Victory at Last: Becker Tops the Top 25 Competitors Ranking

Hail the queen of gels. This year’s winner, Cedarburg, Wis.-based Amy Becker, has been doing nails for 23 years, competing for 20 years, and manufacturing Masterworks by Amy Becker for four years. She’s a former NAILS cover artist and past recipient of the Nail Tech of the Year Award. For the second year running, she’s the U.S. Gel Champion and she’ll be representing the U.S. in gels in Germany for the world cup in March. And she still sees clients two days a week.

NAILS asked Amy to tell us about her time in the competition circuit.

You’ve been ranked on our list for 16 of the 18 years we’ve been keeping track — quite an achievement — but this is your first year at number-one. What was different about this year? 

Becker: For the first time since I’ve been competing, I set the goal to win an overall championship. I didn’t let other goals of mine stop me from competing in all of the competitions. In years past, I always had conflicting schedules that prevented me from all the competitions.

What distinguishes you from other competitors? 

Becker: I do everything in gels. At most competitions, I’m the only one using them. I even sculpt 3-D art solely out of gel. I use our own techniques in the competitions as well.

How do you keep your passion for competing alive? 

Becker: My passion for competing comes from needing to grow. I compete with gel in everything that I’m allowed. I love developing new gel techniques and gel products. Over 12 years ago I envisioned the industry turning to gel. I knew that would only happen when the right products and techniques were available. That goal has driven me ever since.

What is your favorite competition ­category? 

Becker: I don’t know if I have a favorite, but one of the most exciting has been the 3-D art competitions. With a new product that I have (Masterpiece Gel Paints) I cannot only paint with them like I would an acrylic or oil paint, I can also sculpt with them with finer detail than I could ever get with acrylics.

In the last year, what win were you most proud of? How did you celebrate? 

Becker: My most memorable win would probably be the U.S. Gel Invitational. With it I will represent the U.S. in the world championship in Germany next March. Good God! I celebrated by collapsing with exhaustion because it was the end of an eight-competition marathon in Las Vegas.

What is your greatest challenge in the competition arena and how have you dealt with it? 

Becker: The greatest challenge is finding great models. Good ones won’t do. I’ve tried posting for models on the Internet, but pictures of the models aren’t quite good enough. Investing in models who I’ve seen in person and have had the chance to work on is the way to go.

What advice do you usually give to newbie competitors? 

Becker: Newbies ... I love to help them! My first piece of advice is to set the goal of finishing. Don’t worry about who’s doing what around you. Always compete to create a personal best. For those I’ve seen tremendous potential in, I try very hard to encourage them to never stop. It’s too easy in the beginning to get discouraged.

Who have been your mentors in the nail business? 

Becker: Josiane Trachsel from Switzerland has been a remarkable mentor. She is who I would most like to exemplify in business, stamina, knowledge, and life skills. There are other amazing nail artists who I aspire to create like, such as Catherine Wong, Michelle Sproat, and many others.

What don’t we know about you? What do you do for fun? 

Becker: I am a Praise and Worship leader and elder at my church. I sing and play either the bass, acoustic guitar, or drums. I love it!

This year’s crop of top competitors hail from all over the world. Meet some of the other men and women who grace the Top 25 list this year and gain some insights into their professional and personal lives — and check out their beautiful handiwork.

To see the complete 2010-2011 Top 25 Competitors list along with previous years' winners, click here.

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#2 Azumi Kanene Williams (Honolulu)

Born in Osaka, Japan, Kanene Williams has been competing in the United States since 2007 and has been an ONS team member and educator since 2010. She recently opened a nail salon and school, called Azumi Nail, in Honolulu. Her favorite competition category is French Sculptured Nails. “There’s something alluring about such ­simple elegance that is also deceivingly complex to create,” she says.

You may not know:

> Kanene Williams’ salon houses a school designed for those who wish to become more successful compet tors. Eventually, she’d like to go to competitions with both her students and her employees.

> She donated all her prize money from the ISSE Midwest Show to the disaster relief effort in Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#4 Catherine Wong (Singapore)

Wong is an award-winning international educator, judge, active competitor, publisher, and does product development for a manufacturer. To date, she has published six nail books and two designer nail instruction books sold internationally. Despite her international travel, she continues to play a key role in education for the nail ­industry especially in Singapore and Malaysia.

 You may not know:

> She’s an economics graduate and a management major, and she worked in the corporate world for more than 10 years before pursuing a full-time career in nails.

> She comes from a large extended family. Her paternal grandfather had eight brothers and eight sisters, so she has relatives all over the world. She is happily married with two children who are studying abroad in a boarding school in Australia.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

#7 Ami McClure (Cape Coral, Fla.)

McClure has been a nail tech for almost 20 years, a salon owner with her sister (#15 competitor Traci Dungan) for 12 years, and a nail competitor for more than 10 years. “I love what I do and competing gives me an opportunity to create art than can be more extreme and edgy than what I normally do in the salon.”

 You may not know:

> She has been doing nails for all these years, yet she still can’t seem to run on time.

> She is the craft queen. “I will try to make just about anything,” she says.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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#8 John Hauk (Cincinnati)

Another long-time competitor, Hauk is a 19-year veteran in the nail industry with more than 275 awards to his credit. He distinguishes himself by combining his natural teaching ability with invaluable experiences as a master nail technician trainer, competitor, salon owner, and mentor.

You may not know:

> As a ritual, he likes to do back handsprings down the hallways of the hotel every night before a competition. When nobody’s looking, of course.

> He likes to take long motorcycle rides with friends after traveling to so many nail events around the world. It helps him to de-stress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#11 Melina Bogasow-Biebl (Munich, Germany)

A nail tech for seven years, Bogasow-Biebl owns a three-person salon in Munich. She is a two-time German Champion in nail art and sculptured nails and she won first place in Korea in the 2009 team relay. “Nails are my passion. I love the perfection and the art of it. It is my life,” she says.

You may not know:

> She entered her first competition just three months after receiving her certification in nails and came in third.

> She has two boys aged 7 and 10. Before becoming a nail tech she worked as a kindergarten teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#13 Emese Koppányi (Budapest, Hungary)

Koppányi has been a nail tech and competing for 13 years. She holds many titles from Hungary, Europe, and the U.S. as well. She always wanted to be a professional nail tech because nails gives her the ­opportunity to be the best.

You may not know:

> She considers her greatest achievements to be the Monte Carlo competition in 2010 where she came in first, and the ISSE Midwest Show in Chicago where she also took first place this year in Salon Success.

> Nails are her hobby as well as her profession.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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#15 Traci Dungan (Cape Coral, Fla.)

Dungan has been a nail tech and salon owner for about 15 years (she co-owns Profiles with her sister, #7 competitor Ami McClure) and has been competing for about 10. “I love the camaraderie that our team — Profiles Girlz — is known for in the competition arena. We are so ­passionate about what we do, and I’m just so proud of our team,” she says.

You may not know:

> “I have only two hands, but I can answer four phones, book an appointment, sell a gift card, and do nails all at the same time,” she says.

> She has six tattoos.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SuperPoints, Scoring Announcements

For the 2011-2012 competition year the Superpoints events are:

> Beauty Expo (Nailympics) – Long Beach, Calif., October 23-24

> ISSE Long Beach, January 28-30

> Premiere Orlando, June 2-4

> IBS Las Vegas, June 9-12

Please note that invitational categories will not be eligible for SuperPoints since they are not open to all competitors, but will receive regular points.