FigureRX Contest Report: 2007 IFBB Figure Olympia
September 30th, 2007
For full contest coverage of the 2007 Figure Olympia, including pre-judging photos and call-out information, commentary, and the categorized final score sheets, please
GO HERE.
Welcome back from the Olympia in Las Vegas, from
Team FigureRX! On the Figure side, we don't think that there's any doubt that this was the best Olympia competition ever with 28 incredible athletes. This is the time of year when a lot of people from outside of the sport check out the show and the results, and we get a lot of questions about judging criteria and politics. For the most part we have to say that this was a very well judged event. The pendelum appears to be swinging back to allowing a little more muscle on stage, as long as it's presented beautifully and proportionally.
Were there political factors and controversy at this show? Of course, there always will be a little bit of both no matter what you do. The sport is subjective, but the thing to realize is that the objective eyes of the judges tend to overwhelm any favoritism or influence that might exist. Occasionally an athlete might move up or down a spot or two based on manager or corporate affiliations, but it's a subtle thing, never blatant. The system usually works very well on an overall basis, the judges get things right the vast majority of the time.
So what are the basic criteria in figure? In a nutshell we like to start with the notion that's it's bodybuilding with a different physique shape objective. It starts with the V-shape or the X-shape. Athletes should exhibit capped shoulders, a V-shaped back, a small midsection and muscular legs. Muscle quality and fullness matter, as does overall conditioning (low body fat, eliminate water) and the thin skin that you need on contest day to show off the physique's best qualities. Small joints and full muscle bellies to create curves are a plus. Beauty matters, as does presentation which is a category that includes the tan, posing suits, hair, makeup, skin, foot wear, and jewelry. Sometimes muscle separation is good, and sometimes it is frowned upon.
And if that explanation doesn't work for you, just look at a picture of
Gina Aliotti from the front in her two piece posing suit. After our Tournament of Champions report and our Olympia preview, do we really have anything else to say about her? How do you top the well deserved sea of accolades that she is currently receiving? If they were to publish a media guide for the IFBB then Gina should be on the cover, and she should also be on local television anywhere that she competes as a representative of the sport!
Gina came in full, muscular, conditioned, beautiful, and perfectly proportioned. Sometimes it's easy to forget how tall she is because she has the overall figure shape that you usually only see on shorter competitors. We're hard pressed to think of any way that Gina could have looked better at the Olympia, on her way to a unanimous second place finish. If this 23-year old mega star is able to hold her shape and conditioning for the next two weeks and then sweep the Palm Beach Pro we will be ready to declare her the favorite to win the 2008 Olympia.
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-------------------------------------------------------Gina Aliotti
We also couldn't be happier about the placing of our Olympia preview spotlight athlete
Amy Fry! If you haven't already, please check out the information about her in our preview
here. Not only did Amy receive second call-outs in all the pre-judging rounds but she placed 8th in her debut, only one point behind Monica Brant! She dialed in everything almost perfectly at the Olympia, with a very tight midsection and a gorgeous presentation. Amy's shoulders had the ideal cap and her symmetry was close to perfect, which is what it takes to catch the eye of the judges in your first trip to the biggest stage in the sport. When she was called out in the evening show the announcers (in the web cast) had trouble coming up with her name
yet she still cracked the top ten!
2007 was Amy's first year competing as a professional in the IFBB (she qualified in 2006) and she hit the stage in her geographical area, in her home town of Pittsburgh and in nearby Detroit. In 2008 we hope that she will compete more often and take her place among the top levels of the sport. We think she already has some of the best legs in the IFBB. Amy has a somewhat different look because her beauty and symmetry allows her to carry a bit more muscle given her height (5'8"). At
FigureRX we think that Amy's overall package is so good that she can help to bring more mainstream attention to the sport.
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--------------------------------------------------------Amy Fry
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Among the top six, we also want to give special recognition to
Amanda Savell for her solid 5th place finish in what was the culmination of a great year for her. Amanda has done a lot to positively influence the direction of the sport in 2007, including her cover on Oxygen, a magazine that has not traditionally presented the more muscular athletes in figure.
Take a close look at her photos, because in a less competitive year Amanda might have been the champion. She has a perfect X-shape (that's the traditional shoulder-capped V-shape with the addition of a quad sweep, complete with superb development of her "teardrop" just above the knee) and almost every body part is a combination of ideal mass and conditioning. Amanda was able to hold her size while at the same time coming in ultra-conditioned with one of the best backs that we have ever seen on the Olympia stage. So mega-kudos to Amanda for the year that she has had as well as her showing in Las Vegas, and we're very excited to see how she will elevate her game next year.
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----------------------------------------------------Amanda Savell
Third place went to
Sonia Adcock, another competitor who we feel came in looking better than ever. Sonia has a slightly different look and is known for her cover girl beauty and vascularity, but this time she brought the muscle fullness to challenge at the top. In a top comparison you have to look at her on her own, because from a size standpoint she can get overwhelmed by the larger competitors. The important thing is that Sonia is full, hard and fully proportional. Take a look at her calves, for example ... they may look smaller but if you analyze them they are muscular enough and fully in proportion with the rest of her body.
Sonia's arms and shoulders will always be some of the best on stage, simply because of her genetics. She has incredible tie-ins between her shoulders and biceps, along with tiny elbow joints. At the Olympia this year Sonia dialed in her conditioning (especially her lower abs), filled out everywhere, and deserved her 3rd place finish.
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----------------------------------------------------Sonia Adcock
There is already a lot of clamoring about
Jenny Lynn's repeat as Figure Olympia champion, but as we said in the preview you can't just defeat the champion, you have to knock her out. A lot of athletes on this stage came close, but the judges clearly went into this show knowing that Jenny was a champion and they were prepared to compare her against herself and her appearance last year. And the answer came quickly, at the pre-judging they barely had her up there long enough to compare her to anybody else and they didn't need to do so. Jenny looked better this year than she looked last year, she dialed in her lower body conditioning and she was well proportioned. We'd still like to see more dramatic lines and physique flare-outs, but that's grasping at straws at this point in her career.
Given the two things (Jenny looking her best ever, judging predisposition toward a champion), nobody was going to keep her from scoring a perfect five in both rounds and retaining her crown. We love the fact that she made the move to the heartland of Kentucky in the past year. Jenny's also a sweetheart who always has time for her fans and is a tremendous example to everyone within the sport. If anyone is going to dethrone her they better bring some heavy artillery, like Jay did when he took down Ronnie.
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-----------------------------------------------------Jenny Lynn
In perhaps the biggest surprise of the night,
Jennifer Gates took 4th place in her Olympia debut and was only four points out of 3rd. Jennifer is coming off an incredible few months during which she won her pro card (at Junior Nationals in June), took first at an IFBB show, and qualified for the Olympia. At
FigureRX we've been Jennifer Gates fans for many years as she struggled to gain the recognition she deserved within the NPC (as an amateur). She was always one of the more muscular athletes on the NPC figure stage, and the story has been that she streamlined and stripped off some of her muscle which then led to her pro card and her meteoric rise.
There is no question that Jennifer looked beautiful at the Olympia and she has the size and lines to compete at the top. We'd like to see a little more rounded quads but other than that her physique was full, conditioned and symmetrical. In the back of our minds, however, we can't help but think that the old Jennifer might have been able to place even higher at this show. We'd love to see her challenge the judges by putting some of that extra muscle back on, and then seeing what happens in 2008.
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-----------------------------------------------------Jennifer Gates
Out of the athletes in the top six, we felt the competitor most off her game was
Amber Littlejohn. Amber's strength is her structure, not her muscle, so she has to make sure that her symmetry is there or she will be penalized. This year her arms came in small and flat, and they were overwhelmed by the size of her shoulders throwing off her entire symmetry. Amber's presentation was also lacking somewhat, with some tan smudges on her upper chest as well as a two piece suit top that was shifted too far to her right.
We would have placed Amber just outside the top six, for the reasons mentioned above as well as the fact that the top six get an automatic qualification to next year's Olympia. As we have mentioned previously, we'd like to see Amber work harder during the rest of the year and that probably means competing in more IFBB pro shows. With the automatic qualification again in her grasp, she may decide to compete in Palm Beach and then skip the rest of the year. When you want to be champion you need to be visible, and we hope that Amber will make a concerted effort to do that during the 2007-08 season.
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---------------------------------------------------Amber Littlejohn
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There aren't enough slots in the top six, but we would have moved the people's champion
Monica Brant-Peckham up a few places. It's tough to even talk about this because it is likely that Monica will be retiring given her placing (7th), but she has been the best ambassador that the sports of fitness and figure have had over the years. To her credit, Monica has stayed true to herself and she has pursued her career interests on her own terms. At the same time, other athletes who have sold out to corporate cronyism and their apologists in the media have had brief careers and have rarely benefited over the long term. Monica is a shining example to all figure and fitness athletes that even if you accept help from good people you need to take control of your own career, and your own future, to have the best chance at success.
Also to her credit, Monica did not play up the notion of possible retirement in order to get a sympathy placing as some have done in the past. She quietly went about her business and presented one of her best packages at the Olympia this year, with a tight midsection and the best leg size and conditioning that we have ever seen on her. If this is her last hurrah in pro figure than Monica is going out on top even if that is not reflected in her placings.
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----------------------------------------------Monica Brant-Peckham
Valerie Waugaman has the best genetics and most beautiful presentation of any athlete on stage, and as long as there is a level playing field she will win the Olympia someday. But as we learn time and again, over and over, there are different physique standards for each athlete and it's all about how each competitor looks her best. Judges have a memory and they compare athletes to previous versions of themselves. Valerie looks best when she is hard and conditioned with leg separation like she exhibited at this year's Arnold, and while she had her usual gorgeous overall shape at the Olympia she did not bring the level of conditioning that we are used to seeing from her. We have no doubt that Valerie will be bouncing back from her 9th place finish soon and she will be looking better than ever.
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------------------------------------------------Valerie Waugaman
We agree with everyone who has said that
Mary Elizabeth Lado was off on her conditioning this year, perhaps due to a late start caused by what we hope were happy occurances over the off-season
, and that dropped her to 10th place. We absolutely adore Mary as a person, and after seeing her make an effort to stay in the game and compete in Las Vegas we have more respect for her as an athlete as well. During her back-to-back victories at the Arnold, Mary came in with tremendous conditioning but sacrificed some size in the process. If you look at the pictures below you can see that Mary does indeed have some serious muscular substance to her physique. Take particular notice of her arms as well as her beautiful hamstrings, quads, and glute tie-ins. Mary is the early favorite to win at the Arnold and we are pulling hard for her to parlay some of this size into a filled out, hard package that will pull the judges in the right direction. We would also not be surprised to see Mary in Palm Beach in two weeks, looking for an Olympia qualification.
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------------------------------------------------Mary Elizabeth Lado
We were pleased with the judging in the middle of the placings (as always, with a couple of exceptions), as the combination of muscle and symmetry ruled the evening and nobody was glaringly out of place.
Latisha Wilder and
Zivile Raudoniene tied for 11th place. Latisha is an underrated competitor who has solid overall symmetry and who carries muscle well. We'd like to see a little more noticeable definition in her triceps and calves. Zivile placed very well in her debut and was the top European on stage. She also could bring up her calves and fill out her arms a little bit more to refine her package, but she is a beautiful athlete with a very bright future.
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---------------------------------------------------Latisha Wilder
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--------------------------------------------------Zivile Raudoniene
Nipping on the heels of her fellow Lithuanian was
Inga Neveraskaite. Inga has a classic figure physique and she had some of the most beautifully filled out arms on stage, especially when looking at them from the rear which is tough to pull off. We also love her abdominal definition and the flare-out from her tight midsection up to her lats. Continuing a trend we saw all throughout the middle placings (take note - is this the difference in placing top 15 versus top 10?), Inga also needs to focus on bringing up her calves.
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-------------------------------------------------Inga Neverauskaite
Chastity Slone really stood out in the one piece round, which vaulted her into 15th place, but she has a solid midsection as well. She has all the necessary qualities to do very well on this stage but in her case it's a numbers game. There were so many stars in this field that placing in the middle is a great accomplishment. We'd like to see Chastity rewarded for her symmetry and beauty, but we're not sure how to move her up.
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---------------------------------------------------Chastity Slone
Another athlete who deserved to move up in her debut is
Heather Green, who placed 17th based on her showing in the second pre-judging round. We know that Heather must be happy with her placing since she just turned pro in July and this was her first trip to the Olympia, but we expect her to continue to move up the pro ranks next year and feel that she will look back on this as an excellent starting point. Heather's physique has all the right focal points, including beautifully capped delts, top-notch quads and diamond-shaped calves. When those attributes, including symmetry, are combined with an athlete who is beautiful enough to have won multiple bikini contests over the years - look out!!
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---------------------------------------------------Heather Green
Jeanette Freed received some good call-outs and slipped into 16th place. She really stands out with her arms and upper chest development, and looked gorgeous at the Olympia - some of her previous contest pictures at the professional level did not do her justice.
Andrea Dumon's physique is very similar to Amber Littlejohn's, with her strengths being beautifully capped delts, strong quads, stand-out calves and one of the tiniest midsections on stage. In some shows the judges like and reward that look and in others they do not. We do think that Andrea would benefit from adding more size to her arms (and filling them out more) as well as utilizing a different hair style that is more pulled back to allow her outstanding shoulders more visibility.
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--------------------Jeanette Freed]--------------------------------------------Andrea Dumon
Natalie Benson was a wild card at this Olympia, because there's no doubt that she has some of the best overall symmetry and muscle size on stage. The judges clearly weren't favoring her look, but at the same time Natalie might be able to walk on stage and win a pro show on any given day. On the Olympia stage this past weekend she had too much size in her delts, biceps and quads relative to the packages that were being rewarded.
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---------------------------------------------------Natalie Benson
Another athlete on the rise who was making her Olympia debut was
Danielle Hollenshade. She has sky high potential but it seems like she has hit a few snags recently that affected her presentation. We expect her to be back soon in full force.
Felicia Romero is another young competitor making her first appearance at the Olympia. She's very beautiful but she probably needs to add a little more mass to be more competitive at this level. Felicia absolutely belongs on this stage and that in itself is saying a lot because these are some of the best athletes in the world!
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-----------------Danielle Hollenshade]-----------------------------------------Felicia Romero
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To see photos and video clips of some of our favorite athletes, including
Team FigureRX NPC figure
superstar
Jamie Reed, please visit Muscle Angels (
http://www.muscleangels.com/). Also featuring top
Ms. Olympia contenders like
Annie Rivieccio,
Sarah Dunlap, and
Tazzie Colomb, IFBB Fitness star
Mindi O'Brien, NPC bodybuilder
Nekole Hamrick, and NPC figure athlete
Melissa Froio.
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MaryJo Cooke-Elliott definitely has done her part recently for the good of the sport, garnering some significant media coverage in Orange County after finishing second at the TOC. Her placing at the Olympia was not reflective of the outstanding pro season that she has had, and she continues to improve each time that we see her.
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-----------------------------------------------MaryJo Cooke-Elliott
Like Mary Lado,
Shannon Meteraud is a star athlete who was a little off at the Olympia and will undoubtedly bounce back. Shannon has the size but her midsection simply wasn't as conditioned as it has been in previous shows.
Meriza DeGuzman made a gallant debut on this stage, after qualifying a week ago. She came in hard, tight, and symmetrical but a little less full than we would like to see her - that may be due to competing two weekends in a row without planning to do so well in advance.
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-----------------Shannon Meteraud]-----------------------------------------Meriza DeGuzman
The rest of the athletes on stage should all be proud to be a part of the best field of Figure Olympians in history and we commend them all.
Nicole Pitcher-Scott has great conditioning,
Chaundra Coffey has some of the best calves and a tight midsection,
Celeste Gonzalez has excellent back development, and
Bernadette Galvan has a total package and she will be a factor at the pro level again next year.
Susanne Bock's stances and walk came off as a little too suggestive to us, but nonetheless she brings a very muscular and symmetrical look to the stage as well.
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-----------------Bernadette Galvan]----------------------------------------Celeste Gonzalez
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----------------Nicole Pitcher-Scott]---------------------------------------Chaundra Coffey
