OCB FIGURE GUIDELINES

Thuy Kernaghan	Melissa Gallagher	Renee Harris	Sara Morin

Eligibility

OCB Bikini competition participants must be age 18 or older. Current membership to OCB is required of all competitors to participate in OCB events. All OCB shows are natural events, meaning use of performance enhancing substances are not permitted. Complete details on drug testing and a list of banned substances can be viewed online at TheNaturalMuscleNetwork.com/OCB/forms/DrugTestingGuidelines.pdf. Competitors must successfully pass a polygraph screening prior to events to attest to their natural status.

Overview

The OCB Figure division consists of two parts: Group Comparisons and Individual Presentations (stage walks). For events that have separate times for prejudging and finals, individual presentations (stage walks) are only performed at finals. Two-piece suits and high-heeled shoes are worn for both parts of the contest. Suits can be of any style, color and pattern with the exception of being a thong/T-back bottom.

Judging Criteria

Judging for OCB Figure is based on good leanness and conditioning with full and healthy-looking muscularity, and good balance, proportion, and symmetry of both muscularity and conditioning.

Group Comparisons - Physique Evaluations

Each class is brought to front center stage and is guided through quarter turns to display physiques from the front, left, back, and right. Posing form for OCB Figure competitions is flexible. Competitors can use stances they feel display their physiques in the most favorable manner. For example, in the front stance, a competitor can keep both feet together and both arms down by her sides, or she could have one foot slightly in front of the other with a slight bend in a knee, slight twist at the waist turning her upper torso some, and/or have one hand on her hip (or both hands on her hips). The same leniency is allowed for the rear and side stances. However, in cases of close decisions where a judge is having a difficult time deciding placements for two or more competitors, specific forms may be requested of all competitors, such as both feet together, and arms down by sides for the front stance, or feet together looking straight ahead with arms down by sides in a side stance, for example.

Alexis Hartman	Erin Carson	Marie Allen	Lindsay Dopart

Individual Presentations – Stage Walks

The individual presentation portion for OCB Figure competitions is a stage walk. Competitors walk out to music of their choice and perform a “T” walk. A T-walk consists of walking out to rear center stage and pausing briefly in a stance of choice. Competitors then walk up to front center stage and perform half turns to show a front and back view of their physiques, then walk to stage left and pause briefly in a stance of choice, then walk to stage right and pause briefly in a stance of choice, then walk to the front center of the stage and pause briefly in a stance of choice, and finally walk off stage diagonally to the side from which they entered. The walk resembles a “T”, which is how it got its name. Individual presentations should be done tastefully and be conducive to a family atmosphere. Bodybuilding-type poses, fitness moves (like push-ups) and costumes/props should be avoided.

Stage Walk Examples Diagram (If entering from the right side of the stage).

Scoring

Each judge takes scoring all criteria into account and assigns one overall score for each contestant in the form of rank during the group comparison round, such as 1st through 7th place, for example. A highest and lowest rank for each competitor is dropped as a safeguard against human error and/or bias, whether intentional or on a subconscious level. The remaining judges' placements are summed, and the competitor with the lowest sum total receives first place in the class. Second lowest sum receives 2nd place, and so on.

Scoring Example:

If a tie occurs, placements are decided by the tie-breaker guidelines.

Additional Information:

-Jewelry is permitted

-Crossovers (entering additional categories) are not permitted between Figure, Bikini, and Bodybuilding. Crossovers are permitted between Bikini, Fitness Model and Ms. Fitness.