Hamm wins figure competition

Victoria Hamm eats a lot of tilapia and oatmeal.

She also gets asked the same question over and over again.

“How much can you bench?” she said with a smile. “I get that a lot.”

Both come with the territory.

Hamm won the Southeastern Gold’s Classic Women’s Figure Competition June 21 in Gadsden, Ala.

A figure competition is a class of physique events for women bearing a close resemblance to female bodybuilding, but with significantly less emphasis on muscle size. Instead, competitors are judged solely on symmetry and muscle tone with much less emphasis on muscle size than in bodybuilding. A typical figure competition includes two rounds, though this may vary depending on the organization. In the symmetry round, the competitors appear on stage in high heels and a one-piece swimsuit, in a straight line facing the judges. They execute a series of quarter turns to the right, allowing the judges to view and compare them from all sides for symmetry, presentation, and aesthetics such as skin tone, hair, make-up, suit selection and shoe choice. In the next round, the group comparisons, the competitors come out again in high heels and a two-piece suit, execute a series of quarter turns and are judged more critically against the other competitors for conditioning and leanness, and feminine display of athletic muscle.

Hamm, who serves as the program manager for the Eufaula-Barbour County Chamber of Commerce, has been competing in figure competitions for just more than a year.

Hamm began lifting weights when she was 18 years old, but began seriously training after watching her first figure competition.

“I went to a show the year before last and I was hooked,” she said. “I saw all these women who were in shape and had all these muscles, and I wanted to do what they were doing. … I never imagined this would be something that would interest me.”

Hamm trains four to five days a week at Walt’s Gym and does cardio six to seven days a week.

The hard work in the gym has paid off.

Hamm has entered six competitions and placed in the top five in five of those competitions, including her latest win, which she admits caught her a little off guard.

“I didn’t think I had a chance,” she said. “I had had some people tell me I would do better than I had in the past, but honestly I didn’t think I would win it.”

Hamm also claimed a first-place finish at the 2007 Vulcan Classic in Birmingham. She finished second in the 2007 Steel World competition in Mobile.

She also claimed a third-place finish at the 2007 Heart of Dixie competition in Foley.

She’s hoping to improve on that finish at this year’s event, which is slated for Aug. 16.

“I think I should do better,” she said.

“I’ve been at it longer now, and have a better idea of what the judges are looking for, and what I need to do to get ready for a competition.”

Hamm, who has already qualified to compete on the national level, hopes to begin doing so by April or May of 2009.

“I need to add a little more muscle, but that’s my goal,” she said.

“I think it would be a lot of fun to compete at that level. The competition is the thing that I really love about the sport. It’s just so much fun to compete with the other women. It’s also fun to see your body change. That’s just amazing.”

While Hamm is building her figure, she may also want to start building a larger trophy case to house all the trophies she hopes to win.

“I try to work really hard to get ready for the competitions,” she said. “Hopefully I can win a few more.

“That’d be nice.”