Sonya McFarland
by Gene
X Hwang - January 2003
At
the 2002 NPC Nationals, the heavyweight class yielded the overall winner,
but the depth of talent was tremendous with many pro caliber physiques
competing for that elusive pro card. One of the surprises of the show
was Sonya McFarland. Having recently moved from Tennessee to Southern
California, McFarland is serious about her training and it showed on stage,
with her presentation of her tremendous physique.
"For
the Nationals, I just wanted to look like I belonged there. The feedback
Iâ??ve gotten since tells me I did at least that much, and hopefully established
myself as a physique to watch in future competitions. It was only my third
show, and my first national-level outing, so you could say Iâ??m more than
pleased with the results.
"My
new goal is to look like I belong on the USA stage this summer in Las
Vegas, but goals past that are sketchy. I try to take my bodybuilding
one show at a time, so I'm not sure how far I want to go. Competing successfully
on the national level, and maybe eventually turning pro in the process
are the only two goals I've ever had. I guess I just wanted to reach this
level to be a role model. I want to be for the girls of today what Cory
(Everson) and Rachel (McLish) were for me when I needed someone to look
up to. If I could somehow be that positive alternative for today's kids,
I'd be the happiest I could be from what I do here," says McFarland.
Being
a role model for today's youth may be just where she stands in today's
changing times. Her feminine package, advanced muscularity, and the enigma
that results when the two are combined may have the potential for helping
redefine where women's bodybuilding stands in the future.
"I
began working out when I was 19 to control my weight, but didn't take
up serious competitive bodybuilding training until three years ago. I've
always been athletic, so bodybuilding was an easy hobby for me to take
up. I'd just never had the means to pursue it. I guess that my finding
them was because I had gotten to a point where the real me couldn't stay
hidden anymore. I think the lifestyle change turned out to be the best
thing for everybody involved."
That definitely seems to be the case. McFarland has already been generating
buzz since her Nationals placing (6th in a very competitive heavyweight
class) as well as the time leading up to that. In online bodybuilding
forums, her preparation was documented through the posting of digital
pictures that outlined her progress.
Of
course she first saw photos of Cory and Rachel in magazines when she was
about 13 years old. She was impressed by their combination of strength
and beauty and feels that the girls of today still look for strong, feminine
role models to imitate, perhaps even moreso than before.
"I
know how my bodybuilding achievements have helped me improve as a person,
and I know the potential benefit bodybuilding holds for others like me."
The
5â??4â?? tall McFarland got up to 170 pounds in the off-season, but 14 weeks
later, she had dropped her weight to 149 pounds to compete in the Nationals.
That
off-season weight can be a bit misleading though.
"Before
I do anything, I restâ?¦and rest a lot. I let my mind focus on things other
than bodybuilding for a couple of months. During this particular post-contest
period, my husband Jeff and I spent our time relocating to Venice, Californiaâ?¦all
the way from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Actually, there wasnâ??t much rest
involved at all! Thankfully, the Goldâ??s Venice membership welcomed us
with open arms, and weâ??re finding the Southern California lifestyle to
be just our style! The first thing Iâ??ll do when back in the gym is concentrate
on getting my bodyweight and strength back upâ?¦eating has never been a
problem for me, so that partâ??s pretty fun. Iâ??m excited about improving
some of my major liftsâ?? numbers from last year, and hope my doing so will
result in five new pounds of muscle being added to my frame by the time
the USAâ??s roll around. Iâ??ll again be using Tom Prince as my contest prep
coach, and will start my diet around 14 weeks out as I did for the â??01
Nationals."
That
kind of focus and determination shows in McFarland's physique as well
as in the gym, where she is quite proud of some of her accomplishments.
"Our
good friend and IFBB Pro Mike Morris spotted me during the most impressive
lift Iâ??ve done to date - or at least my husband thinks so, since I donâ??t
really keep up with that sort of thing. I once squatted 315 pounds for
4 reps. Earlier in 2002, I won a small bench press competition with a
215 pound bench, but I think I could have done better - prior to that
day, it had been over a year since I had attempted a one rep max in anything!
"Again,
I just donâ??t get into the â??numbersâ?? aspect of it. Actually, I usually
donâ??t even count sets or reps, I just work out until Iâ??m done, and no
one but me can say when that is. Iâ??ve found that not many people can hang
with me all the way up to that point, though. I can lunge like nobodyâ??s
business, and Iâ??ll be flipping the calorie counter on the elliptical and
treadmill back to zero from 999 during the final weeks of my contest prep,"
McFarland adds with a wry smile.
The
confidence that she displays is not cockiness at all, but merely the honest
knowledge that her accomplishments are quite impressive. Self-confidence
is a quality that can easily be turned into ego, but with McFarland that's
far from the case.
"Well,
while I havenâ??t had the chance to prove my 315-pound squat practically
useful in my everyday non-bodybuilding routine, (laughs) I still have
the satisfaction of knowing that Iâ??m probably stronger than the person
Iâ??m standing next to in the supermarket checkout line - whether theyâ??re
a man or a woman! Youâ??ve got to experience it to truly appreciate it!"
McFarland laughs again, knowing that she can back up every word that she
just said.
One
thing that may surprise many is the fact that she is also a mother. She
has two beautiful children that will always be the biggest achievements
of her life. Paxton is 11 and Paige is 10 and she can already tell they
have a healthy dose of her bodybuilding genetics, so â??Look out, world!â??
Outside
of her husband and children, McFarland has been fortunate enough to have
supportive friends as well.
"They
literally
canâ??t believe what Iâ??ve done with myself. Itâ??s very motivating for me
to hear their positive reactions, and the vast majority of them are glowingly
positive. Remember that I only took up competitive bodybuilding a little
less than three years ago, so you can imagine the looks on their faces!"
But
it's not just friends who respond to her. Of course it's hard not to respond
when someone come upon McFarland.
"Thereâ??s
intimidation and admiration from both sexes, but what determines the reaction
they want me to see is their own level of self-confidence. Those secure
in themselves usually feel a need to give me praise and express their
appreciation for my look. Normal, everyday women come up to me in public
and share the fact that for the first time, they donâ??t find my combination
of size and muscularity displeasing like they would have expected to.
They want to know what I do to get this bodypart like that, or that bodypart
like this, because they think my approach, and the results Iâ??ve attained,
would work for them, too.
"I
want to think that the negative reactions I normally only hear about from
others, second-hand, arenâ??t genuine, and probably the result of jealousy
or low self-esteem on the person casting the negativityâ??s part. I could
be wrong, though," she adds in typically humbling fashion.
The few times that McFarland is away from the gym, she likes to
explore, llearning her way around a new place, or just experience new
things in general.
"I
love to shop. When Iâ??m not doing that, Iâ??m decorating my home or kicking
back with my husband, watching television in the privacy of our own living
room. Only then do I feel as though Iâ??ve fully escaped the sport that
is my life. When what you look like is what you do, sometimes 'taking
a break from it all' simply means taking your work off display!"
Of
course we'd rather have it the other way around, with her 'work' on display
more. Don't worry though, that shouldn't be an issue, as McFarland's popularity
rises at an ever-increasing rate, and by the time the 2003 USAs come around,
don't be surprised if she's up there in the top of the class battling
it out with the other heavyweights.
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