Pamela Pamela

Pamela Anderson type of girl? Well that does not have to be a bad thing. Now does it?
Saturday, July 9, 2005 9:20 PM PDT
Pamela Anderson type of girl
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East Bay Newspapers, Sat, 09 Jul 2005 5:27 PM PDT
Newporter wins Fitness Universe Pageant http://www.eastbayri.com/story/283730373008577.php
Newporter Rhonda Finlayson poses after her long-shot win of the Fitness Universe Pageant. Finlayson beat competitors from all over the world to capture the title.

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Newporter wins Fitness Universe Pageant

Newporter Rhonda Finlayson poses after her long-shot win of the Fitness Universe Pageant. Finlayson beat competitors from all over the world to capture the title.
NEWPORT - Rhonda Finlayson has just conquered the universe. After two years away from competition, Finlayson stormed back onto the Fitness Universe stage in Miami with a new, high-energy skiboarding fitness routine and captured the crown from a field of competitors from all over the world.

"The night of the competition, I couldn't believe I won," said Finlayson. "It's pretty amazing to set a ridiculous goal for yourself and win."

Finlayson called it a ridiculous goal in part because she has no dance, gymnastics, or cheer experience. What she did have, she said, was two left feet. Her goal seemed even more impossible because some of the other competitors did have that experience. Not too long ago, one of her competitors was a silver medal gymnast.

"For me to win, it was a high expectation goal," she said.

And yet, she did it.

"There's nothing that compares with how I felt in that moment," she said.

This isn't a woman whose life is all about winning. She doesn't value herself any more or less based on whether or not she wins or loses, she said. She has a fantastic marriage to a very supportive husband, whose support extends to taking hip-hop classes with her. And surprisingly, her sense of self worth does not come from her physical appearance.

Finlayson had body image issues growing up. She was always athletic and very muscular. "I wanted to be thin – cover of Cosmopolitan thin."

She said that she finally realized she was never going to have a Cindy Crawford-style body. "It's not possible," she said. "I'm 5'2", and I have no hips."

But that realization wasn't immediate.

"It took me a long time to be the best me I can be," she said, and this win is particularly sweet because she did it her way, in her style, with her looks.

"You get a lot of advice to change your hair or your suit. I've never done that, not one time," she said. After competitions, contestants have the option of reading the judges remarks. While she usually doesn't do that, she did do it once. The judge's comments included: "You need to grow your hair."

"It wasn't even an option to change myself [in order] to change my score." In fact, "I never thought I'd win because I stayed myself," she said. Was she ever wrong. "Winning with short, spikey, two-toned hair was great."

The other reason Finlayson is so excited about winning is that she hopes it sets an example for others. As a former coach, she has worked with adolescent girls for years. "I always wanted them to understand that to find happiness with yourself doesn't mean you have to be a Pamela Anderson type of girl."

She said that's what makes this competition great.

"It's a lot different than bodybuilding. It's important for people to know this," she said. "People think, 'They're muscular. They must go out there and flex,' but this is not at all the case. There's a lot of strength involved. This competition is about overall fitness."

The competition is 50 percent routine and 50 percent physique. The routine is scored on entertainment value, high energy, strength and flexibility. The physique portion is based on femininity and symmetry, not bulk or "buxomness."

"It is a pageant so it is overall appearance and beauty," she said, but her reason for being involved has nothing to do with looks. She does it because it's her passion. This is a woman who gets fulfillment from setting and pursuing her goals. She loves entertaining people and sharing her passion for fitness with others. For her, fitness is about being the best "you" that you can be, and she believes this is different for everyone.

Her goal now is to "try to bring competitive fitness to Rhode Island as a sport. I want to help the sport. I can't tell you what it's done for me, spiritually, and for discipline," she said.

If her record is any indication, it looks like Rhode Island can expect to see a lot more of fitness competition, brought to us by Newporter Rhonda Finlayson.

PULLQUOTE

"I always wanted them to understand that to find happiness with yourself doesn't mean you have to be a Pamela Anderson type of girl." – Rhonda Finlayson, Fitness Universe Pageant Winner