Archives for March 2012

The 2012 Bikini International brought the women’s IFBB pro competitions to a close. When prejudging ended it appeared we’d see a new Bikini International Champion however if you were to conduct an exit poll, few would have correctly predicted this outcome. Heading into this contest no one saw the top spots ending up as they did and if they did I’d like them to pick my lottery numbers. The results left most people scratching their heads. NPCNEWSonline.com has input on this show from head judge Sandy Williamson however after reading her comments you almost get the feeling she didn’t agree with the final results. I spoke with her after prejudging and I know how she saw it didn’t exactly match with the final results. It’s a reminder that the head judge can move competitors around however this a panel of 9-11 judges who cast their votes, and as you can see from the scores there were varied opinions.

If I had a nickel for every text, tweet and email I received asking about the results of this contest I’d have enough money to fill my car up with gas for a month. I’m not a judge and wasn’t on the panel deciding the outcome. I don’t always agree with the results but doesn’t mean any disrespect towards the judges, it’s just my opinion. Pretty much every show has a few placings people don’t agree with, it’s the nature of the competition. Rarely do I completely disagree with the results of a show however this show, I can’t for the life of me figure out how or why the judges went the direction they did. I’m hoping it is just a one time thing and not foreshadowing of things to come. Why? Because looking at the results of this show confuses local judges, fans, trainers and competitors both in the NPC and IFBB. Again, this is just MY OPINION and no disrespect intended towards the judges or competitors.

Sonia Gonzales was arguably the most muscular and conditioned competitor in the show. If I was a judge, and we’ve established I am not, I wouldn’t have her in my top six. Why? Because she had noticeable capped delts and vascularity through her arms that some Figure and Fitness competitors didn’t posses. Sonia’s placings had been on the decline since winning the 2010 Bikini International. She was second at this contest last year, dropped to third at the Europa Super show and finished 5th at the 2011 Bikini Olympia. Most people felt her placings were due to the amount of muscle she carried on her frame, which makes sense given she was a top Figure competitor for years. Sonia has stripped a good deal of muscle off her frame since her Figure days and has gotten more comfortable and confident on stage with her posing. So how did she go from 5th to first? Ya got me, I have no clue.

Sonia edged out India Paulino by one point for the win. India has steadily improved her placings since competing on this stage as an amateur last year. It’s a pretty impressive feat to go from an amateur to runner-up on the pro stage in just a year. She’s always sassy on stage and I swear one of these days she’s going to pop a hip doing her move at the end of her posing. The sass works for her and it wouldn’t for everyone. India in the top five, I could see many of the judges agreeing with this call. Her boobs were a little out of control at this show and it might be because of her small frame.

The returning champ, Nicole Nagrani dropped to third and was two points behind Sonia for the win. What changed here? Good question. I thought Nicole was her usual bubbly self and presented, what I thought, was the same package as last year, where she won the Arnold and the Olympia. When it comes to Nicole, she’s cute and bubbly. Some judges will gravitate to cute while others will lean towards a sexier look. She wins the cute contest every day but sexy not so much. It then becomes a matter of personal preference as to what is rewarded. Why the judges opted to stray away from the cute look this time around, again ya got me. Most of the time you have to knock the champ out to win, I didn’t think she got knocked out but her placings show otherwise.

Jaime Baird was on top of her game. I would have placed Jaime in the top three spots and compared her for the win. She takes the stage with class and presents herself in a way that makes her stand out. She’s got curves and a tight, firm body that many women would aspire to have. This was the best I’ve seen Jaime on stage as an amateur or pro and this includes the shows she’s won. A top contender every time and would have placed her higher.

Nathalia Melo dropped to fifth in what many, myself included, felt was her best showing to date. She was one point away from Jaime and that I can see however it would make more sense if the two of them were battling for first and second and not fourth and fifth. Nathalia always gets critiqued for her lower half being a bit softer than her upper body. That’s an issue many women have and when you’ve got a Brazilian booty like Nat, it’s tough to balance the upper and lower body. I thought she brought a tight booty without being too ripped in her abs, like she had in the past. She would have been in my top three spots and given the nod for the win on my scorecard.

Juliana Daniell has an athletic physique and presents with class. I like the look she brought to this stage and would have liked to see her step her energy up just a bit. She was much improved from her third place showing in December and I would have placed her in the top three at this show. I think she has a physique that many women who played sports could look to as inspiration and point her as someone’s physique they’d like to have. Juliana should be a top contender in every show she enters if she brings a similar physique.

One thing I noticed and not sure if it’s good or bad but many of the competitors all posed exactly the same. I’d like to see the women go back to being themselves and posing with a bit of their own personality. Not every physique looks flattering with their legs crossed from behind and not every competitor is going to be sassy. I’d like to see the women pose in a way that is classy but less rigid and rehearsed. Jaime Baird and Nathalia do a great job of posing and I think are the two stars of the division in that regards.

None of the women embarrassed themselves and over all they all looked good. There were a number of confused and upset competitors after this show and for some it comes with good reason. Others I’d say, be happy you received the invite as there are many other competitors who would love to be in your heels. What’s ahead for the bikini division? We’ll have to wait and see but I’d like to see more consistency in what is rewarded throughout the year, which isn’t always easy due to different judges and who shows up on stage at any given show.

2012 Bikini International Results
Placing / Name / Score
1. Sonia Gonzales 10
2. India Paulino 11
3. Nicole Nagrani 12
4. Jaime Baird 22
5. Nathalia Melo 23
6. Juliana Daniell 30
7. Diana Graham 37
8. Jessica Paxson 40
9. Candyce Graham 41
10. Monique Ricardo 50
11. Natalie Pennington 55
12. Jennifer Andrews 66
12. Lexi Kaufman 66
14. Christina Vargas 68
15. Tianna Ta 75
15. Abigail Burrows 75
16. Jessica Jessie 80

**Justine Munro out due to injury.

See photos from the show here.

Nicole Wilkins has been on a winning streak since and she kept it alive in Columbus. Nicole won the Figure International for a third time and is one of the top Figure Pros of all-tie. The Michigan girl’s win wasn’t without a bit of controversy but it wouldn’t be a physique competition if there weren’t a few disagreements when it comes to the placings.

As I told head judge Sandy Williamson, I’m glad I wasn’t a judge for this show. We often compare notes after shows and most of the time we agree. Since she judges hundreds, if not thousands of competitors, and I photograph them we usually notice similar things. When we compared notes on this show, we both struggled over the same things when it came to the leading contenders.

Nicole was clearly not at her best and you could see a bit of it on her face when she took the stage at prejudging. Keep in mind when we’re talking about all of these competitors it’s essentially like splitting hairs. An “off day” for Nicole is better than an “on day” for most. She appeared to hold a bit of water and not the physique we’d seen on this stage a year ago. That said, she still has tremendous shape and symmetry. All things considered her “off” wasn’t THAT bad. People often say if you want to beat the champ you have to knock them out, well if you apply that to Figure competitions no one delivered the knock out punch in this line up.

Erin Stern brought a different look to the stage this year and it came with mixed opinions. She was noticeably smaller in size and had shaved off a good deal of muscle. Had she brought the physique she had last year I think she would have won. Instead the judges were left wondering where to place her. She still has great lines and was confident on stage but I think subconsciously the judges compared her to her old physique, like many in the press pit did. Whether fair or not, we’re all human and that comparison was made. Some liked it and others didn’t. I wasn’t crazy about her suit bottom from the back, the cut was a bit too low or perhaps just not enough fabric. Still a second place showing is nothing to sneeze at and it will once again set up the rivalry between her and Nicole.

Candice Keene stepped up her game and brought her best look to the stage. The problem was she looked too muscular and a bit too hard when standing next to the others in the call-outs. So what do you do? Do you place her first and everyone else gets compared to that or do you mark her down for being too muscular? That’s what the judges had to decide and in the end they settle in the middle and she finished in third.

Ava Cowan definitely has an Arnold to remember. She had issues with her flight coming out and if you check out her Gaspari Blog you can read all about it. When she took the stage at prejudging she nearly fell right out of the gate however she recovered and rocked the stage. Ava wasn’t at her best but she was close which then puts her in the same discussion as the other women and where does she finish. The judges compared her a couple of different times and they settled on 4th place and just one spot behind Candice.

The surprise to the show for many was Heather Dees in 5th place. Heather shaved off some muscle after continually placing lower and lower last year. The time off helped her and she brought a different look to the stage this time. The judges took notice and rewarded her for it.

Rounding out the top six was Teresa Anthony who looked beautiful but wasn’t quite as full as she’s capable of and her muscle didn’t “pop” like we’ve seen in the past. I would have placed her a bit higher but we never really saw her next to the top 4 so it’s tough to know. I thought she looked balance and those who critique her legs should find something new to speak about.

It will be interesting to see how some of the women in this show look when they compete at the Australian Pro in two weeks. Since all three women were already qualified no Olympia qualifications were awarded at this show. Congratulations to all the women who competed. Check out all the photos from this and other events at the Arnold Sports Festival on Bodybuilding.com.

2012 Figure International
Placing / Name / 2-piece score
1. Nicole Wilkins 5
2. Erin Stern 11
3. Candice Keene 16
4. Ava Cowan 17
5. Heather Dees 26
6. Teresa Anthony 31
7. Larissa Reis  36
8. Cheryl Brown  39
9. Gennifer Strobo  45
10. Krissy Chin  49
11. Jelena Abbou  55
12. Latisha Wilder  58
13. Sue Knott 69
14. Raquel Hernandez 71
15. Gloria Tarpley 74
16. Alicia Harris 76

Adela Garcia took home her second title of 2012 and her fifth Fitness International title in her career. Adela was the odds on favorite to leave Columbus with the title and she delivered. The more surprising story line of this year’s events were the placings of the others in the top spots. There were more than a few surprises when the results were read off on Friday night at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium.

It was pretty clear that Adela was the winner of the physique round as she typically has been in the past five years. She was noticeably improved from her showing at the FLEX PRO two weeks prior to this event. The physique scores only make up 1/3 of the overall score. The remaining 2/3 is based on the two-minute fitness routines, and this is where people have varied opinions. Adela is one of the most consistent competitors you will see take the stage. She always throws in a little latin flare and you can count seeing a number of strength moves from start to finish. The judges reward her for her strength moves and for keeping the pace from beginning to end. Some people feel there were better routines. Some people like crunchy peanut butter and others like creamy. What’s your flavor may not be mine. Adela has found a flavor that the judges enjoy.

One of the biggest surprises in this show was Denver, Colorado resident Camala Rodriquez. Camala was much more confident and comfortable on stage than she was two weeks prior at the FLEX Pro. She was in significantly better condition and it may have helped her confidence on stage. She deserved the call-outs she received in the physique round. Camala did a solid job with her routine however I’m not sure everyone agreed that it was a second place performance. The judges awarded her a score of 26 which was 16 behind Adela and six ahead of third place finisher, Oksana Grishina.

While most would agree with Oksana having a 3-5 placing physique many feel she had one of, if not thee best routine of the night. Oksana’s posing still needs some work in the physique round however she shows insane flexibility and strength in her routines. I’m not exactly sure what she was doing at the end of her routine but there were many parts of the routine that were unmatched. Definitely deserved a top three finish at this show and is now qualified for the 2012 Olympia.

Bethany Cisternino was in a solid third place after the physique round. She wasn’t quite as full as she was two weeks prior, at least in my opinion, but her she has great structure and a pleasing physique. Bethany did a better routine than she had at the FLEX PRO and was awarded accordingly. I definitely had Bethany in the top five and she did a great job.

Tanji Johnson has been living in Adela’s shadow over the years, at least on stage. This year Tanji hasn’t quite been able to put it together and has been out of the top three both at the FLEX PRO and here. She was definitely in better condition at this show than she was at the FLEX PRO and her routine was better as well. She could have been a bit tighter in the physique rounds and we didn’t see quite enough strength moves in her routine. At the end of the night, Tanji finished in the fifth place position.

Myriam Capes rounded out the top spots and finished in sixth. She wasn’t at her best in the physique round and she was playing catch up heading into the routine round. The judges placed her routine as their sixth favorite. I thought her routine was one of the top three in the show. She performed a number of difficult moves and the bull fighting theme was fitting for her personality. Myriam will have to take the bull by the horns and bring back a tighter physique to finish higher.

Overall the routines were good. There were a couple that needed to be scrapped and brought way up, much like a few of the physiques. Congratulations to all the women  competing in this prestigious event. Check out all the photos from this and other events at the Arnold Sports Festival on Bodybuilding.com.

2012 Fitness International
Placing / Name / 2-piece score / Routines score / Total
1. Adela Garcia 5/10/15
2. Camala Rodriguez 10/26/36
3. Oksana Grishina 19/32/51
4. Bethany Cisternino 15/46/61
5. Tanji Johnson 21/50/71
6. Myriam Capes 38/56/94
7. Kizzy Vaines 42/60/102
8. Tina Durkin 30/74/104
9. Danielle Ruban 40/106/146
10. Jodi Boam 55/98/153
11. Julie Palmer 44/110/154
12. Regiane Da Silva 57/102/159
13. Kayde Puckett 65/136/201
14. Allison Ethier 72/140/212
15. Sheri Vucick 65/148/213
16. Diana Monteiro 74/146/220

Floridian, Yaxeni Oriquen Garcia beat out thirteen of the world’s best female bodybuilders to capture the Ms. International title for a fifth time. The win earned her a chat with Arnold Schwarzenegger, a beautiful trophy, $25,000 and a Tony Nowak jacket. of Miami, Florida is a five-time winner of the Ms. International bodybuilding competition at the Arnold Sports Festival 2012.

The decision was clear in the judges’ minds as Yaxeni received a perfect score. She was a bit smaller in size than we’ve seen her in years past but she was every bit as conditioned. Yaxeni’s overall structure and shape helped carry her to a win over a very competitive Debi Laszewski. Debi packed a bit more muscle on her frame than Yaxeni however her look didn’t quite match up. Debi also sported an interesting choice in make up with bright red lipstick. The judges overlooked the distracting makeup and awarded the runner-up position. The second place finish earned her $13,000 for her efforts.

Third place finisher, Alina Popa showed an aesthetically pleasing physique but wasn’t quite as muscular as Yaxeni nor as sharp as Debi. She recently started training in the high altitude of Denver, Colorado but is originally from Switzerland. Alina took home $8,000 and an Olympia qualification. She’s the only one from the show to do so since Yaxeni and Debi were already qualified. A recent rule change allows for the top three finishers a chance to compete at the Olympia.

Cathy LeFrancois was holding a bit of water in her lower body during prejudging and it cost her heading into the finals. She improved at the finals and actually tied Alina however it wasn’t enough to over take her. Cathy finished in the fourth place position and received $5,000.

Rounding out the prize winning spots were Kim Buck in fifth and Brigita Brezovac of Maribor, Slovenia in sixth. Brigita was ahead of Kim by two points heading into the finals however she finished four points behind her. Brigita appeared to fade at bit at the night show and Kim improved which was reflective in their scores.

There were a number of bad wigs, poor tans and even worse posing. While hitting transitions many of the competitors needed to control their breathing better. You may see some of this reflective in the photos from the show. Overall it was a competitive show and Yaxeni proved that she still has some gas in the tank.

2012 Ms. International Results
Placing / Name / Prejudging score / Finals score / Total
1. Yaxeni Oriquen 5/5/10
2. Debi Laszewski 10/10/20
3. Alina Popa 16/17/33
4. Cathy LeFrancois 19/17/36
5. Kim Buck 33/29/62
6. Brigita Brezovac 31/35/66
7. Alevtina Goroshinskaya 34/34/68
8. Maria Rita Bello 37/33/70
9. Kim Perez 48/44/92
10. Monique Jones 50/55/105
11. Zoa Linsey 57/55/112
12. Maria Segura 60/61/121
13. Tina Chandler 64/59/123
14. Geraldine Morgan 64/66/130

Check out all the photos from this and other events at the Arnold Sports Festival on Bodybuilding.com.