FigureRX Contest Preview: 2008 Arnold Amateur Figure
FigureRX Online Magazine Volume 3
February 10, 2008
Official 2008 Arnold Amateur Figure Preview
The second annual Arnold Amateur Figure Championships has really turned into a national level type show - in other words, the talent is incredible and deep!! At FigureRX we are pleased to be able to bring you what we think is the largest, most thorough amateur event preview in the sport's history. This is indicative of the type of coverage we plan to provide for figure, fitness, and women's bodybuilding in 2008. Most importantly, we are reaching down to the state and local level to highlight some of the top-potential athletes who are just starting out in this great sport as it continues its incredible expansion.

Here is a breakdown of the figure competitors by Country and by State:



Each height class has its own preview ....
Class A (Spotlight Athlete – Keisha Pedigo)
Class B (Spotlight Athlete – Jennifer Jackson)
Class C (Spotlight Athlete – Casey Jovan)
Class D (Spotlight Athlete – Charity Tinsley)
Class E (Spotlight Athlete – Gabriela Cioban)
Class F (Spotlight Athlete – Valerie Richman)

See Keisha's spotlight interview - LINK
See Jennifer's spotlight interview - LINK
See Gabriela's spotlight interview - LINK
See Valerie's spotlight interview - LINK

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--------------------------------------------CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION!!
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2008 Arnold Amateur Figure - Class A Preview
FigureRX Online Magazine Volume 3
February 10, 2008
Official 2008 Arnold Amateur Figure Class A Preview
Welcome to our preview coverage for Figure Class A, which looks dramatically different than when the original competitor lists came out. At first the affectionately labeled "short class" had 29 competitors. Now it is at least down to a much more manageable number of athletes and will probably shrink even more after the weigh-ins (we left a few athletes who are unsure and right on the cusp of 5'1" in Class A).

Class A Old Height Class: Up to and including 5'2” (29 athletes)
Class A New Height Class: Up to and including 5'1” (18 athletes)

The original competitor lists used the old height classes, but all athletes will be measured and placed in the new height classes on site. We have already moved several competitors from Class A to Class B and the list and preview that you see below has been adjusted to the best of our knowledge. If we have not been able to reach someone to make an adjustment we will make the correction in the contest reports!!



FigureRX Class A Spotlight Athlete - Keisha Pedigo

Our spotlight athlete Keisha Pedigo first caught our eye at the KentuckyMuscle in Louisville when we were on site for coverage back in November. Keisha has the incredible legs that one would expect from a former track star, and will also be bringing one of the best overall upper body shapes in the Class. But in the course of talking to her for her interview, we became even more impressed with the knowledge that she brings from her training in the renowned program at Ball State and the mental approach that drives her accomplishments. We always think that it is extremely helpful to learn from the best in the sport, whether that be national level trainers like Mike Davies or Mike Horn, because they have the perspective regarding what the judges want to see, or local experts to help with diet, training, and presentation (in Indiana that would be stars like Jennifer Gates and Jessica Wright).

But ultimately, regardless of what advice you receive, every athlete must become an expert on what works for prep, based on his or her own body. It's that knowledge, combined with her physique tools, drive and determination that leads us to believe that Keisha is a future star.

You can read Keisha's full spotlight interview by going here.
(Disclaimer: Keisha is one of the athletes who may move to Class B!!).

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NPC Figure Arnold Keisha Pedigo Zionsville Indiana
One of the best from Europe will be making the trip across the Atlantic to make what we think will be a huge impact at this show. Linda Fodor-Egelstig from Sweden has the type of physique that we feel should be rewarded on any stage, with the right combination of fullness, size, figure shape, and hardness. Add in Linda's beauty and we think she is definitely top three in Class A and may even challenge for the overall title. Linda took 2nd at the Amateur World Championships in 2006 and won Swedish Nationals in 2005. Her preparations for this show have been well documented thanks to her supportive husband, and you can check out some great video here as well as progress photos four weeks out (LINK) and two weeks out (LINK).

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NPC Figure Arnold Linda Fodor-Egelstig Stockholm Sweden
Another competitor who we are sure will be ready to challenge for the top three here is Melissa Froio, who has a string of top level placings at the national level and will be looking to take that one additional step to a pro card this year. Melissa has recently simplified her life and moved to South Carolina to focus on her goals for this year. We believe in her and highly recommend that you follow her frequently updated blog on her web site (accessible from the FigureRX links page).

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NPC Figure Arnold Melissa Froio Atlanta Georgia
This show has a strong Alabama contingent, and we think Misty Tidmore is another competitor with a top national level physique who will challenge for the top five at the Arnold. Misty has terrific quads, especially with her outer sweep, and she comes in very well conditioned. She has a background in bodybuilding and she competed a couple of times at the national level in 2006.

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NPC Figure Arnold Misty Tidmore-Schaffer Boaz Alabama
Kelli Correa is the overall champion from the 2007 NPC Natural Northern and also won her height class at an OCB show and competed at an IFPA show last year. Hopefully she is in the NPC to stay because we think she will do better at the national level this year relative to 2006, especially if she can duplicate the look that she brought to the 2007 OCB Natural Spring National Championships in Cape Cod.

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NPC Figure Arnold Kelli Correa Plymouth Massachusetts
Heather Bear contacted IFBB Pro Fitness star Jenn Hendershott to lose weight for her wedding a few years ago, and hasn't looked back. She's now a certified trainer and Jenn's personal assistant, which she balances with being a veterinary technician and a mother. Heather looked very good at the 2007 North Americans and she'll only get better this year.

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NPC Figure Arnold Heather Bear Aurora Indiana
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-----Check out our new FigureRX feature, Media Watch! We let you know the best of the print
-----magazines every month, and track advertising pages and the percentage of female content.
-----How does your favorite magazine measure up in supporting the female side of the sport?
-----And among the female-focused magazines, which ones bring the most muscle? Click HERE.

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New Yorker Debbie Bell has a superb resume and she just upped her figure game while competing at the 2008 NPC Ironman Figure in Los Angeles (see the preview here and the contest report here). She competed as a professional level gymnast in high school and was the captain and choreographer of her cheerleading squad at New York University. Debbie is also the founder of the Body Catalyst System of training.

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NPC Figure Arnold Debbie Bell New York New York
Another competitor who stepped on stage at her personal best for the 2008 Ironman is Shawna Kondo from the Bay Area. You can check out her Ironman pics here. Shawna's strengths include a very tight waist and great presentation.

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NPC Figure Arnold Shawna Kondo Mountain View California
We think that North Carolinian Stacey Pillari is particularly inspiring. Not only does she have a gorgeous physique, but she is also a successful business woman, personal trainer, and equestrian riding instructor. Her background includes bodybuilding at age 19, competing in fitness at age 23, power lifting at age 34, and she is now doing figure competitions at age 42. Stacey's strengths include her abs, glutes and quads - frankly, we think that she looks phenomenal!!

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NPC Figure Arnold Stacey Pillari Hurdle Mills North Carolina
Lindsey Bundy from Ohio is the 2007 NPC Ohio State Figure A and Overall champion, but we will be taking a look at her for the first time in Columbus. Floridian Jennifer Hoffman is another short class and overall winner, at the 2007 NPC Southeastern Championships. You can check this top contender out behind the scenes and on stage in a video here. And we really like Virginian Patricia Crvich, who has been turning heads for a year on the strength of her outstanding symmetry and great figure focal points.

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NPC Figure Arnold Patricia Crvich Rural Retreat Virginia Jennifer Hoffman Winter Haven Florida Lindsey Bundy Westerville Ohio
Sue Ellen Dent won class A at the 2007 NPC New England Figure Championships, while Bethann Hyndshaw is the founder of her owning training studio called Inspiring Bodies and she competed here at the Arnold last year.

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NPC Figure Arnold Sue Ellen Dent Enfeils Connecticut Bethann Hyndshaw Flemington New Jersey Catherine Norris Edmonton Alberta Stacie Domhoff Ypsilanti Michigan
Gloria Puckett placed 2nd in Class A at the very competitive NPC San Diego in 2007, while Marjan Washington competed at the 2007 NPC KentuckyMuscle. We have no information on Stacie Domhoff or Canadian Catherine Norris and will be seeking to learn more about them on site in Columbus.

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NPC Figure Arnold Gloria Puckett Fayetteville North Carolina Marjan Washington Huntington West Virginia

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2008 Arnold Amateur Figure - Class B Preview
FigureRX Online Magazine Volume 3
February 10, 2008
Official 2008 Arnold Amateur Figure Class B Preview
Class B started out as the smallest, with nine athletes, but grew to at least fifteen with the change in height classes. The class has Canadian stars, masters champions, former bodybuilders, and several state figure winners - and a few of our favorites in *all* of amateur figure starting with our spotlight athlete Jennifer Jackson.

Class B Old Height Class: Over 5'2” and up to and including 5'3” (9 athletes)
Class B New Height Class: Over 5'1” and up to and including 5'2-1/2” (16 athletes)

The original competitor lists used the old height classes, but all athletes will be measured and placed in the new height classes on site. We have already moved several competitors from Class A to Class B and others from B to C, with the result being an increase in Class B competitors. The list and preview that you see below has been adjusted to the best of our knowledge. If we have not been able to reach someone to make an adjustment we will make the correction in the contest reports!!



FigureRX Class B Spotlight Athlete - Jennifer Jackson

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We obviously think that our spotlight athlete for Class B, Jennifer Jackson, is a rapidly rising star ... not only that, we think she has a prototype physique for modern figure. We know that's a pretty strong statement from a company that covers the entire sport, but Jennifer not only has made an impact every time she hits the stage but she also works with one of the best, her friend and IFBB pro Julie Lohre.

Jennifer is a new car sales manager from Michigan who will be starting the year off strong not only in Columbus but at Junior USA's and Junior Nationals. In the off-season her focus has been on making subtle improvements to her glutes and hamstrings. We'll be keeping an eye on her web site to see when it is up and running (http://www.jennjackson.com/) and you should too. Editor's Note: Jennifer will not be competing after catching the flu at the tail end of her contest prep. We can't wait to see her in Charleston!!

You can read Jennifer's full spotlight interview by going here.

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NPC Figure Arnold Jennifer Jackson East Tawas Michigan
There we were all ready to talk about our third Alabama star in Figure Class A, but now we have our first of two Teresa Baggett in Class B and both have a chance to challenge at the top. We are huge fans of Teresa's, not only does she have a superb physique with world class abdominals, she's already a successful fitness model having appeared in the popular Jet Fuel ad. Teresa has also been photographed several times by the discerning assessor of talent, Terry Goodlad. So at FigureRX we're certain that Teresa is a superstar waiting to happen on the national figure scene and it begins at the Arnold.

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NPC Figure Arnold Teresa Baggett Hoover Alabama
Candice Houston from the Las Vegas area is already at the top of the national scene, having finished 2nd in Class A at North Americans last year. When Candice comes in hard she has one of the best bodies on stage, especially with her abs and legs. She will also challenge at the top of this class and with the changes in height class we think she has an excellent shot at a pro card in 2008.

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NPC Figure Arnold Candice Houston Henderson Nevada
One of the star Canadians in this class is extremely gorgeous and successful fitness model Michele Levesque from Montreal. This athlete is a threat at the top in any show that she enters, even though she has only been competing for two years, because she has intense dedication to her contest prep. Michele grew up in a small town and was extremely athletic with a background in gymnastics, figure skating, biking and skiing. She has a college degree in kinesiology and is also last year's Musclemania Figure Universe short class and overall champion. Watch for Michele becuase she simply glows on stage.

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NPC Figure Arnold Michele Levesque L'Assomption Quebec Montreal Canada
One of the battle tested figure athletes to come out of the extremely competitive Texas NPC scene is Kandi Allen, who tore up the state in 2007 taking Class A titles at the Heart of Texas and the Europa and second place at the Texas State. Kandi is a single mom who works as an assistant athletic director for a private workout facility, a personal trainer, a group fitness instructor, and a dog and cat groomer! We don't get to Texas very often for shows (that will change this year) so it will be exciting to see her on stage.

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NPC Figure Arnold Kandi Allen Plano Texas
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-----Competing in 2008? Get the full state and local NPC contest schedule right here on FigureRX.
-----Updated almost daily, click HERE.
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-----When the show is over, just return to the schedule to find our links to the best coverage!!
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Our second competitor in Class B from the Crimson state is Amber Hill, who has a beautiful overall shape and great delts. Amber used to do bodybuilding which explains her great muscle quality, and she is a Team MannaTech Athlete. In 2006 she stepped on stage to compete less than a year after her third daughter was born – and won first place in her class at the Las Vegas Classic! She also placed 2nd in Class A at the 2006 Clash at the Capstone.

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NPC Figure Arnold Amber Hill Birmingham Alabama

Sindia Quinones-Powers, otherwise known as SinQT, is a swimsuit and fitness model who is making her move into figure. Sindia was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in New York, but now lives in Ohio where some of her best modeling is Cleveland sports themed. After the Arnold she plans to compete at the Northern Kentucky, and we hope to learn more about her as a spotlight athlete for that event.

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NPC Figure Arnold Sindia Quinones-Powers Cleveland Ohio
We have tremendous respect for Jean Jitomir, a former bodybuilder who now does figure and has successfully made the transition. She is an excellent writer with a huge fitness-related knowledge base, and if you haven't seen her blog on her MySpace we highly recommend checking it out (http://www.myspace.com/jeanjitomir). Jean has a string of advanced degrees including a bachelor's from Cornell, the alma mater of Jamie Reed, and a two-year degree at SUNY-Buffalo which is in my home town of Williamsville. You can bet that Jean will be ready for this show and obviously we will be happy if someone with her physique type does very well.

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NPC Figure Arnold Jean Jitomir Waco Texas
Our second Canadian star in this class is Katie Kersey, who is well known for her tremendous conditioning and preparation. Katie works with IFBB Pro Jane Awad, for whom we have a ton of respect, and we really like her physique type which includes superb quads and beautifully capped delts. She recently received some mainstream coverage in the Windstor Star, and you can see the article by going here. Look for Katie to bounce back significantly from her placing at the 2007 North Americans.

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NPC Figure Arnold Katie Kersey Windsor Ontario Canada
New Jersey competitor Lisa Person has come a long way in a short period of time and the Arnold just may be her breakout show. You can learn more about her inspiring story by going here. Lisa placed 7th in Figure A at the 2007 New Jersey Gold's Classic and 2nd place at the 2007 East Coast Figure.

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NPC Figure Arnold Lisa Person Mt. Mount Laurel New Jersey

Katrinka Danielson from Oregon will be making her first appearance on the national scene, while Floridian Lori Quintero placed in the top five in Figure A at the 2005 NPC Southern States and competed at the 2006 Junior Nationals, placing 12th in her class. We like Lori's level of muscle but it has been a while since we have seen her on stage so it will be interesting to see the look that she presents.

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NPC Figure Arnold Katrinka Danielson Springfield Oregon Lori Quintero West Palm Beach Florida

Laura Moreland-Rose is part of a particularly amazing group of talent coming out of South Carolina in the past couple of years - you will see many of them impress on the national stage in 2008 and SC is one of the states heavily represented in our figure media guide. Laura has good genetics, especially her joints, and she placed 12th in Class A at the 2007 Junior Nationals. How anybody is able to balance an investment banking career with competition we don't know, but Jill Frew from New York has been able to do it very successfully over the past few years.

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NPC Figure Arnold Laura Moreland-Rose Columbia South Carolina Jill Frew New York New York

Michigan competitor Stephanie Martini also competed at Junior Nationals last year, placing 11th, and we think she has an excellent overall shape and could have been higher at that show. We don't much at all about Heather Brooke Malone other than she used to compete in the OCB, which is popular in the Atlantic States region. We look forward to learning more about her in Ohio.

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NPC Figure Arnold Stephanie Martini Walled Lake Michigan Heather Brooke Malone Randallstown Maryland

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2008 Arnold Amateur Figure - Class C Preview
FigureRX Online Magazine Volume 3
February 10, 2008
Official 2008 Arnold Amateur Figure Class C Preview
Figure Class C will be competitive from top to bottom, especially after several Class B athletes have been moved over. In fact the depth here is tremendous, which is not something we could say about the lower-mid height classes at the national level last year. Figure stars who will impress in this class include several Canadians and a few talented Texans, among many others, and that's even after two favorites decided not to compete!!

Class C Old Height Class: Over 5'3” and up to and including 5'4” (21 athletes)
Class C New Height Class: Over 5'2-1/2” and up to and including 5'4” (24 athletes)

The original competitor lists used the old height classes, but all athletes will be measured and placed in the new height classes on site. We have already moved several competitors from Class B to Class C and the list and preview that you see below has been adjusted to the best of our knowledge. If we have not been able to reach someone to make an adjustment we will make the correction in the contest reports!!



FigureRX Class C Spotlight Athlete - Casey Jovan

Casey Jovan was selected as our spotlight athlete for Class C, and after several days of phone and e-mail tag we have decided to plow ahead and to catch up with her on site. Casey is one of the athletes who has trained with superb Salt Lake City-based trainer and contest prep expert Sandy Hancock and she turned a lot of heads while winning the figure overall title at the 2007 NPC Northern Classic. Casey has national level potential based on her outstanding overall package so look for the Arnold to be her big arrival announcement.

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NPC Figure Arnold Casey Jovan Draper Utah
Another athlete who we already know will be one of the best in 2008 is Michigan's Pamela Soper, who is gorgeous with a superb physique including excellent glutes and abs. Pamela had her arrival party at last year's NPC Pittsburgh, and followed it up with two top five finishes at the national level. This personal trainer is an IFBB professional waiting to happen and she will begin her year by challenging for the top three on this stage.

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NPC Figure Arnold Pamela Soper Flint Michigan
It's such a treat to have many of the top Canadian competitors here, and we hope to sit down in Ohio and learn more about Leah Berti, a rising star from Calgary. The 24-year old Leah is drop dead gorgeous with just the right amount of muscle. We'll save more for our contest report but not only are we excited to see her compete at the Arnold but we think she's in for a great year competing in Canada as well.

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NPC Figure Arnold Leah Berti Calgary Albert Canada
Now we get to two-step to some Texas quality and talk about the first of three Lone Star state competitors in this height class. Esmeralda Saxenian from Bellaire in the Houston area has a great total package physique with specifically outstanding abdominals, arms and vascularity. She's also impressive as a fitness model, and we think "Laly" will perhaps do as well here as she did at the 2007 NPC Texas State.

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NPC Figure Arnold Esmeralda Saxenian Bellaire Texas
The second Canadian star in this height class actually won the fitness short class at 2007 Nationals. Allison Black-Stirling has a FigureRX-style physique (muscle, symmetry and conditioning) with awesome delts, back, and V-taper. Allison is solid all over but with a fitness-type physique, so how she fares will really depend on the direction of the judging - but we would place her near the top.

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NPC Figure Arnold Allison Black-Stirling Edmonton Alberta Canada
Bernadette Marturano competed at the NPC Ironman Figure where she was spot on except for her upper leg conditioning, which seemed to be a couple weeks out (you can see pictures of her competing at the Ironman by going here). That means here at the Arnold, two weeks later, she could impress. You can't deny Bernadette's beauty and her genetics, which give her supermodel-type physique lines, so if she can dial in that last component she will do very well. She is trained by her boyfriend Tad Inoue.

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NPC Figure Arnold Heins Bernadette Marturano Temecula California
Emily Little would have been one of our Ohio surprises at this show, because we love her physique, but she already appeared on our radar screen while finishing 15th in her class at North Americans last year. Emily seems to be able to move seamlessly between a gorgeous softer look when she does fitness modeling and a much tighter look on stage, and if she can dial in her conditioning just a little bit more she will be a force to reckon with nationally.

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NPC Figure Arnold Emily Little Dublin Ohio
19-year old Texan Laura Cavender is a future star who is already a veteran of top level modeling, and who is gradually putting on the muscle to stand with the big girls at the national level. We wouldn't sell her short because she definitely has that "it" factor and a great figure shape, but Laura is probably a year away from taking what are her obvious raw tools and turning them into top five finishes outside of Texas.

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NPC Figure Arnold Laura Cavender Victoria Texas
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----------------Visit NPC Figure Star Danielle Rouleau at http://www.DanielleRouleau.com!!!

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Trish Rice-Hogan is the 2006 NPC Southern Classic overall champion, and she also placed 6th in Class C at this year's highly competitive Europa. Her outstanding physique, especially her abdominals and her teardrops, is further testament to the depth in this height class.

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NPC Figure Arnold Trish Rice-Hogan North Little Rock Arizona Arkansas
Thanks to our friends at HDPhysiques for helping us to get a hold of Ann Titone from St. Louis, and for the pics! Ann has a very interesting story which we will share in the contest report, but for now we will tell you that she is an up-and-coming athlete who won first place in her class at the Missouri State Ozark Championship and the NPC Caveman Classic. She has been working on putting on some more muscle in her legs to go along with her standout upper body, and after this show you will be able to see her compete at the national level.

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NPC Figure Arnold Ann Titone St. Saint Louis Missouri
Our second Missouri athlete in this class looks much younger than her 45 years old, in fact Amy Kessler won first place in the Short Class and first place in the Masters Division at the 2007 NPC Continental.

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NPC Figure Arnold Amy Kessler St. Saint Louis Missouri
We like both Tina Davis and Qawnana Crockett as well. Tina already has a pro style physique, with an amazingly tight waist and tiny joints, and she placed 2nd in figure short at the 2007 NPC All South. Qawnana competed at the 2007 North Americans and placed 9th in Class C, and she stands out for her back and delt definition.

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NPC Figure Arnold Qawnana Crockett Gainesville Virginia Tina Davis Fortson Georgia
With apologies to Rochelle Cannon, Deanna Harvick from Beaumont is a quad queen. Her legs are so outstanding that she'll need to work to show balance between her upper and lower bodies. Deanna placed 5th in Class C at the ultra-competitive 2007 NPC Texas State.

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NPC Figure Arnold Deanna Harvick Beaumont Texas
Tonya Todd from Arkansas is a ten time Team USA national arm wrestling champion, and it's no surprise that she has great arms and delts. Terri Sileno took 2nd in her class and 1st in masters at the 2007 NPC Dutchess, while we don't know much yet about Christina Watson other than she's beautiful but you can check out her Femflex video here.

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NPC Figure Arnold Christina Watson Xenia Ohio Tonya Todd Cabot Arkansas Terri Sileno Doug Wreepsie New York

Linda Smith took 7th in Figure Class A at the 2007 Tournament of Champions and 5th in Figure B at the NPC Elite Muscle Classic, while Sandra Brewer from Ohio competed at the 2007 NPC Mike Francois and has done the Arnold 5k pump and run in past years. Melissa Lefebvre took 7th place in figure medium at the Canadian Championships, and we have no information on Heather Stewart-Olds. Olivia McGuire is another competitor who trains with Nina Luchka, so you know she will be ready. Olivia placed 12th in the Masters B class at North Americans.

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NPC Figure Arnold Linda Smith Charlotte North Carolina Olivia McGuire Providence Ontario Canada Melissa Lefebvre Alberta Canada
Not Competing

Pia Jansson from Norway has decided not to compete, and if anyone can read her statement to tell us the reason please do and let us know (http://www.piajansson.com/wordpress/index.php)!!

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NPC Figure Arnold Pia Jansson Vear Norway
We'd like to give a special acknowledgement to Faye Schmid from New Jersey, and although we're disappointed that we might not get to see her compete until North Americans we want to congratulate her on the reason - she will be preparing for her wedding! Faye has a beautiful physique and we'll be very supportive of her efforts whenever she is ready.

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NPC Figure Arnold Faye Schmid Port Murray New Jersey

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www.FigureRX.com

2008 Arnold Amateur Figure - Class D Preview
FigureRX Online Magazine Volume 3
February 10, 2008
Official 2008 Arnold Amateur Figure Class D Preview
Class D now has 22 competitors and may grow more as we expect a couple more athletes to move down from E. This competitive class features one our favorite amateurs from the State of Florida, a multiple-show winner from the Northeast, a gorgeous crossover from bodybuilding, an Emerald Cup class champ, and two muscular Texans. Our spotlight athlete, local Columbus athlete Charity Tinsley, is ready to emerge at the national level.

Class D Old Height Class: Over 5'4” and up to and including 5'5” (18 athletes)
Class D New Height Class: Over 5'4” and up to and including 5'5-1/2” (22 athletes)

The original competitor lists used the old height classes, but all athletes will be measured and placed in the new height classes on site. We have already moved several competitors from Class E to Class D and the list and preview that you see below has been adjusted to the best of our knowledge. If we have not been able to reach someone to make an adjustment we will make the correction in the contest reports!!



FigureRX Class D Spotlight Athlete - Charity Tinsley

Our spotlight athlete for Class D, Charity Tinsley, has the type of physique that we'd like to see rewarded more often at the national level. She did not place at North Americans last year and was 7th here at the Arnold Amateur, but she impressed with a total package that included amazing abs, quads, biceps, back development, presentation, and a little bit of a dramatic flair on stage. Look for more about Charity in our contest report after the show. Editor's Note: Charity will not compete due to an injury.

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NPC Figure Arnold Charity Tinsley Columbus Ohio
One athlete who we know will be challenging to win this class is Dixie Reynolds from northern Florida. Some competitors bring a total package and also know how to win, and Dixie has put together an impressive winning streak in Florida. She has had the legs, glutes and abs to stand with the best for a while now and has been working to put on the arm and delt size to have an impact nationally. Based on her latest progress pictures taken on February 22nd which you can see here we are locking in our assessment and predicting an excellent placing for her at this show.

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NPC Figure Arnold Dixie Reynolds Panama City Florida
Jumping *two* classes from B to D on the competitor lists is Andrea Swanson from one of our many suburbs here in Chicago. Andrea's training journal on a "competing network" has been so detailed since November we feel like we've been in the gym with her, and since we have a detailed knowledge of her physique objectives we can say that she's there and we're hugely impressed. Andrea has an extremely tight waist, solid muscle all over, and what we will refer to as undeniable bootyness. The goal has been to streamline her quads without losing the glutes. This talented competitor will be bursting onto the national scene this year with the improvements that she has made, starting with a solid top five finish in this height class.

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NPC Figure Arnold Andrea Swanson Bloomingdale Illinois
Karin Kimura was an amazing bodybuilder, and now that she has defied the recent trend somewhat and has moved to figure, we think she will be increasingful successful at her new sport as well. Karin is an expert trainer with the extensive knowledge basis neessary to refine her physique, and we believe that she is also an NGA judge. In 2007, Karin won Class D at the Emerald Cup, placed 16th at Nationals (where substantive muscle was heavily penalized) and 13th at the USA's. She undoubtedly has the presence and structure to do well but it will be a function of her ability to continue to streamline, as well as the direction of the judging.

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NPC Figure Arnold Karen Kimura Boise Idaho
Another Texas athlete, Kendra McAdams, has been highly successful at every level and we would not expect anything different at the Arnold. Kendra finished 3rd at last year's Junior Nationals and she has some champion delts, back and triceps. If she can streamline her quads like she did last year she can even challenge for the top three in this quality group.

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NPC Figure Arnold Kendra McAdams Mesquite Texas
We think that Tiffany Reffner has a great upper body, a beautiful presentation and a great overall shape, and in 2007 she was able to take 3rd place in Class B at the 2007 NPC East Coast Tournament of Champions and 11th in her class at Figure Nationals. If she is able to show a little more size in her legs to match her upper body size and conditioning she will do very well here.

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NPC Figure Arnold Tiffany Reffner Hagerstown Maryland
We last saw Laura Bailey from California at the 2005 Junior Nationals, where she showed off some great ratios and a killer quad sweep. We'll be looking to see what changes she has made since then. Here's a modeling photo of Laura from 2006 (LINK).

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NPC Figure Arnold Laura Bailey Bakersfield California
We have a feeling that Kia McKay is going to roll into Columbus and turn quite a few heads, not just because she lives in the Tampa area but because she is moving steadily toward realizing her potential. Kia is a great makeup artist, stylist, and tanning specialist, and she has looked awesome at Model America and Model Universe events.

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NPC Figure Arnold Kia McKay Brandon Florida
Another competitor who is NPC Texas tough is Rachelle Stephens, who won Class C at the 2007 Lone Star. Rachelle has some serious muscle with some great arms and delts, and she placed 16th at last year's USA's.

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NPC Figure Arnold Rachelle Stephens Weatherford Texas
Heather Wilson is a top fitness model and the only Canadian in this height class. She has competed extensively in Musclemania and the OCB, and she has the legs and glutes that give away her many years as a track star specializing in the sprints. Heather also has developed one of our favorite backs in the class.

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NPC Figure Arnold Heather Wilson Scarborough Ontario Canada
Our northeast champion is Katerina Tarbox, who has taken class wins at the 2007 King Kamali and the 2007 Kim Klein / Empire State (both in medium and masters). Katerina has classic figure lines and we noticed that when she creates the illusion of more upper body size with increased vascularity and fullness on stage she really stands out.

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NPC Figure Arnold Katerina Tarbox Warwick Rhode Island
When we see Suzanne Barlas we really think she should be a feature model for abs for steel, since she has some of the best in figure. She has an extensive contest history but to learn more about her we recommend checking out her Arnold issue article in the Beverly International newsletter (Page One Page Two Page Three Page Four).

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NPC Figure Arnold Suzanne Barlas Crownsville Maryland
Alice - 2007 East Coast Tournament of Champions - NPC, Figure B, 4th
Kristy - Gold's Gym owner, 2006 NPC Southern States, Class C 2nd place

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NPC Figure Arnold Alice Simmons Great Mills Maryland Kristy McKinney Panama City Beach Florida
Heather - 2006 USBF North American, Figure Tall 2nd, YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq7KKAhfh0o
Yolanda - 2006 Junior Nationals, Figure C, 11th

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NPC Figure Arnold Heather Payne Kristy Newark Valley New York Yolanda Tillman Lindenhurst New York
Daphne - 2007 Natural Ohio Class C 1st and Overall

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2008 Arnold Amateur Figure - Class E Preview
FigureRX Online Magazine Volume 3
February 10, 2008
Official 2008 Arnold Amateur Figure Class E Preview
Figure Class E goes up to a dozen competitors deep in top national (and international) level talent, and with the new height cut-off features a lot of tall athletes as well. Figure E includes height class champions from Texas, Florida, and the Emerald Cup, just to name a few. There's a beautiful model from Canada, one of the best physiques in Argentina, a member of Team Performance Ready, an NFL running back's wife, and a Tennessee class winner who has worked with Ms. Figure Olympia. There are up to seven athletes who we think could win this class including our spotlight competitor, Australian Gabriela Cioban.

Class E Old Height Class: Over 5'5” and up to and including 5'6” (22 athletes)
Class E New Height Class: Over 5'5-1/2” and up to and including 5'7” (24 athletes)

The original competitor lists used the old height classes, but all athletes will be measured and placed in the new height classes on site. We have already moved several competitors and the list and preview that you see below has been adjusted to the best of our knowledge. If we have not been able to reach someone to make an adjustment we will make the correction in the contest reports!!



FigureRX Class E Spotlight Athlete - Gabriela Cioban

The more we see and hear about the figure scene in Australia the more we like it. At FigureRX we've already put on our to-do list for 2009 to offer Arnold sponsorship for an IFBB pro to compete in the Figure International, *just* in case travel costs are a factor to the selection committee. Rosa-Maria Romero and Arina Manta are a superstar tandem combining beauty, physique and business acumen - we absolutely love them!!

But given the consistent talent level and excellence, we can't have too many competitors from down under and there is a third rising star who we think is ready to join their ranks ... and she is our spotlight athlete for Figure Class E. Gabriela Cioban is 25 years old and she hails from Melbourne in Victoria on the southern coast, and she has a string of titles already including the 2007 Miss NABBA International Figure Tall Class, IFBB Victorian State, Australian Nationals, and the Australasian Championships. Gabi's biggest strengths include her abs and her biceps, but she truly will be bringing a total package to this stage.

To see Gabriela's spotlight interview please go here.

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NPC Figure Arnold Gabriela Cioban Melbourne Victoria Australia
We've had our eye on Alaska native and Las Vegas resident Jennifer Reynolds ever since she was overlooked at the USA's in 2007, and we think she is poised for a breakthrough year in 2008. Her long legs make her look taller than 5'6" while she has upper body development that is rare on a taller competitor, and she brings standout arms and abs. Her suit didn't quite fit her correctly when she competed in Las Vegas so if she polishes up her presentation slightly she will be a solid top five at the Arnold.

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NPC Figure Arnold Jennifer Reynolds Henderson Nevada
At age 21 and in the "you've got to be kidding" category, Texan Celeste Bonin already has one of the best lower bodies in the entire sport. She is a former high school soccer star and it shows. In fact her wheels remind us a lot of Danielle Rouleau's, with her combination of size, sweep, separation, and tiny joints. Celeste is obviously gorgeous with a total package from head to toe and her first step outside of Texas to compete should set her off on a laser beam to the top of the sport. We'll attempt to learn more about her in Columbus.

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NPC Figure Arnold Celeste Bonin Houston Texas
We also think that Klubo Rachel is primed to challenge at the top of this class. She won her height class at one of the top regional events in the country in 2006, the Emerald Cup, and she has impressed us during every trip to the national stage since that time. The progress pics are coming in right on track, Klubo always has great muscle shape and size, especially with her back and quads, and you can see a few photos from February 23rd by going here. We are impressed!!

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NPC Figure Arnold Klubo Rachel Flingai Seattle Washington
We don't want to be pimping out the potato heads too much, but Floridian Tami Delzenero is ricekakes on bodyspace. She and her other half stayed at the Team FigureRX host hotel at last year's Arnold, so we kept running into her in the restaurant, and frankly she looked ready to compete nationally even then. Tami has a couple of second place finishes under her belt including the 2007 NPC Southern States and the 2007 NPC Anna Level, and she was out spotlight athlete for the second show. We're really glad to see her testing herself here before getting ready to do nationals.

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NPC Figure Arnold Tami Delzenero Ricekakes Ft. Fort Lauderdale Florida
Canadian beauty Natalie Waples turned some heads when she arrived at the 2007 North Americans with her pink posing suits and placed 4th in Class C, even though her physique was softer than the rest of the top five. Some competitors just have that something special, and Natalie is one of them, and as she continues to add muscle to conform to NPC standards she will only do better. It will be exciting to see the progress that she has made.

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NPC Figure Arnold Natalie Waples Ottawa Ontario Canada
Argentinian competitor Viviana Casarubbia was new to us, but we like what we see especially on the modeling side. Viviana is a pure beauty, with great muscle shapes and a perfect complexion. It has been difficult to get a handle on how she might appear on stage because the lighting has been poor in the event photos that we have seen, and the blurriness has made her look pretty big. But we're extrapolating and betting that she's going to present an impressive package in Columbus.

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NPC Figure Arnold Viviana Casarubbia Argentina

-----__________________________________________________________________________
-----Competing in 2008? Get the full state and local NPC contest schedule right here on FigureRX.
-----Updated almost daily, click HERE.
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Dawnice Beckley has moved over from Class F and she has an extensive contest history which you can see below. Dawnice has great biceps and abs and she placed 6th at this event last year.

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NPC Figure Arnold Dawnice Beckley Lancaster Ohio
Kate Heath is another of the impressive group that will be arriving from Utah, and she is a correctional officer and a fitness trainer. Kate has a great overall shape, but has been a little inconsistent with her conditioning. If she can dial everything in the way that she did at the Emerald Cup then she can be a factor in this height class and at national level shows.

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NPC Figure Arnold Kate Heath Salt Lake City Utah
French competitor Marie-Pierre Ripert has a background in swimming and is married to Olivier Ripert, a world bodybuilding champion. Marie is genetically gifted with tiny joints, a small waist, and long muscle bellies, and she can really dial in her conditioning. To state the obvious, her placing will likely depend on how the judging panel, which is half international, scores the harder and more muscular physiques.

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NPC Figure Arnold Marie-Pierre Ripert La Ciotat France
Our Tampa correspondent has been working hard to connect with Melissa Pittman, who is married to Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup running back Michael Pittman. Melissa is an entrepreneur who in the past has owned Smoothie King franchises. She first competed in figure in Texas, at the 2007 Europa where she placed 4th in Class C. Angie Ratliff's home town of Canal Winchester is just southeast of Columbus, so she'll be making a short drive in order to show off her very impressive figure lines. Angie took 6th in Figure Medium at the very competive 2007 NPC Mike Francois, and we really like her calves, hamstrings, forearms and the very pleasing overall package that she presents.

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NPC Figure Arnold Michael Melissa Pittman Tampa Florida Bay Bucs Angie Ratliff Canal Winchester Ohio
Of course when we see an impressive competitor from Colorado she must be part of Team Performance Ready! Jaime Meade is a physical therapist specializing in pediatrics, which sounds like a great career, and her contest history speaks for itself with a 1st place at the 2007 Carla Sanchez Fitness Fiesta and the overall title at the competitive NPC Natural Colorado Open. We believe that Jaime is destined to follow in the footsteps of other Colorado greats like Jessica Steffens and Jacqui Skibba (the latter is pro card bound this year) based on her pronounced V-shape, particularly her delt to waist ratio. Lisa Peper is a rising star from Tennessee who has worked with Jenny Lynn. Lisa placed 1st in Figure B and won the overall at the NPC Greater Knox Classic and also won the B Class at NPC Tennessee State Figure.

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NPC Figure Arnold Jaime Meade Parker Colorado Lisa Peper Old Hickory Tennessee
Kansas competitor Juliet Banks is back with a vengeance after taking two decades off from bodybuilding, and she recently competed at the NPC Kansas State Figure Championships and placed 3rd in Figure C. She has three children and runs Bodies by Design in Topeka, along with her husband, and received some local media coverage which you can find here. FigureRX was on hand to see Elizabeth Earhart compete at the NPC Palm Beach Amateur, and we were very impressed with her conditioning. She placed 3rd in Class C and won the Figure 40+ division.

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NPC Figure Arnold Juliet Banks Topeka Kansas Elizabeth Earhart Odessa Florida

Amity Hall from California has great arms but we'll be looking to see if she has dialed in her conditioning a bit more relative to her 5th place showing in Class E at the 2007 Excalibur. You can find out everything about Hawaiian Heather Jones by checking out this news article here, while we have no information on Laurie Eldredge from Connecticut.

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NPC Figure Arnold Amity Hall Folsom California Heather Jones Aiea Hawaii Laurie Eldredge Pomfret Center Connecticut

Christine Kluger is the 2007 NPC Southern Indiana overall figure champion. Lucinda Witte from Rancho Cordova is a personal trainer with an incredibly inspiring physique, especially considering that she began lifting weights only four years ago after the birth of her fifth child. Lucinda took 2nd place in Class C at the 2007 NPC Steel Rose and won the Figure Medium class at the 2007 NPC Northern Classic. Finally, we want to recognize one of our Class E favorites, Angela Kirkland from Missouri, who was preparing for the show but had to postpone competing due to some family occurances. We wish her the absolute best and know that she will be instantly successful as soon as she hits the stage.

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NPC Figure Arnold Christine Kluger Indianapolis Indiana Lucinda Witte Ranco Rancho Cordova California
Not Competing

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NPC Figure Arnold Sonya Garner Dallas Georgia

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2008 Arnold Amateur Figure - Class F Preview
February 10, 2008
Official 2008 Arnold Amateur Figure Class F Preview
Just like the rest of this show, Figure Class F is stacked ... our research staff worked overtime to learn about everyone and there are a few athletes who we will need to catch up with at the show. But that's part of the excitement of the sport, there are always new top athletes with great physiques hitting the scene.

We're pleased to be able to feature Ontario athlete Valerie Richman as our spotlight competitor for the tall class. This class also includes a figure mega-stars in Francisca Dennis, and we think these two athletes will contend at the top.

Listed Class F Height Class: Over 5'6” (27 athletes)
Adjusted Class F Height Class: Over 5'7” (21 athletes)

The original competitor lists used the old height classes, but all athletes will be measured and placed in the new height classes on site. We have already moved several competitors from Class F to Class E and the list and preview that you see below has been adjusted to the best of our knowledge. If we have not been able to reach someone to make an adjustment we will make the correction in the contest reports!!



FigureRX Class F Spotlight Athlete - Valerie Richman

Valerie Richman from Ontario has a figure skating and swimming background and trains with IFBB Pro Nina Luchka. She and her husband are both elementary school teachers and they both had several impressive class and overall wins in their province last year. Valerie also placed 6th in a very tough figure tall class at the 2007 Canadian Nationals, where she had a superb overall shape with good muscle but avoided coming in ultra hard. It's her muscle size and her pleasing look at Nationals that makes us think that Valerie has an excellent shot at a top placing at the Arnold, because she has the type of physique and presentation that translates well across the border. We love to see figure in mainstream news coverage so check out this article on Mark and Valerie Richman in their regional newspaper (LINK).

You can read Valerie's full spotlight interview by going here.

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NPC Figure Arnold Valerie Richman Courtice Ontario Canada Fitness photos

The next competitor is pretty much the perfect embodiment of the superhero image that Team FigureRX supports. Francisca Dennis is the cover girl on the April 2008 issue of Oxygen, only a few months after her appearance on the cover of the same magazine, and once you look at her biography and resume you will understand why. Start out with a childhood that included gymnastics, track and field, swimming, tree climbing and tackle football and you know that she is a natural athlete. Casually throw in supermodel good looks and physique structure as well as an intellect that allows her to write multiple, well received fitness articles.

After the birth of Francisca's sixth child, she ran her first marathon and upped the ante in the gym. Today she is the epitome of time management, not only balancing being a wife and mother of her children but also jointly taking care of two dogs and two cats, writing books for both children and adults, and running two companies. Oh yeah, she's also somehow preparing for the Arnold where we have no doubt she will be turning a lot of heads on stage.

By the way, one of our new FigureRX features is a review of all the mainstream industry mags - what's best, what's worst, and how are they measuring up as far as the percentage of content devoted to females and the more muscular aspects of the sport. Of course Oxygen gets a pass as far as female content, but you can check out the review for Francisca's issue (LINK).

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NPC Figure Arnold Francisca Dennis Lynden Ontario Canada Fitness photos

The competitor who has surprised us the most in this height class is hometown girl Leyla Yurchick, probably because she has not competed often outside of Ohio. Hopefully that will change soon as she looks to improve on last year's 10th place finish in Figure D at the Arnold, because we think she is ready for the national stage. Leyla packs a lot of muscle on her tall frame and has an ideal overall shape, and the combination of the two means she could blow some people away if she shows up hard and ripped. One of her weaknesses in the past has been her standard NPC posing stances so we'll be looking to see improvements in that area.

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NPC Figure Arnold Leyla Yurchick Columbus Ohio Fitness photos

One of the reasons why the New York Giants won the super bowl is that they came out of a tough division that included the Cowboys and Redskins - in a nutshell, they were battle tested. Anyone who comes out of the Texas NPC competing in figure will have the same advantage, so don't be surprised if 5'10" Stephanie Camacho makes a run for the top five. She has the guns and the genetics, and her placing will probably depend on her conditioning.

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NPC Figure Arnold Stephanie Camacho Crosby Texas Fitness photos

The third Canadian athlete in this class, and equally as impressive, is Sandy Helmig from Alberta. Sandy brings tremendous conditioning as well as small joints, and these attributes led her to a masters figure win at the 2007 Southern Alberta Championship. She also took second in her class at the 2007 Alberta and 13th at Canadian Nationals.

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NPC Figure Arnold Sandy Helmig Hinton Alberta Canada Fitness photos
-----__________________________________________________________________________
-----Check out our new FigureRX feature, Media Watch! We let you know the best of the print
-----magazines every month, and track advertising pages and the percentage of female content.
-----How does your favorite magazine measure up in supporting the female side of the sport?
-----And among the female-focused magazines, which ones bring the most muscle? Click HERE.

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We've learned a lot about the impressive Utah figure scene in the past few weeks, and another competitor who we think was somewhat overlooked during her trip to Junior Nationals last year and at the 2006 USA's is Amanda Bollinger. Amanda has some really great lines with tiny joints and standout glutes, calves and delts. She is the 2006 NPC Utah Open Figure tall class and overall champion.

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NPC Figure Arnold Amanda Bollinger Riverton Utah Fitness photos

We're fans of Karen Costanza's full and shredded physique. The South Carolinian has pro level everything in our opinion but probably was marked down for muscularity while competing at Junior USA's and North Americans in 2007. Mindy Dower is a beautiful competitor with standout back development who placed 3rd in Figure C at the 2007 NPC New England.

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NPC Figure Arnold Karen Costanza Fort Mill South Carolina Mindy Dower Lowell Massachusetts Fitness photos

The statuesque Stephanie Gruner from Las Vegas will be looking to follow up on her 2nd place finishes in Class D at the 2007 NPC Pacific USA Naturals Figure Championships and at the Las Vegas Figure Classic in November. Stephanie is 5'10" and she comes from the pro beach volleyball circuit and that explains her upper body development, particularly her superb arms. Not only is she a star volleyball player, she is a pilates instructor, personal trainer, and single mother of two boys! We're very impressed with her superhero-like schedule and we plan to learn more about her in Columbus, and to follow her career closely as she hopefully competes more at the national level.

Sherri Stokes competed at the 2007 NPC San Diego in Class D, along with Olesya Novik, and placed 4th.

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NPC Figure Arnold Sherri Stokes Olympia Washington Stephanie Gruner Las Vegas Nevada Fitness photos

JoHanna DuBose won Figure Class C at the 2006 NPC Excalibur in California, and then competed at the 2007 Junior USA's. Heidi Mierendorf has a background as a runner and competed at the Junior Nationals and the USA's last year, while we don't have photos of Jennifer Peckham but know that she is working hard as a co-promoter to bring professional men's bodybuilding to her home state of Michigan. Georgia girl Erin Walterhoefer placed 4th in Figure D at the 2006 NPC Coastal USA's.

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NPC Figure Arnold JoHanna DuBose North Charleston South Carolina Liza Gallia East Hampton New York Heidi Mierendorf Flagstaff Arizona Fitness photos
FigureRX was on hand to see Michele Duckworth compete at the 2007 NPC KentuckyMuscle, and she also has received some coverage in the Louisville Business Journal (LINK). We only know Ohioan Sara Bedrossian as a fitness model so it will be interesting to see her look on stage. New Yorker Jennifer Hernandez is another athlete who we have not seen on stage but we've heard she looks ready to go in person and she will have an impact in this class. Finally, in the contest photo below one of the athletes not on the podium is Hege Bjerke Pedersen from Norway (she placed 5th). All of the competitors in the photo look great so you can expect Hege to impress.

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NPC Figure Arnold Hege Bjerke Pedersen Trondheim Norway Sara Bedrossian Seven Hills Ohio Michelle Duckworth Louisville Kentucky Jennifer Hernandez New York Erin Walterhoefer Buford Georgia Fitness photos
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-------The FigureRX Exclusive Back Stage area is now open. For more details please go HERE.
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Not Competing

Deanna Rabosky and Olesya Novik will not be competing, but we decided to include their write-ups here. We are looking forward to seeing them both on stage soon, as well as featuring Deanna as our spotlight competitor for the NPC Jay Cutler in Boston.

There are a few defining characteristics that an athlete must have to succeed at the national level in figure, and we believe that New Englander Deanna Rabosky has them all. There's the physique structure, of course, and Deanna has an ideal overall shape for the tall class along with the substantive muscle to put curves in all the right places. Her figure focal points are excellent, including her delts, abs, and just enough quad sweep and separation to accentuate her small joints and impress the judges in both the NPC and the IFBB. When she gets up on stage in her Maggie-designed suit in Columbus she will be, in our opinion, presenting a superb total package.

But just as important is attitude and knowledge of the sport at the highest level, as well as a support structure to provide input and motivation along the way. Deanna is surrounded by excellence and she actually started to compete after dieting with her boyfriend Jose Raymond during his contest preparations. She noticed major changes in her physique and decided to take it to the next level and to see what would happen. In her first show she took the overall figure title at the Massachusetts State!

After the Arnold we expect to see Deanna competing at USA's in Las Vegas and at Team Universe in New York, and we also plan to do an interview and feature with her in our April issue as she prepares for the NPC John Cutler Figure Championships in Boston on May 4th. With the experience she gained in 2007, especially with her tanning, posing and presentation, it's going to be quite impressive to see what she is able to accomplish in 2008.

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NPC Figure Arnold Deanna Rabosky Woburn Massachusetts Fitness photos
We have to say that we have been eagerly anticipating Olesya Novik's return to competition in 2008 and we're glad to see that it is coming nice and early in the year! Olesya's 2007 schedule was a little bit of a tease, stepping on stage to win Figure Class D at the NPC San Diego, and then leaving everyone wanting to see more. At FigureRX we feel that Olesya is pro card bound, it's just a matter of time, and she has an excellent chance to win the overall title at the Arnold. She has tremendous development for a tall athlete, and is an excellent poser who exhibits beautiful lines on stage.

Olesya was born in Uzbekistan in Central Asia, and when she arrived with her family in the United States at age 14 she couldn't speak English. In high school she picked up powerlifting and worked out with the football team, and you can see the evidence of that in her amazing back development today. A chance meeting of Adela Garcia (and a compliment) at a grocery store in Austin led to her decision to compete, and she's now a personal trainer in Southern California. In additon, Olesya is part of the amazing team of female athletes at T-Nation and Biotest, her sponsor .... and a decade after not knowing how to speak English she is one of the best figure writing specialists in the industry.

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NPC Figure Arnold Olesya Novik Irvine California Fitness photos

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WOO HOO... I can't wait!

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Debra Lavette
ON/ABB Sponsored Athlete

Have the classes changed?

According to the invitation these are the length criterias in the different classes.

Women's Figure Classes
A - Up to and including 5'-2"
B - Over 5'-2" up to and including 5'-3"
C - Over 5'-3" up to and including 5'-4"
D - Over 5'-4" up to and including 5'-5"
E - Over 5'-5" up to and including 5'-6"
F - Over 5'-6"

Yes they have... LINK

I notice you posted photos of your wife at 4 weeks out at MD, can you post them here too?

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Women's Bodybuilding, Fitness, & Figure...

Thanks, we have totally missed that information, Linda will still be in A. Sure, I will post them here.

All of the competitor lists are based on the old height classes. We are working to see if there will be any adjustments. We estimate that there are a dozen athletes in Class A who would move to Class B, if the new height criteria are used.

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Hello,
I am a fan of Figure competition.
I am from Europe and my english is not very good, sorry
Your web site is very good, great work about Arnold Classic amateur report.
All competitors looks fantastics.
I have some informations about French Competitors.
Miss Deblock ( Class D) was French champion in 2007 and it is her first international contest.
In Class E there is Miss Ripert. She was 2 times French Champion, 2 time World Champion in World Fitness Federation, Miss Universe in the same federation. And 2 time World Champion in NABBA.
It now IFBB competition for 2 years.
Her last competition was the world championships IFBB in Budapest or she has obtained the 7 th place one point of a top 6.
2 goods French figure stars in this great competition.

Good luck to all the competitors....the Arnold Amateur was a fun show last year. Go out there and rock it!

Smoochies T

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Teresa Anthony
IFBB Figure Pro
http://www.myspace.com/teresaanthony24

after glancing over the competitors a few times, my favorite is tina davis, she has a very good look for figure. BTW...sonya garner is out! boo.

I was just curious as to whether or not we can expect to see any further write ups on class C and D? I noticed that you haven't really commented on who your favorites are for those divisions?

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Dixie

Yes'm almost done. You should see notices about the whole magazine being available on Saturday. We have two more interviews to complete (including Amanda S ).

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Cool! I can't wait! You guys are doing a great job!! I always enjoy reading your reviews and previews on the shows!

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Dixie

Sorry we made you wait so long, but hopefully it was worth it!!

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Figure RX:
With apologies to Rochelle Cannon, Deanna Harvick from Beaumont is a quad queen. Her legs are so outstanding that she'll need to work to show balance between her upper and lower bodies. Deanna placed 5th in Class C at the ultra-competitive 2007 NPC Texas State.

HDPhysiques:
She better enjoy that Quad Queen title while it lasts - once I'm able talk Tanya Hyde into doing another show, it's all over! LOL

Thanks again for the great review, FigureRx. Can't wait to see y'alls at the Arnold!

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"Hi-Def Bodies in Hi-Def Video"

http://www.myspace.com/hdphysiques

Awesome Report- thanks!!!

Thank you for the report. Very interesting, especially for us coming from Sweden, knowing nothing about the figure competitors in the US. Now we know a little about a lot of them and it is also great to see some pics of my wifes opponents.

I also really hope that you are right regarding your predictions of her possibilities.

We have already installed us in a cold Columbus.. brrrrr.....