Again, the mental game kicks in.

“Once a competitor gets inside your brain, it's over,” Harlan said. “Nervousness and lack of confidence affects your physical appearance and your posing.

“You need to believe in yourself. Theresa does and she should. She's earned all of this.”

This will be the final show of the year for Ivancik, who will then begin planning her show schedule for 2018. Regardless, her training regimen won't stop.

“She's embraced the lifestyle,” Harlan said. “This sort of thing isn't for everybody.”

Ivancik goes through a daily workout and stays dedicated with her diet around the calendar. That includes egg whites, chicken, broccoli, turkey and water.

Even when Ivancik travels, she freezes her food and brings it along, never straying from her diet. That dedication has been noticed by the best of the best.

And by Taylor Crede, a former Knoch cheerleader who works out daily at Harlan's facility.

“Just watching what she's done, purely through dedication and determination ... It's very inspiring,” the 21-year-old Crede said. “I come to this gym every day and listen to what she says.

“I want my future to be her future.”

Besides getting ready for the Wings of Strength Show, Ivancik has been part of the filming of a reality show — its rights being negotiated with networks — depicting women's bodybuilding. The show includes a number of episodes involving 10-plus female bodybuilders staying in a mansion together.

Part of the first episode includes Ivancik getting training time alone with eight-time Miss Olympia Lenda Murray.

“We had some great conversation,” Ivancik said. “I've learned a lot from her. She praised me for being old-school, for not messing up my meal schedule or diet by bringing my food with me on the road.

“Lenda said my dedication and success will help popularize the sport. Coming from someone like her ... That meant the world to me.”

Ivancik competes in the International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB), the highest professional level in the sport.

“Theresa can go no higher in terms of competition,” Harlan enthused. “Now she has years to finish the climb to being the best in the world.”