Ivancik returning to Olympia
BUTLER TWP — Athletes don’t always earn a second chance to compete against the best.
Theresa Ivancik is relishing hers.
Ivancik, 38, of Center Township recently won a professional bodybuilding show in Indianapolis — her third pro win in four years — and has qualified to compete in The Olympia, the world bodybuilding championships, Dec.15-18 in Las Vegas.
This will be her second Olympia performance. Her first was in 2020 and did not go so well.
“That first one was terrible,” Ivancik recalled. “It was down in Florida because of the COVID year. I was so nervous, intimidated ... I didn’t pose well at all.”
Ivancik has been a bodybuilder for 15 years. She turned pro in 2016. She continues to work and train at Harlan’s Fitness in Butler, where she also trains bodybuilders. Some are just starting out, others have been competing for a while with hopes of attaining a pro card.
“While I compete and chase my own dreams, I’m following their pursuits and helping them as well,” Ivancik said.
Jeff Harlan, who runs the gym with Ivancik, said it’s about a “1 in 5,000 chance” for a female bodybuilder to get to the Olympia.
“Theresa’s gotten there twice in three years now,” he said. “That’s unheard of. So many great bodybuilders never get there. This is the best of the best from all over the world.”
Ivancik has been working under a new trainer — California resident Brandon Ray — for the past eight months. She receives instruction and guidance from him virtually. The two have yet to meet face-to-face.
Ray plans to be in Las Vegas for the Olympia competition.
“We got together through a mutual acquaintance,” Ray said. “It was somebody who knows the way I train and the way Theresa works out. The thought was we would work well together and that thought turned out to be right.
“Theresa is very disciplined in her training. She’s intense, yet easy-going. She competes with confidence. The current (female) Olympia champion is incredible, but I plan to have Theresa standing right next to her.”
Ray added that Ivancik’s looks and demeanor shatter the stereotyped image most people have of female bodybuilders.
“People look at women in this sport as tough and intimidating, stand-offish in a way,” he said. “Theresa has a beautiful face, an engaging smile. Her physical appearance is stunning. She is so friendly, talks to everyone at a show and in the gym. She is so passionate about what she’s doing, a perfect image for bodybuilding.”
Bodybuilders can qualify for the Olympia by either winning a pro show or “chasing points,” that is, accumulating points while placing high in a number of pro shows. But there are only a handful of pro bodybuilding shows for women during the course of a year.
“We choose to put all of our marbles in one basket,” Ivancik said. “I like to be one-and-done, win a show and qualify that way. If you’re chasing points, you’re prepping for shows all the time and that’s rough on the body.”
Ivancik estimates her prep period for a pro show to be 16 weeks.
She said she is still picking up tips that help her posing and emphasize her body structure.
“Brandon’s been great for me that way,” she said.
First prize for the female portion of the Olympia is $50,000. The male Olympia winner gets $400,000. This will be Ivancik’s first Olympia in Las Vegas. The event was dormant for six years before coming back recently.
“This will be an amazing experience for her,” Harlan said of Ivancik. “You come out on stage by walking through the big ‘O.’ Then you realize you’re there, you made it. The atmosphere is something you can’t prepare for.
“There might be 500 people watching a typical pro show. There will be more than 2,000 there watching the Olympia, and many more through pay-per-view.”
“The best in the world will be on that stage, all bringing their ‘A’ game,” Ivancik said. “It’s up to me to bring mine. You have to believe you’re good enough.
“The first dream of a competitive bodybuilder is to turn oro. The second dream is to win a pro show. The third is to make the Olympia. I’m there and I’m ready to take my best shot.”
