Biography
She was born in Fort Hood, Texas and raised on a 20-acre (81,000 m2) ranch in a small town outside of San Antonio called Castroville. Her mother is a professional horse training business and Monica started learning how to help her around the stables, riding and showing ponies and horses since the age of 5. By the time she was 14, she was giving riding lessons and training horses on her own with occasional advice from her mom. Along with volleyball and track in high school, she competed in many events: western pleasure, barrels and pole bending, English pleasure, dressage, and Hunter/Jumper.
After Monica graduated, her love of horses took her to a fine arts college in Fulton, Missouri, where she studied basics and equestrian science for her first year. Unable to return for further studies in Missouri, Brant took classes at San Antonio College in Texas, and gave riding lessons at nearby stables. She also did promotional work for Budweiser, waitressed, and competed in bikini contests for extra funds.
In 1991, Monica started lifting weights with a friend and saw a photo of Marla Duncan winning a national competition. Her beauty and physique impressed her enough that she wanted to try what she was doing - Fitness Competitions. Up until 1995 she only competed for fun, not as a money-making career. In 1994 she was honored with a Muscle & Fitness cover. This helped Monica realize that she had potential to earn some actual money in the fitness industry. She kept competing and in April of '95 moved to the Los Angeles area. Once she arrived, Brant dove into what would become her career and competed in the IFBB organization two to three times per year.
After competing in the Fitness Olympia three times from 1995 to 1997, she won her first and only Olympia title in 1998.
After placing second twice after her 1998 victory, Monica retired from fitness competition citing the demand on gymnastics in order to win were too great for her.
Monica returned to competition in 2003 with the announcement that figure competition would be part of the sport of bodybuilding. After placing 3rd at the 2006 Figure Olympia, Brant decided to take a break from other competitions and focus on the 2007 Olympia. Monica did not place in the 2007 Figure Olympia competition. However, in September 2010, Monica returned to compete in Figure once again, taking to the WBFF World Pro Championship stage in Toronto. She took first place at the competition and landed a cover on Oxygen Magazine in January 2011.
Read more about this topic: Monica Brant
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—Rebecca West [Cicily Isabel Fairfield] (1892–1983)
“Just how difficult it is to write biography can be reckoned by anybody who sits down and considers just how many people know the real truth about his or her love affairs.”
—Rebecca West (1892–1983)
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