Lohmann concluded her freshman campaign by winning an all-girls tournament in Auburn, Wash. Her competition proved to be "cupcakes" after spending the year wrestling her male counterparts. Recalling the championship match, Lohmann said, "I actually gave the girl a bloody nose. It was great!"
Deciding that she needed to become a bit more "girly," Lohmann retired from wrestling and spent her remaining high school years excelling in track (she still holds a record in the state of Arizona for the 4x4 relay). She is quick to credit her father, who passed away in 2005, for her athletic abilities.
"My dad was very, very athletic," Lohmann reflected. "It was really, really great because I was living with my father at the time that I was running track in high school. He was always really proud of me when he would come out and watch me and I would win. I really enjoyed having him watch me race."
It was soon after finishing high school that Lohmann started to pursue her lifelong dream. She landed her first job at the age of 18, appearing on the cover of American Rodder magazine.
Then, while in the midst of a trip to Disneyland with a girlfriend, Lohmann and her pal decided to pay a visit to the Playboy offices in L.A. We were like, 'Hey, let's go to Playboy,' " Lohmann remembered.
That initial test shoot went so well that Lohmann's phone was ringing the very next day.
"They called me back and said, 'Hey, are you still in Los Angeles?' I said, 'Yeah I'm still here.' And they said, 'Will you come in and do a full photo shoot?' Everything just kind of happened from there."
Literally overnight, Lohmann would go from living in Scottsdale to packing up her belongings and moving to L.A. to immediately begin shooting for Playboy. It was an easy decision she said.
"When the Playboy thing came up, I was pretty comfortable with it," she said. "I knew that it was a great opportunity. I knew that it would close some doors, open others, and I'd have to kick the rest open. I was willing to take that chance."
Unlike the typical Hollywood hopeful who has to wait tables or work odd jobs to make ends meet, Lohmann stepped right into a lifestyle of luxury.
Shared Lohmann, "I felt like I was really pampered for my first introduction to L.A. I didn't have to struggle like most of the other models do. I had a job waiting for me and I had money coming in. I had friends immediately because of other models and other Playmates. I was really fortunate. I just eased into L.A. very easily.
Since she had been waiting so long for the opportunity to come along, Lohmann said she wasn't about to do anything foolish.
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