[1] Gates was born on September 9, 1962, in San Antonio, Texas, and raised in Lawton, Oklahoma, one of six children (four sisters, one brother).
She worked her way up through the amateur ranks, eventually earning her pro card in 1993 by winning the middleweight class at the NPC Nationals.
[1] Gates's long string of high placings as a professional includes three consecutive Ms. International titles from 1999 to 2001.
Since September 1999, she owns a gym called Strictly Fitness in Irving, Texas.
In 1992, she would meet her then boyfriend, Ronnie Coleman, an IFBB pro bodybuilder who went on to become an 8-time Mr. Olympia, at a GNC store.