Mitchell Sneed is “Mr. Troy.”

Sneed won the title at the Trojan Classic Body Building competition on Saturday at the Claudia Crosby Theater on the campus of Troy University. He also placed second in the novice men’s classification and placed fourth in the open men’s tall classification.

For Sneed, just placing would have been reward enough. Winning the “Mr. Troy” title was more than he could ever have imagined.

“What I want to do, to be, is a personal trainer,” he said.

“I’ve been body building for years but, at age 34, this was my first competition. I just wanted to enter the competition to meet other body builders, to network, really. I knew that being around people who are dedicated to natural body building would be an extra incentive for me to continue working hard and to pursue my dream of being a personal trainer.”

Sneed said he was encouraged by the number of people who are into bodybuilding and into competing.

“You think of body builders as being in a certain age range,” he said.

“But there was a man there who is 68 years old and a woman who is 62. They were amazing.”

Sneed said he didn’t enter the competition with any thought of winning but he liked the feel of it.

“It’s good to know that all of your hard work is recognized,” he said. “I’m especially proud of the title ‘Mr. Troy.’ Only competing male body builders from Troy were eligible for the title. It was a special award because Troy was the host city.”

The Trojan Classic was a fund-raiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Pike and Surrounding Counties.

“The Boys and Girls Clubs really appreciate Dr. Phylecya Cheatham who brought the competition to Troy. We thank her for supporting the Boys and Girls Clubs of Pike and Surrounding Counties and we thank everyone who participated,” said Pam Nealey, chief professional officer/president. “This event raised more than $270 for our boys and girls clubs and it also gave our ‘street team’ an opportunity to be involved in an event like this. They got to watch the competition and it was good for them to see that these men and women build their bodies without the use of drugs.”

Nealey said the ‘street team” is the media arm of the Boys and Girls Clubs.

“These are young people who like to tell their stories of how the Boys and Girls Club has affected them,” she said. “The Trojan Classic Body Building competition was an opportunity for them to tell their stories while making money for the club by selling healthy snack packs.”

Sneed said many stories were told at the competition, by the street team and the competitors as well. He was inspired by them all.

“Listening to the competitors really motivated me,” he said. “I’m even more excited to get my personal training program started. It’s called Physique by SUSO – Show Up and Show Out – and it will be soon be offered at Murphree Park.”