Shelby Right Marches On with Pro Card
By Jeff Hammond
Writer’s Comment: I would like to thank the troops for their sacrifice on our behalf. On my website: www.makemsweat.com I will have a page for your photos along with your brief message to showcase what supplements, exercise, and support back home does for your overall health and moral.
I originally wrote Shelby’s story after her husband Army 2nd Lieutenant Jacob Right, who was in Iraq, called when we had arrived at J.M. Manion’s studio for a photo shoot. As we were walking into J.M.’s studio to do the photo shoot, he gave her some intense news. She explained that he had been involved in some kind of altercation with insurgents, but didn’t explain further. After the shoot, she told me in detail what had happened to him that morning: “Jacob said they went out on a mission and all of a sudden they were under small arms fire. His commander’s driver was shot in the bicep. Jacob and others threw the driver into the back seat and began driving him to the hospital. Jacob had to take over the 50 Caliper gun on the way there to clear the roads of other vehicles and return fire on those shooting at him. Jacob earned his Combat Infantry badge due to his quick action. This was the first major encounter he had faced personally since arriving, and therefore the first time I realized how real our whole situation was. Insurgents were shooting at my husband! It was very scary, but more difficult to not be able to show my emotion because everyone was waiting for me inside the studio. I had to stop our conversation short and go in and nail the shoot for my husband. Knowing that he was unharmed allowed me to focus and perform my best shoot yet!” Perform her best is an understatement, and yes, she did nail the shoot, especially when she shot in her husband’s cap and dog tags with a camouflage bikini. I new that was special and decided I had to write about her wearing that outfit after the news she had just received. Looking back after our conversations about what had happened to Jacob I realize now why Shelby had the look on her face of total concentration. Since that shoot with J.M. I have watched Shelby grow as a person, model and competitor before my eyes. We have worked on her modeling and now in our conversations after she does a shoot, she will call me and repeat some of my tips to her, and that makes me feel good. Shelby and I had dedicated this past year of her husband’s absence to her earning an IFBB Pro Card through working out hard under Mike Davies’ watch and my promotion. So far it is going well and she is on the cusp of achieving this goal and Jacob will be by her side when it happens.
I have taken her under my wing and she is like a daughter to me now; actually we have a running inside joke that she is like a mother who protects me from being taken advantage of by models. Many good things have happened for Shelby since I wrote the first story on her a year ago for BodyTalk Magazine. We have gone to some major events together. Even though she was having a great time, sometimes she would look sad; I’d then ask her what’s wrong and she would say “I wish Jacob was here to experience this with me.” She worked the 2005 Olympia at the BOSS booth, has been featured in more magazines, was on the cover of Extreme Forces Spring 2006 Catalog, and is now a member of Team VyoTech. But the best thing that could ever happen to Shelby, Jacob’s homecoming, has happened and now she marches on with Jacob by her side to experience everything with her and make her steps light and happy.
