BLOOMINGTON - Robyn Bricco said her friends call her "an old soul." She wakes up in the morning, drinks coffee and watches the news. That's not exactly what a typical 21-year-old does.

The last year has been anything but typical for Bricco.

In April 2008, Bricco was living in Pontiac when she found out she was pregnant. A couple months into the pregnancy, Bricco was admitted to a Peoria hospital for bed rest for six weeks. However, she went into premature labor at 24 weeks. After an emergency C-section, her infant daughter eventually was taken off a ventilator.

"She died in my arms," said Bricco.

To get over the tragedy, Bricco said she relied heavily on her faith. And, despite a hectic school and work schedule, Bricco found another outlet to divert her energy:

Bodybuilding.

Bricco entered her first show in May at Rockford for the NPC Grand Prix Natural Bobybuilding and Figure Competition. To her surprise, the 5-foot-2 Bricco won the short class (based on height) for the women's figure competition. That qualified Bricco for a national qualifying show, which she is planning on for November in Chicago.

"I'm a completely different person than I was a year ago. It (losing her daughter) was definitely the hardest thing I've ever done," she said. "I don't know if I could have done things if it wasn't for something like that. It's crazy how God brings things into your life to strengthen you."

Bricco, who was a cross country and track runner at Seneca High School, said she had always been a fitness freak. She went to a bodybuilding show in Ottawa and thought about getting into the sport until pregnancy intervened.

After losing her daughter, Bricco moved to Bloomington-Normal. She is a student at Heartland Community College and a certified nurses' assistant at St. Joseph Medical Center, working three 12-hour shifts a week.

Still, thoughts of bodybuilding were in Bricco's mind when she began going to Gold's Gym in Bloomington.

"I was addicted to working out and always had to be in the gym," she said. "When this happened I couldn't wait to get back in the gym. It was a stress reliever. You're so insecure after something like that happens. You're like, 'Why me? What did I do? What could I have done?' You blame it on yourself."

As Bricco was leaving after a workout at Gold's Gym one day, she was stopped by Chaundra Tangi, a pro figure competitor and trainer. Tangi asked if Bricco was a bodybuilding competitor. Bricco said she had thought about it, but didn't have the money needed for a trainer, supplements, suits and other expenses.

Tangi offered to train Bricco at a reasonable price and let her use one of Tangi's suits in competition. They targeted a May show, which gave Bricco 12 weeks to prepare a workout plan and start on a 1,200-calorie-a-day diet.

Bricco said she didn't feel nervous until it was show time.

"They line you up and do call outs. I was contestant No. 1 to be on the stage," she said. "It was my first show and I was new to the whole thing, and I'm the first callout. I have to walk to the front of the stage, strike my front pose, then they call everyone else out afterward.

"It's usually quick ... but they put us up there a half-hour. The judges had us arch our backs. It was so uncomfortable and unnatural."

Bricco found out later than night she won her class. In the overall competition, she finished second to the medium class champion.

"The girl who beat me had more of a full upper body. Her shoulder caps were a little more rounded," said Bricco.

Bricco, who weighed 120 pounds during the competition, competes in all natural shows, which require drug tests. The only supplements she took were protein shakes, a multivitamin, fish oils and amino acids.

Although Bricco could have advanced to junior nationals last month, she decided to wait until November.

"I wanted to do a national show knowing I really deserve to be there and I didn't just win a small-town show," she said. "I want to turn heads and be, like, 'Wow that girl is doing good, she young, she's new, who is that?' I want to be really prepared."

Bricco hopes to enter nursing school at Heartland this fall. With school and work, that doesn't leave a lot of time for training. But Bricco will manage to squeeze it in her busy schedule.

"It's really an addiction. It's a lifestyle," she said. "My friends don't understand. You lose friends and gain friends because it's a completely different world in (the gym).

"This is my social activity. I don't go out to clubs or bars. This is where bodybuilders come to socialize. If you don't do your cardio, you're like oh, no. It really consumes you. It's a lifestyle decision. Either you do it or you don't."