OCEANSIDE - It has taken Sonia Adcock 13 years to become an overnight success in her sport.

The 28-year-old Oceanside resident is considered one of the top figure shaping competitors in the country.

She reminded me in her polite way that what she does is not bodybuilding.

"It's about the symmetry of the body," Adcock said. "Figure is more of a feminine athletic look. It is the overall package, the hair, the makeup, muscle tone and the symmetry of the body."

Those who do well in the sport have a certain look that balances an athlete appearance with strong muscle definition.

Unlike bodybuilding, where developing muscles to the fullest is rewarded, that is not the case in figure shaping. In fact, too much muscle can count against you.

The 5-foot-1, 103-pound Adcock, a 1997 Vista High graduate, appears to be on the right track. Her career has taken off this year after she finished well enough in amateur competitions to earn her professional card.

Since turning pro, she has placed first in two competitions in May, one in Pittsburgh for the Pennsylvania state title and another in Culver City where she was named the top figure competitor in California.

She was also third nationally last March in The Arnold Classic at Columbus, Ohio. That event is named after Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"My dream was to compete in The Arnold Classic so I guess it is a dream come true," Adcock said.

But now, she has her eyes set on an even bigger prize, the ultimate in figure competition, Fitness Olympia, in Las Vegas the last weekend in September.

"The best athletes in the world are there," Adcock said. "I'm not going with any expectations; I'm going to bring my best package to the stage."

In figure competition, women do not do any fancy posing routines.

"You come out on the stage and make quarter turns, and at the end, they have all of us on the stage together so the judges can compare."

For Adcock, the long road to being one of the top competitors started when she was a 15-year-old underclassman at Vista under her maiden name, Sonia Gonzales.

She had one elective class and chose weightlifting.

Once in the gym, she said, "I fell in love with it. I couldn't get enough of it and bought my first membership to a gym that year."

But making the jump from weightlifting to figure shaping competition was no easy task. The sport has only been around, she said, for seven or eight years.

Her first competition came in 2003 in Culver City.

"I was scared to death but finished seventh," Adcock said. "I learned that I really loved the sport. I knew it was the beginning of something I wanted to do until I can't do it anymore."

Adcock said she talked to the judges after the competition to find out what she needed to do to improve.

"They were very helpful," she said.

It is something she asks after every competition.

Knowing that she wanted to continue making strides in the sport, and with the backing of her husband, James, Adcock sought out trainer Kim Oddo of Temecula. Oddo has a history of training some of the best figure competitors in the nation.

"He jump-started my career," said Adcock.

She learned more about proper workouts, nutrition and preparing herself for the bigger competitions.

When Adcock talks about working out and competing she has the same passionate look in her eyes that I've seen from LaDainian Tomlinson, Trevor Hoffman and, in his day, Junior Seau.

"I love what I'm doing," said Adcock.

She works out between three and four hours a day, a discipline that few of us have.

"The part of it I like is getting myself to the next level," she said. "When I start working on something, it'll take about four weeks to see the transformation, but it is worth it."

Sounds like this lady is focused and dedicated. That's why, in my book, she is a champion.

- Steve Scholfield is senior sports columnist for the North County Times. He can be reached at (760) 740-3509 or stevescho@cox.net.