Archives for September 2010

This weekend 15 IFBB Bikini Pros will take the stage in Detroit, Michigan. Three Olympia qualifications are up for grabs and only Jessica Jessie & Bianca Binno are qualified in the line up. Figure Olympia Champ, Davana Medina will make her return to the stage in the new bikini division.

Davana has been training with Ms. Fitness Olympia, Adela Garcia since announcing her return earlier this year. When I spoke with Adela over the weekend she told me Davana was looking good and expected her to do well. Davana has to land in the top three if she hopes to compete in the first ever bikini Olympia. As a past Figure Champion, she could compete in Figure but not Bikini. Olympians are only eligible to compete in the division they won.

Dina Al-Sabah will look to move up from last weekend’s fifth place finish and has a solid chance here. Bianca Binno doesn’t have the most muscle on stage but does have a pleasing bikini body. She’ll look to take some momentum into the Olympia and the pressure is off her since she’s already qualified. Nicole Coleman turned pro in Figure at the 2009 Team Universe and has competed as a pro in Figure but will make the switch to bikini here. Melissa Frabbiele will make a return to the stage and is another woman who is trying her hand at the bikini division. Melissa has held her own in Figure competitions but how will she do in Bikini? Janet Harding gets the award for most persistent bikini competitor of the year. I think she’s competed in more bikini shows than any woman. Jessica Jessie is looking to snag her first win before heading to Vegas next week. She has a strong chance at getting the win here but it won’t be easy. Michelle Lamb will make her pro debut and has one of the better bikini booties in the line up. Christy Merritt took home one of the two pro cards from this year’s 2010 NPC JR USA and will be making her debut. Noemi Olah of Hungary was the Arnold Amateur Bikini B Class winner. She’s a stunning blonde who could turn a few heads at this show. Zara Pineda-Boorder is also wasting no time getting into the mix. She achieved IFBB Pro status at the North Americans just a couple weeks ago. Look for her to represent Canada well in this contest. Beth White and Michelle Lamb both turned pro at the 2010 NPC Jr Nationals, a contest where Jessica Jessie took top honors.

This is the last chance for bikini competitors to qualify for next week’s Bikini Olympia. Someone will leave Detroit with their first IFBB Pro Bikini win. Who will it be? Follow the action on here and twitter as we cover the event. Those of you following along via twitter we’ll be using #IFBBdet as the hash tag.

The 2010 IFBB Tournament of Champions took place in Culver City, California over the weekend. Promoter, Jon Lindsay did another tremendous job with this contest which was held in conjunction with a NPC event. It was refreshing to see a large turnout (18) from the pro bikini competitors. The top three women qualified for next weekend’s first ever Bikini Olympia. Sonia Gonzales notched her third win in the bikini division. Her only loss was in Pittsburgh to Nathalia Melo. Rookies Brooke Mora and Anca Marcus both qualified in their first pro shows.

Below are the results of the show and my opinions on the competition.

1. Sonia Gonzales – Sonia has definitely improved her physique since the first show. She’s not the curviest competitor in the division but does present a nice overall package. I’d like to see her improve her presentation a bit for the Olympia but it was an improvement from Pittsburgh. She has to be considered a top five Olympia threat with three wins to her credit in the division.

2. Brooke Mora – Brooke made an impressive debut and stood out beyond just being one of the taller competitors. She has a great look and a very pleasing physique. I wouldn’t have argued if she was in the first place spot at the end of the night. She has a pretty long torso compared to the other women and it will be interesting to see how she stacks up in the Olympia. She should land in the top 10 and potentially the top 6.

3. Anca Marcus – Anca has a nice physique and as expected made an immediate impact in her pro debut. She snagged third place by just a couple of points over Zhanna and Dina. I’d like to see her slow her posing down just a bit but overall a nice job.

4. Zhanna Rotar – Zhanna was definitely improved from her first bikini competition earlier in the year. It’s nothing personal but I didn’t see her in the top five at this show. I think she has a little too much muscle still for the division and a little thick in the waist compared to the other women.  Props to her for improving and getting the nod for a top five spot though.

5. Dina Al-Sabah – Dina continues to refine her physique for the bikini division and this was the best she’s looked since returning to the stage. I wouldn’t have argued with her being in the top three here and she was 2 points away from it. She does carry some muscle in her legs but I don’t see her being too much different from Amanda Latona in that department.

6. Jennifer Deitrick – Jennifer has a nice body and a killer bikini booty. The only thing I notice with Jennifer is when she presents it doesn’t look genuine. It comes across like it’s a fake smile and not one that is natural.

7. Christina Vargas – Christina looked more at home in the bikini division than Figure. She looked a little nervous in her bikini debut and could have presented in a more relaxed manner. If she improves her presentation and brings a little tighter booty I could see her moving up into a top five spot.

8. Vanessa Prebyl – Vanessa wasted no time getting into the thick of things in the pro ranks. She turned pro at the JR USAs and had an impressive debut. Maybe a little more roundness to her booty but overall she has a nice bikini look.

9. Jessica Clay – Jessica has a good bikini look and if she can bring a tighter booty to the stage could move up. When she first comes on stage she seems a bit nervous but by the end of her posing she seems more at ease. I’d like to see her bring a bit more confidence to the stage to help her stand out a little more.

10. Michelle Gullett – An attractive woman and when she smiles you’re drawn to her. I thought her bikini suit bottoms were a bit too big in the back and not flattering to her butt. She needs to come in a bit tighter in the booty area to move up in the placings.

11. Nicole Moneer-Guerrero – Nicole has improved her presentation with every show. She needed to come in a bit tigher in the glutes and hamstrings to move up.

12. Rachel Labender – Rachel has a cute look. I wasn’t crazy about her suit at the USAs and I had similar thoughts on her choice here. The top wasn’t flattering and the bottoms had a some distracting metal thingies. Yes, thingies. She needed to be a bit tighter from the back as well.

13. Kat Holmes – This was probably the best Kat has looked as a pro but her lower half still holds her back. She’s battling the genetics of being very hippy. Her suit looked a bit small and almost like a thong in some poses.

14. Cathy Miller – Cathy also wasted no time getting into the pro ranks after turning pro at the NPC USAs. She’s a pretty woman with a nice looks. She’s a little straight up and down in structure. If she can pose herself with the illusion of more curviness I could see her move up. I think a different suit cut to her bottom may help with that look from the back as well.

15. Michele D’Angona – One of the shorter competitors Michele has the challenge of not looking blocky in the waist. She needed to be tighter and present her angles better. Popping your hip to the judges will make you look bigger, she needed to pop her hip away from the judges to create an illusion of being smaller.

16. Jennifer Celeste – Taking over a year off since turning pro this was Jennifer’s debut. She missed the mark this time and came in off with her conditioning. She’s a pretty woman but needs to come in much tighter her next show if she hopes to move up.

17. Natalie Pennington – Natalie has an exotic look and is qualified for the Olympia with her second place finish in New Zealand. She’s pretty flat in the booty department and it wasn’t tight enough to move up into a higher spot. I think the white suit earlier in the year looked better on her.

18. Karen Mullarkey – Karen made the move to bikini from Figure for the first time and unfortunately it wasn’t the finished I’m sure she’d hoped for. I would have had her a few places higher but her back side wasn’t quite tight enough.

Check out photos on FLEXonline.com and IFBBpro.com from this competition.

This Saturday, 18 IFBB Bikini Pros will take the stage at the IFBB Tournament of Champions held in Culver City, California. The show is the second-to-last competition for those hoping to lock in a spot in the first Bikini Olympia. There are a number of women making their pro debuts and a few familiar names. We’ll be there covering the action and tweeting the coverage with the hashtag #IFBBTOC.

My Top Contenders:
Dina Al-Sabah has steadily improved with every show and has found her way around the new division. She teamed up with TEAM BOMBSHELL a few weeks ago and the results have paid off. Look for her to be one of the names called out in the top five.

Jennifer Celeste will be making her pro debut. She turned pro at the 2009 NPC JR Nationals and has good bikini physique. Since we haven’t seen her on stage in over a year it’s a roll of the dice on what her current physique looks like in a bikini. Jennifer is currently living in Los Angeles and has the added advantage of not having to travel.

Sonia Gonzales has two pro bikini shows to her credit but they were the first two pro shows of the year. She was the runner-up at the Pittsburgh Pro to Nathalia Melo however Melo lost to Latona, who Sonia beat at The Muscle Contest. Confused? Don’t be. Sonia has streamlined her physique with the help of trainer Kim Oddo and will be presenting a much different look than the one we saw at the beginning of the year. The key to Sonia’s success is her stage presence. If she can “own it” and present with confidence she’ll be the one to beat.

Anca Marcus will be making her pro debut. Anca, originally from Romania, successfully petitioned the IFBB Pro League and was granted pro status. She won the overall bikini title at the NPC Orange County Muscle Classic and was the runner-up to Amanda Latona at the 2009 California State Bikini Championships. We haven’t seen her against this type of competition however she has a solid track record and physique to make a case for a top five spot here.

Brooke Mora turned pro in July at the 2010 NPC USAs. Many felt she was good enough to win the overall title there, myself included. Brooke is one of the taller competitors in the line-up and has good stage presence. If she brings a similar presentation and look to this show she could be a top contender. I like her look and would be surprised if she’s not in one of the first call-outs.

The Wild Cards:
Christina Vargas will be making her Pro bikini debut after a few tries at Figure. I think this division will suit Christina better and she could be in the mix if she brings her sass to the stage. I could see her in the mix for a top five spot here.

Jennifer Dietrick was in the mix at the 2010 Europa Super show and could be here. She’ll need to improve her stage presence and have a different suit to move up. Her suit was too small from the back and will likely be one not allowed on stage after this year’s Olympia. Jennifer has a good physique she just need to show some personality and present it with confidence.

Natalie Pennington is already qualified for the Olympia but will face some stiffer competition here. She has a nice look but needs a little more booty to hang in the top spots. We haven’t seen her on stage in a few months so perhaps she’ll bring a bit more junk in the trunk to this show.

Karen Mullarkey is competing in bikini after a few runs in the Figure division. She has the sass on stage but will her physique be in line with what the judges are looking for? We’ll have to see.

There are of course a number of other women who could be in the mix here and it all depends on who shows up with the best presentation and physique on Saturday. Get more information on the show at www.musclecontest.com and we’ll see ya in Culver City on Saturday!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
Friday, Sept 10th – 6:30 pm
Figure/Bikini athlete brief followed by check-ins. (NPC)
Radisson Hotel

Saturday, Sept 11th
10:00 am – PRO Athlete brief followed by weigh-ins/check-ins.
11:00am – Prejudging
6:30pm – Finals for all classes
Veteran’s Memorial