FigureRX Contest Report: 2007 Palm Beach Pro Figure
October 16, 2007
If you are looking for our onsite coverage and results for this show, please go
HERE.
Team FigureRX has returned home from Palm Beach and we're thrilled about the show as well as the direction of the sport!! All the athletes who competed represented Figure (or Fitness) and the IFBB extemely well and they all deserve the utmost praise not only for their hard work but for the examples that they set for other competitors and for female athletes in the mainstream community.
We want to thank everyone who came up to us and expressed their appreciation for
FigureRX and what we are attempting to accomplish. It means so much to us whenever we are able to provide recognition and encouragement to athletes within the IFBB, NPC and other federations. The
Palm Beach Pro represented a step up in our coverage, with instant results posted directly from our seats in the audience, as well as the embedded video footage (routines, interviews, comparisons) that you will see in our contest report. As is our tradition, we also link to other selective coverage if we feel it is worth a look in the spirit of pointing everyone toward the best information available. We want
FigureRX to be the place where you will either find what you are looking for if it is related to figure and fitness or you will find a way to get there.
For those who visit the web site just to read our major contest reports, we also want you to be aware that we are now covering state and local NPC figure shows if they are national qualifiers. We also select spotlight athletes at those shows so if you know anyone who you feel should be featured please let us know. For example, recent athlete profiles include
Tara Thatcher who will be competing at the
NANBF USA SuperPro Figure on October 27th in Chicago and mega-star
Rebecca Slatt who will be hitting the stage at the
2007 NPC North Star in Minnesota on November 10th. From the Palm Beach NPC show, we will feature figure athlete
Shona Pryce who was stunning on stage but badly overlooked by the judges both there and at the
2007 NPC Southeastern Figure. The list of shows that we have covered so far can be found by visiting our
Contest Info page.
Finally on to the results .... this was one of the best groups in the top five that we have ever seen at an IFBB professional show. There were five (and maybe six) athletes at this show who deserve to be top ten at the Arnold!! And when you make a statement like that you better be able to show off an almost perfect champion, and it was absolutely no surprise to anybody that
Gina Aliotti showed up looking even better than she did at the Olympia. You can't downplay the difficulty of flying all the way across the country to do
anything, much less compete in a high level athletic event. But finishing up with school has allowed Gina to really focus and to become really in tune with her body this year, she dialed every component of her contest prep in perfectly.
But the bad news is that this is the last time we will see Gina on stage until the Arnold, and then again until Tournament of Champions in September of 2008 unless her plans change. We have a feeling that she might decide to compete more often in 2008, but we shall see
. Gina carries herself like a star, whether it's on stage, in the audience, interviewing in front of a camera, or just hanging out in the lobby of the host hotel.
---
---
----------------------------------------------------Gina Aliotti
To see a
FigureRX video of Gina on stage please click or download
HERE. To see our favorite picture of Gina with the first place trophy please go
here (larger version
here).
FigureRX Palm Beach Pro Figure Featured Athlete - Latisha Wilder
Our
FigureRX spotlight athlete
Latisha Wilder stepped it up post-Olympia as well, earning her best finish ever at a pro show (she also placed second at the 2006 Pittsburgh Pro). Latisha is an athlete on the rise, making improvements and placing slightly better each and every year. She comes in just right - not too hard, not too soft - and she undoubtedly stands out for her quads, capped delts, lumbars and tiny waist. We felt that she was somewhat overlooked at the Olympia and it was great to see her place well in Palm Beach. Latisha is now qualified for the 2008 Olympia and we look forward to seeing her move up from her outstanding 4th place finish at last year's Arnold. If you missed our feature on Latisha in the contest preview please go back and check it out
here.
---------------
See a cool upward angled photo of Latisha in her two piece by clicking
here (larger version
here). To see
FigureRX video of Latisha on stage please click or download
HERE.
---
----------------------------------------------------Latisha Wilder
As for
Paola Almerico's third place finish, all we have to say is
FINALLY and then give her a big
Team FigureRX shout-out!! The fact that she did so well near her home area in front of family and friends made the wait worthwhile. Paola belongs on stage among the best of the best, and she will be at the Olympia in 2008 because the top three at this show are now qualified. As a side note, Paola has become the first Chilean born competitor to ever qualify.
There are various physique types within figure, which is why we often say that you have to look at athletes in different contexts. Gina carries a lot of muscle which is perfect for her frame and overall package, but she has a championship look that is different from a
Mary Lado or even a
Davana Medina. In our opinion Paola is among the absolute best in pro figure for her physique type, which is very similar to
Jenny Lynn's but with smaller joints and hence more sweeping lines and longer muscle bellies. Paola comes across as regal on stage, beautiful and sleek with just the right amount of muscle and vascularity, and she also puts on a posing clinic. In the photo on the top left, you can see how Paola's physique is perfectly symmetrical and how her stance brings out her abs while maintaining a big contrast between her delts and her waist. At the same time, the photos at the bottom show that her veins perfectly complement her muscle shapes and she also shows striations where you want them, in places like her rear delts. All in all, we're obviously thrilled that Paola has been recognized for the total package that she takes to the stage and we'll be pulling hard for her to win the title at an IFBB pro show next year prior to the Olympia!
To see a video montage of Paola on stage and interviewing with
FigureRX please click or download
HERE. See more gorgeous photos of Paola in her two piece by clicking
here and
here (larger versions
here and
here).
---
---
----------------------------------------------------Paola Almerico
Another athlete who represents the standard for her physique type is Texan
Natalie Benson. As we've said before, Natalie brings a little more size in her shoulders and quads but she can appear to be even more muscular than reality because of her perfect proportions and her hip to waist to delt ratios. We felt that she looked a little sleeker here in all the right places, relative to the Olympia, resulting in her 4th place finish three points ahead of
Heather Green. The key for Natalie at the Arnold and next year's Olympia will be tightening up her arms and continuing to make her quads look more streamlined, while at the same time holding steady in the areas that are already perfect like her back and delts. Obviously with the physique Natalie presented at Palm Beach we expect her to win an IFBB pro show or two on her way to next year's Olympia!
To see a
FigureRX video of Natalie on stage please click or download
HERE.
---
----------------------------------------------------Natalie Benson
Heather Green rounded out the best top five that we think we have ever seen at a non-Arnold or Olympia pro show! Take some time to look at the video of Heather on stage and you will see why we expect her to crack the top ten at the Arnold next year. Her competitive trajectory has been fantastic over the past year, and she has made significant enhancements to her physique to the point where we think that most of her improvement in placings over the next year will come from the judges increasingly recognizing her tremendous appeal and star status. Heather continues to bring one of the best combinations of quads and delts (the figure focal points) in the pro ranks, combined with a taller, sleeker overall look and perfect conditioning. She is just a great asset to the sport and to the professional figure stage right now.
To see
FigureRX video of Heather on stage please click or download
HERE.
---
---
----------------------------------------------------Heather Green
If you saw our contest preview you know that we picked
Danielle Hollenshade to finish near the top and we would have moved her up a place or two from 8th in this incredibly competitive field. Danielle has such great genetics, her height and body lines flow together perfectly but we still think she has some opportunity for minor refinements; if she can make them she will consistly place in the top five at pro shows and finish in the top ten at the Arnold and Olympia. We think her upper body is already close to perfect, but we'd like to see a little more hamstring size and a tighter tie-in area between her hamstrings and glutes. Danielle's posing suits are gorgeous but we would cut some of the side thickness off her hair to better show off two of her best assets (delts and facial beauty), and we'd also like to see her choose her shoes so that she can avoid stumbling a little bit on stage which can result in points off from the judges. At
FigureRX we not only like Danielle as an athlete and competitor but we also admire her for some of the business decisions that she has made since winning the overall at Nationals in 2005. The sky is the limit for her.
To see
FigureRX video of Danielle on stage please click or download
HERE.
---
---
------------------------------------------------Danielle Hollenshade
After seeing
Tivisay Briceno on stage for the first time in her pro debut, and then talking with her the next day, we are big fans. We think she brings such a unique and beautiful look to pro figure that 9th place represents a starting point and that she will move up next year. In 2007 former Class A and B NPC figure athletes did much better in the pro ranks than in previous years, which was unusual because taller athletes have historically had an advantage. Tivisay looks like a taller competitor because of her lines while at the same time she carries the perfect amount of mass for her frame. She's also beautiful with excellent presentation, and that certainly doesn't hurt.
To see
FigureRX video of Tivisay on stage please click or download
HERE.
---
---------------------------------------------------Tivisay Briceno
You really have to admire an athlete who can decide to compete on a dime, and
Shannon Meteraud apparently decided to make the trip to Florida during the previous week after what was already a very busy and successful 2007 contest season. Shannon finished 7th but we felt she was a little bit off her mid-year conditioning, and for this show her arms filled out a bit too much. The important thing is that Shannon's comeback is complete and we have no doubt that she will do even better in 2008. We expect her to get an invite to compete at the Arnold.
To see
FigureRX video of Shannon on stage please click or download
HERE.
---
--------------------------------------------------Shannon Meteraud
Take a look at
Zivile Raudoniene's photos, because when she dials in her upper leg and glute conditioning she will be a force to reckon with in the IFBB! We already love Zivile's back and rear delts, and she has an overall figure structure that is similar to Amber Littlejohn's but she adds better presentation and supermodel good looks to the mix. The lower body genetics are there, and if Zivile can come in with shredded quads and tighter glutes and hamstrings she will go far, and certainly place higher than the 6th place that she received in Palm Beach.
---
-------------------------------------------------Zivile Raudoniene
We enjoyed the opportunity to see Floridian
Christine Wan on stage, and then in the theater afterwards with her family in tow. It's important to be reminded every now and then about the incredible life balance that is necessary to compete in figure at the highest levels. And speaking of balance, Christine has some of the best symmetry on stage along with some of the best delts and a great quad sweep. She definitely deserved her top ten finish.
---
-----------------------------------------------------Christine Wan
To see
FigureRX video of Christine on stage please click or download
HERE.
________________________________________________________________________
Thanks to MD Online (and siouxcountry) for creating a forum that is so supportive of figure
and fitness athletes. And double thanks for your ongoing support of
Team FigureRX!!
----------------------------------------------------LINK
________________________________________________________________________
---
------------------------------------------------------Pia Johnsen
To see
FigureRX video of Pia on stage please click or download
HERE.
---
--------------------------------------------------Meriza DeGuzman
To see
FigureRX video of Meriza on stage please click or download
HERE.
---
-----------------------------------------------------Melissa Pearo
---
---------------------------------------------------Claire Parmley
You will find an outstanding photo of Claire showing off pro physique perfection if you go
here (larger version
here).
To see
FigureRX video of Claire on stage please click or download
HERE.
---
-----------------------------------------------------Marie Gibbon
---
----------------------------------------------------Cynthia Sharp
---
--------------------Aymara Munoz-------------------------------------------Helen Turley
