How a Newfoundland woman went from ‘pretty close to’ dead after an ATV accident to gunning for a fitness magazine cover
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Tracy Reid, 39, was in a hospital bed when she decided to follow her dreams.
In 2006, the Bunyan’s Cove woman was recovering from an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accident that had left her with a damaged left knee, a broken left arm and a severely injured left shoulder.
Any of those were enough to force someone into a lifetime of rehabilitation, but she also had a ruptured spleen, a broken pelvis, collapsed lungs and several broken ribs.
“I was walking out of the hospital … not dead, but pretty close to it,” said Reid. “They say I wasn’t going to get that far.”
Before she pulled herself out of her hospital bed, she had plenty of time to think while her body recovered. At that time, she decided she was going to go to her first fitness competition in St. John’s as a spectator.
When she left that competition, Reid pledged that she was going to walk on that same stage a year later as a competitor.
She had always watched those competitions as a child and dreamed of walking on that stage, and now she was going to be like Jay Cutler, a former Mr. Olympia and one of her fitness heroes.
What happened when she left that competition is a story of perseverance and inspiration. Fitness became her life, starting with kickboxing before moving to weights. Reid competed in her first competition a year after walking out of the hospital.
She placed third, but perhaps more importantly, she had pulled herself out of a situation few could manage.
“It’s all in your mind focus if you’re ready and willing to do it. You can go anywhere,” said Reid.
Covers and dreams
Fifteen years and buckets of sweat later, Reid is deeply entrenched in the fitness world. She owns a gym — Muscles N’ D Corner Gym — has competed in several competitions and is a shining example of what someone can do despite overwhelming odds.
She is also the only woman from Newfoundland and Labrador competing to get on the cover of Muscle & Fitness HERS magazine in an online competition.
The person with the most votes will get their picture on the cover of the American publication and receive $20,000 in prize money. Reid said she would use the money to finish her gym and get back to personal training again.
Reid is in fourth place in her group, and voting to select the Top 15 will close Thursday, May 12.
Should she win the competition, it won’t be the first time Reid has found her picture in the pages of a fitness magazine. Since starting her fitness journey, it’s happened a couple of times.
However, appearing on the cover is a dream that has yet to be realized. She hopes this will break things open for her.
“I was inside magazines before, but never on the cover,” said Reid. “So this has been a dream of mine. It is an amazing feeling.
“Not a lot of people realize it is a big deal to me.”
Taking chances
Reid knows entering a popularity contest such as this one can be a big chance to take.
She’s putting herself out there to be unfairly scrutinized by people she has never or will never meet. On top of that, she’s hoping to garner their vote.
However, if the last 15 years have prepared her for anything, it is to take a chance like this one.
She didn’t survive a horrific crash and turn her life around only to shrink at this moment, she says.
“I’m willing to take chances,” said Reid. “That’s the way life should be. If you want something, go for it.”
“I’m willing to take chances. That’s the way life should be. If you want something, go for it.”
— Tracey Reid
Getting on the cover and winning the competition is one thing for Reid, but there is another motivation for putting herself out there like this.
She wants to show people, especially the young, that you aren’t limited to what you can accomplish. It doesn’t matter what circumstances you find yourself in.
Her message is simple.
“If you really want your goals, go for it. Don’t let nobody stop you,” said Reid. “If that’s what you want, go for it.”
The support she has gotten so far in the competition has meant the world to her, and while she hopes to pull enough votes to win, she knows it isn’t everything.
“Even if I don’t come in first place, I feel like I did (finish in) first place because where I conquered my accident,” said Reid. “I got back in shape and then I had a child. … I’m at the stage in my life now that I’m happy.”