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
