The IFBB women are back on stage for the first time since the 2010 Olympia. Today’s Houston Pro marks the debut of a number of women and they could be a dominant force. This is the first 2011 Olympia qualifying show of the year and the pressure will be off for six women (the top three in each division qualify for the ’11 Olympia).
This show will be a good one to watch as there are no big “names” in the line up. This makes the show a little more interesting as you never really know who will be on their game and be in the mix.
In Figure, Teresa Anthony is coming off an impressive showing at the Olympia. She narrowly missed the top six and is looking to get a qualification here. She’ll be an x factor here depending on what package she presents on stage. If she’s on the money like Vegas, she could be the one to beat. Raechelle chase made the trip from New Zeland and has been on a new diet. We’ll see if it pays off later today. Krissy Chin is coming off an Olympia showing and looking to return to the big dance next year. She’s refined her physique with the help of trainer Kim Oddo over the last few months and continually improving. Katina Maistrellis has the luxury of competing in her home town, which makes things far less stressful for show time. She’s qualified for the Olympia before and will look to once again. Rosalind Vanterpool has a great physique but carries a lot of muscle, will she hear a similar story once again? Sandy Ward will have her work cut out for her in this line up.
While half of the field has been on stage a number of times the other half will be hitting the pro stage for the first time. Kim Sheppard was on the same Houston stage a few weeks ago where she turned pro at the JR USAs. Monica Specking is wasting no time getting in the big leagues. She took home the overall Figure crown at last week’s NPC Nationals. Amy Vetter won her height class but lost the overall to Monica last week in Atlanta. She’ll look to avenge her loss and make a name for herself in the IFBB Pro League. Courtney West was the overall winner at the NPC USAs earlier this year. She too has the luxury of competing in her own backyard and should have quite the crew cheering in the audience.
Typically the NPC National Figure winner has done better in the pro division over the NPC USA Figure champ. Will this hold true today as Monica and Courtney square off against each other? We’ll find out today.
IFBB HOUSTON PRO FIGURE:
1 – Anthony, Teresa
2 – Chase, Raechelle
3 – Chin, Krissy
4 – Maistrellis, Katina
5 – Sheppard, Kimberly
6 – Specking, Monica
7 – Vanterpool, Rosalind
8 – Vetter, Amy
9 – Ward, Sandie
10 – West, Courtney
I’m surprised more bikini pros didn’t throw their heels in the mix of this show. It would be a perfect opportunity to qualify for the Olympia and enjoy the holidays. Khanh, Natalie and Shelsea are all coming off the inaugural Bikini Olympia. I like Shelsea “six-pack” Montes in this line-up as she has some of the best sass and a body to match. The rookie, Barbara Bolotte has a great look and I could see her landing in the top three here. She won her class last week at the NPC Nationals and will be one to watch today. Janet Harding gets the award for the most bikini shows in a year. I lost track of how many shows Janet has done. What will she bring to the stage this time? Michelle Lamb has one of the best bikini butts in the Pro division, the problem in Detroit was her suit. If she brings a different suit and filled out a little bit she could be in the mix here. Khanh Nguyen struggled earlier in the year to get in the top spots but found her groove heading into the Olympia. Her biggest issue was concealing her large boobs. She has a good physique and with the right suit cut too much boobage won’t be an issue. Natalie Pennington has an exotic look but her issue is from the backside. Her booty is a little flat and in this line-up she’ll have an uphill battle to get in the top 3. Vanessa Prebyl has a nice physique and if she can bring confidence to the stage and in her presentation she’ll be a top contender. Beth White found success in the NPC and will look to match it here. This will be her second pro show.
IFBB HOUSTON PRO BIKINI:
1 – Bolotte, Barbara
2 – Harding, Janet
3 – Lamb, Michelle
4 – Montes, Shelsea
5 – Nguyen, Khanh
6 – Pennington, Natalie
7 – Prebyl, Vanessa
8 – White, Beth
