[2] By her senior year in high school, Yolanda had competed at both the local and state level in track achieving various titles, mastering the 110 hurtles, 100 meters, long jump, and the 440 relay.
Although her primary interest at the time was track, gymnastics allowed her to develop a sense of well-being through an inner-focus and clear determination to succeed.
[2] In 1981, after graduating high school, Yolanda was accepted with full scholarship to Western Kentucky University, where she continued her pursuit of both track and gymnastics.
In the meantime, she continued her interest in both women's bodybuilding and gymnastics, spending most of her free time in the gym training in pursuit of her athletic goals.
[2] In 1984, after finding that her scholarship had run out and with the pressures of additional family commitments Yolanda faced a tough decision to leave her pursuit of academics and focus on her athletic abilities.
That same year, because of her achieved status through local competition, she had finally earned the right to compete in a national qualifier in women's bodybuilding.
[2][3] While training at the San Clemente Gym, Yolanda had little time for much else in her life, until she met and eventually married Thomas Heying, who was visiting the United States from Germany.
She would be featured in covers and stories in such publications as Muscle And Fitness, Flex, Female Bodybuilding, and Muscular Development.