Amber DeLuca
Encyclopedia
Amber Anne DeLuca is an American professional female bodybuilder
, actress, and motivational speaker.
, near the Cuyahoga River
, the granddaughter of Levi Levering, a leader of the Omaha people during the early 20th Century. Of Omaha
and Shoshone
heritage on her biological mother's side, she is recognized by the Omaha Nation as "Ponca-sa," and belongs to the Tapa, or Deer, Clan, one of seven within the Nation. She is also of Ojibway, Sioux
, German, and French
heritage on her father's side; she was, however, adopted when she was six months old and had a "very nice childhood."
DeLuca has always excelled athletically. She earned an athletic scholarship in volleyball at Gannon University
, Erie, Pennsylvania
, and helped lead the team to their first national appearance. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications/English in 1990.
She appeared as "Apache" early on in the competition reality series American Gladiators
.
By her own description, she grew up as a tomboy and began weight training when she was thirteen years old in order to better herself for her high school sports. Her first figure competition came in 2001. She went on to win the Ms. Figure America show and competed in Europe at the Ms. Universe. It was not until after that show that she decided she wanted to be increase upon her size and try bodybuilding. Her first show was the Mid-USA in 2003, in which she won the heavyweight class.
DeLuca is also a member of the Native American Sports Council (which is an affiliated organization of the United States Olympic Committee
).
Female bodybuilding
Female bodybuilding is the female component of competitive bodybuilding. It began in the late 1970s when women began to take part in bodybuilding competitions.-Beginnings:...
, actress, and motivational speaker.
Biography
She was born on 26 July 1967 in Peninsula, OhioPeninsula, Ohio
Peninsula is a village in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 602 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, near the Cuyahoga River
Cuyahoga River
The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s...
, the granddaughter of Levi Levering, a leader of the Omaha people during the early 20th Century. Of Omaha
Omaha (tribe)
The Omaha are a federally recognized Native American nation which lives on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa, United States...
and Shoshone
Shoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....
heritage on her biological mother's side, she is recognized by the Omaha Nation as "Ponca-sa," and belongs to the Tapa, or Deer, Clan, one of seven within the Nation. She is also of Ojibway, Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
, German, and French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
heritage on her father's side; she was, however, adopted when she was six months old and had a "very nice childhood."
DeLuca has always excelled athletically. She earned an athletic scholarship in volleyball at Gannon University
Gannon University
Gannon University is a private, co-educational Catholic university offering associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees, certificates and doctoral degrees and is located in Erie, Pennsylvania. Gannon University has an alumni base numbering around 31,500. Current enrollment is 4,238.Gannon's...
, Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, and helped lead the team to their first national appearance. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications/English in 1990.
She appeared as "Apache" early on in the competition reality series American Gladiators
American Gladiators
American Gladiators is an American competition television program that aired in syndication from September 1989 to May 1996. The series matched a cast of amateur athletes against each other, as well as against the show's own gladiators, in contests of strength and agility.The concept was created by...
.
By her own description, she grew up as a tomboy and began weight training when she was thirteen years old in order to better herself for her high school sports. Her first figure competition came in 2001. She went on to win the Ms. Figure America show and competed in Europe at the Ms. Universe. It was not until after that show that she decided she wanted to be increase upon her size and try bodybuilding. Her first show was the Mid-USA in 2003, in which she won the heavyweight class.
DeLuca is also a member of the Native American Sports Council (which is an affiliated organization of the United States Olympic Committee
United States Olympic Committee
The United States Olympic Committee is a non-profit organization that serves as the National Olympic Committee and National Paralympic Committee for the United States and coordinates the relationship between the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the World Anti-Doping Agency and various...
).
Competition championships
- NPC Mid-USA, 2003, heavyweight champion
- New Mexico State Bodybuilding, 2003, heavyweight champion