Pro/Am Contests Blog

We just got back from Vegas a couple of days ago. Winning the LA’s was unbelievable. Winning the Light Wt. Class at the USA was even sweeter.

We’re back home now, I owe some QT to my family. When we got back, my wife and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. Next week we celebrate our baby’s first birthday. What a way to celebrate victory. After a little bit of rest, I’ll be gearing up for the ‘08 season.

Talk to you all later,

Shavis Higa

Hey all! I was at the NPC L.A. Show this past weekend and was able to be around big muscles, tanned skin and lots of veiny people! It was fun, friendly and fabulous atmosphere to be in when you are in a super, anal business like the fitness industry!

I didn’t get to watch the entire show despite the fact that I was there the entire time. I have a tendency to get bored easily and after seeing 100 bodies in barely there bikinis, it was really hard to maintain my attention span, especially since there were so many cool people there!

10 REALLY QUICK THOUGHTS:

1. Fitness is DYING at the NPC level. This is interesting since NPC is regarded as the ‘better’ competition to compete in.  Venus Ramos was the only fitness competitor. While I actually adore her, it’s important to note that winning NPC fitness titles at a local level has become easier than winning fitness titles for other federations.  It’s interesting to look at NPC’s fitness contest competitor, Fitness America (FAP), who actually have a great group of girls who take their dance/gymnastic talent on stage and I think it has a combination to do with:

- the amount of muscle the girls don’t need to have (when you compete in Fitness America) to perform well in physique and fitness.

- lack of fitness coaches like the influential Cathy Savage who has trained many fitness competitors heading to the Fitness America stage.

- general feeling of newcomers NOT being able to surpass long time veterans like Adela Garcia, Tanji Johnson and Tracey Greenwood.

IFBB Pro Eryk Bui & Maria Kang.

2. You could spot the winner from the very beginning. It was obvious - and it’s a pain to watch the entire show KNOWING who’s going to win at the end. They should have more entertainment:

- the one who wins usually has competed before and brings a total package to the stage.

- that winner has a “stand out,” proportionate physique that other competitors you can see instantly lacks.

- the winner has a fan base and a ‘presence’ knowing the discipline, experience and passion he/she is bringing to the stage.

3. Figure competitions have become the 16-week goal for a lot of ‘normal people’ who just want to put their body in a bikini to celebrate their weight loss success. I can think of 10 figure competitors off the time of my memory who that statement probably rings true. In order to maintain competitive standards we should have a new class of beginners.

4. I do think that Laura Coleman should have won overall for figure. Besides her suit bottom being a little too small, I felt she brought the best package to the stage. I’m not discrediting the actual winner, I just feel that her breast augmentation was too big for her body and wasn’t as proportionate on her lower half as Miss Coleman was. I’m also a big fan of pretty girls. So it if you have a pretty face and a pretty body, that instantly makes you a winner in my book.

5. Bob Cicherillo is an awesome host. What can I say? It’s his job and he’s really good at it. I think every host for a bodybuilding show should take classes from Bob. He was funny, he knows the industry, he relates to the audience and he’s entertaining. Gina Allioti was beautiful, but in my opinion, she wasn’t the best co-host for Bob.

6. The funnest part was watching the “USA and Olympia showdowns.” We had small previews of what’s to come next weekend and this September. Who doesn’t like smack talking, right? I do have to mention that pulling down your pants and showing your stuff reveals A LOT more than just your muscles… if you know what I mean.  Unfortunately, the IFBB’s first pro Japanese bodybuilder Hidetada Yamagishi was NOT on stage posing down with the rest of them. It would’ve been nice since all of the ‘preview people’ were all of African descent. You know me… just keepin’ it real!

IFBB Pros Tanji Johnson, ‘Big Hide’ Yamagishi, and Maria Kang.

7. Overall bodybuilding winner Shavis Higa looked great. My friend, JSN rep Dave Slagle and I discussed what a great physique he brought to the stage. He was a little guy, too - which made it even better since we tend to focus more on the big, sometimes taller men as Overall winners.

8. I thought Dan Decker looked great. I watched that briefly and thought he would’ve/should’ve won just based on his overall conditioning, (but again, I have a sweet spot for good faces and good bodies!) and his established fame in the industry.

IFBB Pro Kevin Levrone & Maria Kang.

9. I really enjoyed spending time with Tanji Johnson at her booth for her Excellent Spirit Line of clothing. What I loved best was her shirts saying: “YES, I workout” and “OBVIOUSLY off season”. She is currently preparing for the Europa Super Show and was in town for Muscle and Fitness Her’s photo shoots as well as with other top photographers.

10. GNC sponsored athlete, Kirsten Nicewarner was a sweetie pie. LOVED her. Tanji, Kirsten and I had great conversations about men, about dating and about being single and strong. I’m sure many competitors could relate to frustrations dealing with men and attracting those who are JUST NOT GOOD for us! I think we should just stop dating meat heads! Oops! Did I say that publicly?  J/K! I love my meatheads!

I received permission from Eryk Bui to repost his recent MySpace blog entry here on BodySpace for your viewing pleasure:

"Billed as the showcase of talent for southern California’s top bodybuilding and figure elites, ‘The LA’ is a excellent way to gauge an athlete’s potential for the upcoming USA Championships the following week in Las Vegas. I know you fitness competitors out there are saying, "What about fitness?" EXACTLY… WHAT ABOUT IT! Just as women’s bodybuilding is quickly being ‘phased out,’ fitness will soon follow… I am NOT being mean, IT IS WHAT IT IS.

I revised my blog this morning (Monday) and added this paragraph because I want to expand on my thoughts about female bodybuilding and fitness. I want to clarify that the NPC is NOT doing the "phasing out"… the two sports are doing it just fine themselves. At the end of the day, economics prevail and no promoter wants to lose money. Female bodybuilding will stay around a little longer just because there are still some women who want to compete, but the numbers are dropping annually. I personally enjoy women’s bodybuilding ONLY when the women still have feminine faces. I have judged a few fitness shows out here in southern California and the "talent" has been nothing short of horrendous. As a participating athlete and judge in the fitness arena, I am literally embarassed at some of the physiques and routines being displayed on stage. I know the NPC is allowing fitness competitors to be a tad softer than figure, but "G-DAMMIT… YOU STILL NEED TO FRACKIN’ DIET!" There are many talented and beautiful fitness competitors… Adela Garcia, Heidi Fletcher, Tanji Johnson, just to name a few… but unfortunately they are only a handful of realized potential in a jar full of fading dreams.

Eryk Bui.

As a whole, I was disappointed in this year’s talent. Only one guy really caught my attention… and he wasn’t even a heavyweight… in fact, he was a welterweight and ended up taking the overall championship. Winning an overall at a high caliber show such as the LA is not an easy feat. When a welterweight takes the crown at ANY show, it is truly indicative of the lack of talent in the upper divisions. You middles, light-heavies, heavies, and super-heavies who did not compete this year truly missed out on a grand opportunity to take the overall. Shavis Higa was impressive. His tiny waist and small joints made his full muscle bellies look even bigger on stage. The only thing he needs to do is work on his conditioning in the next week and my prediction will be that he comes home to Hawaii as the newly crowned USA welterweight champion. The rest of the class winners looked good, but unfortunately I cannot give them my full vote of confidence at the USAs.

Always a crowd favorite, the “USA Competitor Posedown” showcases qualified NPC competitors who will be competing in the USA’s. Some of the guys included Jerome Ferguson, Robert Hatch, Tamer El-Guindy, and Jesse Sabater. I chose these guys out of the bunch on stage because I think they have the best chance of doing damage in their respective classes. Jerome always comes in shape, but somehow always finishes 5th… perhaps the tide will turn in 2007. Robert Hatch looks really good and is quickly establishing himself as a front-runner… unfortunately, he competes in a class that is LOADED with talent. Tamer El-Guindy has shown good improvement since last year’s USA. I took a look at him last night and he seems “small and flat” but he has probably already started his depletion phase. Jesse Sabater placed second at both the USA’s and Nationals last year… he always comes in with great conditioning, but there always someone in his class who is shorter (which correlates into better symmetry) and with just as good conditioning.

Shavis Higa.

The Figure competitor list was so deep that there were 6 total classes (A-F). The only category that drew less than 5 was class B… and the lack of talent was pretty evident. As an NPC Judge, I cringe at the thought and am sickened to my stomach when I have to pick a winner in a class full of losers. There is nothing that pisses me off more than a bunch of people on stage that do not have the “balls” to dedicate and sacrifice for their own good. I always reward athletes who show me that they are learning and trying harder by coming in better each and every time they step out on stage. When I see a competitor who looks the same as they did the last time they competed or one that looks out of shape, I think to myself… “Are you frackin’ kidding me… NO… HELL NO… PIZZA, ICE CREAM, AND SODA POP ARE NOT DIET FOODS.” Invariably there are always a handful of competitors who show up looking like they just want some frackin’ attention… even NEGATIVE attention. I just want to tell some of them that their paranoia about being followed is REAL… THEIR HUGE A$$ES ARE FOLLOWING THEM!

As a whole, the LA Figure competition talent was deep… which made it more fun to judge. Big-ups to my girl Laura Coleman for taking her class. She has made vast improvements with her physique since her last competition two years ago, and it really showed. What can I say… I helped her with her contest preparations so what would you expect to happen… LOL. Now that her show is all under wraps, she will be helping me with my last minute preparations for the Europa Super Show.

Laura Coleman.

A huge thank you to all who attended the Los Angeles Open… especially those who took the time to come up and say “hello”. For some of you who came up for a critique, I apologize if I did not recall seeing you on stage. There are many competitors so I judge only when it is called for. The best thing to do is send me some photos of you on stage and I will take it from there. I can make a better evaluation and give you a quality assessment when I have the time and the resources to do it.

It is Sunday folks… get out there and enjoy this day of rest. Try not to sweat the small stuff, and let go of the $hit from last week that dragged you down. Just know that if it didn’t happen… it most likely was not suppose to happen. Trust that if you remain patient and do the best that you can possibly do, YOUR time and glory will eventually come… not just when the time is right, but when you can handle it best. It is all about how you want to see it. I know its hard sometimes to do it, but try to see the good… Laura taught me that one.”

Eryk Bui
http://www.myspace.com/probui

Note:  Photos courtesy of Ron Avidan at Getbig.com.

Check out Ron’s photos from the LA Championships that took place on July 22, 2007. Props to Ron for getting the photos and commentary up quick. It looks like Quincy Taylor is behind in the prep for the Europa Super show, but you’d never know it talking to Ron. I think Ron is afraid of big QT and won’t say anything but good things, can’t blame him. QT is a nice guy and hella huge at 6′4" 330lbs! Will "The World" Harris is looking great, in fact he almost looks as good as he did the day of the show in Colorado. If Will keeps up this momentum he will qualify for the Olympia when he makes the trip to Texas.

Eryk Bui will be competing in the Under 210 show and looks to be a bit lighter in weight than in the past. He has yet to match his Nationals conditioning but he did come close at the IRONMAN PRO last year. Silvio Samuel looks great, the guy could step on stage now and do well. Look for him to be a threat at the Olympia’s top 6 and should definitely be in the top 10. Melvin Anthony’s arms are looking bigger than ever and he is looking to improve on his placing at last year’s Olympia.

Check out more photos at:
http://www.getbig.com/pics/california/npcla2007/npcla2007.htm

Men’s Overall Winner
Shavis Higa

Super Heavyweight
1. Denis Sergovskiy
2. Korbie Ntiforo
3. Gabriel Moen
4. Reginald Brantley
5. Michael McLean
6. Alexander Jacobsen
7. Mark Thomason
8. Edward Ferrara
9. James Ross

Heavyweight
1. Tad Inoue
2. Dan Decker
3. Henrik Thamasian
4. Armon Adibi
5. Rico Elbaz
6. Juan Calderon
7. Jason Kozma
8. Frank Defeo
9. Khanjo Hakeem
David Kalick

Light Heavyweight
1. Robert Harris
2. George Giraldo
3. Corey Moore
4. Tony Delgado
5. Manuel Bejar
6. John Kirby
7. Ric Escalante
8. Jason Barrios
9. Michael Cambra
10. David Gulley

Middleweight
1. Adir Souza-Fihlo
2. Orlando Plaza
3. Carlos Franco
4. Michael Bautista
5. Greg Ferrer

Welterweight
1. Shavis Higa
2. Gene Sanidad
3. Keisuke Yoshida
4. Tony Boone
5. A.J. Frazier

Lightweight
1. Jimmy Nguyen
2. Bret Bradshaw
3. Alan Watari
4. Art Shahnazarian
5. Mitsuru Miyamoto
6. Billy Vickery

Bantamweight
1. Edward Mitchell
2. Kye Lee
3. Chris Pan
4. Paul Howe

Novice Heavyweight
1. Juan Calderon
2. Frank Defeo
3. Justin Mulligan
4. Khanjo Hakeem
5. Matt Graffe
6. Darrin Flowers
7. James Ross

Novice Light Heavyweight
1. John Kirby
2. Ric Escalante
3. Jason Barrios
4. Scott Tabbert
5. Eric Coopersmith
6. David Gulley
7. Pedro Crespo

Novice Middleweight
1. Carlos Franco
2. Hakan Erses
3. Greg Ferrer
Juan Alemon
Adir Souza-Fihlo

Novice Lightweight
1. Bret Bradshaw
2. Paul Howe

Grand Masters
1. Steve Rodda
2. James Ross
3. Paul Howe

Ultra Grand Masters
1. Charlie Hamilton

Women’s Overall Winner
Diana Tinnelle

Light Heavyweight
1. Diana Tinnelle
2. Julie Williams
3. Nancy Onyett

Lightweight
1. Brenda Betia
2. Melissa Alvarado

Figure Overall Winner
Melissa Deal

Figure A
1. Crystal Lowrey
2. Huong Vo
3. Traci Hall
4. Jamie Costa
5. Arminda Gonzalez
6. Patricia Wilson
7. Susan Bailey

Figure B
1. Linday Nguyen
2. Clemencia Sandoval
3. Julie Villanueva

Figure C
1. Jessica Norlander
2. Susie Henrie
3. Jennifer Dietrick
4. Nell Bautista
5. Claire Payken
6. Imelda Valenzuela
7. Rhonda Kirwan
8. Alice Raibon
9. Jennie Wong

Figure D
1. Shannon Furstenberg
2. Darien Lewandowski
3. Jodi McEvoy
4. Juliette James
5. Lynn McKinnie
6. Otilia Paval
7. Audry Murdick
8. Felicia Vann
Latyana Mironovich

Figure E
1. Melissa Deal
2. Carol Flick
3. Robyn Roveccio-Palmer
4. Brittany Benedatto
5. Giselle Ramiro Huehn
6. Tracy Clark

Figure F
1. Laura Coleman
2. Parilee Selby
3. Sunshine Loustarunau
4. Suzy Mendoza
5. Samantha Magill
6. Heather Skaar
7. Heather Porter
8. Tammy Sievers
9. Jennifer Banks
10. Tatyana Mironovich
11. Kelly Wurzer
12. Amie Moody
13. Sheila Kelliher
14. Raven Artiaga
15. Romina Del Poggetto

Masters Figure 35+ Overall Winner
Huong Vo

Masters Figure 35+
1. Carol Flick
2. Tammy Sievers
3. Juliette James
4. Robyn Roveccio-Palmer
5. Carla Bearra
6. Amie Moody
7. Sheila Kelliher
8. Lynn McKinnie

Masters Figure 35+ Short
1. Huong Vo
2. Susie Henrie
3. Arminda Gonzalez
4. Patricia Wilson
5. Nell Bautista
6. Rhonda Kirwan

Masters Figure 45+
1. Susan Bailey
2. Diane Topor
3. Kelly Wurzer
4. K.C. Inlow

Fitness
1. Venus Ramos

The NPC Los Angeles Bodybuilding, Figure & Fitness Championships that is! Coming up this Saturday, the L.A. is one of the most sought after competitions in California. And it is only one week away from the USA in Las Vegas so there is always a lot fun going on at the L.A.!

I just got this photo from my good buddy and our BodySpace member, Laura Coleman who is all set to do good this Saturday.

Laura placed placed 1st in her class at the Jr. Cal 2005 and overall in the Collegiate. Then she went on to take 4th at the 2005 L.A. So she says this is the beginning of her comeback! So what do you think? Looking good! So go on over to her BodySpace and tell her Hi and wish her the best!

And if you are around, get on out to this show! It will be a lot of fun. You get can all the information about it right here.

I will be there so look for me and say Hello!

Thanks and keep coming back if you "Wanna See More…?"