Pro/Am Contests Blog

Florida is host to a magnitude of competitions every year. I counted 15 NPC events alone still on the calendar for 2007! Frank Dalto, who is a pioneer in the promotion of fitness events, promotes 3 NPC-sanctioned shows every year.

I attended one of Frank’s shows last weekend, the 30th Annual NPC West Palm Beach Bodybuilding Championships, one of the oldest NPC-sanctioned events, along with The 4th Annual NPC Anna Level Figure and Fitness Championships held at The William T. Dwyer High School Auditorium in Palm Beach Gardens.

What a Masters Over 40 Winner feels like!

The show always showcases top athletes. Many competitors starting here have went on to become IFBB pros over the years. Anna Level herself is no stranger to this stage! It was a sold out show, with standing room only. But this is usually the scene at all of Frank’s shows. The energy was high and the show spectacular.

Rich Gomes, husband of IFBB Figure Pro Kristin Gomes
competing for the first time!

Rich Gomes (pictured above) placed 1st place in the Novice division, and 1st place in the Light heavy weight division!

This year, IFBB Pro Toney Freeman appeared in top form for the evening show. Dave Marinelli, a long time competitor to this area, was cheered on by the crowd during his guest performance. Dave earned his IFBB Pro card in 2004 at the Masters National Bodybuilding Championships in PA.  Jennifer Bishop, a 2-time Florida Fitness Champion performed her Rock-N-Roll fitness routine and ROCKED the stage! Look for Jennifer at Team Universe next month in NY!

Figure Class A Winners

The figure division had the most competitors, with the Masters over 40 being the largest! That’s INSPIRATION! I have noticed the growing Masters divisions in past years at local level shows. These classes not only have grown in numbers but in level of competitor. These 30, 40, 50 and 60-year-olds are not what our mothers were!

Kristin Bell, Figure B Class Winner (4th)
and one of my girls!

The Fitness division numbers were also up. I think over the next few years we are going to see fitness make a strong comeback!

I was not able to talk to a lot of competitors at this show, unfortunately. I had two girls competing for the first time and was backstage coaching and helping them most of the show. I did get to speak to the open figure A class winner, Andi Grasso of Coral Springs, FL after the show, however. She was last year’s runner-up at the NPC Zena Collins and 1st at the NPC Sunshine Classic in March in her division.

Debbie Kruck & Gina Ostarly!

Andi will go on to compete at the NPC USAs in Vegas next month. She genetically has the perfect frame, broad back and shoulders, tiny waist and great legs. With a little more leanness, I think she will place high at next month’s national show!

Open Figure A Class Winner, Andi Grasso and Gina Ostarly!

It appeared that top 5 placings in all figure and fitness classes went to well conditioned girls without too much muscle. Nice to see that more of a “TOTAL PACKAGE” is what caught the judges’ eyes.

Debbie Kruck, a long time friend of Frank Dalto, usually makes her way from Daytona to show her support. Debbie hosted the Debbie Kruck Classic along with Frank before she moved her show to Daytona. Debbie has always been an inspiration to me and become a very good friend over the years.  (Don’t miss the 2007 Debbie Kruck Classic in Daytona Beach, FL on August 18th!)

IFBB Fitness Pro Anna Level and NPC Figure Competitor
and BB.com Writer Gina Ostarly!

It was nice to see Anna. She did a wonderful job with the fitness and figure girls and kept things running smoothly on and off stage. I don’t get to see Anna often, and apparently have been out of touch too long! Anna is the proud mother of a beautiful 4-month-old baby boy! 

I won the B class at the Jr Cal’s and I took home a 3rd in master’s.  Yeah!!

Lonnie’s show is such a great show…..and this year it was the biggest, yet.  Competition was tougher, but the girls back stage were all friendly and helpful.  It was a positive feeling throughout the whole show.

I can see I still need to put on some serious muscle before I set my sights too high.  This will be hard due to the fact that I’ve been diagnosed with a sports hernia.  I’m supposed to stop lifting and training completely… uhmmm… I can’t do that…

I want to plan the rest of the season, but I guess that will come after I talk to my doctor.

Peace and love!

Sorry I haven’t been writing everyday… things around here have been a bit chaotic.  We lost our 11 year old cat very suddenly yesterday.  Not sure how he died… he was fine in the morning and gone in the evening.  I can only hope it was quick and painless and that he is chasing yarn balls up in pet heaven.  My eldest son (11 years) is devastated as am I.  We will miss him so much.

However, the show must go on, as they say.  My reverse carb-load has been working very well!  My muscles are soaking up the carbs and water like sponges and I’m looking fuller and more pumped every day.  Yesterday’s stress caused me to harden up a bit, so we’re going to keep everything at the same levels rather than drop anything today.  If I start to soften up, we know that adding some fat in Friday will harden me up big time.

I’ve received a lot of e-mails from girls competing on the weekend and I can’t believe the amount of support and goodwill coming my way.  Women have a reputation for being catty, but I have to say that I have met a LOT of competitors who shatter that stereotype!  I am looking forward to meeting many of them for the first time and seeing old friends from last year’s comps.  This year should be a BLAST!  I’m flying out with a team mate tomorrow morning and should arrive at the hotel around 2:00pm.  Registration is at 5:00pm.

I started my Pro-Tan application this morning.  Messy stuff, but it sure makes a difference!  Even with one coat, my definition is much more evident.  I’ll likely paint 2 more times today, then one more tomorrow morning.  I’ll see how dark the other girls are and determine whether I need to paint again.

I may not get a chance to write again for a bit…vacation after the show!  I will update you on EVERYTHING as soon as we’re back which should be next Thursday.

Thanks so much for reading and for sending your supportive messages and e-mails!  I can’t tell you how much it means to know that I have people from all over the world wishing me well!

Later!

Corinne 

It’s two and one half weeks until the big day at Team Universe/Figure Nationals and I am working hard to be in my best shape ever!

Last year I just missed a pro card and I am determined to not to go home empty handed this year. I have changed my workout slightly this year to come in tighter and smaller, which is the type of physique the judges seem to be rewarding. I am incorporating a lot of plyometrics into my cardio workout to lean up my legs and all of my weight training is high rep circuit. My upper body tends to carry a lot of muscle so I am trying to refine my physique and come in a little more streamlined.

Diet at this stage of the game is always a challenge for me. I have a very high metabolism but lean up much faster on my upper body than my lower body, and I am playing with being much leaner in my lower body for this contest to see how it works for me on stage.  It has meant a lot more frequent leg workouts on lower calories and carbs, lots of moderate intensity cardio, and in general feeling fatigued a lot. Hopefully it will pay off in the end!

As always, I look forward to being in the big city for the show and seeing all the great physiques that show up. Look forward to seeing everyone there!

Kristine Reinking

How it felt to win:

At first I didn’t know I had won! The girl next to me grabbed my arm and said “You won!” I was like, “I didn’t hear my name!” It all happened so fast! How did I not hear my name?! I walked up to the first place spot, I felt like I was in slow motion and I could feel the look of shock was on my face! I didn’t know whether to laugh because I was so nervous or to cry for joy. I kind of did both.

My smile was quivering and my legs were shaking in my heels. I thought,” What?! I won the tall class!” I was shocked! I had to go back out for the Overall. I felt like I had achieved a huge victory winning the tall class. After all, it was my first competition ever!! Then they announced the Overall and I was the only one on stage. They called my name again! I was living my dream!! A dream I had wanted to do for four years!!

“Marzia Prince is this year’s 2007 Ms. Bikini Universe…” I was on a smiling high and my cheeks hurt! I have to admit writing how I felt on stage brings a smile to my face right now. I am in absolute disbelief. I still can’t believe it.

What I expected coming to the show:

I tried to be as prepared as possible. I talked to other girls who had entered it previously. I talked to staff members to make sure everything I was going to wear was within regulation. I practiced walking in my high heels, doing my half turns, and smiling in the mirror at home over and over again. I even had watched last years DVD many times to get an idea how the girls walked, carried themselves, what they wore, and what I should expect.

You could say did my research! Since it was my first competition, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. So, I did everything on a budget. I really expected to come learn and have a great experience in which I could hone my skills and then come back knowing the ropes, so to speak. Never in a million years did I expect to win my first competition!

I have done a few bikini contests in local clubs (many years ago in my early twenties!!) but, never to this extent where I was televised and competing against over 100 of the worlds most beautiful hard bodies! There were also many fitness stars I had looked up to and read about in major magazines for many years that I competed against. I felt like I was up against many forces. The competition was tough! I felt like the underdog or rookie.

“If you’re not hard on yourself…who is?”  I believe you need to be hard on yourself to achieve your own personal goals. After all, you are the one who will really feel the sense of accomplishment when you do achieve it! Feels good huh! Work hard! Play hard! Live the dream!”

Yours in Health,
Marzia Prince

TheFitExpo Weekend Pumps Up to The Los Angeles Convention Center in 2008

National Fitness Productions and Iron Man Magazine today announced that the 2008 FitExpo will relocate to The Los Angeles Convention  Center to continue to allow for growth both in the size and scope of the  event, which has become California’s largest and best known fitness weekend.  The 2008 dates will be February 15-17.

Erin Ferries of National Fitness Productions said "After four years of huge growing crowds and overlapping special events we really needed to go to a larger venue for our weekend. The move to The Los Angeles Convention Center allows us exactly what we need to expand and add additional programming and competitions."

John Balik of Iron Man Magazine noted "The Pasadena Center has been a gracious host for TheFitExpo these past four years. Judging by the overflowing crowds, particularly on Saturday, it’s been clear that Southern California fitness enthusiasts are looking to us to allow our sold out expo floor and stage  presentations to grow."

Note: to read the rest of this press release, please visit the Iron Man Blog.

Okay, so after looking at the pics last night, my trainer is upping my carbs to the highest they’ve ever been, lowering my protein a bit and upping the H₂O.  He will monitor my "look" daily and make adjustments accordingly, likely dropping the carbs and water a bit each day.

He doesn’t believe in complete dehydration for figure athletes (thank God) so I’ll probably be on 1-2 litres of water on Friday until early evening, then I’ll likely have a couple of litres on show day.  His theory is (and I totally agree!) with the natural bodybuilder, the muscles look full due to water.  If you take out too much water, you become flat and stringy–especially in my case!

I am SOOOO excited to see many of the competitors I met last year and/or have been chatting with over the Internet.  So many of the girls are just as excited as I am and agree that it will be great just to be on stage again, regardless of the outcome!

We may take more pics today after my huge carb intake–I actually feel pretty good and am looking a lot fuller than yesterday which is exactly how I’m supposed to look–go figure! (no pun intended!)

Thanks for reading!

Corinne 

Hello my friends.  I am now [a few] days out from Team Universe.  My diet and training are in full swing!!! I have been working very hard in the gym to try and bring up some bodyparts in a very short amount of time. Quad sweep and my thickness in my back. Some people have been a big help. Thank you Eryk Bui for the tip. Only a couple of changes in my diet have occured. Protein supplement and the amount of carbs.

The Protein supplement I now take religiously is ProCore from the makers of Kemistry. Now I have no more upset stomach and not have to worry about the bloated feeling with most protein powders. Since I am lactose intolerant, this product is the best and the results Iam getting are great. It taste good too.

Some people have asked why would I compete in a show so close to the Team Universe. I am looking to come into the Jr. Cal about 90% to practice on my posing, mandatories, quarter turns etc… then hit the Team Universe 110% in 3 weeks after the Jr.Cal.

My training is consisting of a lot of heavy deadlifts, barbell rows and seated rows for my back to gain thickness and a lot of close footed leg presses and hack squats to help with the sweep on the quads.

I have posted some pictures in the May 2007 section on my profile I will update the pics each week up till the Jr.Cal and The Team Universe.

Thank you very much for everyone’s support and good luck to everyone in their upcoming shows!!  Stay Focused on the Task Ahead!!

2007 NPC Jr. Cal Overall Winner, Kiyoshi Moody
Photo By Ralph Dehann

Coming into this show [the Jr. Cal], I was not certain if I was going to be able to compete because of a lower back injury. I overcame that and even though it was hurting while I was on stage, I sucked it up!!!  The Result?

I won the Open Light Heavy Class and the Overall!!  This gives me the momentum going into the Team Universe!!  With 20 days left including today. Have I stopped training? No Leaving right now to go train. This is going to be a war and I’m going to be ready!!!

We were the first to bring you the results and photos from the Jan Tana and King Kamali Classic. Now that the photos are posted, we’re working on bringing you some interesting videos from this weekend’s event.

You’ll see “airbrush artistry” with Valerie and Kevin, Darrem Charles’ guest posing routine, “schmoe spotting” and more. Congrats to the winners of the show and to King for his first show promotion. Check out all the photos online now.

WWE pro wrestler, Dave Batista was in the house co-emcee’n with Bodybuilding.com’s Bob Chic.

I worked the Bodybuilding.com Booth at the Fitness Universe Weekend in Miami, Florida June 22-24, 2007.  What a weekend!  I had a blast!!!!

The Fitness Universe Weekend in Miami, FL held at the Hyatt Regency/Knight Auditorium seemed to go off without a hitch!  I arrived on Friday at about noon and dropped off my Bodybuilding.com boxes.  We had a table already set up for us and we organized our belongings immediately!  The first day was mostly pre-judging stuff and there were not that many spectators there.  We still got to talk to many people and hand out some stuff though.  People loved us!

Saturday was a blast at the booth!!!  It was busy, busy with competitors everywhere and a lot of fans, friends, and spectators.  As far as vendors and exhibitors go, I feel that we had the best booth there and so did the patrons coming up to us!

I was given a lot of great stuff to hand out to people!!!  We handed out key chains, iPod Nano cases, towels, car fresheners, pamphlets, Mass Gainer protein, Whey Protein, Oh Yeah bars, Muscle Cell volumizers, and other goodies to the customers in these great plastic bodybuilding.com bags!  People loved the fact that we were giving away such great stuff and all for free!!!!

It was difficult getting people to sign up on the computer as I do not think they fully understood what it was for, and many of them claimed to have accounts already with bodybuilding.com!  My husband was a great asset working the booth as that allowed me to do a little mingling with other people, like Muscleology, Natural Muscle magazine, HardCore Gear, the competitors, and fans wanting to have their picture taken with me.

It is truly a blessing and an honor to be working along with THE BEST Bodybuilding company in the world!!!!  They are renowned everywhere and even people from other countries had nothing but great things to say about Bodybuilding.com.

I hope to get to work future events with the company, whether they are for local, regional, or national shows!  When you work with the best, you never want to go back to the rest!    Thanks to Dave Middleton, Richard Barnet, and Will Weidenmann for having faith in me!  I am having so much fun working alongside Bodybuilding.com!!!!!

Tamar

I had a great time at the Universe! It was a huge show with 400 competitors, which included Model Universe, Fitness Universe, Ms Bikini Universe and Muscle Mania Superbody and Figure.

It was the first time I was able to watch some of the competition. I loved it. The girls and guys were ALL beautiful! I like the level of fitness in both, not too HARD, MUSCULAR or BIG. Just the right amount of each.

The rounds were so much fun too watch too. I like the incorporation of clothing wear in some of the divisions. It allowed you to see the competitors individuality and personalities come out on stage.

I complimented Ava Cowan on her showing. Her physique looked amazing. She has a much softer look than last competition season. I loved the way she looked! Still super tight with curves in all the right places She also wore a show suits she made herself! She is planning on competing in fitness sometime this year!!!

Brittany Lane, a fitness competitor had a great showing first time out! I helped her with her routine that got her a 14 placing in a field of seasoned veterans! The fitness division was unbelievable! Every time the next competitor came out, I said “that’s your winner!” They were all AMAZING!

Marzia Prince competing for the first time looked totally at home on the stage, I had no idea she had never competed. She was in great shape and very poised on stage, a real natural! Not surprising that she took home a 1st place win! I had the pleasure of meeting her after the Friday morning pre prejudging. Not only is she beautiful, but as nice as can be!

Jamie Sheridan, a newcomer to the circuit, looked stunning and will be someone you will see climb the ranks in the future!

Princess Mulkey, also a first time competitor, is an amazing story! One year ago she looked like a totally different person. She stepped on stage 70 lbs lighter!

I was only there for the events on Friday but will make my way back next year for the weekend! Its a great event showcasing some of the worlds top athletes!

The 2007 Fitness Universe Weekend was a whirlwind of excitement.  I barely had enough time to breathe while I was there… so I felt right in my element.  "I love to live life with my hair on FIRE!"

My flight landed at 1 a.m. Thursday morning… There was a meeting from 8 a.m. till noon on Thursday, then a 2 p.m. media session, then off to hair and makeup for a beach photo shoot:

The FAP Universe competition lasted all day Friday!  I placed 2nd in the 2-piece division of bikini and 8th overall!  I was very pleased with my placement.  The next day was the Bikini Finals… the air was tense.

Me and a girlfriend, Angelina Harvey placed in the top 10!  Then off to another photo shoot and party at Privé in South Beach… till 3 a.m., LOL… And my flight left the next day at 8 a.m…. Ouch!

All in all, it was a wonderful experience.  I absolutely love the FAP organization… high class act all the way!!!  I’ll be back there next year 4SURE!

I just got back home, and wanted to let you know that I got 2nd place in the short division.  By two points.  I am very happy with that placing, and I will use this competition to mark my preparation for the Figure America and FAME North American in November.

This particular competition is much more, um, pageant-like.  So if you want to do this show, you have to practice the t-walk for sure and lay it on thick. lol  I don’t think I was quite prepared for that aspect of the show.  I was more interested in showcasing my physique.

I decided 3 weeks out to compete in the figure division, but now that I am feeling better health wise, I cannot wait to come in at 100% of my potential in November.  I will be bringing it in November…so I will see you there! 

OK, so, how am I coming along for the Southern States????  Well… we will have to see later… I will do some updating about that by the end of the week!  This Friday will be the 2 week out mark.  I am supposed to get my suits tomorrow from Suits You Swimwear in Tampa!     I am excited!  Talk soon.

XOXO Tamar

This year’s Junior California NPC Competition may have set a record for more moment to moment fun than any other show so far this year! It started out at a great place, the Sexson Auditorium on the campus of Pasadena City College and set against a beautiful sunny summer day in Southern California. A record for this show, 97 competitors came from as far as Alaska and Brazil to show their stuff at what has become a big stop on the show schedule.

The first competitor to set the whole show on it’s way to first and foremost in fun was Ultra Grand Master, Charlie Hamilton. Unlikey to soon be making his way into the IFBB, Charlie however showed the heart and soul of getting out and getting going despite age and size.

Next along the way was a drop dead fun and laugh routine by 40+ Masters athlete, Steve Rivera. Posing to “Popeye The Sailor Man”, Stevie just brought the whole house down. And it earned him the best posing award for the night which was more than deserved. He actually did that routine last year at Muscle Beach Venice and also was a big crowd favorite and also won that best posing award. I have actually known Stevie for 5 years, he is a great trainer in Orange County CA and has helped a lot of people in his career.

Then we come to Leonidas himself, king of Sparta! Actually he is middle weight competitor Lorenza Reynaga who hears the chant “Leonidas” every time he hits the stage now with the success of the movie “300″.

Then we had these two guys!

Mr. Olympia, Jay Cutler guest posed to an on their feet crowd, and then was joined by IFBB Pro Derrick Farnsworth who gives up close to 100 pounds to Jay, as they pushed and shoved their way across the stage.

The big win for the night went to light heavy weight, Kiyoshi Moody. Kiyoshi is on a well deserved streak of wins and it is obvious why. He just looks incredible! And for this show he is coming off a back injury that has kept him out of the gym for almost two weeks. Now for most people when they get ready for a show, you hear how they are dieting to cut and trim. Not Kiyoshi! Dieting for him means he has to start packing more food in. He has to start eating and eating and eating to get his weight up for a show!

And finally the really big winner for the night was Lonnie Teper…

A household name to most followers of bodybuilding, Lonnie has been around, forever! He has emceed hundreds of shows, an immensely popular writer and video reporter for Iron Man Magazine, and he is an encyclopedia of the sport. The Jr Cal is Lonnie’s show, he produces it, emcees it and lives it every year, all year. And this was his biggest show ever! And for those of you thinking about doing a show, think about this one. There is no one out there who is more considerate and interested in the people who hit the stage than Lonnie Teper!

We will have photos from the show up later on, so just keep checking back. And get out to a show, wherever you are. It’s a lot of fun! Thanks, see you at the next one!

Yesterday was our provincial competition and after the World Qualifier results and yesterdays overall winner, I am once again more confused about this crazy sport of Figure and what EXACTLY it is that the judges are looking for!     From what I understand, the overall winner at WQ is very slender and gorgeous, but more "bikini-model" than muscle.  At our Provincial show yesterday, the overall winner beat the WQ medium-class winner and is VERY muscular and full.  The Head Judge was the same at both events, so you tell me…soft or hard?  Big and full or softer and smoother?  SHEESH!  This is so confusing!

Oh well, I’m tryin’ really hard not to be discouraged and frustrated.  I think I’m okay with going to Nationals with what looks best on ME and not worrying one bit about trying to please the judges.  Yes, I want their feedback and yes, I took their advice last year and made some changes to my physique, but I’m just not comfortable changing my overall look too drastically just to try to win the approval of 7 people who don’t know me from a hole-in-the-ground.  As I said in a previous post, I am all about the experience this year and enjoying every minute I have backstage, on stage and the rest of our vacation after the show!

So, the plan for the week is to reverse-carb load (my trainer’s special technique!)  until Thursday and see how I look and fill out.  Again, nothing crazy and no major loads or depletes.  If I look stage-ready on Thursday, we won’t change a thing.  Too soft or too hard, and we’ll tweak my fat or carbs to achieve the look we’re going for.  And what exactly is "the ook" I’m going for?  Well, on my frame, full and fairly hard look best with great conditioning.  So, we’re going to take some pics. tonight and see exactly how close we are.  I had a lot of fat in my diet the last day and a half to see how I reacted.  I am hard and very vascular–maybe TOO much?!  We’ll see how the pictures turn out.

I am starting to get a little nervous, but my excitement is outweighing my nerves!  I hope it stays that way!  Watching last night’s show, the smell of Pro Tan and Dream Tan, seeing the disappointment and elation, the smiles and the tears, I realized I couldn’t wait to get on stage again!  As frustrating as it may be. there is still something phenomenally rewarding about standing on stage knowing you look the best you ever have IN YOUR LIFE and to have friends, family and complete strangers cheering you on!…  OK, now I am TOTALLY pumped!

Thanks for reading!

Corinne