The inaugural Battle on the Beach takes place this Saturday in Daytona Beach, Florida. This women’s only event will showcase some of the rising stars in the NPC and IFBB bikini ranks. The NPC portion will feature bikini, fitness, figure and physique. The IFBB portion will feature only the IFBB Bikini division. Ten pros have signed up to compete and while it’s not the biggest line-up of the year it will be a competitive show. Pollianna Moss and Nathalie Mur have both competed at the Olympia but will have their work cut out for them against rookies like Courtney King. Aly Veneno is on a mission for her first pro win and could be the one to beat.
The HARDBODY 411:
2013 Battle on the Beach IFBB Pro Bikini
Gigi Amurao – Gigi turned pro at the 2012 North Americans and wasted no time getting into pro competitions. She finished third in her IFBB debut at the Ft. Lauderdale Cup and followed that up with a fifth and seventh place finish. She’s had a little bit off time off since her last show and it should suit her well. Look for Gigi to be in the top call-out and in the mix for a top three spot here. View her contest photos here.
Maura Bouchard – Maura will be making her IFBB Pro debut after a successful run in the NPC ranks. She successfully petitioned for her IFBB Pro card based on her amateur placings. Maura’s biggest challenge will be coming in full and not looking too stringy. She can look a bit too thin in the mid-section so if she’s able to bring a physique that’s full she will hold her own on this stage. View Maura’s contest photos here.
Courtney King – Courtney will be making her IFBB Pro debut this weekend and has the potential to be one of the rising stars in the pro division. She’s cute and bubbly on stage but not over the top. If she put on a little bit of muscle since last summer and comes in with a fuller look she’ll be in the top spots. Courtney turned pro at the 2012 NPC USAs in Las Vegas. Keep your eye on her, she’ll be one to watch in the months ahead. View Courtney’s Contest photos here.
Michon Leddy – Michon continues to improve her physique from show to show. She has yet to crack the top five but as long as she keeps improving, that’s progress. Michon’s biggest challenge is bringing her backside in tighter. If she can bring a tighter booty and present with a little more curve from the back she could improve on her placings. View Michon’s photos here.
Pollianna Moss – Pollianna turned pro at the 2012 NPC JR USAs and made an immediate splash by winning her pro debut at the Toronto Pro. She’s been in the mix of each show since and was 13th at the Olympia. She’s a shorter competitor with a bit more muscle than others in this line-up. It will be interesting to see how she compares to others as the muscle could either hurt or help her in this show. View Pollianna’s contest photos here.
Nathalie Mur – Nathalie is one of the taller competitors in this group and will be making the trip all the way from France. She’ll need to come in a bit tighter with her conditioning than we’ve seen her in the past. She has the potential to be in the top spots but it will come down to her conditioning and if she presents with confidence. We saw her take the stage with confidence early in her competition career and she’s the one of the only competitors in this line-up to compete in the Olympia. View Nathalie’s photos here.
Jessica Renee – Jessica has a great look and the potential to do well. She was 15th at the 2012 Valenti Gold Cup but a case could be made for her to finish much higher. This will be her second pro show and if she brings a similar look to the stage she’ll be a contender. Jessica will make the trip up from Miami Beach and look for her to be in the top spots. View Jessica’s photos here.
Aly Veneno – Aly was fifth in her IFBB Pro debut last December. She’ll be a likely contender for the top spot at this show. She has a balance physique and isn’t short on confidence when she takes the stage. The only thing she’ll need to watch is not “over posing” with excitement. The has an advantage of the show being in Florida and will be able to avoid airport stress. View Aly’s photos here.
Ashley Wade – Ashley has a healthy, fresh look and catches your attention from the moment she steps on stage. She turned pro at the 2012 NPC Nationals and was in 8th at the World’s Pro in December. If she can bring her legs in a little bit smaller and her glutes a bit tighter she’ll do well here. She has muscular legs which can slightly hurt her placings against the less muscular women. View Ashley’s pics here.
Nicole Witbeck – Nicole will make the trip from California to compete in her second pro show. She’ll be the lone blonde in the line-up and will look to improve upon her 15th place finish at the Muscle Contest Pro Bikini. She turned pro at the NPC USAs and doesn’t have a lot of stage time due to turning pro in her first national show. If she can bring a tighter lower body from her pro debut she’ll be in the mix. View Nicole’s contest photos here.
HOTEL / VENUE:
600 North Atlantic Avenue
Daytona Beach, FL 32118
(386) 255-4471
plazaresortandspa.com‎
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
FRIDAY
NPC ATHLETE CHECK-IN & REGISTRATION
4:00pm – 8:00pm
Plaza Resort & Spa
SATURDAY
IFBB PRO ATHLETE CHECK-IN & MEETING* *This is the only required check-in & meeting for IFBB Pro competitors
9:30am
Plaza Resort & Spa
NPC ATHLETE MEETING – If you miss this meeting YOU WILL NOT COMPETE!
10:00am
Plaza Resort & Spa
Room TBA
BATTLE ON THE BEACH PRE-JUDGING
*Contest starts with IFBB PRO BIKINI pre-judging
11:00am
Plaza Resort & Spa
Plaza Real Ballroom
RED CARPET PRE-SHOW GALA
5:00pm
Plaza Resort & Spa
Lobby to Plaza Real Ballroom
BATTLE ON THE BEACH FINALS
7:00pm
Plaza Resort & Spa
Plaza Real Ballroom
More information: http://www.npcbattleonthebeach.com
