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By Kyle Adams<\/p>\n
It was a homecoming that Mikayla Vellenga will never forget.<\/p>\n
The 2017 Pine Bush High School graduate is officially a professional bodybuilder and fitness model, after earning a second place finish at a July 2 NPC Universe show in Teaneck, New Jersey, to claim her IFBB Pro Card.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s crazy because I missed the show I was supposed to do a few weeks ago, in Chattanooga, Tennessee,\u201d said Vellenga, who now lives in Florida. \u201cWe tried to get on three different flights and spent 15 hours in the airport, but none of the flights took off either due to weather or maintenance issues. I ended up missing that show.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was initially Vellenga\u2019s hope to earn her pro card at the Tennessee show in June, but circumstances beyond her control forced her to redirect her focus to the NPC Universe event \u2013 an hour and a half from her hometown of Pine Bush.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cried on the way back from the airport that day, but the next day my coach said that everything happens for a reason,\u201d Vellenga said of missing the Chattanooga show. \u201cHe said, you were not meant to be at that show, and we\u2019re going to put it in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Vellenga was forced to maintain her strict training and diet routines for a few weeks longer than expected, it opened up the door for her family and friends to be present on the day she became a pro, and took second place in the Fit Model division of the NPC Universe event.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of my family would have been able to get to Chattanooga,\u201d Vellenga said. \u201cIt felt like it was meant to be, after it happened. It meant so much more to me, with all my family there supporting me. It feels like it was supposed to happen this way.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a professional bodybuilder \u2013 an upgrade from the amateur ranks \u2013 she is now able to compete at shows for prize money, will have increased sponsorship opportunities and will look to take the stage against a new level of competition, including working towards the pinnacle of pro fitness and bodybuilding, the Olympia.
A former diver and softball player at Pine Bush, Vellenga began going to the gym in preparation for her sports for the Bushmen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started going to the gym to get better at sports when I was in high school. But I actually started to like the gym more than the sport I was playing. It was a weird feeling, but after I stopped diving (in college at Hartwick) I continued going to the gym,\u201d she said. \u201cI was seeing a lot of bodybuilding and fitness shows on social media, and my boyfriend, Sean, competes as well. That made me want to do a show, but I didn\u2019t know if I had what it took. I didn\u2019t know if I had it in me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t do well at my first two shows, and I kind of took that to heart, but that allowed me to go back to the gym with more of a purpose. It was something that I wanted to get really good at, and those first couple shows really lit a fire, since I loved being on stage and I loved performing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the past three years, Vellenga competed in amateur shows, looking for the chance to reach the national level. At a Junior USA event in Charlotte, North Carolina earlier this year, she qualified for an opportunity to compete for her pro card.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first time I stepped on a stage a few years ago, I didn\u2019t remember anything. I looked at my friend and asked them what just happened. I kind of blacked out,\u201d Vellenga recalled of her first show in 2023 in Boca Raton, Florida. \u201cNow when I\u2019m on stage, it\u2019s like I feel every emotion and see everyone. I see my mom, I see the judges and I see my coach yelling at me. I\u2019m becoming so aware while I\u2019m on stage, and I think that\u2019s what\u2019s making it so addicting, because of the way I feel when I\u2019m on stage. When I\u2019m holding my pose and looking out and seeing everyone, it\u2019s such a crazy adrenaline rush that\u2019s hard to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the competition itself is focused on an athlete\u2019s overall physique and aesthetic, a competitors stage presence and preparation is much more of a physical and mental balance.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started preparing in February. It\u2019s cardio everyday, not missing a meal, weighing out every gram you consume and controlling your water, working a 9 to 5 and teaching pilates classes,\u201d said Vellenga, who works as a radiation therapist and an outpatient treatment center in Florida. \u201cMy body feels it. I\u2019m tired, but I\u2019m motivated, which is why I keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is also the aspect of social media, and making comparisons between yourself and the competition.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, 100 percent. It\u2019s hard not to compare yourself. My coach is always telling me to focus on myself, since I\u2019m always the one backstage looking at everyone else,\u201d Vellenga said. \u201cLooking at social media ahead of time who you\u2019re competing against, and it\u2019s hard not to compare yourself to what other people post. It\u2019s just an added internal pressure, and really you don\u2019t even have to worry about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve learned not to compare myself, and that last show I did, I really didn\u2019t stress out over anyone else. I just stayed in the moment and was so happy that I was at home with my family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since officially becoming a pro, Vellenga has enjoyed a bit of a break from her regular training regiment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds crazy, but I love sushi and I love a burger and fries. That was the first thing I had after my show, a burger and fries. I love my sweet treats too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a lot of rice krispie treats and cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. Really, it\u2019s all sweets. I can\u2019t wait to go to Hometown (Pine Bush\u2019s ice cream stand) later today.\u201d<\/p>\n
It won\u2019t be long before she\u2019s back in action, looking to get to the next level.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy goal right now, I want to go to the Olympia,\u201d Vellenga said. \u201cI want to take this all the way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n