Dina Al-Saba - Kolozzeum Forum

Herkulez · 2005-10-08, 10:34

figure tävlande från USA, she makesmy world go around :P

Herkulez · 2005-10-08, 10:36

lite info taget från www.fitdina.com

For those of you who do not know me...here is a little intro...
I was born in 1974 in Beirut, Lebanon and have been fortunate enough to have lived in over 7 different countries which enabled me to become fluent in 4 languages. My ethnic background is extremely mixed as I have ancestry from Kuwait, Turkey, Syria and East Africa. As a child, home was a constantly changing place, I hopped around from Italy to Egypt to Morocco where I ended up staying for 8 years while I attended the American School of Tangier.

My athletic career started when I was about 5 years old. I started riding and proceeded to compete in show jumping events at the age of 10. While riding I also took up Ballet but I gave it up when my Ballet teacher said I had to choose between my horse and dance class.

During high school I immersed myself in sports, and I was on the varsity basketball and volleyball teams. I was also captain of the track and field team during my senior year and ran the 100, 200 and 400 meter races. I was the queen of flexibility and sit-ups. I remember practicing sit-ups every night so that I could break the record for most sit-ups done in a minute. I also remember that I could not manage to do one pushup or even a lying pull-up!!!

Upon finishing high school I spent 2 years in London getting my GCE's and then I went onto university in the US.

I came to DC at the beginning of 1994, and started attending class at GWU. My major was Electrical Engineering with a pre-medical option. At this time since I had very few friends I spent a lot of time in the gym...but I had no clue what I was doing...

In 1996 I started reading a lot more on fitness and bodybuilding and realized that diet was at the source of everything. I tried to manipulate my diet experimenting with low carb/high protein combinations and started noticing the beginnings of a six pack. I also started training a lot heavier, but I used to concentrate on my legs while neglecting my arms and upper body, just because I hated feeling the burn..and because those muscle were so weak.

By 1997, I knew a little more about weight lifting, and I started trying to balance my physique by training my upper body a little heavier. It was then that I was approached by a couple of people who tried to convince me I should compete, but I wanted to have nothing to do with competing as it involved far to much discipline and dedication.

Finally, in 1999 while finishing my Masters in Telecommunications and Computers I decided to take the plunge and try to compete. Once bitten by the competition bug there was no going back as you embark on a journey of constantly try to better your physique. In 2001 I decided to switch to Figure and Fitness and by 2002 I had won the largest regional shows on the east coast. I was hoping to go to Nationals to get a Pro Card, but I discovered that only US citizens may compete at Nationals in the US. I was told to ask my country of citizenship for a recommendation for professional status with the IFBB. Since I am from Kuwait, I knew that hell would freeze over before the Kuwaitis would allow me to compete on stage in a bikini. I decided that my only recourse was to petition the IFBB for a Pro Card. I sent in a petition explaining my situation, and with the help of Jim Manion, head of the NPC, I was finally awarded my Pro Card.

I currently compete in the professional division of the IFBB in Figure. Competing professionally is a job unto itself since it requires so much time, dedication and sacrifice, but unfortunately in the women's divisions it is not lucrative at all.

Currently I still reside in the DC area. I continue to maintain my career outside the fitness world and I view competitions as an obsessive hobby.