Stacey Bentley
Encyclopedia
Stacey Bentley is a registered nurse and former professional female bodybuilder
of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Along with Claudia Wilbourn
and Rachel McLish
, Bentley was among the first role models of bodybuilding for women and the benefits that it can bring to them.
, where at a young age she was a very active, sports-oriented child. In her high school days she was a diver and later continued her education at Franconia College
in New Hampshire
. It was at this time (around 1970) that Bentley discovered weight training and decided to train with the goal of achieving a healthy fit physique.
Although she admired muscular, fit women, Bentley felt uncomfortable admitting that she weight trained to achieve her toned body. She would often say that she was a gymnast, or a swimmer, and would not attribute her physique to weight training workouts, due to the discomfort she felt from the way people perceived her.
Bentley moved to Los Angeles
and quickly became a role model for women's bodybuilding while working with Joe Gold
and competing in bodybuilding shows. She worked as a women's supervisor at the Sports Connection while training hard for upcoming bodybuilding shows.
Her career as a bodybuilder took off on June 16, 1979, at the inaugural Women's World Bodybuilding Championships, where she competed against bodybuilding stars such as Lisa Lyon
(who won the contest), Claudia Wilbourn
, Stella Martinez, and Bette Brown. Bentley finished in the top five in that contest.
Later that year Bentley won the Robby Robinson
Classic, also winning awards for best legs and best poser. Bentley continued with two more victories, winning the World Couples Championships (with Chris Dickerson) and the Frank Zane
Invitational. Her last bodybuilding contest was be the inaugural IFBB
Miss Olympia
, where she placed fifth.
Bentley retired after the Olympia when she realized that she was becoming obsessive in her pursuit of physical perfection. She switched from weight training to jogging and let her body reach her off season weight of 125 from contest ready of 108 pounds. She then became a personal trainer for people such as actor Jack Nicholson
.
Bentley continued to be a role model to people to improve themselves physically and mentally through bodybuilding as a personal trainer. She also helped people through her work as a nurse at Northridge Hospital in California, where she focused on patients with eating disorders. She would later work with blind and deaf children at a Pennsylvania school.
During this time, while helping others deal with their health problems, Bentley was fighting health problems of her own. For several years after retiring she struggled with bulimia, alcohol
abuse, and drugs, a problem she shared with fellow bodybuilding competitor Laura Combes
who died of acute alcohol poisoning.
Stacey was able to overcome her health problems and continued her career as a nurse in her home state of Pennsylvania. In 1998 she was married. She still maintains contact with the bodybuilding world, and in 2005 she was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame
.
Bentley's career as a competitive bodybuilder stands out, despite its brevity, for her placing in the top five in each of the six bodybuilding contests that she competed in. Her competitive career was also unique in that each of the bodybuilding contests that she competed in marked the inaugural staging of that event.
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:...
of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Along with Claudia Wilbourn
Claudia Wilbourn
Claudia Wilbourn is a former professional female bodybuilder from the United States.One of the leading figures in the early days of women's bodybuilding, Wilbourn began heavy training in 1971. She competed in the first Women’s World Bodybuilding Championships in June 1979, finishing second to...
and Rachel McLish
Rachel McLish
Rachel McLish née Raquel Livia Elizondo is an American female bodybuilding champion, actress and author.-Early life and education:...
, Bentley was among the first role models of bodybuilding for women and the benefits that it can bring to them.
Biography
Bentley was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, where at a young age she was a very active, sports-oriented child. In her high school days she was a diver and later continued her education at Franconia College
Franconia College
Franconia College was a small experimental liberal arts college in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States. It opened in 1963 on the site of The Forest Hills Hotel on Agassiz Road, and closed in 1978, after years of declining enrollment and increasing financial difficulties.A small, eclectic...
in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. It was at this time (around 1970) that Bentley discovered weight training and decided to train with the goal of achieving a healthy fit physique.
Although she admired muscular, fit women, Bentley felt uncomfortable admitting that she weight trained to achieve her toned body. She would often say that she was a gymnast, or a swimmer, and would not attribute her physique to weight training workouts, due to the discomfort she felt from the way people perceived her.
Bentley moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and quickly became a role model for women's bodybuilding while working with Joe Gold
Joe Gold
Joe Gold was the founder of Gold's Gym and World Gym...
and competing in bodybuilding shows. She worked as a women's supervisor at the Sports Connection while training hard for upcoming bodybuilding shows.
Her career as a bodybuilder took off on June 16, 1979, at the inaugural Women's World Bodybuilding Championships, where she competed against bodybuilding stars such as Lisa Lyon
Lisa Lyon
Lisa Lyon is a female bodybuilder from the United States. Her stats as taken on October 1980: She stands at 5'3" and weighs only 105 pounds, but she can dead-lift 225 pounds, bench-press 120 pounds, and squat 265 pounds; two and a half times her own weight....
(who won the contest), Claudia Wilbourn
Claudia Wilbourn
Claudia Wilbourn is a former professional female bodybuilder from the United States.One of the leading figures in the early days of women's bodybuilding, Wilbourn began heavy training in 1971. She competed in the first Women’s World Bodybuilding Championships in June 1979, finishing second to...
, Stella Martinez, and Bette Brown. Bentley finished in the top five in that contest.
Later that year Bentley won the Robby Robinson
Robby Robinson
Robby Robinson is an American former bodybuilder who won the IFBB Mr. America, Mr. World and Mr. Universe titles. He was the Masters Olympia overall champion the first year that the event was held in 1994 and then went on to win the 50+ division at that same contest in both 1997 and 2000...
Classic, also winning awards for best legs and best poser. Bentley continued with two more victories, winning the World Couples Championships (with Chris Dickerson) and the Frank Zane
Frank Zane
Frank 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. Her last bodybuilding contest was be the inaugural IFBB
International Federation of BodyBuilders
The 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 ,...
Miss 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...
, where she placed fifth.
Bentley retired after the Olympia when she realized that she was becoming obsessive in her pursuit of physical perfection. She switched from weight training to jogging and let her body reach her off season weight of 125 from contest ready of 108 pounds. She then became a personal trainer for people such as actor Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
.
Bentley continued to be a role model to people to improve themselves physically and mentally through bodybuilding as a personal trainer. She also helped people through her work as a nurse at Northridge Hospital in California, where she focused on patients with eating disorders. She would later work with blind and deaf children at a Pennsylvania school.
During this time, while helping others deal with their health problems, Bentley was fighting health problems of her own. For several years after retiring she struggled with bulimia, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
abuse, and drugs, a problem she shared with fellow bodybuilding competitor Laura Combes
Laura Combes
Laura Combes was a professional female bodybuilder from the United States.Born on October 19, 1953, in New York, New York, Combes moved to Tampa, Florida in 1966 at age 13. As a teenager she played many sports, including fencing, sailing, archery, canoeing, horseback riding, water skiing, and...
who died of acute alcohol poisoning.
Stacey was able to overcome her health problems and continued her career as a nurse in her home state of Pennsylvania. In 1998 she was married. She still maintains contact with the bodybuilding world, and in 2005 she 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...
.
Bentley's career as a competitive bodybuilder stands out, despite its brevity, for her placing in the top five in each of the six bodybuilding contests that she competed in. Her competitive career was also unique in that each of the bodybuilding contests that she competed in marked the inaugural staging of that event.
Contest history
- 1979 AAUAmateur Athletic UnionThe Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
Junior Ms America - 1st - 1979 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 ,...
Women's World Bodybuilding Championships - 4th - 1979 IFBB Best in the World - 3rd
- 1979 IFBB World's Best Built Woman - 3rd
- 1979 IFBB Robby Robinson Classic - 1st (Best legs Award winner, Best Poser Award winner, and overall winner)
- 1980 IFBB World Couples Championships - 1st (with Chris Dickerson)
- 1980 IFBB Frank Zane Invitational - 1st
- 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 ,...
Miss Olympia - 5th