Eleanor, she’s sexy, and oh, so fit

Caribbean Queen of endurance marathon, Eleanor Patrick is not afraid to say it. She loves to win. She doesn’t underestimate her limitations though, but should she falter at some time (and she knows she will) she said, “I will try until I win, if God spares life.” Eleanor added the Caribbean Aerobics Championships Endurance Challenge Trophy to the collection of trophies in her room. It outshone all the rest — her championship wins of 1995 and 2001 — because it was the tallest of the lot. “I feel elated and satisfied that all the hard work has paid off. I’m thankful that Selwyn Melville brought back aerobics on a competitive basis and extended it to the Caribbean,” she told People. She reaped the rewards of jumping, doing occasional push ups, leg lifts and other choreographed moves on one spot for two hours, six minutes and 16 seconds. All the while she was telling herself: “Stay relaxed Eleanor, stay relaxed and enjoy the event.” Her eyes were focused on the instructor and when he stopped, she knew the competition was over. “At that point I said ‘thank you Lord’,” recalled the 36-year-old. She had her share of receiving red cards, having to get knocked out of competition on many occasions. “It makes you feel as though you didn’t do something right and I would usually go over my training and work harder,” she said. “But the judges decision is final and you have to respect their decisions.”

Winning, on the other hand, does stir contention she said. “You have to expect that some people would like you and others won’t.”
To deliver proper execution, show form and strength, her formulae — hook up with a trainer “who prefers to exhaust all of one’s reserves” and another “who insists on standards beyond measure.” She was referring to personal trainers Gerald Alfonso/Long Circular Mall Gym, Gaston Dick/Body Academy and International Olympic Track and Field coach Frederick Andrade. Secondly, it was important that she maintain a three-month routine of aerobics, weight training and running. Lastly, she stuck to a balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, lots of fruits, vegetables and water. Still there was place for junk food (pizza, fried chicken), but eaten on a moderate basis, she assured.
Should she do try-outs for cheerleading, Eleanor would be the precise weight, 120 lbs, but contest her in arm-wrestling and she’ll cream her opponent. Her strength is remarkable. Bench pressing and push-ups are her pet exercises.

She has a lean physique as opposed to “a very slender frame” she was ten years ago. “I was smooth then,” she said. There are no bulges representing oversized muscles now, but a well-toned, well-defined Eleanor. It works to her advantage but sometimes can be intimidating to members of the opposite sex. She explained: “You know Trini men already. I would get a stare, sometimes the pick-up lines but some have it that I tend to be reserved and unapproachable.” She’s a “swanky” dresser and doesn’t hold back on wearing the short pants or short skirts “to show people that I’m a girl. When they see the muscles they would come up to me and ask what sports I’m into.” At the beach, when Eleanor dons her two-piece bathing suit the stares intensify. “It means that ah looking good,” she said as she blushed. The former St Francois Girls High School student grew up in Woodbrook. She moved to Maraval in her pre-teen years. She remembered having an enjoyable childhood, playing games like pitching marbles and football with her two sisters and one brother. “After leaving secondary school I hadn’t chosen a career I wanted to pursue. But I just liked fitness and training, health stuff. I worked in a bakery, then I did clerical work with the Ministry of Sports, the Museum, Kent House and Land and Survey.” Her mother, with whom she lives, single-handedly ran the home when Eleanor’s father died nine years ago.

“I began entering competitions when Tony Walcott, one of the fathers of fitness, told me how good I was in aerobics and that I should enter. I came eighth in the first national competition I entered. Coming eighth out of 100 felt good as it was my first try and I told myself if I work harder I can make it to the top and that I had some homework to do.” That was 10 years ago. Eleanor hasn’t let up since. Her waking hours are tailored to fit little else, other than year-round training and secular work. There’s no room for a social life. Eleanor’s a businesswoman in the field of credit reporting. “Work is flexible for me. I get up at 4 in the morning. The first thing I do is say my prayers. By 6 am I’m at the gym.” She ends her day late at nights with a dose of “Flintstones” (cartoon) or a comedy. “I like reading books on fitness and sport injury, sometimes a spiritual book or a cook book.”