FigureRX Contest Preview: 2007 Atlantic City Pro Fitness Championships
September 12th, 2007
By Stephen Bierer
Welcome to our first IFBB pro fitness show preview! There are currently fifteen athletes qualified to compete at the Fitness Olympia in Las Vegas at the end of the month (see the list
Here), and most of them are household names within the industry. Those of you who follow our web site and previews know that we categorize pro *figure* competitors into their pro card classes (by year) for purposes of following everyone's careers and providing rankings. There have been 90 (ninety) IFBB pro cards for figure awarded in the past three years, and several of those athletes have already qualified for the Figure Olympia this year.
In contrast, only one competitor (
Heidi Fletcher – 2005) who was awarded a fitness pro card in the past three years has made it to the Olympia for 2007. The main reason for that seems to be the numerous talented athletes who have been competing for several years, and fewer opportunities to compete which means that fitness competitors who have already qualified are likely to be entering shows and placing high throughout the season. There's also longevity and domination at the top of the two biggest qualifiers, the previous year's Olympia and the Arnold.
As of Wednesday, there are now three athletes in this event who have already qualified for the Olympia. If they finish in the top three slots, then the fourth place winner will get an invitation. If they do not, then only the top three will qualify.
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--------------------------------------------------------Tracey Greenwood
So following the trend all season, there is realistically only one Fitness Olympia qualification available in Atlantic City after two or three mega-stars take their spots in the top three. The first star is
Tracey Greenwood, who placed 5th at the 2006 Olympia and 6th at the 2007 Arnold. She won the title in the only other event that she entered this year, the New York Pro, and she is also near her home turf for this event. Tracey didn't place here last year because of an injury, and we expect her to not only win in Atlantic City but to finally move up a spot or two at the Olympia. We really like her level of conditioning, she has phenomenal curves and she seems to be able to dial it in and fill out perfectly for every show she enters.
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--------------------------------------Julie Lohre-------------------------------------------------Stacy Simons
The second bona fide fitness star taking the stage in New Jersey is also one of our all-time favorite IFBB professionals.
Julie Lohre has had one of the best, most symmetrical physiques in fitness for a while (as evidenced by her competitive placings during her stint competing in figure) including incredible abs and delts. She's also one of the better teachers in the sport, and has one of the top personal web sites. During the 2006-07 season her placings have been very consistent with excellent balance between the physique and routine rounds, which led to top four finishes in Palm Beach, Little Rock and Dallas. At the All Star Pro Fitness in three weeks ago we feel that she presented her best package as a pro to date, particularly with her lower body fullness. Julie also placed 4th in Atlantic City last year and we believe she'll move up a couple of spots this year and contend for a top six placing at the Olympia.
New Jersey native
Stacy Simons placed third at the New York Pro for her Olympia qualification, and she is known for her impressive routines and her back development. With the three previously mentioned athletes in the mix, we expect the battle for the single Olympia qualification to be very close but we must give the nod to
Amy Haddad who has recent experience at both the Olympia and the Arnold. Perhaps we are biased because Amy presents a figure-style physique that is symmetrical, full and ripped, but we were also impressed with her routine at the Arnold earlier this year.
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-----------------------------------Amy Haddad---------------------------------------------------Allison Daughtry
Allison Daughtry is another competitor who has experience competing at the Arnold (in 2006) and we're going to go out on a limb and predict a top five finish for her in Atlantic City. Allison made something of a comeback at the All Star Pro Fitness and was not fully conditioned, particularly in her legs, but she has ideal muscle shapes and we are believers in her potential. She needs to pose with her arms a little less wide to accentuate her amazing upper body, but with three more weeks to get ready for Atlantic City we hope and expect that she will come in at her best.
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-------------------------------------------------------------Erin Riley
We also know that Team FigureRX-sponsored athlete
Erin Riley, competing in her home state, will surprise a lot of people with her showing in her professional debut. Erin turned pro in only her third show, Team Universe in New York earlier this year, and she has an exciting routine backed by 15 years of top level gymnastics experience (visit her FigureRX back stage area
Here for progress and photo shoot pictures).
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-----------Christy Green-----------------------------Lorie Kimes-----------------------------Bethany Gainey
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-----------Susan Groshek--------------------------Hollie Stewart---------------------------Bridgette Murray
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Check out Team FigureRX Fitness Star and Author of "The Natural Way"
Beth Horn at
http://www.bethhorn.com/book.htm!!!
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