FITNESS

De
vra Wagner
will travel
to Moscow
this fall
in to take part
the first
USA vs. USSR
Adult Fitness

Competition.

-

Vra

show " re gher
eher s her high
J1 The
level to - a
class 9 at

,
Wo kout r
ut con)
Pany

Q

KIMBERLY LIFTON

Staff Writer

olding a cord-
less microphone
in her right
hand and count-
ing to the beat
'of the oldies hit song "Louie,
Louie," Devra Wagner
dances around the room,
leading a packed aerobics
class.
"Hey, you guys awake?"

she screams, smiling. "Don't
miss a beat. Can you feel the
stretch?"
The fat burner class is bill-
ed as one of the toughest at
The Workout Company in
Bloomfield Hills, but Wagner
has no trouble filling the
room. Co-Owner Myrna Par-
trich explains simply that
Wagner is one of the most
popular course instructors.
Her regular students are
whispering. They notice she
looks thin.

In fact, Wagner, 29, has
dropped about 20 pounds
since January, when she
started preparing for the first
USA vs. USSR Adult Fitness
Competition, to be held in
Moscow at an unscheduled
date this fall. Originally, the
competition was slated for
August.
The contest, sponsored by
the American Running and
Fitness Association, Heritage
Sports and the Association for
International Cultural Ex-

change, will judge par-
ticipants in nine areas, in-
cluding body composition,
hand strength, track and field
events, running, bicycling
and body fat analysis.
"I train in the morning,
relax during the day and
teach aerobics at night,"
Wagner says. "I am now in
the best shape of my life."
It's not the first workout of
the day for Wagner, an
elementary school teacher
and part-time aerobics in-

structor. Just as she has done
on other mornings during
training, Wagner already
completed a three-hour cross-
training session in her Water-
ford home.
She is the only Michigan
athlete to qualify for the
fitness competition and one of
five women from the United
States to earn a spot on the
USA team.
"I've been competing my
whole life," Wagner says.
"I've always been good at

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

57