DANISH DYNAMITE
11-24-2008, 11:22 PM
Helle Nielsen’s 2008 NPC Nationals female bodybuilding review.
Women’s bodybuilding is growing increasingly popular!
With the introduction of fitness and figure in the early 90s, female bodybuilding experienced a huge drop in athletes competing - not because the sport wasn’t popular, just because now there were more options. And the options that were available appealed to a large amount of women. Now in 2008 we can thank fitness and figure competitions for the increasing number of female bodybuilders on the stage. A lot of the figure girls who started training in the 90s are now ‘outgrowing’ figure and crossing over to bodybuilding. A natural progression of things I would say. Here is a quote from Steve Wennerstrom (IFBB women's historian) :
“Staged at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom in downtown Atlanta on the evening of November 22nd, a total of 80 contestants took part in the four divisions of women's bodybuilding. Only two other NPC Nationals have draw more contestants (82 in 2003, and 81 in 1992), and this year's Georgia bash was considerably larger than when it was last held at this same location in 2005 when 63 contestants competed. This year's competitor interest is significant considering only 42 contestants took part in each of the NPC Nationals in 1995 and 1997 - and with a national economy that has been less than energetic over the past several months, it is encouraging to see the women continuing to support the sport.”
What wonderful news!
LIGHTWEIGHTS
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/coconutsandapples/NEW/l1st1.jpg
The lightweight division was convincingly won by Rita Rae, who just turned 42 a couple of months ago. At 4’11 and 113 very well distributed pounds, she displayed a very symmetrical and balanced physique with strong quad development. What struck me was that most of the lightweight women had awesome hamstring development. I just love the look of the leg, when in a side pose, how the hamstring and quad displays an equally round curve in each direction (see attached photo). It makes a perfect balance. Rita also won the NPC USA earlier this year which stunningly makes her the first woman in history to win both titles at over 40 years of age.
Who says you can’t be over 40 and look amazing! Rita indeed shined that evening!
The 2007 jr. national champion Tammy Patnode was giving Rita Rae some serious competition. After the prejudging they were holding equal points on the judges score sheets. Tammy was equally displaying a beautiful flowing physique with outstanding quad definition. At 5’1, 112pounds, she may have appeared a little less dense than Rita Rae, and lost a few crucial points in the end. But I’m sure she will come back next year even better.
Lisa James took third; she was the LW winner of last years North American Championships. I really liked her physique, very feminine and balanced. With a little more quad detail she should do really well in the future. Crazy biceps! I just loved her hair! This is just the kinda style that helps make your competition face look softer and adding to the overall stage-presence.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/coconutsandapples/NEW/m1st1.jpg
Everybody just loved middleweight Diana Tinnelle’s aesthetic physique! Even before the competition there was a buzz about her. Diana won the 2008 NPC USA middleweight division as well, so this year has been a really successful one for her. Diana is one of the girls who is a cross over from figure in which she started her competitive career in 2004. A very successful cross over! Her 125pounds were very well distributed on her 5’3 frame. Everything was in perfect place on a perfect evening.
Tracy Mason was chasing Tinelle’s heels, just 3points separating the two. Tracy barely made it to the show. She was stuck in a snowstorm, and with closed airports, the odds for her to appear at the show was getting slim, but where there is a will there is a way, and after a 7hour drive, and another flight from another airport, she just made it in time. Whew! Talk about elevated cortisol levels! I think my nerves would have been sliced and diced if it was me! Anyways, she made it, and she looked awesome. This gal has been competing for 22years! And it showed. Great muscle maturity, fabulous back and great lines. I loved her hair as well. Great stage presence.
Another athlete whose physique I really liked was Julia Korfhage who took 3rd. She had very nice lines and an impressive pair of delts! Great back with a lot of detail as well. With a little more quad sweep she’s gonna get even more dangerous in the future.
An athlete I couldn’t help noticing was Dee Lazard, she didn’t finish in the top, but I was IMPRESSED. This lady is 62 years old! And she looked great! Wide back, split biceps, impressive delts and a cross striated chest. Wow, what an accomplishment at that age. She was tight and very competitive. I was just thinking of my own mom who is 62 years of age as well. She just joined a gym two months ago, and calls me all the time to tell me about her accomplishments in the gym. She diets and trains 5times a week. She just told me her biceps has grown bigger! LOL I gotta show her a photo of Dee Lazard.
On the counterpart, the youngest female bodybuilder in the show was 21 years old. I just think this sport is so amazing, because it doesn’t matter if you’re 21 or 62 or 80, you can work out, look great, feel great and enjoy all the health benefits that comes with it. It’s never too late to get into bodybuilding.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/coconutsandapples/NEW/lh1st1.jpg
An athlete who has been working so hard over the years, showing an ongoing drive and persistency, and a has huge heart for bodybuilding is Elena Seiple. She has made numerous trips to the Nationals - 7 in fact, and always been very close, so close that she could literally taste the pro-card. This year at the Nationals she could go home with her pro-card in her pocket. Very well deserved. Before the contest, I had this feeling, reading about her prep, seeing progression photos – that everything this time around just fell in place for Elena. And it sure did. Displaying a beautifully muscled physique with full muscle bellies - she easily won this class by a unanimous vote of the judges. Congrats Elena!
2nd place finisher Rose Kasallis displayed a very symmetrical and flowing physique. Great conditioning and striated glutes were some of the things she brought to the table that earned her 2nd place this evening. I liked that she showed several creative poses which really gave her a gracious look.
Yahaiva Vives took 3rd in this very tough class. Yahaiva impressed with a very thick back and a pair of great legs to match. If she can come in harder in the future she could move up even higher.
HEAVYWEIGHTS
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/coconutsandapples/NEW/h1st1.jpg
I was very happy to see that the heavyweight title was taken by Sheila Bleck. I thought she deserved to win a long time ago, but it always seemed like her conditioning needed the final touch. This time around she nailed it! She was chiselled from head to toe! The package she brought was nothing less but impressive. She was packed with lots of dense symmetrical flowing muscle. Everything was in perfect place like a beautiful statuette. In addition, Sheila brings the most creative and artistic routines to the stage than I have ever seen. I’m always in awe when I’m watching her.
Runner-up Necole Hamrick, was displaying a quite different type of physique - her physique reminded me of Anja Langer, with long athletic muscles with an aesthetic flow to them. A very well deserved 2nd place. Keep an eye on this beauty.
Monique Jones took 3rd place with a beautiful flowing physique. A wide back, wide clavicles, a tiny waist and nice legs made out for an impressive X-frame. If she could just build a little more quad sweep, she’d be the one to watch out for next year. Monique was another cross over from figure along with 4th place finisher Amber Defrancesco.
This was my NPC Nationals wrap-up, I hope you enjoyed it. I wish I could have commented on everybody’s physiques, but since there were soooo many contestants this year it would have been an impossible task.
Congrats to all the new pros: Rita Rae, Diana Tinelle, Elena Seiple and Sheila Bleck.
Good luck to all the ladies in your future pro careers!
1. Rita Rae LW Champ
2. Diana Tinelle MW Champ
3. Elena Seiple LH Champ
4. Sheila Bleck HW Champ
5. Dee Lazard MW and 62 years of age!
*Photos are courtesy of www.Musculardevelopment.com
Women’s bodybuilding is growing increasingly popular!
With the introduction of fitness and figure in the early 90s, female bodybuilding experienced a huge drop in athletes competing - not because the sport wasn’t popular, just because now there were more options. And the options that were available appealed to a large amount of women. Now in 2008 we can thank fitness and figure competitions for the increasing number of female bodybuilders on the stage. A lot of the figure girls who started training in the 90s are now ‘outgrowing’ figure and crossing over to bodybuilding. A natural progression of things I would say. Here is a quote from Steve Wennerstrom (IFBB women's historian) :
“Staged at the Hyatt Regency Ballroom in downtown Atlanta on the evening of November 22nd, a total of 80 contestants took part in the four divisions of women's bodybuilding. Only two other NPC Nationals have draw more contestants (82 in 2003, and 81 in 1992), and this year's Georgia bash was considerably larger than when it was last held at this same location in 2005 when 63 contestants competed. This year's competitor interest is significant considering only 42 contestants took part in each of the NPC Nationals in 1995 and 1997 - and with a national economy that has been less than energetic over the past several months, it is encouraging to see the women continuing to support the sport.”
What wonderful news!
LIGHTWEIGHTS
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/coconutsandapples/NEW/l1st1.jpg
The lightweight division was convincingly won by Rita Rae, who just turned 42 a couple of months ago. At 4’11 and 113 very well distributed pounds, she displayed a very symmetrical and balanced physique with strong quad development. What struck me was that most of the lightweight women had awesome hamstring development. I just love the look of the leg, when in a side pose, how the hamstring and quad displays an equally round curve in each direction (see attached photo). It makes a perfect balance. Rita also won the NPC USA earlier this year which stunningly makes her the first woman in history to win both titles at over 40 years of age.
Who says you can’t be over 40 and look amazing! Rita indeed shined that evening!
The 2007 jr. national champion Tammy Patnode was giving Rita Rae some serious competition. After the prejudging they were holding equal points on the judges score sheets. Tammy was equally displaying a beautiful flowing physique with outstanding quad definition. At 5’1, 112pounds, she may have appeared a little less dense than Rita Rae, and lost a few crucial points in the end. But I’m sure she will come back next year even better.
Lisa James took third; she was the LW winner of last years North American Championships. I really liked her physique, very feminine and balanced. With a little more quad detail she should do really well in the future. Crazy biceps! I just loved her hair! This is just the kinda style that helps make your competition face look softer and adding to the overall stage-presence.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/coconutsandapples/NEW/m1st1.jpg
Everybody just loved middleweight Diana Tinnelle’s aesthetic physique! Even before the competition there was a buzz about her. Diana won the 2008 NPC USA middleweight division as well, so this year has been a really successful one for her. Diana is one of the girls who is a cross over from figure in which she started her competitive career in 2004. A very successful cross over! Her 125pounds were very well distributed on her 5’3 frame. Everything was in perfect place on a perfect evening.
Tracy Mason was chasing Tinelle’s heels, just 3points separating the two. Tracy barely made it to the show. She was stuck in a snowstorm, and with closed airports, the odds for her to appear at the show was getting slim, but where there is a will there is a way, and after a 7hour drive, and another flight from another airport, she just made it in time. Whew! Talk about elevated cortisol levels! I think my nerves would have been sliced and diced if it was me! Anyways, she made it, and she looked awesome. This gal has been competing for 22years! And it showed. Great muscle maturity, fabulous back and great lines. I loved her hair as well. Great stage presence.
Another athlete whose physique I really liked was Julia Korfhage who took 3rd. She had very nice lines and an impressive pair of delts! Great back with a lot of detail as well. With a little more quad sweep she’s gonna get even more dangerous in the future.
An athlete I couldn’t help noticing was Dee Lazard, she didn’t finish in the top, but I was IMPRESSED. This lady is 62 years old! And she looked great! Wide back, split biceps, impressive delts and a cross striated chest. Wow, what an accomplishment at that age. She was tight and very competitive. I was just thinking of my own mom who is 62 years of age as well. She just joined a gym two months ago, and calls me all the time to tell me about her accomplishments in the gym. She diets and trains 5times a week. She just told me her biceps has grown bigger! LOL I gotta show her a photo of Dee Lazard.
On the counterpart, the youngest female bodybuilder in the show was 21 years old. I just think this sport is so amazing, because it doesn’t matter if you’re 21 or 62 or 80, you can work out, look great, feel great and enjoy all the health benefits that comes with it. It’s never too late to get into bodybuilding.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/coconutsandapples/NEW/lh1st1.jpg
An athlete who has been working so hard over the years, showing an ongoing drive and persistency, and a has huge heart for bodybuilding is Elena Seiple. She has made numerous trips to the Nationals - 7 in fact, and always been very close, so close that she could literally taste the pro-card. This year at the Nationals she could go home with her pro-card in her pocket. Very well deserved. Before the contest, I had this feeling, reading about her prep, seeing progression photos – that everything this time around just fell in place for Elena. And it sure did. Displaying a beautifully muscled physique with full muscle bellies - she easily won this class by a unanimous vote of the judges. Congrats Elena!
2nd place finisher Rose Kasallis displayed a very symmetrical and flowing physique. Great conditioning and striated glutes were some of the things she brought to the table that earned her 2nd place this evening. I liked that she showed several creative poses which really gave her a gracious look.
Yahaiva Vives took 3rd in this very tough class. Yahaiva impressed with a very thick back and a pair of great legs to match. If she can come in harder in the future she could move up even higher.
HEAVYWEIGHTS
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c155/coconutsandapples/NEW/h1st1.jpg
I was very happy to see that the heavyweight title was taken by Sheila Bleck. I thought she deserved to win a long time ago, but it always seemed like her conditioning needed the final touch. This time around she nailed it! She was chiselled from head to toe! The package she brought was nothing less but impressive. She was packed with lots of dense symmetrical flowing muscle. Everything was in perfect place like a beautiful statuette. In addition, Sheila brings the most creative and artistic routines to the stage than I have ever seen. I’m always in awe when I’m watching her.
Runner-up Necole Hamrick, was displaying a quite different type of physique - her physique reminded me of Anja Langer, with long athletic muscles with an aesthetic flow to them. A very well deserved 2nd place. Keep an eye on this beauty.
Monique Jones took 3rd place with a beautiful flowing physique. A wide back, wide clavicles, a tiny waist and nice legs made out for an impressive X-frame. If she could just build a little more quad sweep, she’d be the one to watch out for next year. Monique was another cross over from figure along with 4th place finisher Amber Defrancesco.
This was my NPC Nationals wrap-up, I hope you enjoyed it. I wish I could have commented on everybody’s physiques, but since there were soooo many contestants this year it would have been an impossible task.
Congrats to all the new pros: Rita Rae, Diana Tinelle, Elena Seiple and Sheila Bleck.
Good luck to all the ladies in your future pro careers!
1. Rita Rae LW Champ
2. Diana Tinelle MW Champ
3. Elena Seiple LH Champ
4. Sheila Bleck HW Champ
5. Dee Lazard MW and 62 years of age!
*Photos are courtesy of www.Musculardevelopment.com