Linda Pulido has fought her way past countless competitors on her way to 29 world championship titles in Taekwondo, Filipino Martial Arts and other disciplines.
Now the Gilroy native finds herself in a different kind of competition, similar to the fact that she competes against hundreds of others, but one that has a huge impact on the numerous students she serves.
Pulido is vying to appear on the cover of Muscle and Fitness HERS magazine, has survived six online voting rounds and outlasted hundreds of other women. She currently ranks first in her group of quarter-finalists and urges the public to cast their votes by July 22nd at 7pm to advance to the semi-finals.
But it’s not just the cover photo and story that Pulido is looking for, which is expected to be viewed by more than 500,000 people after its January release. The winner will also receive $ 20,000 that Pulido plans to pour into her 30 Third Street gym and restore it to pre-pandemic state while it catches up on rent after it was closed during various health ordinances.
“I felt so much support, so much love from my family, my friends, my students, my students’ parents, and the community,” she said.
Pulido credits the martial arts for having changed her life after struggling with her confidence and hanging out with the wrong crowd at a young age.
With her studio Pulido’s Pro-Fitness she wants to instill self-confidence and other life skills in her students and enable them to believe in themselves.
When the Covid-19 lockdown hit and closed her gym, Pulido said she needed to turn around quickly by offering virtual workouts and one-to-one classes.
“When this pandemic struck, hit her at home,” she said. “My students are like my kids, and seeing them descend one by one because they couldn’t afford it or it was too difficult for them to zoom has never felt like this. I’ve tried to come up with creative things so that the children believe that they can still carry on this art and still reach their belts and still stay motivated. “
When Muscle and Fitness magazine contacted her about the competition, Pulido said she saw an opportunity to get her students back to the gym.
Since only a Facebook account is required, the public can vote for free every day.
The public can also vote and donate money to Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors, which builds and remodels accessible homes for injured U.S. military veterans.
“I believe in our community,” said Pulido. “We are Gilroy strong. We’ve been through so much. I believe that my place is a place that will change lives. “
To vote for Pulido, visit bit.ly/3BmF4dB.
