I would like to first thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through him all things are possible.

Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a once in a lifetime event and it is an honor. It means a great deal to me to have this achievement. In my youth, I was not an athlete, I was not a tomboy. I was a girl who didn’t like to sweat. That is until my potential was recognized by the person who has stood by me for the last 11 years, Joe Head, my coach and trainer. I am where I am today because he never gave up on me. I have First Place wins, won Best Lifter, and won several World, National, and State titles. Thank you Joe!

HQ Fitness and Team HQ! I have been blessed with an incredible training environment and great teammates! I am proud to be one of the team.

Thank you to my son AJ Baxter, who gave me the drive to be a strong mother in life and on the platform. I was blessed to have my son train, lift, and grace the platform with me. It was an incredible feeling for the two of us to be on the winning platform together! Thank you to Nick and the kids. Your support and encouragement means so much to me.

I began this journey in 2003 with my first meet in Portland. I was a nervous bundle of energy. All I knew at the time – my only goal – was to pick up the weight. I took my first win at the National meet and qualified for Worlds in Las Vegas. It was exciting to go to Vegas; I had no idea what I was in for. It was big, it was loud, and I had never seen so many strong people in one place. I took that same bundle of energy and just went and picked it up, with no worries about how much was on the bar. The goal was to just pick it up! That gave me my first World Championship where I unseated the holder of that weight class! After that, I was on fire. I caught the lifting bug. I looked forward to lifting in meets and Worlds. I have since lifted in several weight and age classes in both bench press and deadlift competitions.

Today at 47, I am now lifting in my third age division! I look forward to doing great things. It’s a new time in my life and I want to continue to achieve strength through fitness. I hope to inspire and remain inspired by so many strong women in this sport. Fitness is the fountain of youth!

Finally, I’d like to thank Gus for creating an incredible drug free organization. I would also like to thank Elma and Gary, the first smiling faces I see at meets (you two are great!), the judges and the spotters/loaders who do an incredible job at being fair and supporting the lifters. Thank you to the lifters who always bring good competition, I’ve met so many of you over the years and many of you have inspired me.

I appreciate this recognition and induction to the Hall of Fame. As long as I’m able to do it, I’m going to just keep picking it up!