Bodybuilding superstar Dayana Cadeau still remembers the cold shoulder she got when she arrived for her first major competition back in the early 1990s.
So, when she created her own eponymous contest in 2008, the Haitian-born former Ms. Olympia vowed to make all of the athletes at her event feel appreciated.
“I remember, when I started, I didn’t really have anybody to make me feel that I’m welcome” recalls the now retired champion. “So, what I try to do with my show is make sure everybody is okay and has everything they need to feel good. I make sure we’re a big family so that when they go onstage they’re relaxed and there’s no stress.”
Since its launch in 2008, the Dayana Cadeau Classic has become one of the hottest events in muscle sports. Every autumn, “The Dayana” draws the nation’s most promising men and women competitors in the bodybuilding, physique, fitness and bikini divisions.
Top winners at this year’s classic (set for October 25 in Coral Springs, Florida) will qualify for the coveted pro card, the key to bodybuilding’s big leagues. Cadeau is proud of the way her event is growing, especially since getting it off the ground six years ago was a major challenge.
“It was overwhelming! I didn’t really know about promoting a show and what you are going through,” Cadeau remembers. “The challenge was organizing everything. Fortunately, I’m a very organized person.”
Cadeau stepped away from competition in 2012 after 20 years in the sport. Today, at the age of 50 (no, that is not a typo) she’s laser-focused on promoting her show and developing new ventures including a signature line of sportswear that’s due in stores this November. She considers these projects to be blessings from God – blessings that blossomed after she rededicated herself to the Christian faith that she learned as a little girl in a church-based school in Quebec, Canada.
Her religious reawakening led to some important life changes. In addition to being one of the most respected athletes in bodybuilding, Dayana Cadeau also became a popular erotic model. She avoided hardcore porn but appeared nude in magazines, websites and videos geared toward bodybuilding fans. But as she reconnected with Christ, Dayana turned her back on adult entertainment.
“I don’t think God was pleased to see his child acting that way. So, that’s why I put an end to that. God forgives me. I am a new Dayana now and my past is behind me,” she declares with humility and commitment.
As the days weeks accelerate toward her 6th Annual Dayana Cadeau Classic, Cadeau looks with gratitude toward this expanding chapter in her life. “God has blessed me in so many ways. I am so thankful to him and every day I want to be a better Dayana. That’s what I’m working on.”
The 6th Annual Dayana Cadeau Classic is set for Saturday, October 25th at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts in Coral Springs, Florida. For more information, visit www.npcdayanacadeauclassic2014.com.
Read more at https://www.eurweb.com/2014/09/dynamic-dayana-from-bodybuilder-to-impresario/#hxCLgKjvGBfyYkbF.99
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