During a recent journey to the eastern slope to take in the Tokyo Joe's Body Building Championships in Denver two area performers were awarded the top honor in their respective classifications. Amy Manzanares was crowned the Colorado State winner in Class A Figure competition while Justin Granzella won his second title in body building (see related photo and article).

For Manzanares, it was her second title after winning at the Mile High competitions a year ago.

Manzanares is a 1996 graduate of Grand Valley High School in Parachute and has been married to husband Matt for eight years.

Manzanares is currently employed by the Montrose County School District as a traveling sign reader interpretator for the past eight years.

When asked if she knew she had won the recent competition a simple, "I wasn't sure," was the reply.

There is a certain amount of sacrifice and work involved in becoming a successful competitor in the figure classifications.

As to the time involved, Manzanares begins her final preparations for the shows 16 weeks away from the show date. Her diet will consist of high-protein based foods such as chicken and egg whites. It's not a bad routine if you like to eat as Manzanares notes she must eat every two to three hours which helps maintain the necessary portions of needed protein that helps build muscle.

The physical preparation for her shows is a constant regime including two hours of cardio-vascular work and one hour of lifting seven days a week.

Manzanares trains at Bill Heddles Rec Center in Delta and has a personal trainer, Mary Coluccy, who lives in Olathe. Manzanares and Coluccy have been working together for seven years. And, on occasion, Manzanares travels to Denver to do workouts with her second trainer, Steve Fujii.

There are sacrifices to gaining success in most cases. It's not easy going out to public places to eat without worrying about interrupting the training process.

Another form of sacrifice mentioned by Manzanares was traveling during the training process. A trip to Lake Powell would involve figuring out a training routine away from the gym and packing a huge amount of food that matches her regular diet plans.

For Manzanares, the 16 weeks of preparation do not seem to bother her. And, the rewards are fulfilling. "The first win was a long time coming. It's a lot of work and no one wants to spend hours training in the summer. But it's really special to me. I enjoy the whole process."

Manzanares has earned a trip to a national show but hasn't made a decision as to where she would go, if she does get to go. The time from work and money needed to travel to shows is something to consider. If she can go, Manzanares will choose from possible sites such as the Junior Nationals in South Carolina, Chicago, or the USA's in Las Vegas.

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