Opal Petty
by gene x hwang (August 1998)
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Jamie Leigh Opal Petty possesess not only a unique middle name (Opal), but a personality to match. Although in her own words, others have said that it reminded them of an older person's name, she herself finds charm in those who are her elders, among other things.
At only 25 years young and 5'1", Petty has a well-rooted down-to-earth outlook on life. Her introduction into fitness is as uncommon as her motivations to compete, which provides for a fresh personality on the competitive landscape.
"Growing up I was always a little bit of a tomboy," explains Petty "and then in high school I did the cheerleading thing for a while there."
However, there was no collegiate gymnastics, bodybuilding or aerobics competition background as many on the current fitness scene come from. Instead, Petty honed her physique and skills teaching yoga, being a white water tour guide, and working with the elderly as well as children.
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| "You're dirty, your hair's in a bun. Your hair's always pulled back. You're always sweaty. You always have a stinky sports bra on, river sandals, and river shorts that are stuck to you." |
After first seeing Opal Petty compete at the 1998 Jan Tana Classic Amateur fitness show in Charlotte, NC, it was evident that she was a competitor who exuded confidence, poise, and very positive karma vibes. During the intermission, it was imperative that I learned more about this captivating newcomer, and there was even more than expected.
Petty's Southern drawl can be deceptive to those who have preconceived notions of Southerners, but it does not belie her Southern charm. Living an active life is nothing new to Petty. "I've bicycled quite a bit. I did a lot of outdoor things and when I was much younger, I did gymnastics. Then in junior high I did cheerleading; Come high school I did the art thing, did aerobics and ran to keep busy, but nothing really structured." |
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"I guess I have decent stage presence because I enjoy it. I find it a real treat to make people smile or catch their attention," Petty says. "It doesn't really matter how I entertain people, I just enjoy doing it."
Petty's routine was one of the more entertaining of the amateur show, and most of it was actually improvised.
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When discussing her routines, Petty says "I have a beginning and an end, and anything that goes between is just the way I feel - It makes it more fun that way."
One of the more impressive moves of all of the fitness competitors including the pros was one that Petty describes as her sign - Scorpio - and if you had seen the hand stand press with her legs coming up behind her back like a scorpion's tail, you would have been impressed as the gasps from the crowd indicated.
When asked about her creative moves, Petty continues: "Growing up I always liked to do little tricks [with her body], just to see if I could." And indeed she must have succeeded more times than not.
Speaking about the pro fitness women, Petty has a focused point-of-view: "Being more natural is important. I can get more lean when I do more endurance sports like bike racing or running, but if you're trying to be feminine - and some competitors get really hard - it sets false expectations as an athlete [to the general public]. If you're trying to be a role model, it's better to be a role model that's natural. Something that's attainable by self-motivation, not self-reconstruction, or whatever."
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All-Natural Petty early on
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That of course leads to other questions about self-reconstruction, as Petty puts it, and how that affects a woman's perceived femininity.
"When you get lean, you lose a little bit [on top]. I guess the big thing is that I don't like it to be a lie to the public if you're trying to sell fitness - and that's what it's supposed to be about. I like the fact that they're looking for good physiques, symmetry, and being lean and hard, especially with the abundance of obese people! If you're using things to keep you slim and things to counterbalance losing your femininity, you're selling a lie. It's like if a guy wins a bodybuilding contest with calf implants - sure they look great, but it really isn't earned."
With respect to the current state of bodybuilding, Petty again has a definitive point-of-view.
"Sometimes people allow it to be an unhealthy sport, and beginners can make it an unhealthy sport, but it's a great way to learn about your body. You're much more aware of what you need to do to be healthy and it motivates people to learn about themselves," Petty explains.
And she seems to be quite aware of her body as well. "In this past competition, I was the heaviest I've been. I work out my legs cycling, hone my balance teaching classes, and for my upper body, well I've been on the river the past four hours! It keeps you in training year long, and you don't burn out."
Opal has no strict training schedule, which is a departure from most competitors, but matches her flowing personality like a glove. "My summer's are more of a break, because I do more outdoor activities for work," she explains, and this doubles as her offseason training. Actually, for Petty there really is no offseason.
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Balancing on her head while floating down the river.
| During most of the year, Opal is out enjoying or working in the great outdoors. When asked about how her friends treat her, Petty explains after a brief pause: "Hmm, that's a funny one... Basically I'm always doing a lot of different things, and most of my friends [from different activities] probably don't mesh. I'm sort of a social butterfly. It's not that I change, but my friends are limited in ways. Sometimes they are taken aback, especially when people see me on the river or climbing.
"You're dirty, your hair's in a bun. Your hair's always pulled back. You're always sweaty. You always have a stinky sports bra on, river sandals, and river shorts that are stuck to you. When I clean up, those people are like, 'Wow, you're a girl!'" she laughs.
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"Most of them, unless they've know me for a long time or are around me a lot, which isn't that many people, don't really know me that well."
By keeping busy with a variety of activities, Opal ensures she does not let any one thing consumer her. "I avoid tunnel vision, where you try to become the master [of an activity]. Then what are you going to do? This way you don't get bored or burned out on something you love. That's the big thing. It's like music - you listen to your favorite song over and over, and after about two months, you get sick of it. If you don't go and buy it though, every time you hear it, even a year down the road, your glad to hear it."
Also, being such a petite-framed woman in the South with an impressive physique can at times be difficult. However, she has received coverage in publications such as USA Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Southern Living magazine. Although some perceptions are changing, there is still a lot of conservatism in that part of America.
"I think in the cities it's not so much, but considering that I live in the mountains, it's different. It's not a bad thing. It doesn't bother me, but it can be intimidating to guys my age to find someone so independent in their thinking. They don't usually criticize it, but I think they're intimidated by it.
"Some of them have this attitude of 'You sit down and watch me lift this big weight and grunt and groan,' but most of them my age tend to just be really good at lifting a beer can! It's a little different in the mountains - it's good and it's bad.
I just don't do a lot of dating around here," she says with a laugh.
That's not to say that Opal isn't a people person. Quite the contrary in fact.
"I enjoy older people a lot because oftentimes people take them for granted. I think it's a narrow minded thing to do.
People who are older have lived. They realized that a lot of trivial things aren't important. And if they've lived this long, there must be something to it.
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Petty, kneeling on the left, working with Females at Risk group.
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"I like to work with kids too. I used to work with kids a whole lot, but then I worked with Kids at Risk. It was very political, and you have to be very careful - between the legal system, school system and their parents - it affects your openness to listening to them honestly. It's hard not to want to be honest with them, but sometimes it may not be the best thing for them at that time."
Her sensitivity when speaking about both the elderly and children really brings home Petty's true nature and spirit.
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As an ambassador of fitness and healthy lifestyles, Opal Petty is one of the best. However, like an unmanned raft drifting down the river, Petty allows herself to go with the flow. Her future is in no way set in stone, even for the rest of 1998.
"To be honest with you, I kind of just go on a whim. If something comes up, it does. I've been thinking about going to Nationals - if I don't go to Greece for a month! I will probably do Nationals, but I was kind of getting burned out, and fitness can take away from other things. I think it's better not to be too prepared, otherwise you can have expectations that leave you hanging. Anything that motivates you, you should pursue," Petty continues.
"One of my big things [regarding fitness] is that I really push people to do what feels good. If it motivates you, do it. Even if you're not going to do it to win. I see a lot of people get into it - a lot of them are former collegiate cheerleaders or gymnasts - but the few that choose to do it to make them stronger [mentally]; I think it really gives them a lot of confidence. To make any type of goal and meet it, you have to have confidence. If more people had confidence then they wouldn't be so worried about everyone else's negatives."
"There's nothing that really bothers me," she adds.
And that summarizes well what Opal Petty embodies, a free-spirited, positive, carefree, intelligent and rising force in the fitness industry.
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