Knoch graduate Taylor Crede, a former cheerleader, works out in the gym. Crede recently earned her pro card for the figure division of bodybuilding at age 22.

Taylor Crede figured she had a head start in bodybuilding — through cheerleading.

The 2014 Knoch graduate was a cheerleader for the Knights and was always into physical fitness.

“I always had muscle tone,” Crede said. “I was physically lifting girls up all the time in cheerleading.

“A friend and me walked into Harlan’s (Fitness Center) one day to lift some weights. I saw Theresa (Ivancik) in there and decided I wanted to look like that someday.”

So she went to work on it.

Ivancik, a co-owner of Harlan’s, is a professional bodybuilder. She earned her pro card at age 33.

Crede, 22, earned hers by winning the Class G (based on height) Figure division at the National Physique Committee (NPC) North American Championships Aug. 30 in Pittsburgh.

“It’s extremely rare that somebody gets a pro card that young,” Ivancik said. “Taylor is way ahead of schedule. Taylor is one of the most dedicated young girls I’ve ever met.

Crede plans to wait a full year before competing in her first professional show. She recently signed a contract with a national supplement company, which will sponsor her.

“I want to take a year off and gain more muscle mass,” she said. “My long-term goal is to get to the Olympia stage.”

The Olympia, held each September in Las Vegas, is considered the Super Bowl of bodybuilding. Only the top competitors in the world reach that level, as the athletes qualify through points accumulated at other pro shows.

Ivancik believes Crede will one day get there.

“I truly do,” she said. “I think Taylor can someday be among the top five at the Olympia. She’s got that kind of ceiling.”

Read the full story in Thursday's Butler Eagle.