A local bodybuilder is making a name for herself in the province after placing in a southern Alberta competition and competing on the provincial stage in the last month.

Amber Leavitt, 35 and program specialist at the Badlands Community Facility, placed fifth in the Alberta Bodybuilding Association’s Southern Alberta Championships on June 11 in Red Deer, and competed in the association’s provincial championships this past weekend in Edmonton.

Leavitt’s, who has competed in regionals the last four years, fifth place showing in the Figure D Open class at regional’s qualified her for provincials where she shared the stage with the provinces best bodies.

“It was stiff competition this year compared to other years, but I was very pleased with my achievements,” Leavitt said. 

“I put on more muscle this year than I had in previous years. I’m pleased overall with the changes I’ve done to myself and that’s my goal every year – to be better than the me that was on stage last year.”

Leavitt began training in 2012 and competed for the first time in 2013. She says she hasn’t always been into fitness. She decided she needed to get her “butt off the couch and start being more active,” beginning with cardio but found weightlifting more appealing.

“I shifted gears and started weightlifting and body weight exercises and once I saw the changes weightlifting did for my body and physique I just kept going. It was addictive and I wanted to see what else my body could do,” she said.

The annual regional competitions provided her with the all-so-necessary motivation to continue working on her body.

“Lots of people will stop doing something that’s beneficial for their health because they don’t have a goal to achieve every year. The competition is my ‘something’ to work toward every year. I like being on that stage,” she said.

Although she placed in fourth at the 2015 competition, one spot higher than this year’s fifth place finish, she says it’s not about placement as long as she continues to see her body grow.

Her placement in regional’s qualified her for the provincial competition, a first for her. Placing at provincials is her next goal.

“It was very inspiring and motivating to be one stage with those women this weekend. It takes a long time to get to where those women are… It’s slow but steady work but you just keep on going. It was motivating to see that someday I will be there if I keep working.”

Neil Dimmock and Bill Engman are getting ready to hitch up the wagon and head to town for the Calgary Stampede.

Only this time they are doing it in epic proportions.

The two farmers are planning to recreate Canadian cowboy Ralph “Slim” Moorehouse’s 1925 journey from Gleichen to the Calgary Stampede, and eventually into the parade. Slim’s hitch was noted for being the longest in the world at that time, with 36 horses and 10 grain wagons. He was carrying 1,477 bushels of wheat.

What we are attempting is to recreate a hitch that Slim Moorehouse did in 1925,” explains Dimmock. “We are a little shy on horse numbers yet, we’re sitting at 32 right now.”

“With this whole outfit, there is over 200 feet of horses and 150 feet of wagons. It is like many semis all hooked together going around the corner.” 

The journey sets up on June 29 in  Gleichen. They will help that community celebrate Canada Day, and July 2 will head out pull their rig to Chestermere. There will be a stop at Strathmore.  They are planning a route that avoids most of the busy thoroughfares. Because of the growth of the city, they are not able to faithfully complete the journey. At Chestermere, they will have to load up the rig and truck it into Calgary. 

This isn’t Dimmock’s first trip to the rodeo. He is currently the world record holder for the longest hitch of Percheron horses with 46. 

As they select the horses for the long journey they are looking for a number of qualities beyond strength and endurance.

“They have to be well trained and calm. They have to be the type of horse that can stand patiently while fire trucks and everything go roaring by them because we are going right into the heart of the beast into the Calgary Stampede Parade.