Pro/Am Contests Blog 
"To discuss and review the various Pro & Amateur shows worldwide!"
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Archive for September, 2008
Monday, September 29th, 2008
Two of Bodybuilding.com’s employees competed in the 2008 Natural Idaho State this past weekend, both of whom took first place in their class.
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Brandon Poe.
Host of “The Poe Show“, Brandon Poe, came in for prejudging looking great, but as did the other competitors. It was a tight contest in the morning, but Brandon came back for the night show and blew them out of the water.
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Craig Roberts.
Competing in his very first contest, Bodybuilding.com’s Video Editor Craig Roberts came in to prejudging looking like he had been doing this all his life. With a shredded physique and determination in his eyes, he walked out on stage to take the win.
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Craig Roberts Contest Prep: The Path To My First Bodybuilding Show.
Like most people, I knew exactly nothing about bodybuilding when I first started. Now a year later I am in the best shape of my life and at 6 percent body fat! Here’s the plan for my first bodybuilding competition. Check it out!
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Check back soon for Craig’s review from the 2008 Natural Idaho State contest!
Post by:
JPodz
Posted in Pro/Am, Other
Thursday, September 25th, 2008
Check out Bodybuilding.com’s full contest coverage from this competition right here.
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2008 Tournament of Champions Results.
Check out the results from the 2008 Tournament of Champions contest here.
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2008 Tournament of Champions Photos
Check out the pictures of the 2008 Tournament of Champions. See pictures of contestants, crowds and competition!
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Post by:
Griffers
Posted in Pro/Am, Tournament of Champions
Thursday, September 25th, 2008
Check out Bodybuilding.com’s full contest coverage from this competition right here.
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2008 Tournament of Champions Results.
Check out the results from the 2008 Tournament of Champions contest here.
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2008 Tournament of Champions Photos
Check out the pictures of the 2008 Tournament of Champions. See pictures of contestants, crowds and competition!
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Post by:
Griffers
Posted in Pro/Am, Tournament of Champions
Friday, September 19th, 2008
Posted in Pro/Am, Other, WBFF
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
Atlantic City/ IFBB Masters World Championships was Mike’s first pro show and he was happy to make the top 15. I thought he was a little overlooked being stuck in the back row and then covered by an expeditor too. Toney looking huge, made a huge change overnight. impressed by Darrem. Roland made an appearance. Met and sat with Johnny Jackson’s wife, truly a nice normal person. Hope her dogs made it through the storms ok. Andy Hamm was massive. Lee Apperson was there competing along side of my husband for a first. I usually compete with his wife, Jen M. This time us girls got to sit back and enjoy the show.
Shannon looked as beautiful as always. She is always a great role model and inspires many to compete. Florida is lucky to have her. Mandy also was also in attendance, a little better conditioning and she will move up. Tracey Greenwood looked the best I have ever seen her. She was smaller and tight. Surprised to see Stacy so low, but I did not see her routine.
Kate rocked the 1pc in figure and ended up with 7th. She had really improved her stage presence since last I had seen her. She was tight and full. Kate stays in great shape year round. Tivi took 3rd in Masters,she is always in shape. Her roommate Tresie also did the NPC figure. Lydia looked wonderful in her blue 2pc. I was excited to see her competing again. Elisha looked great but was a little smooth. She has a great package and I am sure she will fix that easy. Jen Gates had great symmetry.
Kim Buck 5th I thought she had a great look and incredible symmetry.
Bodybuilding.com set up inside the venue. I was one of the ones to get a bag and comfy shirt - Thanks!
Mr. and Mrs. Steve Stone along with Mike did a great job of seeing that things ran smoothly. Thanks to Dave Palumbo, Colette Nelson, and Bill Comstock with MD for the great coverage. Thanks Ruth from Ironman for covering the girls too.
Ron, CJ, and Stokley put on a great show. The atmosphere was laid back and easy going yet very exciting. I have been to hundreds of shows and this one was the most exciting. You got to see the athletes up close unlike the other big shows. It was easy to see why the judges placed people the way they did. Jim, Mrs. Manion, Steve, John, Bev and all the judges had two long days and did great. Thanks guys.
Post by:
Posted in Pro/Am
Monday, September 15th, 2008
Check out Bodybuilding.com’s full contest coverage from this competition right here.
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2008 Atlantic City Pro Results.
Check out the results from the 2008 Atlantic City Pro contest here.
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Post by:
Griffers
Posted in Pro/Am, Atlantic City Pro
Monday, September 15th, 2008
Posted in Pro/Am, Atlantic City Pro
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Posted in Pro/Am, Atlantic City Pro
Wednesday, September 10th, 2008
Check out Bodybuilding.com’s full contest coverage from this competition right here.
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2008 Joe Wheatley Labor Day Results.
Check out the results from the 2008 Joe Wheatley Labor Day contest here.
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2008 Joe Wheatley Labor Day Photos
Check out the pictures of the 2008 Joe Wheatley Labor Day. See pictures of contestants, crowds and competition!
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Post by:
Griffers
Posted in Pro/Am, Muscle Beach
Monday, September 8th, 2008
Check out Bodybuilding.com’s full contest coverage from this competition right here.
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2008 NPC Team Universe Results.
Check out the results from the 2008 NPC Team Universe contest here.
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2008 NPC Team Universe Photos
Check out the pictures of the 2008 NPC Team Universe. See pictures of contestants, crowds and competition!
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Post by:
webmaster
Posted in Pro/Am, NPC Team Universe
Saturday, September 6th, 2008
Some quick thoughts before the finals. The show was well run and everything went quickly. Thankfully there was plenty of time to get back to the hotel, relax a bit and grab a bite to eat before the finals. Below are my opinions of the contest, again simply my opinion and not the final outcome or how the judging will go.
Female Bodybuilding:
Lightweights - I look for Kim Landry-Ayres to take the class with Rochelle Palko in second.
Middleweights - Top three should be Cassandra Floyd, Shelli Schinkus and Ellen Woodley.
Heavyweights - I have Lea Ann Scelfo in first and Shawna Walker in second.
There were some good conditioned competitors in the show. There was no real show stopper to me so it will come down to the comparisons tonight on who will be the new IFBB Pro.
Figure: Lots of women, some classes were stacked with great competitors while others not so much. Overall a very good show with well conditioned competitors. Again simply how I saw the show and now how it will actually play out. The top two in each class are eligible for IFBB Pro Status.
A Class: I really like Ann Clairborne’s look and the package she brought. Her posing could have been just a bit better from behind but conditioning was great. A very competitive class and the final standing could go a number of ways. Lots of mixing around with the competitors during both rounds.
1 - Sheryln Roy
2 - Ann Claiborne
3 - Carin Hawkins
4 - Paige Oliver
5 - Debra Lavette
B Class: There was no clear cut winner in this class and things could go a number of ways. I do look for Candice and Melody to get their pro cards as they seemed to be the most consistent from front to back in both rounds.
1 - Candice Houston
2 - Melody Clark
3 - Liza Kampstra
4 - Soleivi Hernandez
5 - Danielle Agrapides
C Class: This was a big class with lots of great competitors. The two leaders in this group were Jessica and Cynthia. The rest were all over the map and could place 3 or 6th. Tough group with a number of comparisons within the first couple call outs.
1 - Jessica Clay
2 - Cynthia Henderson
3 - Emily Nicholson
4 - Pamela Sooper
5 - Debra Dunn
D Class: This class was HUGE. The big stand out was Alicia "smiley" Harris. She has never looked better and really shined on stage. I think she’ll fair better in her two piece than her one piece but I look for her to take the class and leave an IFBB Pro. Second through fifth was a battle. Terri Turner came on much stronger in her one piece and could move up a spot or two from the two piece. Her posing is a little off and I think she’s looked her best in Charleston and Chicago.
1 - Alicia Harris
2 - Danielle Kifer
3 - Jennifer Toth
4 - Terri Turner
5 - Maire Ann Newman
E Class: The two standouts in this class were Natalie Callando and Michelle Craven. I look for them to leave as new IFBB Pros tonight. This class had a number of comparisons and they brought out a few at the end of the two piece round. Jaime Meade was overlooked at first but look for her to be in the top five.
1 - Michelle Craven
2 - Natalie Callando
3 - Stephanie McDonald
4 - Jaime Meade
5 - Tara Zito
F Class: Alicia Marie walks away with this class tonight. The question is who will be second. Alicia doesn’t carry much muscle but does have nice shape and presentation. She looked better here than she did in Vegas but she will still do better as a model then a figure competitor. Who will get the second pro card? It’s a tough battle between Monique Minton, Courtney West and M.J. Fox.
1 - Alicia Marie
2 - Monique Minton
3 - Courtney West
4 - M.J. Fox
5 - Christian Hammond
Again these are only how I would place it. We’ll get the actual placings in a few hours.
Fitness:
Short Class - I have Rose Hendricks and Paige Oliver in the top two for the physique rounds. Unfortunately for Paige she forgot parts of her routine and most likely didn’t fair too well in that round. It will depend on how low she placed on whether she will get a pro card tonight.
Medium Class - Jessica Clay and Cinzia Massaro-Clapp are my top two picks in this class. I have Jessica winning the class.
Tall Class - Look for Jo Marriner to leave New York a new IFBB Pro. She brought up her physique enough to keep her in the running. As I mentioned before she rocked the house with her routine and now that her physique has come up, look for her to win this class. Amanda Marinelli should win the physique round with Jo in second. Amanda could get the second card tonight. I have Sandi Stuart in third and Jill Brooks in fourth.
Lots of new pros will be crowned tonight. The rain has hit NYC hard and heavy. Check back for more info and photos later on. Congrats to all the competitors as most of them did a very good job.
Post by:
liftstudios
Posted in Pro/Am, NPC Team Universe
Saturday, September 6th, 2008
Things are gloomy here in New York. I’m not talking about the competition but the weather has changed to cloudy skies and drizzle. The weather reports are saying 3-6 inches as the tropical storm makes it way up the coast. Later this evening winds could be up to 60mph.
Rain or shine the show must go on and on it is. Last night the fitness ladies took the stage with their routines. Overall it was a lackluster showing from the competitors. There were a few women who "brought it" but many of the routines seemed to be taking place in slow motion and not the caliber needed to be at to be on the pro level.
Short Class - Ten women are in this class. I have the routine round going to either Rose Hendricks from Shoreline, WA or Nita Marquez. They both brought energetic routines and showed off great strength skills. The two ladies also had nice costumes that showed off their physiques. Both are in great condition and if you work hard and are in shape, why not show the judges a preview and catch their attention? Victoria Larvie showed some solid gymnastic skills and should be in the top 3-4 in the routine rounds.
Medium Class - This group and the best display of solid routines. Erin Nomura won the routine round in my opinion for this class. She had a nice mix of dance, strength and gymnastics. Safiya Johnson held her own with a new routine and did a great job, she should be in the top spots as well. Lishia Dean brought a new routine and did well with it. It had a bit too much dancing for my liking but still a good job. Venus Ramos performed her best routine to date. She had the look of determination and did a much, much better performance than I’ve ever seen her do. Desiree Walker should be in the mix with a good performance laced with loads of gymnastics. Nez Zamdrano did a good job with her gymnastics and had a solid routine.
Tall Class - No question about it Jo Marriner from Colorado steals the show again. Jo will bring the New York house down tonight when she performs. It’s hard to tell but from my vantage point she looks like she has added some muscle to her frame. This should be her show for the taking and if I look for her to walk away a pro. She displays the most control with her strength moves and puts most of the pros to shame. When it comes to routines this is the woman you want guest posing for a crowd. She performed last and it held true the best was for last. After that it will be a battle between Jill Brooks and Sandi Stuart for second. Both did decent jobs but seemed nervous and didn’t "own" the stage.
Prejudging begins with figure and physique rounds in fitness shortly. Check back later for more updates.
Post by:
liftstudios
Posted in Pro/Am, NPC Team Universe
Friday, September 5th, 2008
The night belonged to the competitor absent from the early lists… Ziville Raudoniene. When I spoke to Ziville at the New York Pro Men’s contest earlier in the year she mentioned she’d be back to defend her title. We haven’t seen much from her and since she wasn’t on the list I assumed she decided to skip the contest. The only thing she skipped was cheat meals as she was on point and the clear favorite from the moment she took the stage. She’s one of the competitors that shines more in person than she does in photos. Beautiful girl, nice balance to her physique and spot on conditioning. She will successfully defend her New York Pro Figure title.
Second will go to the rookie Julie Ann Kulla. Everything fell into place for her tonight. Her color, suits, hair, makeup, conditioning, muscularity… She had it all. Julie Ann looked better at this contest than she did when she won the Jr. Nationals title. Like Lenay Hernandez she will get the runner-up title and make a name for herself right out of the gate.
Who will get that last qualifying spot to the Olympia? It will either be Huong Arcinas or Jelena Abbou. Jelena is already qualified but Huong is not. Huong is the shortest competitor on stage but the most complete in my opinion. When you look at her physique top to bottom she has it all. Great calves, symmetry, muscularity and conditioning. This was the best I’ve seen Huong and she could get the nod. Jelena looked great and you’re either a fan of her physique or not. She was more polished in her presentation tonight than at the Europa. I personally like her look and she has done all she can do with her genetics. Super tiny waist, great presentation, beautiful with nice conditioning. It will be close between these two.
Based on the callouts I have Candice John in fourth. I’m not familiar with the Trinidad competitor and was surprised to see her called out in the first round. It is proof that when people want to cry “politics” and “the name game” that it isn’t the case. She was tied for 16th at this show last year so landing in the top five is a huge accomplishment for her. She has a nice physique with good symmetry and balance.
The top five as I have them on my scorecard:
1. Ziville Raudoniene
2. Julie Ann Kulla
3. Huong Arcinas
4. Jelena Abbou
5. Candice John
3-5 could be any mix of Houng, Jelena and Candice. We’ll have to wait and see how the final scores come out.
Other thoughts from the show…
Teresa Gillian is doing very well in her second pro show. She’ll be in the 6-8 range and looked great. Nice symmetry and balance. I wasn’t a huge fan of her make up as it looked a bit muddy on stage. Overall though her presentation continues to improve and is doing a great job.
Natalie Benson was a bit soft from behind and despite getting good callouts I didn’t have her as high as she will most likely end up. She did look better than at the Europa show and appeared much tighter.
Krissy Chin will find herself on the outside of the top 10 most likely. I thought she could have been in the second round of call outs but it wasn’t meant to be for her this time around.
Becky Clawson was much improved from her previous shows and moved up in her call outs. This was definitely her best showing as a pro.
Tana Clough has an amazing physique. She came in a bit too hard for her debut. Had her conditioning been backed off a bit she would have faired better. Tana also needs to work on her posing. This is her first pro show so there were most likely some first time jitters. If she is little less hard and presents herself better she will move up at the Atlantic City contest.
Erica Fuest made her return to the stage but wasn’t at her best. She is lacking the muscle maturity and wasn’t in the condition she needed to, in order to do well here. Erica plans to compete at the Tournament of Champions so she should be improved there.
Juliana Malacarne should do female bodybuilding. I love her physique and she carries a ton of muscle beautifully. She will never crack the top 5 in figure, in my opinion. If she were to compete in female bodybuilding she would be winning every lightweight competition she entered.
Jessica Steffens is a pretty woman and has a nice upper body. Her legs need to drastically improve for her to do well in the pro ranks of figure.
Post by:
liftstudios
Posted in Pro/Am, New York Pro
Friday, September 5th, 2008
The quick skinny from New York…
The competitors all checked in last night and if they missed check-in last night they were able to do so this morning. IFBB Fitness Pro Kim Scheideler (formerly Klien) helped promoter Bev Francis with the process.
JM Manion drove in from PA to cover the show for NPC NEWS and will be shooting the winners on Sunday.
Two of the top contenders in the Figure F class were chatting it up with each other. Monique Minton and Alicia Marie were chilling in the lobby. Alicia was contemplating what to do with her Friday and Monique was feeling good with some fats and carbs in her system.
American Gladiator Mike O’Hearn was spotted carrying in groceries with her girlfriend Sheryln Roy. He was trying to be undercover with a five o’clock shadow and a hat on.
Tanji Johnson is in the Big Apple and brought and entire crew. They were doing a few impromptu photo shoots in the lobby showing off the team jackets.
Jen Hendershott is in attendance and will be cheering on one of her pupils, Lishia Dean. She tells me Lishia has ditched the "rock star" routine and will be bringing something new in hopes of nabbing a pro card. We’ll see how she fairs in the routine round tonight.
Carla Sanchez brought a number of women from her Performance Ready Team. Figure competitor Tara Green, who is a pilot, had her co-pilot give a shout out to the PR TEAM over the intercom. Look for Liza Kampstra, Jamie Meade and a few other PR figure divas to be in the mix this weekend.
Houng Arcinas tells me she is "on" and ready.
Krissy Chin said she was excited and ready to go.
Tracey Greenwood decided not to attend due to the imposing weather the local area is scheduled to have tomorrow.
The prejudging starts tonight at 6:30pm EST. Check back here for more info and photos throughout the weekend.
Post by:
liftstudios
Posted in Pro/Am, NPC Team Universe
Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
Muscle Phone’s Isaac Hinds catches up with IFBB Figure Pro Felicia Romero at the recent 2008 Europa Expo.
Hear what’s new with Felicia, learn about her film critiquing skills, and her 6 years of near-common-law near-marriage, LOL!
IFBB Figure Pro Felicia Romero @ 2008 Europa Expo.
Enjoy!
Post by:
bbcom_developer
Posted in Pro/Am, Audio/Video, Europa Super Show
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