Natural Northern

[mrbeefy]

Went to the Natural Northern AM Pre-Judging.

Was great to see a lot of my old friends there: Valarie Waugman (Siren from Gladiators), Mari Kudla (4th Figure Olympia 2004), Chuck Lyons (1st Light Heavy Pitt Nationals, etc.

Opened a little late. Think they tried to clear the theatre to make sure everyone entering was a "paying" customer first.

Did not stay until the end. At 12:00, they just finished up the bikini, and figure and were starting Junior Men and Masters.

Everybody I saw looked "ok". Nobody seriously out of shape, but no one standing out either. I usually look for the one person in a class that just "pops" out, and you think, "Wow!, That is First Place". But what I did see was a lot of close calls in the top 3 or so.

Hope thay all had fun! Dave Liberman show is always a great show for newcomers, and "re-starters" alike!

Anyone else go?
What did ya'll think?

Tara, did you make it to the morning show?
I think Karrie and Terry were going to the night show?

Frank

[tara007]

I felt the same way...nobody really stuck out to me. I was sad at how small female bodybuilding is....it needs to make a comeback. I am not a fan of the bikini stuff...

Valerie was there??? I have been dying to meet her and I missed her??? Damn!

[mrky03]

It's unfortunate that women's bodybuilding has declined to where it is now. I can remember back in the 80's when it first started and was huge!

Dave Lieberman and Todd Pember put on a quality show. I won the master's overall in 07. They certainly give away huge trophy's!

[Karrie]

Terry and I went to the show and we agree with Frank and Tara, no one really stood out. This will be our last time going to a Lieberman show. We have been to his in the past and they have been pretty decent, they give out great awards to people who have over come great odds to step on stage or lost a lot of weight within the last year etc. The order of the show now that is a WHOLE other thing. It was after 10:00 before the men's bodybuilders got on stage! 2/3rd's of the audience LEFT after all the figure awards were given out and they had Victor Martinez AFTER the figure so he lost most of the crowd! I felt really bad for him, an IFBB PRO and then most of the audience leaves. I do not think those people even knew who he was let alone that he is a pro! To really get my goat, they turned the lights up so Victor could walk around and pose in the audience, that is when you get the best pictures of these guys and a group of figure girls, who placed, and their families STOOD in the middle aisle taking pictures of each other with their trophies and families in the way of Victor Martinez! I felt that was REALLY disrespectful to Victor.
So after him, that whole group leaves and after 10:00 there was a small crowd to see the men! I felt bad for the guys competing!
Lieberman needs to come up with a different order.
I agree with Tara about the bikini, Terry and I did not get it at all. So not a fan of that.
The women bodybuilders looked great but so few of them. I wish figure would get smaller and female bodybuilding come back. Those girls up close are not that big at all, the stigma needs to change. I was seriously considering figure but the judging is confusing! I would rather get shredded then not know when to stop dieting. So not sure about figure for myself.
Sorry I ranted!

[mrky03]

You know I didn't want to say anything that might offend anyone, but I really don't get the bikini thing either. It just seems to go against why we're all training and competing in bodybuilding to begin with.

[Karrie]

Oct 4, 2009 13:48:33 GMT -5 mrky03 said:

You know I didn't want to say anything that might offend anyone, but I really don't get the bikini thing either. It just seems to go against why we're all training and competing in bodybuilding to begin with.

LOL! I think the same. I am not saying they do not train, but in figure and bodybuilding the girls train their butts off, bikini, most of them just looked like they had very little if any muscle. Now it may different in the non-drug tested shows, but not in this one year tested show.
In fact some one said alot of this(bikini) is to bring people in to the show, men in particular, but there were alot of men around us complaining about the bikini and actually the length of the figure portion.

[mrbeefy]

I agree.
Now, if they want to really put bikini on the venue, put it on a different day or someting.

Like Karrie said, I think it takes a lot away from all those who really put a lot of work into bodybuilding, figure, and fitness. I was talking to (of all people) The CEO of my wife's company where she works, who we ran into there. His daughter (unknowing to us) was competing in bikini. She has a degree in sports nutrition. I was just a little unerved at hearing that "a trainer" who will go unmentioned here, had no idea about prepping her for the show, and put her on stage after just few weeks prep. Overhearing how much hard work and time (3 weeks?) she put into it.

Some of the people have no clue of the blood, sweat and tears that bodybuilders, etc., ...let alone training for months and months, strict diets, investments of time and money, etc......over many years....just to stand on stage for about 60 seconds.

My 16 year-old nephew was there to observe, because he is considering bodybuilding. Now, he has a nice physique as a national level wrestler, but my sister-in-law had talked to this same trainer on the phone, who suggested he just get on stage and give it a try. NO training, no prep, nothing.

In the stock borkerage business, we called that "churnin' your clients". What is this sport coming too? How many butts are in the seats to pay for the venue?

Repeating Karrie's note...sorry for the rant. I'm not a fan of bikini on stage either. Now...bikini on the beach....different story! ;D

On the up side, it did fire my "bodybuilding" genes up a bit! Hmmmm....when is that NABBA Show in Canton...May 2010? hmmmmmm

[ntrllftr]

I went to the evening show. I was talking to a few people about the very same thing you notice with the quality of the competitors. It seems as though in April the Natural Ohio show brings out the better conditioned competitors. I have noticed this over the past several years. It may be due to the fact that many more "bigger" shows are early to mid year and people do it because they are already in shape. I don't know.

Victor Martinez put on a very boring guest posing routine.
It felt like he really didn't want to be there.

All in all I had a great time talking to many people I knew and thinking damn I should have entered it because I would have cleaned house. But no I'm waiting until 2011.

[mrbeefy]

I was thinking the same thing! Good shot at First in my class, but no less than a second. The guy who took 5th place looked so weak (not demeaning, just old), that he hard a difficult time walking off the stage.

Oh well....

[GerryT]

Have to agree on bikini. I just don't get it. Maybe because I'm too old! ;D All of these bikini competitors are young enough to be my daughter (at least). And I would prefer a daughter of mine to compete in figure or BB if she were interested in the competitive stage.

Some of the girls I've seen in bikini are lovely and toned, but have seen so many who look like they do not train at all. And their carriage and walk/strut border on vulgar. There needs to be some kind of judging standard if they are going with it. And it looks like bikini is here to stay, since there will be pro bikini events for the women who have been professionalized this year.

I definitely prefer fitness, figure and BB. I see at the local shows here that not many women compete in BB. Looks like a bleak future, since most of the national level and pro women BBs are masters age. And for the most part, they put the younger women to shame!

[mrbeefy]

OK...I "gleaned" this off of the NPC Site. It shows the standards, etc. for the bikini divisions.

OK...this kinda "yanked my chain". The last paragraph talks about IFBB Pro Status in "Bikini". What the heck? PRO Bikini?

What's next? PRO Thong?


NPC BIKINI DIVISION

NPC MEMBERSHIP

Each competitor must be a member of the NPC.
SANCTIONING A BIKINI DIVISION EVENT

An NPC BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS must be run along with another NPC division i.e. Bodybuilding, fitness or figure contest.
CONTEST ENTRIES

All height classes and awards must be awarded as advertised on the entry form.
Height classes may not be combined on the day of the show and this cannot be advertised as a possibility.
AWARDS

Cash awards are not permitted.
CHECK-INS

BIKINI Division competitors will be checked in and measured the same as Fitness and Figure competitors.
HEIGHT CLASSES – For Pro qualifying event

Up to and including 5’1”
Over 5’1” and up to and including 5’2-1/2”
Over 5’2-1/2” and up to and including 5’4”
Over 5’4” and up to and including 5’5-1/2
Over 5’5-1/2” and up to and including 5’7”
Over 5’7
If promoter chooses to do fewer height classes:

For all contests with two (2) classes:

Up to and including 5’4”
Over 5’4
For all contests with three (3) classes:

Up to and including 5’4”
Over 5’4” and up to and including 5’6”
Over 5’6
For all contests with four (4) classes:

Up to and including 5’2”
Over 5’2” and up to and including 5’4”
Over 5’4” and up to and including 5’6”
Over 5’6”
COMPETITOR RULES

National level contests do not permit competitors to crossover into Bodybuilding, Fitness or Figure at the same event. All other competitions are permitted to have crossovers at the discretion of the promoter with district chairperson approval.
Competitors will compete in a two-piece suit. The bottom of the suit must be v-shaped. No thongs are permitted. Competitors can compete in an off the rack suit. All swimsuits must be in good taste.
Competitors must wear high heels.
Competitors may wear jewelry.
COMPETITION JUDGING

Presentation

Competitors will walk onstage alone and perform their Model Walk (personal preference)
The Model Walk consists of the following:
Walk to the center of the stage, stop and do a front stance then a full turn and do a rear stance then turn to the front again in front of the judges and then proceed to the side of the stage.

Comparison Round, Two-Piece Swimsuit

Competitors will be judged wearing a two-piece swimsuit and heels.
The competitors will be brought out in a group and directed to do a full front and rear stance.
Judges will have the opportunity to compare competitors against each other in half turns. (No side judging permitted, front and back only.)
Judges will be scoring competitors on the following items:
Balance and Shape
Overall physical appearance including complexion, skin tone, poise and overall presentation.
QUALIFYING FOR NATIONAL LEVEL EVENTS
Please note that for all 2009 National Bikini contests except the 2009 Junior USA Bikini Championships, an athlete must have competed in an NPC Bikini event prior to entering a national contest.

The following must be provided with your entry:
• NPC Bikini Contest Name
• Date Of Contest
• Contest Promoter
• Your Height Class & Final Placing
This includes:
• NPC JUNIOR NATIONAL BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
• NPC USA BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
• NPC TEAM UNIVERSE BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
• IFBB NORTH AMERICAN BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
• NPC NATIONAL BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
The following placings will qualify competitors for one year for the NPC national level Bikini contests:

Top 5 places in each class at National Qualifying events only.

The NPC national level contests are listed below:
JUNIOR USA BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
JUNIOR NATIONAL BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
USA BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
TEAM UNIVERSE BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
IFBB NORTH AMERICAN BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS
NATIONAL BIKINI CHAMPIONSHIPS

QUALIFYING FOR IFBB PRO STATUS

The following placings at selected national level events will qualify competitors to turn professional and compete in the IFBB Pro Bikini Contests.
USA CHAMPIONSHIPS – Height class winners earn IFBB Pro Card (6 height classes)
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS – Height class winners earn IFBB Pro Card (6 height classes)
JUNIOR USA CHAMPIONSHIPS – top 2 in the Overall Comparison earn IFBB Pro Cards – (6 height classes)
JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - top four (4) in the Overall Comparison earn IFBB Pro Cards (6 height classes)
IFBB NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS - Top two (2) in Overall Comparison earn IFBB Pro Cards (6 height classes)
TEAM UNIVERSE CHAMPIONSHIPS – Top two (2) in each height class earn their IFBB pro Card (6 height classes)

[RUBICON19]

I prefer figure as does Jen, but sometimes she does cross over becuase she likes the sports wear round in bikini. Jen trains her ass off for either.