It's mid-1983 in Kansas City, Missouri and a young, wide-eyed, blonde girl is applying her last applications of tan and oil. Waiting patiently amid the mist of PAM cooking spray, she watches the solemn gaze of the others backstage. She twitches her thumbs, taps her feet, nervously awaiting the 
expeditors call. "5 minutes! You all have 5 minutes"! The resounding boom of the expeditor's voice echoed throughout the hall, decimating the wave of silence. Reaching beside her, she grabs a dumbbell. The hard uncomfortable knurling wakes up her hands. She curls, raises and presses; contracting the granite-hard musculature of her shoulders and arms. Squeezing every rep, every second, her thick rope-like veins push through her almost non-existent layer of skin.
"Line up! Everyone line up! Numbers on, face forward, get in line". The room is filled yet again with the boom of the expeditor's authoritarian vocals. Mere seconds pass before they're led on a march towards the end of the curtain. Every second and every step brought her closer to her destiny. Obliviously, she smiles and continues forward. All it took was one inch, one step through the curtain, and into the overwhelming heat of the stage lights. . . and, in an instant, her story was being written.
First off how did a girl from the small town of Buckner, MO (Population 3,000) get into this crazy sport of bodybuilding?
My junior year of high school I started dating an older guy who brought home a Muscle&Fitness magazine and Rachel McLish graced the cover and I thought she was so attractive. It was exactly what I wanted to look like. I was on the drill team at the time and quit to devote time to training. Everyone thought I was crazy but I did it. So my older brother had a sand weight set and we started working out on that. From there it blossomed. For my first show I read a book written by Laura Combs on how to prep for my show. After a while I moved to a real gym called TMG gym. It was an old office building with rusted weights but it was a great environment and there were a few other girls and we fed off of each other.
Were an athletic kid?
I played volleyball, won the best server award and had a great team. I played softball as well and was the pitcher. Nobody could hit my fast balls, ever! I ran track and did ok. Tried basketball and quit shortly after. I didn't really like any of those girls. I really just did that to see if I could do it. I played mainly softball and volleyball.
Let's take a trip down memory lane for a second. When was your first show, and how pivotal was that experience in deciding you wanted to pursue bodybuilding?
I believe my first show was in 83'. It was the beginning of my senior year and no girls lifted weights so I was the rebel of my school. But I trained hard as hell to make sure I won. I knew shortly after that I wanted to keep competing and keep winning. I honestly had no idea I was going to make a career out of it. But it was about discipline and I loved it. I fell in love with the gym, the lifestyle and being on stage. And everyone I trained with was trying to turn pro and I was the only one who did.
When you were battling through the amateur ranks trying to achieve pro status what was that experience like? Was it a struggle and did you ever think of quitting? Or was it a pretty 
straight shot to the top?
I really didn't even care at the time! I competed because I loved it. But then I turned pro almost out of the blue. I started winning right off the bat from my first show so losing wasn't something I was familiar with. I trained my ass off and it paid off. But it didn't take long to turn pro for me.
When and where did you turn pro? Tell us a little about that experience.
I was called by Wayne Demilia actually and was invited to compete in the Japan Amateur Invitational. I went and won the show, turned pro and then did the World Pro Championships just after I moved out to Venice. So I didn't train like I should have and placed in the top 5 but didn't look like I should have. I think I actually held the official record then for the youngest individual to ever turn pro. I was 19 at the time.
So here you are, fresh off your win. You're young, attractive, getting all kinds of new attention and publicity. What was it like having all this newfound attention and how does a young woman handle it?
Everything was happening so fast for me. To stay on top you couldn't really sit back and enjoy it. To stay on top you had to train super hard and keep busy. You had to do shows and photo shoots, give seminars and guest appearances and it was so fast paced. It was flattering but very overwhelming to try and stay on a routine with the crazy schedule like that. I kind of wanted to hide and not be noticed. I always had headsets on so people wouldn't bother me in the gym so the attention wasn't really something I was into too much.
You won pro status, moved out to Venice and got settled. Everyone who's ever been to Venice and stayed awhile knows what kind of crazy place it is. What kind of culture shock was that to a young Midwestern girl? Going from such a humble quiet town where everyone wears flannel shirts and cowboy boots to a place like Venice had to be a little mind melting.
I was super naive and innocent but I loved it! It was so much different than where I came from but it was a different lifestyle and I loved it. The food options were different, the lifestyle was different. I didn't get hit by the culture shock until I moved back to Kansas City. I use to be able to meet friends in the middle of the day because nobody had conventional jobs. It was really a blast.
 |
 |
| Tonya Knight Circa 1990s | Tonya in Her Competition Days |
Let's get directly into your bodybuilding career. You came out to Venice in the bodybuilding heyday and when Women's Bodybuilding was in its infancy. People today still talk about the Gold's Venice days of the 90's. What was that time period like?
Oh man I use to walk into the gym and see Apollo Creed from Rocky, Keanu Reeves, Marcus Allen. I use to see Charles Glass train O.J. Simpson and I remember him shaking my hand telling me he was a big fan of mine! It was a fun time for everyone involved in that scene. Women's bodybuilding and bodybuilding in general has taken such a fall now. There's not enough money in it for anyone but it seemed so much more competitive when I was an active competitor.
So you were really living the California bodybuilding dream, weren't you? Did you ever look at yourself and say "Wow, I made it! I'm here REALLY doing this!"?
At times I did but like I said everything happened so fast my head was spinning. I wish I could have sat back and enjoyed my success and my experience more than I did.
Tell the readers any stories that stuck with you about some of the experiences or people you were involved with back then. 
Oh man there's too many but one that comes to mind, I remember I had a date with Michael O'Hearn back in the day. He was a great looking guy and we decided to go to a local show together and he picked me up in his truck and he had posters of Arnold all over his interior. He came with a cooler full of tuna and brought a video of himself in his amateur days to show me. There were a lot of characters like that then. That was one of the funniest experiences I had out there.
Ok, its 1988 and your first Olympia. Tell the readers who you remember competing against and what that first Olympia experience was like.
I was nervous as hell but I didn't expect anything good. I was on the Olympia stage so happy to be a part of what was going on. I remember backstage listening to Corey Everson and Anja Langer trying to psyche each other out! Corey kept telling the other competitors not to talk to Anja and it was kind of catty but I didn't pay much mind to any of that. I was just taking it all in that night. I took fourth and was excited about it.
The late 80's through early 90's was big for Women's bodybuilding. It was a whole new sport. What's your impression on what women's bodybuilding has come to?
I honestly don't even follow it. That's how impressed I am with it. The fitness and figure girls are almost the size of the girls competing in women's bodybuilding when I started. If I had to get that big as the girls now I wouldn't want to ever do it again. The competitors don't make the money, the girls look worse, they're freaks. Someday they're going to wake up wondering what they've done to themselves.
There's always someone somewhere arguing and debating on what it's going to take to get women's bodybuilding and even men's bodybuilding for that matter, mainstream. What's that going to take in your mind?
I don't think it ever will. More and more women are working out now but I just don't think it will ever catch on. Working out is much more acceptable with women now but I don't ever think any form of bodybuilding will ever catch on. Mostly due to the freak factor and the drugs that are involved today. It's just
freaky and abnormal looking and I don't think society will ever accept it.
Your pro career really wasn't that long. Out of those 5 or so years what was the happiest or most defining moment of your pro career?
All of it really. Every time I was on stage I loved it and never took my situation for granted. I loved my whole career. I made money, and was financially independent. I would say the whole thing.
So from an ex-professional like you, who's done it, seen it and lived it all, what kind of a role do politics play in bodybuilding? From the amateur to professional level.
Well, I think politics play a role in each level but in my experience it was worse at the local level.
You were and are still widely known and recognized as the character Gold that aired on American Gladiators from the early to mid 90's. What was being on that show like and what kind of impact did that have on you?
When I was doing it I honestly didn't realize what a big deal it was. I was doing it for the money and I looked forward to the paycheck but I had no clue how huge that was at the time. I made more money with the show than in bodybuilding. I mean, it was a TV that aired all across America and I was on it!
Any good stories or gossip from your gladiator days you could share with the readers?
I really wasn't friends with any of them. I really didn't associate with anyone at all. I know when they did their tour I declined that. I've heard that there were some crazy things going on than with the tour and then Nitro wrote a book on that. I had no personal stories but they're definitely out there!
Ok. Fast forward to present day. What are you doing and where are you at in this point of your life?
I've gone through some tough times but I'm working and keeping myself busy. I train frequently, am always in and out of the gym. I'll always love that part of it. So I'm just living the normal life like anybody else. I also have a son, Malachi whom I spend as much time with as possible. He's 11 and we're very close. He's the best thing I've ever had happen to me.
The Olympia was a title that eluded you your whole career. Do you ever think about coming back?
That stage is completely gone and past me. I don't ever think about it. I haven't thought about coming back since I was a lot younger. I had been doing this since I was 16 and have encountered a few physical problems and I got burnt out at a young age. So coming back at this point I would say is a definite no.
But as far as involvement, in what capacity would you like to be involved with the bodybuilding/fitness community?
I would love to write articles and judge shows . . . whether that be pro or amateur shows. I would love to get in touch with Jim Manion and see what it would take to become a judge. I want to stay involved in the bodybuilding community. I have a lot of work to do though because I need to get in touch with who's who and who all the competitors are again. I've been out of the loop for almost 20 years!
So what is it like being removed almost 20 years from the competitive stage and still looking fit and in shape? Do you get comments or recognized often?
It's great because when I retired I was doing it for me and only me. Once you retire you can do it for YOU! Nobody is judging you, nothing. I didn't want to be huge anymore after I retired and look good and feminine. I didn't want to look like a freak. I wanted to maintain a look women could look at and say "Wow, I want to look like that"! At my job I get recognized alot even though I look completely different. I'm sure I'd get recognized more often if I still had my blonde hair!
What is next then for Tonya Knight? What can we expect to see from you in the coming years?
I'm open to wherever life takes me. I would love to put on seminars, do charity work. I'm just now getting involved with some charity work and talking to younger kids about physical fitness and health.
Are there any ideas in the works to publish any books or promote?
I would love to write a book. I don't have the discipline to write a book now. But I use to get offers a lot to write books. But that's something I would like to look into now. I have a story to tell. Everything from the pro's I met and worked with to my personal experiences.
I know there are probably going to be a lot of people from yesteryears past reading this. So if any old fans, friends, companies or competitors would like to get in touch with you for advice, contest prep or just to say hi, do you have an email or Facebook they can reach you at?
I have an email, [email protected]. That's tonya l (as in lower-case "L") knight @att.net. I don't have a facebook account yet. I don't know if I want one but if anyone wants to get in touch with me for questions, articles or what have you send me an email I would love to hear from any fans or past competitors!
While Tonya's bodybuilding career was short lived her impact on the bodybuilding community still endures; even today. When engaging in a conversation about the greatest posers of years past, one can't help but notice the name Tonya Knight is brought up time and time again. Her era of legends competing against legends may be gone, but her passion for bodybuilding and fitness hasn't died. In her early 40's, Tonya still trains hard, eats right and is living proof of what adhering to a bodybuilding lifestyle can do for anyone. Although her previous chapters have been closed and put behind her, the next half of Tonya Knight's story is in its infancy . . . ready to be written and for all to see.
Subscribe to RxMuscle on Youtube
