Doug Schneider: How old are you and how long have you been training? Frances Manias-Jackson: I just turned 29. I have been training since the summer of 1994 -- 8 years -- and have competed for the last 7 years. DS: This year’s CBBF National World Qualifier women’s division was one of the most hotly contested and controversial in years. You won your class and the Overall title. From what I saw, the controversy was because the Middleweight class that you were part of had three of the best female competitors in Canada -- yourself, Johanna Dejager, and Emmanuela Pintus -- who all had very different body types along with very different strengths and weaknesses. I’m going to start by putting you on the spot and asking what you thought about the win and how you see your own strengths and weaknesses stacking up against those other two competitors. FMJ: First off, let me start by saying that I have lost more competitions than I have won. I have had the opportunity to compete with and against some amazing women. To be called one of the best in Canada is for me winning enough -- this year’s World Qualifier is no different. I put no greater value in winning than in doing the best that I can do with each and every opportunity that is afforded to me. Winning this World Qualifier was pretty special, however, because the competition was fantastic! And to say it was controversial is probably an understatement. How would you like to be on stage where when you are announced as the winner and there is an uproar from the crowd? And not a pleasing one at that! Anyone who was at the World Qualifier would easily agree with me that Johanna was in the best condition physically that any competitor can get into - whether at a natural competition or not. Hands down, her conditioning was simply amazing -- probably better than what she was at the 2001 IFBB World Championships -- which is more than I can say for myself. I was not in my best condition in Halifax, although I was improved from last year’s Qualifier. I was far off from my conditioning in Brazil in 2001 by at least 5 pounds. What saved me, perhaps, is my symmetry, and the fact that in the prejudging I had managed to get a good enough balance of fullness and cuts to edge out Johanna. Emmanuella has a wonderful physique that, when conditioned to the best of her ability, would be difficult to beat. On that day, however, that was not possible. That being said, I had enough of what was needed to win on that day. My strengths as a bodybuilder are simply these: I have a decent amount of muscle, I have been gifted with the right genetics to be able to build muscle in a symmetrical and pleasing manner for the sport of bodybuilding, and I have been able to achieve a good -- not great -- contest physique. My weakness is as simply put: my conditioning has yet to peak -- I have yet to get to a lean-enough condition to be able to display my physique to the best of its ability. Brazil was close. This year in the Czech Republic I am hoping to get even closer to where I think my ideal needs to be.
DS: Everyone will be able to see what I’m talking about in September when the TV program The Score airs -- they were there doing a documentary on the event. Did having the TV cameras there make you nervous? FMJ: Not at all -- in fact it was a welcome addition to what otherwise would have been a pretty tense competition. I think the filming and interviewing took our minds off of the reason we were all in Halifax -- to compete. The result was a group of women plugging the sport of bodybuilding, sharing their thoughts and their stories. It was actually pretty inspiring and motivating to be a part of that backstage throughout the competition. When it came down to the competition itself, however, I put my game-face on and did what I needed to do. DS: Are you worried about how each competitor will be shown? In other words, when they filmed you did they capture the "real" Frances? FMJ: I hope the real Frances was captured! I hope that whatever is portrayed in the documentary is positive, not only for the sport, but also towards each competitor. You have to remember that first and foremost this was a competition -- emotions, both good and bad, run high. At the same time, I hope I can learn from watching myself and my competition. DS: I’m not going to belabor the drug issue, but I am going to bring it up. These days you compete in the drug-tested route to the IFBB World Championships and, obviously, you’ve passed the many drug tests that you’ve been subjected to. As well, you don’t appear to have a beard or mustache to shave, and your voice stills sound feminine. Is it safe to say that you are a proponent of drug-free bodybuilding and have you always been a drug-free competitor? FMJ: To put this into context, let me start off by saying I am an athlete -- I always have been and I always will be. Growing up, I spent as much time on the basketball court as I have in the gym these last few years. I pushed myself with drill after drill and shot after shot on the court, when others were out with their friends, or at the movies. I set goals, worked hard, and passionately pursued them, making it all the way to the University level in the sport of basketball -- not bad when you are five-foot-nothing. When I first got into the sport of bodybuilding, I had no idea what I was getting into. It was not until my second competition, the Level 2 Western Ontarios in 1996 and the Level 3 Ontarios in Hamilton that same year, that I saw for the first time -- up close and personal -- the drugs in the sport. I guess you could say I was a bit naive. It did not occur to me then, but, looking back, bodybuilding and drugs went hand in hand. I recall a particular conversation in 1997 when I was preparing for the Canadians with someone I had just met in the gym I’d joined. This person shared with me that he had competed in a few contests, and then immediately began listing the substances he had and was using and abusing to get into contest shape. I nodded and pretended to know about what he was talking about. I briefly explained that I didn’t "use," and I remember him looking at me with the "yeah right" look. I think many individuals involved in the sport of bodybuilding today were not athletes growing up. They didn’t begin with the athlete’s mentality, and they have not chosen, or were not given the opportunity, to develop it. This is because many individuals are introduced to this sport from those stuck in the old-school bodybuilding/drug continuum -- in other words, to be a bodybuilder, you need drugs. On the other hand, athletes know that to be successful (and success is not measured just in winning) you need honest and true effort. I recall waiting in the lobby for the prejudging of the 2001 Ontario National Qualifier to begin when I turned to see one of Canada's foremost bodybuilding MCs, who also happened to be taking in the show that day. I was appalled to hear him turn to a friend of mine and say something to the effect that he’d never heard (or imagined) of bodybuilding without drugs -- he was there just out of curiosity. Was this guy serious? DS: Any comments to those who say things like "Frances just knows how to beat the tests"? FMJ: Come on, I have a good enough perspective on not only the sport of bodybuilding, but on my own conditioning to know I look nothing like a female competitor who has chosen to use drugs. And anyone else who has been in the sport and has any knowledge of physiques would know that from just looking at me -- in season or out. I‘ve been asked many times if I am getting ready for a "natural" show. When I meet people for the first time, including some judges, they assume from my physique that I am a fitness competitor. I don’t take offense to any of this in at all, which is the flip side of many athletes who find it complimentary for those around them to assume they are on drugs. Picture this at the 2000 Worlds in Poland: there I am at the weigh-in standing in a line with the biggest middleweight woman in front of me and Tulay Ozbeck, the former World Champ, behind me. I stand there just shaking my head and smiling when I catch IFBB Historian Steve Wennerstrom snapping a few shots. I mumble something to the effect of the women around me, and he simply says "Yes, but who has the better skin?" I laughed. DS: Do you have any advice for female competitors who think that they must use drugs to be successful? FMJ: Think about why you are doing what you are doing. Think carefully about the advice you are getting. Are you feeling pressured to by those around you? Ask questions! Even in my naive beginnings, I knew enough to inquire about all of the things prescribed to me as part of my training and diet, including the ephedrine prescribed at the time by one of the individuals training me for my first competition, to find out that it was not necessary -- despite the "fact" that "every bodybuilder uses it." Choose the high road -- choose to work hard and train smart. Choose to better yourself mentally and emotionally, as well as physically. This discipline will pay off in the end. You may or may not win bodybuilding competitions -- but as I stated at the outset of this interview, winning is only one small part of competing. Bodybuilding is a process of learning, growing, and achieving in the gym day in and day out, and on the stage for that one shining moment. Enjoy it, and keep it in perspective. In the end, you will have succeeded. DS: I’ve noticed a trend in female bodybuilding to rewarding super-ripped conditioning. Yet, as many known, women naturally carry more body fat than men. From a woman’s point of view, do you believe that the sport puts too much emphasis on getting ripped and does it hurt the health of the women? FMJ: I think one of the grey areas in the women’s bodybuilding is this pursuit of being super ripped/lean. I look at it this way: as a bodybuilder it is one component of attaining the competition package. Conditioning is part of the sport -- but, it is not more important than the other aspects. For women, however, it is our nemesis. I’ve been forthright in my own shortcomings in this area of the sport and in my own physique. Getting more ripped is something I am currently focusing on, however, not at the expense of compromising my health (I have yet to come close to doing that). The off-season can play havoc on a woman’s mind. I know for myself the transition from competition weight/body composition into the more normal range is tough to deal with. But, as a competitive bodybuilder it is something I have to live with. As I ease into a year or two off of the competitive scene, I am looking forward to forgoing this part, yet my short-term goals consist of maintaining my "athletic" body composition -- one where I am able to participate in the other sports and activities at a high level. DS: Have you ever suffered ill-effects from preparing for a show and having to do something you wished you wouldn’t have to? FMJ: Contest preparation is far from easy. Feeling tired, hungry, and overtrained for months at a time is difficult to get excited about; however, I have been competing for almost as long as I have been training. I got thinking last year about the fact that what I have done these last few years is as bad as some of the yo-yo dieters we hear about. I have probably lost and gained back the equivalent of my bodyweight (and then some) over my competitive career. This is not entirely healthy in itself, is it? DS: You are going again to the IFBB Women’s World BodyBuilding Championships. Last year you placed an impressive 7th, but I know that this year you want to place higher. What are you going to do differently than last year? One word: conditioning. As well, with the help of my trainer, Marc Sauvestre, I have had the most productive training year of my career. I think my shape has improved, including bringing up my shoulders, hamstrings, and calves. I know that now after having competed at the Worlds three times, going into my fourth, I may be more of a familiar face and may get a look or two my way. I guess we will have to wait and see! DS: I’ve heard some people say that there are too many men judging women’s contests and if women judged them they would end up differently. What do you think? FMJ: Honestly, I have never considered this aspect of competition; however, I am all for equal representation. I guess what it comes down to is the number of judges out there, as well as their abilities. I’d rather be judged by a male judge who is competent, unbiased, and well educated in the sport than by a woman who is none of the above. DS: You’ve told me that you are going to take next year off from competing, and that you and your husband Sean hope to promote the 2003 CBBF National World Qualifier. You’re first-time promoters. Why is it you want to take on such an ambitious task with such a high-profile event? FMJ: It is time for us to get involved on a different level. Regardless of the profile of this event, we feel it is the perfect timing and the perfect opportunity to give back to the sport, the organization, and the athletes that have made all of our successes possible. It is an ambitious task, but we are definitely up for it. We are looking forward to working with and for everyone across the country who supports this important bodybuilding event to make it a success in 2003. DS: Off the top of your head, who are your favorite female competitors -- past and present? FMJ: I have been inspired the most by the women I have competed with, both here in Canada and abroad. They are my heroes; they are the ones that have spurred me on to keep training and dieting harder year after year. Currently on my list of non-Canadians: Natalia Proskuriakova of Russia (2000 World Lightweight Champ, 2001 Runner-up), Jana Purdiakova of Slovakia (2000 World Middleweight Champ), Pavla Brantalova of Czech Republic and Pam Kusar of USA (both top World Lightweight competitors), and on my hit-list, Joanna Krupa of Poland (2002 European Lightweight Champ -- who just happened to edge me out of the finals in Brazil last year). Laura Creavalle -- need I say more? Oh, maybe the fact that she did win the World Championships as an amateur before becoming one of the most popular female bodybuilders of all-time! And these Canadians you may recognize: Linda Bureau of Alberta (1998 Overall World Qualifier Champ); Melanie Horton of Ontario (1998 Canadian Overall Champ), Johanna Dejager of Ontario (2001 World Qualifier Overall Champ). Johanna and I have competed together for more than 5 years. Can I add Alexandra Dalakain, Nathalie Thaboulliet, and Nadia Moussa (all from Quebec) to the list? Yeah, I know they are past and present fitness competitors, but having competed with these women on Team Canada, they have a special place in my heart! ...end If you have any comments, feel free to e-mail info@bodybuildinglive.com.
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Frances Manias-Jackson is a
top-level Canadian female bodybuilder. She has won the CBBF National World Qualifier
Overall title twice, and she has represented Canada at the IFBB World Championships three
times. In October, she will once again be representing Canada at the Worlds. Frances
shares some of her thoughts on women's bodybuilding here.
Therefore, in comparison to my fellow
competitors, I honestly would put myself somewhere in between Emmanuella and Johanna. I
recall Mark Baker commenting on the physique of a fellow competitor in the women’s
lightweight class of the ‘98 Canadian Championships. He called it the
"everyday-bodybuilder" look. This is where I fit in, I think, and this is where
I would like to be even when I am through with competitive bodybuilding. 
