FigureRX Contest Report: 2008 IFBB Figure International
FigureRX Online Magazine Volume 4
March 2, 2008
2008 IFBB Figure International Official Contest Report
The Figure International as an event felt a little bit different this year, at least going in, because a few top stars were missing and it seemed like a few other athletes were planning to streamline their physiques. There were some epic matchups that we knew we would not get to to see, such as
Amanda Savell on stage next to Gina and Jenn, or
Monica Brant-Peckham driving for her best shot at the title with several major contenders out of the mix and a wide open field.
Valerie Waugaman stepped away for Gladiators (we think she'll eventually come back) and last year's beautiful champion,
Mary Elizabeth Lado, also sat this one out to regain her focus after a subpar Olympia performance.
The lost comparison between
Gina Aliotti and Amanda would have potentially have been one of the best the sport has ever seen, and would have created a dream matchup at the top for those of us who have been beating the drum to see more physique excellence (read: muscle and conditioning) in the sport. It is the elite female competitors who drive interest in this sport, even in the mainstream, and the quickest way to make Joe Q. Public lose interest would be to strip too much muscle from these incredible athletes. But thankfully what we did see on stage was a great deal of excellence, with a number of athletes looking their best ever and only two or three who came in noticeably smaller. So the state of the sport of professional figure is still good, and healthy - the judges as always are selecting the best of what they see on stage, and we can look forward to an oustanding competition year!
So in essence
Gina Aliotti walked in a champion, and then walked out with the title as expected. It's not easy being a heavy favorite, just ask the New England Patriots, but Gina pulled it off without a hitch and in the process she continued to make nuanced physique refinements that could help her produce a dynasty. In a way, Gina's victory is not only wonderful for the muscular direction of the sport but it also inadvertently vindicates those who believe Amanda's non-invitation was caused by something other than her physique. But this was undoubtedly Gina's moment. Not only is she beautiful, driven, and blessed with the ability to create one of the world's best physiques ever, she is also humble and an extremely sweet person.
Watch
FigureRX Stage Video of Gina winning the title at the evening show.
Speaking of incredibly sweet individuals, Indiana's
Jennifer Gates was our pick to battle it out with Gina for first place at this show, but we thought she and Gina would represent a bigger contrast on stage. Then Jennifer arrived in the best shape that we have ever seen her, with slightly more conditioned legs and and a hard, full and vascular upper body. Her upper body size, particularly in her arms, was among the best at the Arnold among the top contenders. Jen's beautiful presentation and well balanced physique led her to an almost unanimous second place finish (at least one judge put her in first in the one piece round). With Gina potentially taking time off until Tournament of Champions in the fall, we're really excited to see what Jennifer will be able to accomplish this year if she chooses to do so.
We can thank another of our all time favorites,
Amy Fry, for continuing our winning streak (lookie at us, we picked the top three and five of the top six!!). Amy will never surprise us, because we've been beating the drum for her since before she went pro in 2006 and we selected her as our spotlight competitor for the 2007 Olympia. She has that unbelievable combination of height, mass and symmetry that is simply unstoppable on some days, when the judging cooperates. Her height made for interesting first call-outs, especially for photographers, who seemed to have some difficulty fitting all of her in the camera! Amy is gorgeous with some of the best legs, abs, delts ... she streamlined a little bit, but in a good way and not enough to lose her substance .... she has a superb stance with a single delt elevation that accentuates her posture perfectly .... we could go on and on. Amy hails from one of our home areas, Pittsburgh, and we'd love to see her win a show like the Pittsburgh Pro or the Powerhouse Pro in Michigan later this year.
