The IFBB Pro Bikini women are back on stage in Orlando. Last year, Nathalia Melo made her pro debut and took home top honors. Can she hold onto her crown? Eight other women have their eyes on the prize and will look to snatch it from her this weekend. Ed and Betty Pariso, the promoters of the event, will stage another great show for the fans of Florida. This is a two-day event taking place on April 29-30.
Hardbody 411:
Jaime Baird – Jaime is on a mission to collect her first pro win and she’ll give Nathalia a run for her money here. Jaime has the luxury of not having to travel for the show and those of you who compete know what an advantage this can be. She’s coming of a fifth place showing at the Bikini International and has really come into her own the last two shows. She’s confident, sexy, sassy and has what it takes to do well here.
Vanessa Campbell – This will be the first time we see Vanessa on stage this year. She finished the 2010 season with a 13th place finish at the Olympia. She should be in the mix for the top five at this show if she comes in with the package she presented at Team Universe, where she turned pro. She has the exotic looks that help her stand out from the competition and one of the few women who can rock the short hair and look good.
Trina Goosby – She took the 2010 season off to earn her Masters degree and made her pro debut last month. Trina placed 7th in a competitive line up at the St. Louis Pro. If she comes in a little bit tighter she’ll be in the mix for the top spots. I wasn’t in St. Louis to know how she presented herself but she obviously can hold her own.
Dayna Maleton – The Jersey girl is back and we’ll have to wait and see which Dayna shows up on stage. She has a great physique, there is no question about that. She stays in shape year-round and if anything she’s a bit too lean/muscular looking on stage. She’s one of those women in between divisions, a little too small currently for figure and a little too muscular for bikini. She’s brought a physique that could do well but presented like a deer in the headlights. If she brings a tone physique with confidence and grace to the stage she’ll be in the top callout, if not she’ll be on the outside looking in.
Nathalia Melo – Ah Melooooo. The Brazilian is Back and looking to hold onto her crown. She was at her all-time best at the Bikini International, where she finished third. I wouldn’t have had her lower than second there but hey that’s just me. If she brings the same package and presentation to this stage that she had in Columbus, she’ll keep her crown. If she gets a little nutty and tries to do too much like she did at the Europa Dallas, Jaime Baird or someone else will be the Queen of the night. We’ll have to wait and see which Melo shows up.
Samantha Morris – Samantha had a less than stellar debut at the Ft. Lauderdale Cup in 2010 and will look to redeem herself this weekend. She’s a taller girl and needs to come in tighter in order to hang with the top women. She was a consistent top three contender in the NPC ranks but it’s a new ball game in the pro league. We’ll see if she stepped up her game and is on the money in Orlando.
Khanh Nguyen – Khanh is a character. When she’s offstage and in photo shoots she’s a hoot. If she can channel some of that energy to the stage she’ll move up. Her biggest problem in the past was her boobs were all you saw on stage. She didn’t pose with confidence and it hurt her placings. She found a suit that strapped the girls down and now if she can nail her presentation she’ll move up. She has a great physique and could be top five here.
Kira Rivera – Kira competed in a number of shows last year and was up and down in her placings. She had an impressive debut at this show last year with a fourth place finish. She’s had a few months off from the stage and we’ll see if she can repeat her showing of last year. It will come down to how well she presents herself on stage.
Kristy Robbins – Kristy has been in the game for awhile. The crew she’s competing against may not even be familiar with who she is but she’s ready to make them notice this weekend. Kristy was the 2002 Overall NPC Nationals Figure Champion and placed fifth at the 2003 Figure International. This will be her debut in bikini and her first show since 2004. Welcome back Kristy.
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Follow along all weekend long as I report live from the press pit. Photos will be posted, along with live callouts and play-by-play. Good luck to all the competitors. For more information on this event visit: www.visionstarinc.com.
