Tina Woodley

Tina Woodley was born in Saint Kitts but spent her childhood on former Golden Rock, Saint Eustatius with her grandmother. She is the first child of her mother and the third of her father who had 17 other children. After finishing school in 1969 she met Peter van Duyn and married in 1972. The marriage made her stepmother of his three daughters; Deborah, Brenda and Tamara. Her husband Peter van Duyn, founded the first women's sports magazine. Peter van Duyn had a quite famous and bit of a rebel brother in his younger years; Roeland Hugo Gerrit (Roel) van Duyn. This member of the van Duyn family is a Dutch politician, political activist and writer. Moreover, Roel van Duyn was not only one of the founders of the Provo and the Kabouter movement, he was also the Alderman for the Political Party of Radicals and later on he became Ward Councillor for the political party Green Left (Wikipedia: Roel van Duyn).

After traveling throughout the Caribbean for two years, Tina and her husband finally chose to live on the quiet and peaceful Bonaire. Because Peter van Duyn felt the need for a newspaper he founded the English-Papiamentu ‘The Bonaire Weekly’. Soon after, at the age of 22, she gave birth to her wonderful daughter Sasha van Duyn and began her very successful career in Power Lifting.

The efforts of the young mother's training resulted in Woodley's first Power Lifting tournament in 1977. And, not without success, representing Bonaire as a part of the former Dutch Antilles in the United States of America, she managed to win Second place and became a serious threat for the Number One USA champion.

In the meantime she moved to Holland and continued her training there. It was here that her career as a sport woman took a turn. Blooming in her late twenties her trainer told her nonetheless 28 years was too old. She continued with power lifting and started to train for bodybuilding at the same time. She proved her trainer wrong. Woodley's career as a sport woman skyrocketed. She won one prize after the other, championship after championship.

Sports career

Power lifting

Heiner Köberich initiated and organized the first Open European Championships for Women in his home city Darmstadt in Germany in 1983. Fifty-two lifters from a total of eleven countries participated. Tina Woodley, straight from the nearby Netherlands, won the Champion of Champions Award by lifting in the 56 kg body weight: Deadlift 150 kg Bench press 87 kg Squat 180 kg. By 1984 Woodley also held all world records in the 60 kg body weight class at the World Power Lifting Championships in Santa Monica she set a world record when she Deadlifted 187 kg.

During the decade of the 1980s, power lifting flourished and Woodley belonged to the top. Among other female power lifters such as Vicky Steenrod, Mariah Liggett, Mary Ryan Jeffries, Jan Harrell, and Mary Ellen Jerumbo, Woodley developed her strength through power lifting and displayed the muscular development in her physique for bodybuilding. She was the second woman in the world to successfully compete in both sports. Woodley competed in National and World Champion Power Lifting and was very successful in both. Her efforts and serious training even made her European Champion of both sports in the same year.

World Championship

• 1982 Birmingham Silver
• 1984 Santa Monica Bronze
• 1985 Vienna Gold
• 1986 Hestra Silver

European Championship

• 1982 Darmstadt Gold
• 1984 Metz (Franks) Bronze

Living in Holland, Woodley won all Nationals championships in the years 1981 up to 1986 in the Body weight class 56 kg and 60 kg.

International Federation of Bodybuilding

Her Bodybuilding career:

• 1985 IFBB European Championships: 1st Place
• 1987 IFBB World Amateur Championship: 4th Place

After winning numerous titles Woodley moved to Austria in 1987 and became the owner of fitness center Hallein. Dealing with the loss of her youngest stepdaughter, who died in a car accident, she sold her fitness studio in Austria and moved to Wiesbaden, Germany. In Wiesbaden she met and married the former mayor, Achim Exner. Exner was Wiesbaden's mayor for twelve years from 1985 till 1997.

Being a true entrepreneur, Woodley opened her own ladies exclusive fitness studio after she had worked in different fitness centers.

Entrepreneur on Bonaire

In the Caribbean, Woodley's roots kept on calling her. So after ten years in Wiesbaden she finally returned to Bonaire in 2009. Accompanied by her husband, Achim Exner, her plan was to become a partner of the Fitness studio Biba (Live). She taught up to five different fitness classes but her plan to become a partner was not to be realized.

She followed her ideal to bring mental awareness and physical well-being to the Bonairian community instead. In 2010 she opened the first organic shop on Bonaire, the Go Green Health Food store. As part of her food awareness program she also founded Bonaire's first Farmers Market on the 29th of January 2011. The market was held behind her Go Green Health Food store. By realizing the Farmers Market, Woodley did what other people only talked about. She made all the arrangements, did all the planning and paid all the costs herself. The market offered an amazing assortment of drinks, plants, vegetables and fruit all grown on Bonaire. Because of her philosophies ‘together we are stronger’, and to ensure and expand the Go Green Farmers market she joined forces with Agnes Joosten. Joosten was in charge of Kriabon, the cooperation of farmers and agriculturalists. Since her job was done, she eventually stepped back. Until today the market is being held every first Saturday of the month.

Looking for a better place Woodley moved her shop in 2013 to a new address on the Kaya Korona. The Organic shop not only sold dried food products but also catered healthy meals and smoothies. Because of its success Woodley turned the shop into the first vegetarian restaurant on the island of Bonaire.

In a beautiful ambiance her guests enjoy her vegetarian Ayurvedic organic meals. While preparing delicious healthy meals and running her restaurant, Woodley also works as a life style change fitness coach and as an Ayurveda masseur.

Education and certification

• Physical Education – Diploma of the Royal Association of Power Sports
• Recreational Sport Trainer by the Federation of Sport Rotterdam
• Certified by the Austrian Aerobic Federation
• Certificate of Zagreb University (Croatia) in Body Culture and Kinesiology
• Certificate in Energy Balancing Therapy
• Certified NLP Coach by the DVNLP Germany
• Certified Wing Wave Coach Germany

Professional experience

• 1974–1976 Social Director in Hotel Flamingo Bonaire
• 1978–1989 Carrier in body building and power lifting (sponsored by the KNKB and KNBB)
• 1989–1992 Owner of Fitness Center Hallein, Austria
• 1993–1998 Manager of the Aerobic Centre of the Sport Arena Salzburg and Trainer for Salzburg University.
• 1998–1999 Manager of section fitness at two fitness studios in Knittelfeld, Austria
• 2001–2004 Trainer in several studios in Wiesbaden Germany
• 2005–2008 Owner of Active ladies Studio in Wiesbaden and personal fitness trainer.
• 2007–2008 Certified NLP Coach (DVNLP).
• 2009– 2012 She moved back to the island Bonaire where she opens the first Organic shop and started the Farmers Market in Kralendijk Bonaire, she also work as Fitness trainer in the fitness studio Bon Bida until 2012.
• 2012 – 2016 Owner of the Gogreen shop and vegetarian restaurant.

References

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