Lynn Conkwright
Encyclopedia
Lynn Conkwright is a former professional female bodybuilder
from the United States
.
. Conkwright trained for eight years in gymnastics, and won the Virginia
State Gymnastics Championships. She began weight training to improve her gymnastics.
Despite her small stature (5' tall and just over 100 pounds), she was one of the top professional competitors in the early 1980s. During her competitive career she became known for her incrededible flexibility during her performances. Her greatest success was winning the 1981 Pro World Championship. She also won the couples competition with Chris Dickerson in the same contest. Lynn competed in the first six Ms. Olympia
contests (the only other woman to do so was Carolyn Cheshire), twice finishing as high as third.
Lynn was selected by ABC
to represent women's bodybuilding in the women's Superstars
competition in 1982, where she finished tenth in a field of twelve competitors. Conkwright placed first in rowing
, third in basketball
shooting, third in swimming
, fifth in the bicycle
race, fifth in golf
, and seventh in the obstacle course
. After retiring in 1988, Lynn continued to be active in the fitness industry. In the late 1988 and early 1989 at the age of 34 she became the first United States academy student to be certified as a bodybuilding coach after the United States Sports Academy began offering a Masters of Sport Science in Fitness Management. This suited Lynn very well since at one time she was the weight training coach for tennis superstar Martina Navratilova.
Currently, Conkwright works as the director of Weider Athlete Promotions and manages Weider contracted athletes. Lynn was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame
in 2003.
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:...
from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Biography
Lynn was born on May 30, 1954 in Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. Conkwright trained for eight years in gymnastics, and won the Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
State Gymnastics Championships. She began weight training to improve her gymnastics.
Despite her small stature (5' tall and just over 100 pounds), she was one of the top professional competitors in the early 1980s. During her competitive career she became known for her incrededible flexibility during her performances. Her greatest success was winning the 1981 Pro World Championship. She also won the couples competition with Chris Dickerson in the same contest. Lynn competed in the first six Ms. Olympia
Ms. Olympia
Ms. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
contests (the only other woman to do so was Carolyn Cheshire), twice finishing as high as third.
Lynn was selected by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
to represent women's bodybuilding in the women's Superstars
Superstars
Superstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon....
competition in 1982, where she finished tenth in a field of twelve competitors. Conkwright placed first in rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, third in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
shooting, third in swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, fifth in the bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
race, fifth in golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, and seventh in the obstacle course
Obstacle course
An obstacle course is a series of challenging physical obstacles an individual or team must navigate usually while being timed. Obstacle courses can include running, climbing, jumping, crawling, swimming, and balancing elements with the aim of testing speed and endurance. Sometimes a course...
. After retiring in 1988, Lynn continued to be active in the fitness industry. In the late 1988 and early 1989 at the age of 34 she became the first United States academy student to be certified as a bodybuilding coach after the United States Sports Academy began offering a Masters of Sport Science in Fitness Management. This suited Lynn very well since at one time she was the weight training coach for tennis superstar Martina Navratilova.
Currently, Conkwright works as the director of Weider Athlete Promotions and manages Weider contracted athletes. Lynn was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame
IFBB Hall of Fame
The IFBB Hall of Fame was established in 1999 to honor outstanding athletes and officials in the sport of bodybuilding.-1999:*Carla Dunlap*Cory Everson*John Grimek*Lee Haney*Rachel McLish*Sergio Oliva*Reg Park*Bill Pearl*Steve Reeves...
in 2003.
Contest history
- 1980 NPC Miss Virginia Beach - 1st
- 1980 NPCNational Physique CommitteeThe National Physique Committee is the largest amateur bodybuilding organization in the United States. Amateur bodybuilders compete in various competitions from local to national competitions sanctioned by the NPC...
USA Championship - 5th - 1980 NPC Frank ZaneFrank ZaneFrank Zane is an American former professional bodybuilder and teacher.- Education :Zane received a B.Sc in Education from Wilkes University in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania in 1964. For 13 years, he taught mathematics and chemistry while living in Florida and California. Later he earned a B.A...
Invitational - 3rd - 1980 IFBBInternational Federation of BodyBuildersThe International Federation of BodyBuilders is a competitive bodybuilding organization founded in 1946 by brothers Ben and Joe Weider and is the highest level of competitive bodybuilding in the world. Currently, the IFBB consists of seven different sub-divisions for different competitors ,...
Ms. OlympiaMs. OlympiaMs. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
- 3rd - 1981 IFBB Pro World Championships - 1st
- 1981 IFBB World Couples (with Chris Dickerson) - 1st
- 1981 IFBBInternational Federation of BodyBuildersThe International Federation of BodyBuilders is a competitive bodybuilding organization founded in 1946 by brothers Ben and Joe Weider and is the highest level of competitive bodybuilding in the world. Currently, the IFBB consists of seven different sub-divisions for different competitors ,...
Ms. OlympiaMs. OlympiaMs. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
- 3rd - 1982 IFBB Ms. OlympiaMs. OlympiaMs. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
- 4th - 1983 IFBB Ms. OlympiaMs. OlympiaMs. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
- 4th - 1984 IFBB Ms. OlympiaMs. OlympiaMs. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
- 8th - 1985 IFBB Ms. OlympiaMs. OlympiaMs. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
- 16th - 1988 IFBBInternational Federation of BodyBuildersThe International Federation of BodyBuilders is a competitive bodybuilding organization founded in 1946 by brothers Ben and Joe Weider and is the highest level of competitive bodybuilding in the world. Currently, the IFBB consists of seven different sub-divisions for different competitors ,...
Pro World Championship - 14th