CanadaWhen you think of football, the last thing that comes to mind is a beauty queen, 5 feet 1 weighing in at only 125 pounds, but that is exactly what Amanda Ruller, running back for the Legends Football League’s Los Angeles Temptation is. The LFL is the fastest growing arena team sport in the nation and is garnering a huge following, with Amanda up there as one of the top players, now in her second season with the team.
Not only is she beautiful, but she is tremendously powerful and fast and also very intelligent, holding a Bsc in Kinesiology and is a Certified Personal Trainer and Certified Exercise Physiologist.
Torqued Magazine’s own Neil Tandy caught up with Amanda for a chat and asked a few things about her that not everyone may know.
TM: Good afternoon, Amanda, thanks so much for taking the time to chat to Torqued Magazine today. I know how busy you are with training and with the football season.
AR: Hi Neil, it is my pleasure and I am very happy to be chatting to Torqued Magazine.
Amanda Ruller, pageant queen, fitness trainer, pro athlete; many people know that, but describe yourself, as you would to somebody who you are meeting for the first time and who has no idea of who you are or what you do.
I am somebody who has a total passion to compete and to push myself to my physical and mental limits, I always want to get the very best I can from my strength and speed and to keep improving on those.
I love to inspire others to do the same as I do, to become physically stronger and faster, no matter what level they are at. I am able to do that in different ways for say a professional LFL or NFL athlete who is able to push so much harder, or for a person who really wants to get the best out of themselves. I am able to design and implement programs suited to each of them.
Because of your lifestyle as a professional athlete, you have a strict diet that packs in proteins and carbs and you supplement with protein powders and so on, but do you get the chance to eat other meals and what is your favorite thing to eat?
Yes, I do get to eat meals now and again that are not part of the strict diet, especially as I burn so many calories when I am working out or training with the team. My favorite thing to eat is steak and along with mashed potato and asparagus, that is the meal I enjoy most. My guilty pleasure is red velvet cupcakes, that is a real treat and I go crazy for that, I will always eat those whenever I get a chance.
You represented Canada at Bobsleigh and Skeleton, do you have plans to try to compete in The Olympics?
Definitely. I missed out on Olympic level at the time I was representing Canada, but my goal was to go to the games and it still is, that is something I am determined to do.
Do you live permanently in America or do you return to Canada during the football off season?
I go back to Canada. I am in USA for 6 months and back home with my family in Saskatchewan for 6 months, but I absolutely would love to live here permanently. I live in Orange County, California and get to travel around with the team. I love being in America.
Some readers may not have heard of the LFL or quite understand it, could you briefly explain what it is in simple terms?
The Legends Football League is made up of a bunch of hard hitting women who are passionate about football. It is an arena style football, consisting of two teams of 7 on the field, 10 minute quarters and is the fastest growing arena sport in the country. At the moment, there are 6 teams in 2 conferences in America and there will be more teams joining soon, including one from Dallas.
There are plans to branch into Canada in the Fall and also into Europe so that the sport can continue growing and more competition can be provided.
I saw a video on YouTube of you winning a car on The Price Is Right, do you now use that car to drive around?
YES!!! That was so much fun, the moment I heard “Amanda Ruller, come on down”, was so exciting. I didn’t have a car at the time and no money to buy one, so it was a real blessing winning that, it came at exactly the right time. Because I am Canadian, I was actually allowed to take a cash alternative instead of the car, so I used the money to buy a Jeep Patriot, which is so much more practical for me, to load up all my football gear, pads and so on and all of my exercise and training gear. I love that car!
With all of the daily training and workouts, team days for drills and practices, plus the games for L.A. Temptation, I am sure you don’t get too much downtime. What do you enjoy doing to relax when you are able to?
I do what people in California do; I pack a bag with a few snacks and head out to the beach, where I will throw a football around with some friends or go swimming, I hang out with friends and have a relaxing time in the sand.
Do you have any pets?
Yes, back in Canada, I have a couple of Bengal Cats. They are normal cats bred with Asian Leopard cats and they have those spots all over their backs to look like leopards. They are gorgeous cats, so friendly and beautiful to look at.
Who is your toughest opponent in LFL?
The team that we have the biggest rivalry with right now is Seattle. All of the games between us are really tough and close, so far this season both games have been so close. We won the first game 14 to 13 and then they won the next 27 to 26. As far as individuals, I will go against anyone in the league with my power, strength and speed, but I have to say that I wouldn’t go up against some of my own team mates, they are probably the hardest hitters in the league and I would definitely not want to face them.
What other sports do you watch and who are your favorite teams?
Hockey of course, I love hockey and the Montreal Canadiens, I watch NFL football and my team is the (San Diego) Chargers, I also enjoy watching CFL and my home team, The Saskatchewan Roughriders, plus I watch basketball and also track and field. I love all sports because of the competitiveness.
What are your goals for the next 5 years?
I want to continue in the LFL as long as possible and to be successful in the sport. I am trying to start a new website at the moment, to help others, using my degree in kinesiology to pass on the knowledge, to also show more girls that strength and beauty belong together, to show them that being strong and powerful are beautiful as opposed to the stick like model stereotypes that they are fed by the media.
I also plan to open a high profile sports facility within the next 5 years, for training and coaching athletes to the very peak of their performance abilities.
Finally, I ask everyone this, but what is your favorite color?
Purple, I love royal purple. I want to change the color of the jeep from black to purple, people will see me coming for sure.
Amanda, thank you so much for your time and for chatting with Torqued magazine.
Thank you, Neil, it has been a real pleasure and a lot of fun.
Amanda can be followed on Twitter @Ruller2a
On Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amanadarullerLFL?fref=ts
And LFL can be watched on FUSE TV Saturdays at 9/8C
Legends Football League http://www.lflus.com/
