Today we’d like to introduce you to Joelle McQuay.
Hi Joelle, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a retired Canadian federal police officer who sustained a spinal cord injury in 2013 and moved to the USA to have spinal cord surgery. I decided to compete in a bodybuilding competition as a “bucket list” item and fell in love with the sport.
Fast forward to 2020 I had competed in 6 bikini competitions and was 10 days out from my 7th competition when covid hit.
In August of 2020, I had my pelvis broken and was forced out of the gym for 7 months and was only cleared at 30% and didn’t get cleared to 100% for 11 months.
Summer of 2021 I was told by some Powerlifters that a bikini competitor had no business in the powerlifting world so I decided to get a coach and start bench pressing.
In November of 2021, I got my first world Record in Bench Press And in April 2022 I got my second and third world record bench press.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to success has been very difficult. There have been times that it ran smooth and according to plan but then I’ve had major setbacks. Setbacks are just part of life and things we can’t control. I believe that it’s how we dig out of the setbacks that give us our greatest success story.
Breaking my back while serving as a federal police officer was not part of my plan. But that plan allowed me to move to the United States of America and be given opportunities I would’ve never dreamt of before.
Covid was not part of my plan. Being 10 days out from the best condition that my body is ever been in, just to have it taken away, was not part of my plan.
Breaking my pelvis was not part of the plan. I lost a ton of lower body muscle while learning how to walk again. This set me back huge in the Body Building field. But it also allowed me to look at Powerlifting and a new light and allow me to be a trailblazer for powerlifting for women my age and weight in the law fire division.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a retired federal police officer. I am a competitive athlete who turned professional athlete in November 2021. I compete in Bodybuilding and Powerlifting. I believe Powerlifting has put me more on the map than Body Building has so far.
I am most proud of the world records that I received in powerlifting. What began is just something to prove the boys wrong turned into a passion that I had no idea I had inside.
I am also proud that my first world record was for Canada. And my second and third world records are for the USA. All records I received within five months of each other.
I just became an American citizen in February 2022.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
My favorite childhood memory would be when my family would travel from our hometown of Edmonton Alberta to Christina Lake, British Columbia.
Contact Info:
- Email: Bikininpc@gmail.com
- Website: Fitgijo.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/fitgijo?r=nametag
- Facebook: Http://Facebook.com/joellemcquay
