| People February 1, 2006
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Pam won the OPA Northern
Ontario Figure Championships at just 20 years of age.
(Photo June 2005 by Doug Schneider) |
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Pamela Anstey – This Blonde
Beauty has Time on Her Side
- Name: Pamela Anstey
- Height: 5’ 2"
- Competition weight: 109 lbs.
- Off-season weight: 130 lbs.
- Residence: Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Competitive level: OPA Provincial
- Competitive highlight: winning the OPA Northern Ontario
Figure Championships
Not everyone gets to enter a figure competition for the
very first time and walk away with a first-place trophy, but that’s just what Pamela
Anstey did when she competed in the Northern Ontario Figure Championships in June of 2005.
That single win took this 5’ 2" beauty from obscurity to prominence in a
single day, putting her on the map as an emerging talent with promising potential in
figure competitions, and fitness modeling as well. What’s more, she was only 20 years
old when she won (she’s 21 now), meaning she has all the time in the world on her
side to fulfill her potential.
Pam was born in Ottawa, Canada, the nation’s capital.
As she was growing up, she was very active in sports. In fact, she’s a self-described
tomboy – learning to walk in the high heels necessary for figure competitions was
somewhat of a chore for her! Pam talks about her background in sports. "When I was
young, I played baseball as my first sport. Then I got into jujitsu, and then I did some
downhill ski racing for two or three years. After that, I got into soccer for five years,
working my way up to a women’s premier level. In school, I was always into football
and soccer. I also did fitness kickboxing at the Greco Martial Arts & Fitness club for
about a year."
Pam got into weight training, which eventually led to
figure competitions, when she was just 17; however, she wasn’t too committed at
first. According to Pam, "I wasn't too serious about weight training for the first
6-8 months until I saw a bodybuilding/fitness show on TSN, and then I was determined to
have a body like that. It was eventually my dream to compete. Staying dedicated through
hard training, eating the right foods, and losing 30 pounds, I was then ready to walk on
stage in the summer of 2005."
The Northern Ontario Championships were held in Sudbury,
Ontario. That first competition experience was very positive for Pam. She says,
"Walking on that stage for the first time was a blast! I thought I was going to be
really nervous, but I did all that hard training and dieting to get up there, so I thought
to myself, "Why be nervous?" My trainer, Kevin Foisey, really helped prepare me
for what to expect and what to do when I got backstage. He pretty much told me to just
"sit down, relax and wait for your turn." I was fairly relaxed backstage, and I
met some awesome people who helped me prepare and tie my suits, too."
Preparing for her first contest wasn’t a one-woman
show. She had help, which she explains. "I would have never competed and
wouldn’t have done so well if I hadn’t met Kevin Foisey, owner of Carribean
Exposure tanning salon. He helped me with my training by setting up a training schedule,
and he helped me with my diet. He gave me some good deals on tanning products too. He also
prepared me for the day of the competition in terms of what to eat and what to do when I
got backstage. As well, he pushed me to go to the Ontario Provincial Championships.
Sherrie Agius helped me with my posing, and Doug Schneider pointed out other competitions
such as the Ontario Provincial Championships and the Ontario National Qualifier when I was
in Sudbury. Doug also pushed me to keep going; I’m glad I listened, otherwise I would
have regretted not doing so."
Pam also competed in the Sportlab Fitness Model Search, a
highly competitive event that featured more than 60 beautiful female competitors. The
Sportlab Fitness Model Search was held in October. Pam’s look caught the judges’
eyes immediately, and she wound up placing second. Vanda Hadarean, who is also from
Ottawa, was crowned the winner of that event. Pam reflects on that contest. "There
were a lot of girls, making for a good competition. I was proud to place second."
The 2005 competitive year has been good for Pam. She
competed numerous times, and she was noticed by many in the industry, including
SeriousAboutFitness.com – we’ve featured her in our sidebar photos since last
summer. Says Pam, "I think I did very well for my first year. I did numerous
photoshoots, which got me a lot of exposure and new contacts, and, as well, I managed to
get an Adidas sponsorship, which will really help me in my off-season and in-season. This
is just the beginning for me. I’m already planning for my next season and making
improvements to my physique."
But weight training, fitness modeling, and figure
competitions are not the only things on Pam’s mind these days. Right now, her
priority is school – she’s a full-time student, studying business
administration, something that will no doubt help her in her future fitness-related
business endeavors. Balancing school and a fitness-based lifestyle, though, can be tough
work. Pam explains the rigors of trying to do that during her first year of competition.
"Balancing school, training, dieting, and work was the hardest thing I have ever
done. I really spread myself thin. You are constantly working and you pretty much have no
life outside of training and work. I would wake up at 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. to do 45 minutes
of cardio, then I would go to school or work, and then I would come home to eat and study.
After that, I’d go to the gym to do weights and more cardio, and then finally
I’d come home to study and go to bed."
It’s no surprise, then, that right now with the 2005
season over, Pam’s focusing mostly on school and won't be competing in 2006. Her
priorities are right.
Still, Pam has plans for future competitions. She explains,
"I will compete again in the future, most likely in the 2007 – I hope to win a
provincial competition. Then I want to compete nationally. However, I’m finishing
school this year, so I want to get a good-paying job and move out on my own. In the
future, though, I’m really hoping to get my pro card to compete internationally, but
I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself."
Pam is beautiful, talented, ambitious, and young. At just
21 years of age, she has plenty of time to make her dreams come true, and I have no doubt
we’ll see more of her in the years ahead.
...Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com |
