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South
Florida has long been known for its beautiful surroundings
and beautiful people. And residents of the West Palm Beach
area interested in training with a highly competent
bodybuilding and fitness competitor can expect to do no
better than doing so with Debi Laszewski (pronounced: "la..chev...ski")
who is all that along with being a beautiful model and
spokesperson. Laszewski has a rock solid career and
promising future as an icon and mentor for future
generations of women interested in the sport of
bodybuilding, fitness, and figure competitions.
She has
either won or placed highly in all her competitions in
recent years including the Southern States last year along
with the Nationals and more. On June 24, Laszewski was the
overall winner of the Grand Bahamas Invitational. “The Grand
Bahama was an invitational that was put together of the U.S.
against the Bahamians and I was fortunately invited to be a
part of that,” Laszewski said. “I was only given six weeks
to prepare for that. So given that I always keep myself in
somewhat good shape I’m never too far off, but that was a
very interesting experience. The people there are very warm
and welcoming. And I did end up getting a standing ovation
from the people there, which was very nice. I’ve never
received something like that in my life. They did want to
hire me back to come back and guest pose next year. So it
was a good experience. It was different than the American
shows because of the organization and such, but to be a part
of something that they are trying to have every year as a
grand event was pretty neat because this is like Europe’s
superstars in the Bahamas. They have full-page articles in
the newspaper and so much interest and publicity on the
sport of bodybuilding, which we don’t have as much of it
here in the states.”
Laszewski
deserves her ovations, as she is no ordinary amateur
bodybuilder, but one with legendary dedication to her craft
and a consummate performer and entertainer on stage. “,…when
I perform, and I’ve worked a lot on my performances, people
were telling me people were moved and they were crying
watching me on stage and things like that,” Laszewski said.
“And I guess that is what I enjoy is moving people because
it is more than just getting up there and posing. It is how
you capture people within that. Bodybuilding is more than
posing. It is a beautiful sport in the sense that there is a
spiritual side and emotional side and I think that when you
portray that it comes off to people and that touches them
more than them just saying you have an unbelievable
physique.”
After
training for 17 years since she was 20 years of age this
former Madison, Wisconsin girl stands on the precipice of
orchestrating phenomenal change in the sport of women’s
bodybuilding. She recognizes the importance of contests and
their relevance in nurturing competitors and the need for
reform in women’s bodybuilding. “You look at this on the
professional level at the Olympia and Arnold, the women pros
and how they are competing on these small stages and it is
so different than for the men,” Laszewski said. “I think
that takes away a little from the women and makes it less
attractive for people to want to be a pro and become pro
because the monetary reward is not like it is for the men.
And I understand the whole marketing angle and that they
feel bodybuilding for women is less marketable. I’m trying
to change that as far as bringing myself as an ambassador
for the sport. And I’m trying to keep this image in the
sport and make it a beautiful thing so that it is marketable
again and building women’s bodybuilding. Also, on a smaller
scale I’ve been pretty fortunate as far as people hiring me
for guest posing and I’m trying to make it not just about
posing, but about a performance so you are creating a style
about bodybuilders. It is not something that has to be hard,
hardcore, but something that can be a hardness made
beautiful. And I think promoters are seeing that. And so
actually I just got signed to guest pose in October for a
pro-show figure-fitness show here in West Palm Beach. It is
going to be the third highest paid pro fitness-figure show.
And they are actually hiring me to guest pose that. That is
really what I’m trying to go forward with not only to be a
pro, but to take it to a level that people can see it can be
a beautiful thing. And women can be muscular, but feminine
and I think how you present your package is very relevant to
how people are going to accept the sport.”
Note:
In an upcoming article Debi Laszewski will
share with us: Her perceptions regarding her success, her
motivations, mentors, her family member's response to her
career, what sustains her drive and perseverance, her diet,
training regime along with her current focus heading to the
Nationals in Miami later this year. |
