Bodybuilding Weekly: Report - 2008 CBBF Canadian Figure and Fitness Nationals

Report - 2008 CBBF Canadian Figure and Fitness Nationals
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Hardbodies News on 11 August, 2008 06:39:00
 
August 11, 2008
Special for Bodybuilding Weekly
The Canadian National Figure and Fitness Championships are one of the most
anticipated shows of the year for those of us south of the border, because they
usually represent a nice change of pace relative to what's happening at the
national level in the United States.  Because there are so few opportunities for
the incredibly qualified and talented Canadian athletes they all bring their "A"
game - the level of conditioning and muscle is amazing.  Physique excellence
abounds everywhere you look and anyone paying attention can rest assured that
the individuals sent to the pro ranks will be extremely deserving.  Promoters
Ross Webb and high-flying IFBB fitness pro Sandra Wickham put on such a good
show that we may see this event out on the left coast for a while.  Last year's
Nationals were held in Edmonton, Alberta.
The theme of the night was persistance, because several competitors who did
well in previous years moved up this time around.  Persistance especially paid
off for Manitoba's Deanne Brown, who was the figure star of the night.  After
improving her placing considerably in 2007, placing second in the masters
division and only one point out of second in figure medium, Deanne took the next
step up to take both overall titles this year, in the open division and the
masters division.  The keys to her wins included excellent symmetry, ripped and
capped shoulders and a very tight waist.  Although muscle maturity and success
late in one's career has always been prevalent in women's bodybuilding, figure
athletes throughout the competitive spectrum have been proving that age is just
a number and that muscle maturity matters in figure as well.
Deanne Brown
The Canadian federation has the discretion to award additional pro cards to
athletes that they deem deserving, particularly because so few cards are
available in Canada.  In this case two additional pro cards were awarded.  In
the figure division, Brown swept both the open and the masters classes - which
means she qualified for a pro card twice!  So with a second figure professional
card available, the judging panel chose to award it to British Columbian country
girl and medium-tall class winner Macey Boudreau.
The figure Medium-Tall division was the most interesting of the night. 
Boudreau won the class for the second year in a row but this time she was
elevated to pro eligibility.  Macey presents just about the best combination of
muscle and fitness model beauty that you will find anywhere, and this year she
brought her quads down just enough to improve her overall balance.  She is a
superb addition to the pro ranks and although current trends in muscularity at
the pro level might currently be working against her we are all hopeful that
common sense will prevail and that the next pendelum swing will make quality,
feminine muscle back in favor.  Melanie Cheang from Regina is a perennial
favorite who always has some of the best calves on stage, and she followed up on
last year's second place finish with a third place this year.
Melanie and Macey
Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the night came in the Medium-Tall
division, when superstar and favorite Lori-Ann Redding was forced to withdraw
due to illness.  Simply put, Lori-Ann has one of the best female physiques in
the world and we expect her to bounce back with impact at North Americans in
Cleveland later this month.  Ditto for beautiful fitness model Natalie Waples
from Ontario, the Class E winner from the Arnold Amateur, who tends to fare
better in the United States where her streamlined physique type is more
appreciated.
Another standout competitor, Kim Tilden, won the figure tall class.  Kim is
someone who we have had pegged for an eventual pro card for quite some time. 
The second place finisher in the class was Melanie Saez, who came in with
hardness and an excellent presentation.  We recognized Melanie from when she won
the tall class at the 2006 IFBB French Championships so it was a pleasant
surprise to see her in British Columbia.
Bonnie McKechnie moved up from fourth last year to second in the figure short
class, while Jennifer Jewell brought her solidly muscled physique over to figure
from the fitness division to take the class.  We felt that Aleisha Hart, who is
guided by expert trainer Laura Binetti and who took third, had amazing lines and
the type of physique that could be blowing people away in the USA ... so we hope
to see her at North Americans or at next year's Arnold.
The figure medium class was particularly notable for what it did not have, and
that was a first call-out by Leah Berti who was dialed in and looking gorgeous. 
Even though Leah was overlooked, the winners were deserving and the overall
champion came from this class.  While we agreed with most of the judging in this
show, we would have flipped some things around in the medium class - other than
the champion Deanne who dominated the field.
In the fitness division, Tamara Vahn won the title and Chantal Dicaire took the
tall class and was awarded a secondary, discretionary card.  Both fitness
divisions were extraordinarily stacked, as evidenced by Arnold Amateur champion
Allison Ethier's third place in the short class.  Sylvia Tremblay is a fitness
icon and we think that ultimately it would do the Canadian federations good to
send her to the pro ranks to represent the country - but she'll have to wait
until the next time out.
The four new IFBB professionals join the three pro card winners from Canadian
Nationals last year:  overall fitness champion Marnie Holly, masters figure
champion CeaAnna Kerr, and open figure champion Jeni Briscoe.
For more coverage of this event and complete results over the next few days
please visit the Canadian coverage page at FigureRX - Everything Figure, Fitness
and Women\'s Bodybuilding.  We also recommend looking at each athlete's photo
and history page here at Bodybuilding Weekly.
Figure Nationals
Overall Champion:  Deanne Brown