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KimO’Grady Hill taking fitness to new heightsDate: 23.05.2007
Posted by: Anabolic Info Team Canada
“It’s two minutes of an aerobic hell... but it’s fun.”
Kim O’Grady Hill is referring to a two-minute routine she performs for judges at sports fitness competitions, such as the Fame National Championships.
This, and others like it, are the ultimate in hard-core sports fitness competition entertainment events. They feature professional, endorsed and amateur athletes, as well as some of the world’s hottest fitness models.
And there in the lineup is Huntsville’s O’Grady Hill.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Fitt Gym’s part-owner and fitness trainer. “I thought about it when coming into Fitt Gym six years ago. Now it’s a part-time job for me. When I’m not here (at the gym) I’m training and preparing meals.”
O’Grady Hill is totally dedicated to the sport, even though it’s one of the most difficult things she has ever set out for herself.
“Training is the hardest part. Trying to fit everything in . . . and the dieting, that’s very challenging. Then there’s the actual performance, putting it all together, the endurance it takes and the smile that makes it look like it doesn’t hurt.”
O’Grady Hill embarked on a special diet 12 weeks before her first fitness performance. “It’s a clean diet, high protein, low fat. I have to watch starchy carbs,” she said, adding that she uses no supplements and her regime is totally natural.
“I lost about 15 pounds. For the show I go in at less weight, but you can’t maintain that. It’s not healthy.”
Each show incorporates two competitions: a two-minute fitness routine and a model (bikini) category.
“The bikini judges are looking for symmetry, muscular but still feminine. It’s not bodybuilding. In fact, you can get demerit points for that,” said O’Grady Hill.
And the routine? “A lot of people don’t understand that the routine is all about strength, endurance and flexibility, plus you have to entertain, all in the space of two minutes. The judges are looking for the complete package.”
Training for competition began in earnest for O’Grady Hill last year. “I lifted weights on a more regular basis. I also researched for coaches in the industry on the internet because I was in unfamiliar territory.”
O’Grady Hill found Cathy Savage, who runs an online figure and fitness camp. “She’s from Boston and I went to her camp in February for a weekend. She helped me with training and nutrition.”
Former Deerhurst Resort Sing Show performer Lynn Hill helped O’Grady Hill with the choreography for her routine, and Gail Valiots, former owner of Fitt Gym, elected to become her co-agent.
After months of hard work, O’Grady Hill was ready for competition. “I did Fitness America in Connecticut on April 28, placing fifth out of 12, which qualifies me for Fitness Universe in Miami on June 22,” she said.
“At Connecticut I was the only Canadian to compete.” She laughed: “I put Canada and Huntsville on the map.”
On May 5, O’Grady Hill competed at the World National Sports Organization’s Fame competitions in Toronto. There she finished fourth of eight with her two-minute Pulp Fiction routine and fifth of 20 in the model category. That result qualified her for the Fame nationals on June 8.
“Thirty-five people from Huntsville came to support me in Toronto, which helped big time,” she said.
The results from that competition also elevated O’Grady Hill to the “advanced athletic” level. Each attained level of competition (up to pro level) means a better chance of earning more money in prizes and endorsement opportunities.
“It’s expensive to compete,” said O’Grady Hill. “The registration fees are around $200, then there’s the coaching and training and the travelling costs. I had my music mixed professionally — it includes five songs with a pulp fiction theme — and I had my four costumes designed and made for me by Karen H. Phillips of KHP Designs. All my costumes have crystals on them to catch the light and cost about $1,500.”
O’Grady Hill has already caught the media’s attention.
“At Fame I was spotted by photographer Scott Apple and I just had my first shoot in Toronto for Status Magazine, a fitness and bodybuilding magazine out of Vancouver that’s soon to publish in Ontario. He took over 500 shots, mostly bikini shots. Now they have gone to Status and if they like them we go from there.”
She added that her goal is to be profiled in Oxygen Magazine, a fitness magazine for women.
O’Grady Hill is planning on four competitions this summer and two more in the fall – Fitness Canada on October 27 and the Fame World Championships in Hollywood, Florida on November 2 to 4.
Meanwhile, the athlete says she is in the best shape of her life. “I feel fantastic. I have so much fun up there (on stage). I’m actually going to make my routine harder because I’m going to be up against stiffer competition.”
She concluded: “I enjoy performing and I don’t mind the training and dieting. At the end of the day, I love the sport. I think I have found my passion.”
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