Ten IFBB Bikini Pros will compete this weekend at the Toronto Pro Supershow and three will qualify for the Olympia. Shelsea Montes, Justine Munro and Nathalie Mur are already qualified for the big show in Vegas. If these ladies land in the top three the fourth place finisher will qualify for the Olympia but I look for someone to shake up the top three. This is one of the smaller bikini line-ups of the year but it’s still very competitive.

This is any woman’s show for the taking. Shelsea Montes is the only woman in the line up with a pro win to her credit and she’ll have her work cut out for her to collect a win here. When she turns her “swagga” on and is relaxed on stage, she’s gold. If she overthinks it shows and isn’t as confident on stage. She has a nice physique and could certainly find the winner’s circle here. It’s a battle of the Canada Cuties with Leigh Brandt and Justine Munro facing off as pros for the first time. Leigh has continued to refine her physique and find her groove on stage. Justine has shown she’s a top contender when she’s on the money. The key for her will be to come in tight with the bottom half of her physique. Brandy Leaver has the looks and continues to move up as her physique tightens up from show to show. My dark horse pick to shake things up in the top three is Angela Leong. She’s got a smile that will light up the stage and has the body to rock the top spots. If she comes in tight, look for her to be in the mix. Nina Luchka is a name we haven’t seen in awhile. Nina competed in Figure but will try her hand in the bikini division for the first time. Dayna Maleton has everything it takes to be in the top three, the key is putting them all together at the same show. She wasn’t as sharp at the New York Pro with her physique but her presentation drastically improved. Nathalie Mur found success at the end of last year and if she can bring more confidence to the stage with her presentation she can be in the hunt again. Samantha Morris is a taller competitor and needs to come in tighter in order to hang with this line-up. Michelle Lamb has one of the best bikini booties in the biz but has a tiny frame and often doesn’t have the muscle to hang in a top spot. We’ll see how she fares here.

What’s your take HARDBODY Nation?

*Janet Harding and Zara Pineda-Boorder are also competing. They were not on the list when doing this initial preview, which is a reminder to all competitors – if you want people talking about ya before a show, send in your contracts early. Yes, I know there are a million reasons why you can’t or didn’t but at the end of the day if you’re not on the list people won’t know.

This weekend 13 IFBB Fitness Pros will compete for the last qualifying spots for the 2011 Fitness Olympia. Michelle Blank and Myriam Capes are already qualified. Should these two ladies land in the top three again, that will leave one woman headed to the big dance in September.

Myriam Capes is considered by many to be the favorite to win this show but it won’t come easy. Myriam is definitely capable of winning the show is she brings her high-energy and entertaining routine to the stage. She’s best when she’s demonstrating hard hitting, powerful moves and ditches the cutesy bit. Michelle Blank found success in the her pro debut at the New York Pro. She has a great physique and a strong routine. I look for her to win the physique round but will have her work cut out for her in the routine round. My dark horse to shake things up at this show is Canada’s own, Jodi Boam. She made her pro debut at the New York Pro and made quite an impact. She has a sic routine and is one of the more entertaining pros you’ll see on this stage. Mindi O’Brien will be making her return to the stage after some time off due to a back injury. We last saw her on the Olympia stage where she was unfortunately unable to compete. It’s great to see her back and will be interesting to see how she fairs with the time away from the stage. Sylvia Tremblay and Allison Either are both looking to move up and hoping to do so in front of their country’s fans. Could we see a Canadian sweep of the top spots? Eight of the Thirteen women are from Canada so it is possible. Kristina Rojas narrowly missed a qualifying spot in New York and will be a top contender again in this line up.

We’ll find out on Saturday who makes their way to the Olympia. What do you think HARDBODY Nation, who will reign supreme in the land of IFBB Fitness this weekend?

The official competitor list for the 2011 IFBB Toronto Pro Figure shows 21 competitors, making this one of the biggest figure shows of the year. There are a few familiar names but many others that are relatively unknown, making this a fun show to watch. As expected, half the field is from Canada which would make sense considering Canadian women haven’t had the opportunity to compete in their own country in quite some time.

Leading the pack in this show has to be Natalie Waples, Genn Strobo and Julia Ann Kulla. Waples and Strobo are already qualified for the Olympia but both are hungry for a pro victory. Julia Ann Kulla typically comes on strong towards the middle and end of the competitive season. We’ve seen her win shows and seen her at the bottom of the pack. If she’s on the money she’ll be the one to beat. Natalie showed tremendous improvement in her last contest and has the advantage of not having to travel out of her country to compete. Strobo could win the show but she’ll need to come in full. When she doesn’t eat enough that crazy metabolism of hers takes over and she can look stringy on stage.

I really like what Candice John has been presenting as of late and wouldn’t be surprised if she finished in the top three. She’s come close a number of times and has found the winning look to her physique, hair and presentation. One woman to watch will be Leah Berti, the overall and only pro card winner at the 2011 Canadian Natural Physique Championships that was held in April. Leah will be making her pro debut this weekend and has a young, fresh, exotic look to her.

There are a number of women who could sneak into the top five here but it won’t be easy. The competitor list shows Brandy Leaver down for figure but I believe she’ll be in the bikini division, unless she’s had a change of plans since New York where she was in the top ten in the Bikini Division.

What do you think HARDBODY NATION… Who will win and who is one to watch?

This show also features a Figure Masters division. Unfortunately, only four women have sent in a contract to compete so it’s not much of a competition. I know there are a number of women who could excel in this division and why they chose not to enter is beyond me. I see this one being between Tivisay Briceno and Michele Mayberry with Kim Seeley looking to upset one of the two. My money is on Tivisay for the win. Kim Seeley returns to the stage after some time off to start a family. She used to compete in fitness but will give it a whirl in the Figure division. Michele Mayberry has a nice physique and also usually competes in Fitness. She’s gotta switch up the hair style from the tight curly perm in my opinion. Susanne Bock rounds out this competition and could sneak into the third spot but it she’ll have to be at her all-time best.

This weekend nearly 100 IFBB Pros will head to Toronto, Canada for the IFBB Toronto Pro Super Show. The event will take place on June 17 and 18 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This is one of the few events that showcases every division for the women to participate in. We’ll see a number of women qualify for the Olympia at this contest as many of those who are already qualified are taking a pass on the event. The event also features IFBB PRO Figure Masters, one of the few times we’ve seen this category.

When:
Friday, June 17
Fitness Expo Hours: 1:30 p.m. – 8:00 p. m.
John Bassett Theatre Hours: 6:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 18
Fitness Expo Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
John Bassett Theatre Hours:9:00 am – 10:30 p.m.

Where:
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North Building
Halls A, B and the John Bassett Theatre

Cost:
Fitness Expo: $10
Fitness Expo & Extreme Sports Hall: $30
John Bassett Theatre Competitions: $30-$90
VIP passes: $250

More Info:
www.TorontoProSuperShow.com
http://facebook.com/TorontoProSuperShow
http://twitter.com/TOProSuperShow