Follow all the action from the IFBB 2011 Ft. Lauderdale Cup here on Hardbody.com. If you’re on twitter, you can see the live updates via twitter.com/hardbodynews, twitter.com/MusclePhone and twitter.com/BBcomcontests. Joining in the coverage? Use the hashtag #FLcup for the event in all your tweets. You can see what everyone is tweet’n about with that tag by checking out hashtags.org/FLcup.

The 3rd annual NPC / IFBB Ft. Lauderdale Cup will take place on October 8, 2011. This show has been the launch pad for a few bikini women into the big leagues. Nathalia Melo and India Paulino both competed on this stage and have gone on to compete at the Olympia. There will undoubtedly be a couple more stars shining bright in the NPC portion of this show.

The IFBB Fitness has some seasoned vets and a few rookies. Look for Camala Rodriquez to bounce back from her Olympia showing. She has the potential to win this show but will she bring a routine that can fend off the likes of Nicole Duncan and Jodi Boam. The top three women will qualify for the 2012 Fitness Olympia and this will mark the last pro fitness event of the 2011 calendar year. Keep an eye on Nichole Venzara – she was the overall winner at the NPC JR. Nationals this year and has a chance to crack the top spots here.

Figure will be a battle with a number of women looking to qualify for the 2012 Olympia. Alicia Harris has the potential to win the show as she was 6th at the 2011 Olympia. If she can come in conditioned you’ll see her in the hunt. Gen Strobo is sure to be in the top callout as she tends to be at her best in shows of this size. She was out of the mix at the Olympia but should find herself in the top three here. Candice John continues to improve over time and I look for her to be in the top five and battling for a top three spot. Holly Beck has steadily improved over time and could be in the hunt if she comes in full. Monica Specking has the potential to be a top pro if she can bring her best here she has a chance to be in a top spot. My pick to sneak into the top spots and make some waves is Candice Lewis. I like her structure and the look she brings to the stage. If she brings her best I look for her to be in the top three.

The Bikini division will be an interesting one to watch. My pick to shake things up in her pro debut is Brittany Tacy. She has a sic physique and the potential to be an Olympia competitor right out of the gate. India Paulino displayed her best showing at the Olympia last month and I have her pegged as your winner at this show if she brings a similar presentation and look. Diana Graham could be in the hunt for a top three but she’ll need to be a bit tighter with her lower body conditioning then we saw at the Olympia. Another contender in her pro debut and I look for her to be at her all-time best is Skye Taylor. She has a nice physique and I look for her to crack the top five in her debut. Last but not least, Vanessa Campbell is my pick for a top spot. I thought she brought her best to the Olympia stage and was overlooked there but look for her to shine today.

Follow all the action on twitter.com/MusclePhone for this show.

2010 IFBB Ft. Lauderdale Figure Pro Results

1. Kristal Richardson – USA – 7
2. Ava Cowan – USA – 10
3. Candice Keene – USA – 15
4. Alicia Harris – USA – 19
5. Gennifer Strobo – USA – 27
6. Emily Nicholson – USA – 33
7. Petra Mertl – Czech – 37
8. Elizabeth Earhart – USA – 39
9. Candice John – Trinidad – 40
10. Lenay Hernandez – USA – 52
11. Ginette Delhaes – Canada – 54
12. Natalie Revajova-Lenartova – Slovakia – 57
13. Ann Titone – USA – 68
14. Tina White – USA – 73
15. Teresa Gillian – USA – 76
16. Tessa Wood – USA – 77
17. Aleisha Hart – Canada – 78
17. Ann Pratt – USA – 78
19. Tinamarie Bloomfield – USA – 80
19. Viviana Casarubbia – Argentina – 80
19. Raechelle Chase – New Zealand – 80
19. Caroline Hernandez – USA – 80
19. Charmayne Jackson – USA – 80
19. CeaAnna Kerr – Canada – 80
19. Georgina Lona – Mexico – 80
19. Amanda Marinelli – USA – 80
19. Teresita Morales – USA – 80
19. Elvimar Sanchez – Venezuela – 80
19. Susan Salazar – USA – 80
19. Mavis Tozzi – USA – 80

2010 IFBB Ft. Lauderdale Bikini Pro Results

1. Nicole Nagrani – USA – 6
2. Justine Munro – Canada – 9
3. Nathalie Mur – France – 15
4. Jennifer Andrews – USA – 21
5. Missy Coles – USA – 24
6. Nicole Guerrero-Moneer – USA – 30
7. Lindsey Morrison – USA – 38
8. Zara Pineda-Boorder – Canada – 39
9. Khanh Nguyen – USA – 47
10. Nicole Coleman – USA – 51
11. Desha Rodriguez – USA – 55
12. Samantha Morris – USA – 57
13. Gemma Williams – United Kingdom – 63

2010 IFBB Ft. Lauderdale Fitness Pro Results

1. Kizzy Vaines – United Kingdom – 11 – 20 – 31
2. Nicole Duncan – USA – 20 – 12 – 32
3. Tina Durkin – USA – 9 – 38 – 47
4. Ryall Graber-Vasani – Canada – 10 – 46 – 56
5. Allison Ethier – Canada – 32 – 42 – 74
6. Deana Martinez – USA – 45 – 74 – 119
7. Tamee Marie – USA – 25 – 102 – 127
8. Michelle Craven – USA – 37 – 92 – 129
9. Michele Mayberry – USA – 37 – 118 – 155
10. Sylvia Tremblay – Canada – 59 – 104 – 163
11. Venus Nguyen – USA – 70 – 100 – 170
12. Kary Odiatu – Canada – 74 – 98 – 172
13. Debbie Fowler – USA – 58 – 122 – 180
14. Minna Pajulahti – Finland – 52 – 134 – 186
15. Donna Jones – Australia – 72 – 122 – 194
16. Peggy Sue Barber – USA – 75 – 136 – 211

We’re rock in Ft. Lauderdale and it couldn’t be a better way to bring the competitive season to a close. Last night, over 150 women checked in for the NPC/IFBB Ft. Lauderdale Cup and will rock their hardbodies later today. Follow all the action throughout the weekend by refreshing this page or follow on twitter at twitter.com/hardbodynews. Look for coverage on our facebook page and also on Bodybuilding.com. This is going to be a kick ass show.

Prejudging Schedule of events:
Prejudging begins at 9:30 am EST.

NPC Teen Fitness
NPC Open Fitness
IFBB Fitness Two-Piece
IFBB Bikini
IFBB Figure
NPC Teen Fitness Two-Piece
NPC Teen Figure
NPC Open Fitness Two-Piece
NPC Figure Over 35
NPC Figure Over 45
NPC Bikini Over 35
NPC Novice Figure
NPC Novice Bikini
NPC Open Figure
NPC Open Figure

I’ll be using @hardbodynews and @BBcomContests. Those of you tweeting about this weekend’s event, use the hashtag #ftlaudcup. You can see what everyone is writing about related to the 2010 Ft. Lauderdale Cup at http://hashtags.org/ftlaudcup.

If you’re not on Twitter, you can stay on this page and refresh for the live call-outs and my (Isaac’s) insight through out the weekend.

The Finals will begin at 6:30pm EST. The IFBB Fitness routines will kick the evening off. Remember the scores will count for 2/3 of the final score so we won’t really know who is going to come out on top until the finals. Unlike prejudging in Bikini and Figure we’ll have a pretty good idea of who the top 3 will be. This makes things more exciting and it will qualify 3 women for the 2011 Fitness Olympia.

This weekend caps off the end to a competitive 2010 Figure Season. Three women will leave Ft. Lauderdale with 2011 Figure Olympia qualifications. Two days out from the competition, there are 30 women entered for the Ft. Lauerdale Cup. This is a deep line up and the top spots will be very competitive.

Ava Cowan, Alicia Harris and Kristal Richardson are already qualified for the 2011 Olympia. Look for them to be in the top five again here. Lenay Hernandez returns to the stage after taking some time off since the 2008 Olympia. She has the potential to be in the top spots here. Candice John has continued to refine her physique and one to keep an eye on. Candice Keene is always competitive and will look to move into the top three at this show. Gen Strobo found success on this stage last year and will look to repeat. There are a number of women who could be in the top five and on paper Kristal Richardson is the one to beat. She comes into the this show with a top five Olympia finish. Can anyone knock her off the top spot here? We’ll find out on Saturday.

The 2010 Ft. Lauderdale Pro will feature 14 bikini pros and has shaped up to be a competitive event. Check out the hardbody breakdown of the competition and follow along this week as Hardbody hits the beach.

There are three Olympia qualifications up for grabs. Who do you think will win it all? UPDATE: Jessica Jessie is out with a leg injury and will NOT be competing.

The Hardbody Breakdown:

Jennifer Andrews - Jennifer Andrews won not only her class but also the overall at the 2010 NPC Nationals. She’s wasting no time getting into the pro league and looks to continue her winning ways. She has a great bikini body and the potential to qualify for the Olympia in her first pro show.

Nicole Coleman - Nicole made her bikini pro debut at the Detroit Pro Bikini. Nicole brought a bit too much muscle to the stage and will need to tone it down a bit to be competitive. She has a power-lifting background and a solid base of muscle. I’d like to see her change her suit and hair up a bit from Detroit as well.

Missy Coles – Missy is one of the x-factors in this line up. She could be a top three contender or sitting on the outside of the top five. The key to Missy’s success will come in her presentation and her tan. She’s had some issues with her tanning at past shows which is distracting to her physique. Missy will look to rebound from her 14th place finish at the Olympia.

Jessica Jessie - Jessica turned pro at the 2010 NPC Jr. Nationals by winning the overall. She’s competed a number of times already this year and her physique has come a long way since the beginning of the year. She was off in Detroit and off at the Olympia. We’ll see if she can come back and be in the mix here. She could be in the top three or outside of the top five depending on what type of condition she’s in.

Nicole Moneer-Guerrero - Nicole will look to improve on her Tournament of Champions 11th place finish and if she brings a tighter backside she will. She continues to improve since turning pro earlier this year and I could see her in the top 2 callouts.

Samantha Morris - This will be Samatha’s pro debut. She’s one of the younger competitors in the IFBB and continues to refine her physique. She’ll be one of the taller competitors in the line up and she’ll need to be tighter than past shows to hang in this line up. If she’s conditioned I look for her to be in the top call-out, if not she’ll be standing on the sidelines.

Lindsey Morrison - Lindsey has only a handful of shows under her suit but has risen to the top fairly quickly. She turned pro at this year’s 2010 Team Universe and will make her debut at this event. She’ll need to bring up the energy and stage presentation to hang in this field. She has the physique it’s a matter of how she presents it.

Justine Munro – Justine competed in the WBFF in 2009 and made the switch to the CBBF this year. She took home first place in her class and the overall title, earning her IFBB pro status. She has stunning good looks and will be the one to watch here. She could come in and be top three in her IFBB Pro debut. I wouldn’t be surprised if she is in the first call-out.

Nathalie Mur - Nathalie will make the trip from France to compete once again state-side. She was 7th at the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Bikini Pro show. She has exotic good look and a nice physique. If she has a little tighter booty than this summer and can present it she’ll be competitive here.

Nicole Nagrani – Nicole has come a long way in a short time. She’s one of my favorite Bikini Pros and always has great energy on and off stage. I can’t see her losing this show if she brings the same look she has all year. I continue to be impressed that she’s in college and rocks the hardbody. Nicole is one of the standards in bikini and the one to watch if you want to see what the division is all about.

Khan Nguyen – Khanh gets the award for most persistent competitor of the year. She’s refined her look and fixed her suits over the last few shows. There’s not much more she can do to improve. It comes down to who she’s compared to and if that’s a look the judges like.

Zara Pineda-Boorder - Zara made the trip from Canada to Sacramento a couple weeks ago but missed the prejudging. She won’t make that mistake again. She debuted at the Detroit Pro and will look to move up from there.

Desha Rodriquez – Desha will make her pro bikin debut here. She competed in a few Figure competitions but felt her body would be suited better for the bikini division. She hasn’t been on stage in awhile but she’s stayed in shape as seen at various expos throughout the year. If she can bring the sass in her presentation she’ll be competitive in bikini. The only thing that could hold Desha back is herself and nerves.

Gemma Williams – Gemma will make the trip from the United Kingdom to compete. She’s a stunning woman in her photos and has model good looks. We’ll see how it translates on stage this weekend.

It will be a very competitive show and the top five will be top notch. I like Nagrani for the win but it won’t be easy for her. Any number of women could be in the top three and challenge her for the title. Follow all the action here and on twitter throughout the week.

This weekend marks the last contest IFBB contest of the year but at the same time, it’s the first qualifying show for the 2011 Fitness Olympia. This is an important show to pay attention to as it’s the first show that will implement the new rule changes in the IFBB Pro League. The new rule places more emphasis on the 2-minute Fitness Routine (2/3 of the score). The routines will also include four mandatory moves… Pushup (of any kind), High Kicks, Straddle Hold and Side Split.

This show has a number of angles to watch. There are a few women competing for the first time as pros and a couple of comebacks. There’s no clear cut favorite for this contest which makes it even more interesting to follow.

The HARDBODY Breakdown:
Peggy Sue Barber – Peggy Sue Barber may not be a name many of you are familiar with unless you’re in the Michigan area. Admittedly, I needed to do a bit of research to find more about her. Peggy Sue turned pro at the 2002 Team Universe Fitness as Peggy Sue Crawford by winning the Medium height class. It’s been a few years since she’s competed so it will be interesting to see how does. Welcome back!

Michelle Craven - Michelle has been at the bottom of the pack in the world of IFBB Figure since turning pro in 2008. She’ll be making the transition to her first pro fitness show at this contest. Michelle has enlisted the help of Fitness International & Fitness Olympia Champ, Jen Hendershott for her choreography. If you’re going to go big why not enlist the help of one of the best? I think she’ll find more success in the Fitness division than she’s seen in Figure. Props for putting together a routine and making the move.

Nicole Duncan - Nicole has one of the best routines in the IFBB and should be one of the women who benefits from the new rule change. She’s always impressive with her twists, turns and tumbling but her conditioning has held her back in the past. She’ll still need to be in shape to hang in the physique department but look for her in one of the top spots. Don’t blink or you may miss one of her many impressive moves.

Tina Durkin - Tina was 7th at the Fitness Olympia this year and will look to get back to the Olympia stage with a top three finish. She’s been as high as 3rd as a pro and will look to match or improve it. Tina brought a better routine to the Olympia than she did to the Fitness International. She benefited from a solid physique so it’ll be interesting to see how the rule change effects her placing.

Allison Ethier - Allison will make the trek from Canada and look to move into an Olympia qualifying spot. She started the 2010 year off with a rocky performance at the Fitness International but has battled back and been consistently in the top 6. She’ll be in the upper 1/2 of this line up and we’ll have to see if she can move up into a top three spot.

Debbie Fowler – Debbie will be making her IFBB debut. She turned pro in her first NPC national show (the 2010 NPC Jr. Nationals) and will look to find similar success as a pro. She was a consistent as an amateur and a welcome addition to the pro ranks.

Ryall Graber-Vasani - Ryall was 7th at the Europa Super Show in Dallas and will look to improve in Florida. She has the potential to be in the top five and could be a contender if she brings a solid routine.

Donna Jones – Donna has been part of the competitive landscape for some time. She had a career high at the 2008 Atlantic City with a sixth place finish. It will be a challenge for her to be in a top spot here but if her routine is solid don’t rule it out.

Tamee Marie - Tammee will be making her IFBB pro debut at this contest. Many women know her as one of the top suit makers in the business. Tammee’s biggest challenge will be to not over perform. She comes out with a ton of energy and a lot of power with her routine. If she can harness that energy she’ll have a successful debut.

Deana Martinez – It’s been a few years since we last saw her compete. She was the runner-up in the 2006 All-Star Fitness Pro and went on to compete in the 2006 Olympia. Deana turned pro at the 2004 NPC Nationals by winning the overall fitness title. She has an incredible physique and should be one of the tops in the physique round (if she brings what she did in ’06). Deana went by Deana Lee if you’re confused by the name. It’ll be good to see her back. She’s my dark horse to shake things up in this contest.

Michele Mayberry - Michele has been trying her hand in the Figure division lately and with minimal success. She has the potential to hold her own here and most of it will come down to the little details of her presentation. Hair, make up, tanning have been things that in my opinion held her back from moving up a spot or two. It’s good to see her back in the fitness division and I think she’ll find more success here than she did in Figure.

Venus Nguyen – Venus will be making her pro debut after turning pro at this year’s 2010 NPC Team Universe. We’ll see how she fairs in her debut. The rule change could benefit her with more emphasis on the routine round.

Kary Odiatu – Kary is another season fitness pro. She’s been competing since 1995 and been up and down in her placings as an IFBB pro. It’s been a few years since we last saw the Canadian fitness pro compete. It will be good to see her back on stage and how the time off suited her. Welcome back Kary.

Minna Pajulahti – Minna will be making the trip from Finland to compete this weekend. She brings a good deal of muscle to the stage and it’ll be interesting to see how she compares to the other women in this line up. Minna’s last competition outing earned her 2nd place at the Arnold Amateur contest. That placing earned her IFBB pro status in Finland and this will be her pro debut.

Sylvia Tremblay - Sylvia has been in the middle of the pack in her last two contests. She’ll look to move into a top spot here and could with the new emphasis on the routines. She made her pro debut at this year’s Fitness International where she placed 13th and her last contest was the Dallas Europa where she landed in 7th. Another Canadian competitor who will look to leave with an Olympia qualification.

Kizzy Vaines - Kizzy is the defending Ft. Lauderdale Cup champion. She came out of no where last year to take the top spot. Her incredible flexibility is impressive to watch when it’s implemented in a routine that flows. The routine Kizzy did last year at this contest left everyone with their jaw to the floor. She’s since changed her routines and that haven’t matched what she brought to this stage last year. If she can bring a similar routine to the stage again she’ll have a good chance at repeating. If we see routines like those in the last couple of shows she’ll be on the outside looking in.

As you can see this fitness event has a number of cool story lines and will be exciting to see who lands on top. On paper… Tina Durkin, Nicole Duncan and Kizzy Vaines could be considered the favorites as they each competed in the Olympia this year. Can one of the rookies keep them from returning to the stage? How about the many comeback ladies, might one of them find their way into the top three? We’ll find out this weekend.

Follow all the action here on hardbody and on twitter throughout the week. This will be one fitness event not to miss. For more information on the show visit ftlauderdalecup.com. If you’re in the area be sure to check this show out. Shannon and Kristen do a tremendous job with this all women’s event.

Along with the IFBB Pro fitness and figure, the Ft. Lauderdale show held an all women’s NPC event. There were some future stars on this stage and a couple you can count on seeing more of in the future.

Check out all the NPC competition photos here.

As a photographer there are days you are “on” and there are days you are “off” when it comes to timing your shots. The most exciting part of any competition for me are the fitness routines. It’s a challenge to capture the image at the right moment in time and one that isn’t easy. Many times you’re too close or too far away from the stage. The lighting of the stage can either help or hurt your chances of snapping a good image. The best images come when competitors stay in the middle of the stage and towards the front but not too far to the front. There is an “X” marked for individual quarter turns. That is is there because it’s the best lighting and the center of the stage (usually this is the case).

Anyone doing a fitness routine, think about that when you choreograph your routines. If you’re doing all your moves off to the side of the stage it is 1)tough for the judges to see you and 2)nearly impossible for a photographer to capture the move. Those competing in the Ft. Lauderdale show did a great job with their routines and the photos reflect it. I was stoked after sorting through the images as I was “on” with my timing at this event. Here’s a couple examples of the routines. Check out the full gallery on bodybuilding.com.

Ft. Lauderdale Champ Kizzy Vaines flies high.

Nicole Duncan rocked the house with her Michael Jackson theme.

Liza Hughes put on a show in her final fitness performance.

Bridgette Murray was flying high in her routine.

Check out the full fitness routine gallery on bodybuilding.com.

This was the first show with no 1-piece and no 45-second routine. The competitors competed in their 2 piece swimsuit for the morning prejudging and performed their 2-minute routines in the evening. There were some amazing routines with Kizzy and Nicole taking home the best routines of the evening. Check out the morning prejudging photos on bodybuilding.com.

Morning prejudging with the Fitness pros.

Routine photos will be posted shortly. There are some amazing moves in this gallery and will be worth the wait.

Check out the photos from the IFBB Ft. Lauderdale Pro Figure competition on bodybuilding.com. This was a competitive line-up that showcased a number of new faces/physiques. Congrats to Kristal Richardson on her first pro victory. Erin Stern and Gennifer Strobo took home Olympia qualifications for the 2010 Ms. Figure Olympia.

Top four from the back. Reminder… a tight booty helps win shows!

This is just one example of the insane flexibility Kizzy displayed en route to her win at the IFBB Ft. Lauderdale Cup. I’ll be posting more photos on bodybuilding.com in the next day. Congrats Kizzy!

Kizzy put on a show stopping performance in Florida.

Here’s a quick look at what were your top contenders in the IFBB Ft. Lauderdale Cup prejudging.

Fitness Prejudging

Figure Prejudging

The final competitor’s lists are in and this is a solid line-up for the first annual IFBB Ft. Lauderdale Cup. Sixteen Fitness and twenty-three figure pros will take the stage tomorrow in hopes of qualifying for the 2010 Olympia. Three qualifying spots will be rewarded in each of the competitions. Who do you think will be crowned the winners tomorrow?

Cast your votes for the TOP SIX in fitness AND figure in the comments field below. If you correctly predict the TOP SIX IN EXACT ORDER for both fitness and figure we’ll award you with $150. If someone correctly guesses one category but not the other we’ll award you with $50. The first one to post will win the prize should two people have the same guesses, so cast your predictions early. You’ll have until 8am EST tomorrow to place your predictions. Good luck!

FITNESS

Nicole Balarezo
Tanya Burkhardt
Susana Cacavieli
Nicole Duncan
Liza Hughes
Victoria Larvie
Nita Marquez
Michele Mayberry
Bridgette Murray-Ward
Leslie Rae Newton
Yenny Polanco
Kristina Rojas
Sandi Stuart
Kizzy Vaines
Desiree Walker
Sandie Ward

FIGURE

Tivisay Briceno
Cheryl Brown
Brandie Gardner
Heather Green
Aleisha Hart
Allison Jones – Williams
Candice Keene
Anna Level
Petra Mertl
Marie Ann Newman
Kristin Nunn
Marcy Porter
Rosa Maria Romero
Kristal Richardson
Cynthia Sharp
Chastity Slone
Erin Stern
Gennifer Strobo
Michelle Theison
Rosalind Vanterpool
Natalie Waples
Karen Williams
Tessa Wood-Thomes

There’s still time to get tickets to tomorrow’s main event. Visit ftlauderdalecup.com for more info and if you’re unable to attend follow us on twitter @hardbodynews.

I travel to a number of shows and I gotta give props to Shannon Dey for the host hotel at the Ft. Lauderdale Cup. The Double Tree in Ft. Lauderdale is not only one of the nicest host hotels but also has the cheapest rate. Competitors have a refrigerator, microwave, stove, kitchen, great views and each room is a suite. It’s walking distance to the beach and the staff is friendly. My favorite thus far was the warm cookie at check-in.

Here’s a look at what you’re missing out on if you aren’t competing in this show.