Hundreds of NPC female competitors took the NPC Jr Nationals‘ stage on Friday in hopes of leaving with IFBB Pro status. The Bikini competition dominated with the most entrants while women’s bodybuilding foreshadow its future. Only four women entered women’s bodybuilding and while the numbers for this show are always smaller than USAs or Nationals because of no pro card, four shows the writing on the wall.
Women’s Physique continues to thrive and come into its own as a viable division in the amateur ranks. The women in the physique division are more streamlined and while they are muscular they’re looking more like a Figure competitor with more muscle than a downsized bodybuilder.
The Figure competition showcased a number of very good competitors and while there’s no clear cut overall winner many of the classes showcased women with tremendous potential. The Bikini division was also very competitive with the C class being the largest. You know a class is large when the competitor roster takes up two pages.
Fitness had a decent showing compared to what we’ve seen in prior shows. While it’s a fading division in terms of numbers it’s still the most entertaining. The winners in each class will hold their own in the pro ranks but will likely need to be a bit more muscular in order to hang with the likes of Adela, Oksana or Tanji, the leading pro competitors.
HARBODY Predictions:
These are simply opinions and observations. They do not reflect the final out come of the show or reflect the judges’ opinions or those of the NPC. Check out all the photos from the show here.
FITNESS: Each class winner will achieve IFBB Pro League status. See the prejudging fitness routines and 2-piece photos here.
Look for Shannon Siemer to take the Fitness A class. She had not only the most complete physique but also the best routine in the class.
Nicolette Spencer had the best physique and should finish in the top spots for the routines and put her in the winner’s circle. Lishia Dean has been a long-time amateur favorite and could be in the top three but missed her conditioning in the physique round. Deanne Fry has the muscle and the physique to be in the top spots but will her routine be high enough on the scorecard? She broke out some old school Carol Semple moves in her routine.
Carly Lobato was the standout in the C class, women over 5′ 4 1/2″. She had great flexibility and a number of strength moves throughout. She also maintained her pace from start to finish. Many women start strong but end out of breath. Debbie Sizemore had a rather bizarre choice in the routine round. She brought out a huge prop which looked like a set of jail bars. It was distracting for the majority of her routine. Kimberly Stroup will be in the hunt for the top spot and should be in the top two. She had a solid routine and in the top spots for the physique round.
Barbie Thomas continues to awe and inspire everyone. She performs fitness routines and does move with ease, all with no arms. You can’t help but get a little choked up when she takes the stage. She reminds us all that there are truly no excuses. Mad respect to Barbie.
Women’s Physique: This is how I see the placings going but again they are NOT final. The winner of each class will be eligible for IFBB Pro League Status. View prejudging photos here.
Class A:
1. Erica Blockman
2. Michelle Davis
3. Justine Ansolone
4. Dawn Meininger-Wahlgren
Class B:
1. Stephanie Willes
2. Heather Mell
3. Amanda Zawojsky
4. Shannan Roskam
5. Angela Morel
Class C:
1. Joni Neilson
2. Krysta Enchill
3. Shawnna Doty
4. Jessica Bowman
5. Jennifer Underwood-Kallas
Class D:
1. Heather Barbee
2. Zandra Starr Minita
3. LeeAnn Friemoth
4. Amanda Kinnaird
5. Christine Moyer
6. Delia McNeil
Women’s Bodybuilding:
No disrespect intended to the four women who did step up and enter the show but this was, in my opinion, foreshadowing of the division. When only four women total show up, you know things are going downhill fast. Props to the four women who did enter.
Light Heavyweight
1. Laura Brown
Heavyweight
1. Kasia Topor
2. Carrie Rapp
3. Lisa O’Kelly
BIKINI:
The winner of each height class will be eligible for IFBB Pro League status. The bikini competition was some of the best to date and the physiques continue to improve across the board. View prejudging photos here.
Bikini A:
1. Ashriel Osgood
2. Yasmin Ali
3. Annie Parker
4. Elle Delallo
5. Caryn Paolini
Bikini B:
1. Susan Waters
2. Nissan Weaver
3. Lisa Schimkat
4. Sana Shah
5. Alli Petriella
6. Melanie Kate
7. Lisa Campbell
8 Amy Lindsey
Bikini C:
This was a HUGE class. It was a very tough competition and also had something happen, I hadn’t seen before. Miroslava Reese was in the fourth callout but was brought back with the top five women in a final callout and put in the middle. What that will mean, if anything is anyone’s guess. I spoke with the head judge on this an she told me she thought Miroslava had been overlooked and deserved a look at the top spots. Whether she will finish there or not, we’ll see but it’s a good reminder to all competitors you never know how things will go until the awards are handed out.
1. Collette Barbera
2. Yarisha Ayala
3. Angeles Burke
4. Antanique Lanry
5. Angelica Gonzalez
Bikini D:
1. Liana Hamilton
2. Stephanie Mahoe
3. Ashley Kurtenbach
4. Trista Anderson
5. Lauren Gregory
Bikini E:
1. Chaundra Bagwell
2. Amber Orton
3. Whitney Wiser
4. Jennifer Menezes
5. Angela Okon
Bikini F:
1. Hope Howard
2. Amanda Woolery
3. Asia Mendoza
4. Holly Elizabeth
5. Alexis Nicole Jones
FIGURE:
The winners of each height class will be eligible for IFBB Pro League status. This was a very competitive group of women and if the overall winner follows in previous winners’ footsteps they’ll be great. Last year’s winner Mallory Haldeman went on to compete in the Olympia the same year as turning pro and the prior year Candice Lewis took top honors. Candice has positioned herself as one of the top women in the pro ranks as well. View prejudging photos here.
Figure A:
1. Andrea Calhoun
2. Rina Patel
3. Jacqueline Thomas
4. Milva Galati
5. Kim Clark
Figure B:
1. Irina Kiselev
2. Kaelin Tuell
3. Trisha Fleischer
4. Arista Jackson
5. Tarah Mitchell
Figure C:
1. Jennifer Brown
2. Jennifer Cordovez
3. Katherine Lane
4. Christina Watson
5. Lauren Williams
6. Tiffany Garrett
**Alicia McDowell stood out has having tremendous potential in the months ahead. She missed her conditioning and won’t be in the top spots here but keep an eye on her.
Figure D:
1. Alicia Coates
2. Ryan Behr
3. Taniqua Mary Medina
4. Rocio Ruiz
5. Carla Araujo
6. Michele Horan
Figure E:
1. Vera Mallet
2. Alissa Parker
3. Annette Mendez
4. Kaylee Rae Flanagan
5. Angelina Masino
Figure F:
1. Roshonda Schmitt
2. Kimberly Dickson
3. Alexandria Berriman
4. Jackie Faine
5. Rebecca Mitchell
Finals will be held tonight, Saturday, where we’ll find out who wins and how accurate the Hardbody picks are. Again, the above are NOT the judges’ placings and are NOT final. Good luck to all competing and congratulations on taking the stage! Follow the coverage on twitter with the hashtag #NPCJRNATS to see results tonight.
See more show photos on FLEXonline.com and NPCnewsonline.com.
