Donna Salib is a well-accomplished IFBB pro, Olympia certified, bodybuilder residing simply outdoors of Louisville, KY, the place, as she says, “we’re recognized for our bourbon and horses.”
A glance over her bio will discover objects akin to: retired paramedic/ firefighter, private coach, prep coach, licensed energy and conditioning coach and ambassador to charities akin to Active Heroes (navy veterans and their households) and Hannah’s Care Packages. Clearly that is somebody who’s excited about serving to individuals. To seek out such a selfless individual in a sport devoted to selfishness is sort of refreshing.
Whereas incomes her IFBB professional card on the 2017 North Individuals, and profitable the KY State Open Ladies’s Champion, and incomes a Michael Soong’s all time historic world file in uncooked powerlifting are fairly cool to have in your résumé, Salib can be a kind of Olympia-bound bodybuilders whose profession has spanned the now notorious Ms. Olympia hiatus.
The practically 4 years that the Ms. Olympia lay restlessly in her grave was a major epoch for a number of of the women whose careers, had been disrupted. To at the present time, it’s unattainable to ge round the truth that they really dropped the highest ladies’s occasion in bodybuilding historical past within the identify of greed. Argue all you need, however that’s what it was — greed. It definitely wasn’t out of reverence for the workplace of Ms. O.
It’s onerous to position an precise label on this group of women whose sights had been set on the Olympia previous to its stoppage in 2015, stored the hearth burning throughout its hiatus, and bought again within the race when the Ms. O lastly got here again, however suffice it to say that they personified the “Rising Phoenix” competition that held the spot open whereas the grand dame of girls’s bodybuilding rested.
In 2019, Jake Wooden and his staff introduced again the Ms. O and put the brass ring again up inside attain. Donna Salib is a kind of women who was reaching for it when the O perished and is reaching for it once more now that Ms. O bought again up on her ft. That, in and of itself, is a superb story. However, there’s far more to Ms. Salib than her spectacular accomplishments and her return to the combat for the publish hiatus Ms. Olympia. The good of which, and least talked about, is her function as a professional wrestler on TV!
“Coolest” is, after all, indicative of what I consider wrestling, significantly due to the way it created “someplace for bodybuilders to go.” When you could dismiss it as one thing tacky, discovering out that Salib is definitely Ms. Marvelous — spouse and valet to Mr. Marvelous, aka Melvin Maximus — your ears would perk up.
How did you get into Professional Wrestling?
It began with Ohio Valley Wrestling.
*[Note: At one point, OVW was one of the incubators of the WWE, launching the careers of several WWE Superstars, including Bautista and John Cena. Later, OVW became the developmental territory for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (or TNA)].
My husband Hany had been wrestling for awhile and he was a bodybuilder too. I all the time wished to be concerned with him. So I’d go together with him to all of the occasions. Folks began telling me I ought to do one thing with him. We began enjoying round with some issues, then I believed, oh my phrase that is enjoyable!
What was your act?
I began as his valet [manager]. He was actually flashy. Generally known as a giant spender. Ms. Marvelous would come out with him to the ring in a robe, flexing and searching scary. I ended up within the ring doing tag staff stuff. My profession ended with me doing a tag staff with my husband!
Did the robe and the hair and the jewels come naturally to you?
NO!! I’m the largest tomboy – no hair, nails, sneakers… Ugh, it’s simply not me. However Ms. Marvelous must do all this girly stuff. However, I went with it any approach, as a result of my husband was having fun with it and having enjoyable. It went over so nicely too. The followers beloved us. Each time I got here out, Ms. Marvelous was all the time dripping in jewels. I’d all the time take off a bracelet and provides it to one of many ladies within the viewers. It turned a giant factor to get one in all my bracelets. On the 1,000th episode of OVW, Hany proposed to me after our match!
Aww…That’s a reminiscence you’re not prone to neglect! What about now? Are you guys nonetheless wrestling?
I assume you could possibly say I’m semi-retired now, for a number of causes. First, we’re beat up. Folks assume wrestling is all pretend, but it surely’s not. It’s undoubtedly choreographed, and we’re cautious, however the impacts are actual. It’s very taxing bodily. And, in OVW, it’s a grind. You actually don’t receives a commission except you’re hustling – on the street. We offered plenty of merchandise and it was plenty of work.
How is doing contest prep when you’re on the street wrestling?
Effectively, that was one other subject. Throughout prep I’ve to be very regimented. A whole lot of the locations we go don’t cater to contest prep. It’s an enormous problem to pack every thing you want, convey meals, and there wasn’t all the time a fridge. I needed to decide as a result of bodybuilding is No. 1. I wished to be with my husband, however wrestling takes an excessive amount of away from bodybuilding. And, it was simply time to maneuver on. My husband was so beat up. We’re in our 40s, WWE will not be choosing us up. They requested me, however not him. There’s no approach I might try this. That is his factor. I’m simply right here to have enjoyable. We simply take pleasure in going and watching now. It was simply time to go and transfer on. It was not definitely worth the danger of getting damage and disrupting bodybuilding.”
Did wrestling contribute something constructive to bodybuilding?
I’d say it made me higher at entertaining individuals. It actually helped take the jitters away on stage.
Do you’ve gotten a canine?
Sure!! Two bullies.
Are you cooped up in a rental or do you reside in a home with a yard?
That is embarrassing, however my husband does actual property and he’s actually good at it. We reside in, let’s simply say a REALLY good home.
Are these lodging much like the way it was while you grew up?
Heck no! I grew up one in all six children. My dad labored building. We lived in an previous farmhouse with no indoor rest room. We had a “ringer washer” hooked up to the kitchen sink. what that’s?
The factor with the crank that rings out the water between two rollers form of factor?
Sure, that! There was no rest room; we used an outhouse and we pulled water out of a nicely. It was the hickest time you could possibly consider! We had a giant river behind us and a creek on both aspect of us. When the snow melted, our property would flood. We actually needed to take a ship to the principle street so we might get to the bus to highschool. No cellphone, no TV… We had been all the time outdoors. When it got here supper time, mother would exit to the automobile and honk the horn a sure variety of occasions. One lengthy honk if it was an emergency.”
Feels like Waltons Mountain. Did you reside off the land or have a giant backyard? Did you hunt?
“With six children – we had a humongous backyard! My dad hunted. A farmer who lived subsequent to us would give us goat’s milk to assist feed the youngsters. If I used to be good, I bought a Mr. Goodbar. It was easy nation life.”
So how did you go from being a paramedic/ firefighter to the place you are actually?
“I used to be firefighter and paramedic for 17 years. I noticed an excessive amount of, I assume you could possibly say. I needed to depart due to PTSD. I fell again on private coaching and that stored constructing. I really suffered from the consuming dysfunction bulimia – kicking that bought me into bodybuilding as a result of I had a motive to eat.
[Salib’s husband chimes in: “Now she wont stop eating!!”]
The person upstairs places me the place I’m presupposed to be. I really feel like I used to be put right here to assist individuals. If I can’t do it as a primary responder, then I’ll assist individuals get match, shed pounds, get stronger… I really like seeing individuals completely satisfied and thriving. I take advantage of this platform now to achieve individuals in any respect totally different levels of their journey. I all the time have good issues to say about individuals to elevate them up. I hope individuals bear in mind me as a result of I used to be good to them. Not as a result of I used to be a paramedic, or wrestling on TV, or within the Olympia. I’m quite simple.
You might be, however the sport you’ve chosen isn’t. Ladies’s bodybuilding has taken some lumps. How do you see it recovering?
Ladies’s bodybuilding is striving to make the game look good once more. We’re out to dispel the misunderstanding that girls with muscle tissue are manly. I just like the look of lady muscle. Olympic sprinters who’re muscular don’t get referred to as manly. We’re undoubtedly in a distinct period now. The suggestions now could be to make you look extra female. That permits us to really feel lovely and pampered… it permits us to be extra magnificent. The manly stigma has made ladies step again and reassess what they’re doing and the place they’re going.
I’ve points with guys who coach ladies and get them to make use of medicine {that a} man would use. I’ve seen some dangerous issues occur and a few ladies be ruined bitterly. Who coaches you and the way do you cope with the 8,000-pound pink elephant within the room?
My husband coaches me. We analysis. I discuss to my physician. I take into consideration longevity. I don’t wish to exit to dinner with my son and have him be embarrassed. Furthermore, I wish to ensure that I keep protected. My well being and longevity are primary. Women have to decide on their coaches correctly after which hearken to them! If you happen to don’t hearken to your coach then why do you’ve gotten one? It’s not the coach’s fault for those who don’t hearken to them.
There appears to be extra of a sisterhood as of late. I see plenty of you women actually exhibiting reverence and respect for one another relatively than the old fashioned overt cutthroat competitors. How do you help your sisters?
I kill individuals with kindness till they like me. I’m all the time genuinely pleasant and I like bodybuilders! When the competitor’s checklist comes out for the present I’m doing, I make goodie luggage for every of the opponents and provides them out on the finals.
Goodie luggage? Isn’t the phrase “goodie” one other time period for sabotage? You’ll be able to’t inform me there’s no chocolate in that bag.
Sure there’s chocolate! And totally different candies…espresso and truffles too. This 12 months I did soy candles, glass fingernail information, hand lotion and chocolate – all the time goodies. I give the baggage on the finals, after it’s throughout. Being a feminine on this sport will not be simple. If somebody brings me a present, it’s going to place a smile on my face. Possibly my little goodie bag places a smile on one other lady’s face; it makes me completely satisfied.
The charities you champion are attention-grabbing. Notably your help of my fellow veterans. Are you able to inform me a bit of about that?
I come from an extended line of navy members of the family. Deployed in all places. Even my son served, (he’s out now). I’ve all the time been very lively in supporting vets. The massive factor I’m concerned with now is named Lively Heroes – in Louisville (Shepardsville). It’s a 148-acre ranch with beautiful land and wide-open areas with log cabins, pavilions. It’s a Retreat for Vets and their households, the place they’ll come and cut back stressors of on a regular basis life. In the event that they’re having bother, we attempt to serve them. Suicide is a big subject vets cope with. We lose about 22 a day. That’s virtually one each hour. It’s actually horrible. Happening the retreat – completely free – with their households places them in a spot the place they’ll fear much less about issues, get away from the world.
What’s your function?
I used to be an occasion coordinator and handled plenty of occasions to assist veterans and their households. I might have meals and different issues introduced in that had been donated by vets who personal companies. They’re very supportive and glad to know that it’s out there. There are such a lot of charities that sound good, however you don’t know the place the cash goes. With Lively Heroes, it’s apparent the place the cash is. It’s eight years later and I’m nonetheless at it.
