IFBB Sacramento Pro

2011 IFBB Sacramento Pro Preview, Predictions & Poll

November 2, 2011 By Isaac Hinds 3 Comments

Only three IFBB Pro Bikini competitions remain on the 2011 calendar and this weekend one will go down in Sacramento, California. Eleven hardbody bikini women will take the stage in hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Olympia. The top three will go to the big dance in Las Vegas. The defending champ, Amanda Latona will look to make it two wins in a row and hold onto her title. Tiffany Marie Boydston qualified for the Olympia with a third place finish at the Titans Grand Prix. The Vegas duo are the only ones qualified in the line up.

The Hardbody Breakdown:
1. Narmin Assria – Narmin made her pro debut at the Titans Grand Prix and held her own with another top five finish. She’ll obviously be gunning for a top three finish here. Can she do it? Yep but it won’t be easy in this line up. I have her my top five fighting for a top three spot.

2. Sandra Augustin turned pro in Fitness and will be competing in bikini. I can only assume that she’s doing this show since she lives in Sacramento. Always an energetic and lively women, Sandra will have her hands full cracking the top five here but bet on her having fun in the process.

3. Tiffany Marie Boydston - Tiffany’s birthday wish came true when she qualified for the Olympia on her birthday a couple weeks back at the Titans Grand Prix. I look for her to be in the top five but can she return to the top three? This will be a more competitive line up than she faced in Culver City so we’ll have to see.

4. Mary Jo Cooke-Elliott - Mary Jo battled back from an illness and finished in 11th at this year’s MuscleContest. She’ll look to move up now that she has the swing of things in the bikini division since making the switch from Figure.

5. Tawna Eubanks - I like the look that Tawna brings to the stage and think she has a great BIKINI body. She made her pro debut at the Houston Pro where she finished fourth. I had her in my top three and disappointed that she didn’t get the nod I thought she deserved. She’ll face some tougher competition and a different set of judges here so we’ll see how she fairs.

6. Diana Fields made her return to the competitive scene at the Tijuana Pro and finished at the bottom of the pack. She’ll make a run at it again here and will see how she fairs. You never know with a different set of eyes on you where someone like Diana may end up.

7. Brittany Gaylord returned to the stage at the Titans Grand Prix and many were left wondering WHO DAT? Those of you who have been around awhile and in the industry will remember her as Brittany Thorsch, the fitness pro. Brittany turned pro at the 2005 NPC USAs. She’s since married and had a baby. Now that she is back in the swing of things look for her to bring a better presentation and physique than she did in Culver City.

8. Many Henderson made the switch from Figure and still carries a good deal of muscle. She’s one of the shorties in the IFBB Pro league and it’s a balancing act for the shorter competitors. If you come in too soft it can look like you’re out of shape but come in too lean and you risk looking jacked. She wasn’t at the bottom of the pack but some where in the middle of the Titans Grand Prix. I look for her to be in a similar spot here.

9. Amanda Latona is obviously the one to beat. She took some time off but you wouldn’t know it when she took the stage at the Titans Grand Prix. Amanda picked up where she left off and left win another pro victory. She’s shown she is beatable however I don’t see it happening here unless she decided to hit the local fro-yo shops since her last competition. She’s the returning champ and I look for her to hold onto her title once again.

10. Natalie Pennington was in the top three at this show last year and don’t be surprised if she does once again. She presents a look the the judges favor and I look for this show to be much the same. I don’t mind her look from the front however when she turns to the back I’m left wondering where her booty is at. In the comparison rounds don’t be surprised if she standing next to Amanda Latona and when they turn to the back take not of the booty difference.

11. Talia Terese is looking to find her groove in the pro ranks since winning the NPC USAs in July. She improved to 6th place at the Titans Grand Prix and is a stunning woman. She’ll look to get in the hunt of things here and back to a top contender status. If she brings the look, confidence and presentation she did to USAs she can be a threat. If she doesn’t she’ll be in the middle of this pack.

Our West Coast correspondent Ron “Yogi” Avidan will be covering the action and tweeting @ronavidan the call-outs. One thing of note is that Sandi Williamson will be head judging this show which is a great opportunity for the up-and-coming NPC women and also the pros. Sandi is your go-to woman in the division and when she gives you advice it’s best to put it into action.

Ron’s Predictions:
1. Amanda Latona
2. Talia Terese
3. Narmin Assria
4. Natalie Pennington
5. Tiffany Bodyston

Isaac’s Predictions:*
1. Amanda Latona
2. Natalie Pennington
3. Narmin Assria
4. Talia Terese
5. Tawna Eubanks

*NOTE: It’s not necessarily how I would judge it based on previous shows however it’s how I see it potentially going down. These are subjective and just opinions. Don’t get your panties in a bunch if you’re not in the mix. Who will be closer to predicting the top five… Yogi or Isaac? We’ll find out on Saturday.

When:
Saturday, November 5, 2011

Time:
Prejudging – 9:30am
Finals – 6pm

Where:
Crest Theatre
1013 K Street
Sacramento, CA

More information:
www.npcsacshow.com

Filed Under: IFBB Sacramento Pro, Polls, Show Previews

Sacramento Photo Coverage

November 8, 2010 By Isaac Hinds 1 Comment

Check out all the photo coverage from Sacramento. Ron Avidan was in attendance and snapped photos of the NPC, IFBB and went Behind-The-Scenes.

Click here for photo coverage from the IFBB Pro Event.
Interested in the NPC coverage? Got ya covered here!

Filed Under: Competition Photos, IFBB Sacramento Pro

La La Latona Takes Home Gold in Sacramento

November 7, 2010 By Isaac Hinds 5 Comments

The first pro bikini show on Sacramento soil is in the books and Vegas resident, Amanda Latona was crowned the winner. The win comes as no huge surprise for those who follow the bikini division.

Jessica Paxson-Putnam, Amanda Latona & Natalie Pennington celebrate.
Photo by Ron Avidan.

The HardBody Breakdown
1. Amanda Latona - Amanda showcased her best look and presentation to date. If this version of Amanda would have been seen on the Olympia stage, who knows where she may have placed. No sense in dwelling on the past. The always stunning Latona brought confidence to the stage and it showed. She’ll take a little bit of time off before heading to Columbus for the Bikini International. Yes, she needs to get the invite first but you can bet that she’ll be a front-runner for the first ever Bikini International in March.

2. Jessica Paxson-Putnam - Jess stepped up her game here and put herself back in top consideration in the Bikini ranks. She had a flattering suit and one of the lone blondes to rise to the top in Bikini. She brought a tighter look than in the past and showcased her best look to date. As I mentioned in my preview, if she brought a tight booty to the stage you’d see her in a top spot. The booty was on point and she’ll be back on the Olympia stage in 2011. A case could be made for her to be one of the few invited to the Bikini International as well.

3. Natalie Pennington - Pennington’s exotic looks and quite confidence has won the judges over. She was a lock on the judge’s score cards for third and solidified herself as a top threat for any show she enters. I’d still like to see a rounder booty on her but hey the judges are liking what they see.

4. Laura Calderon - An impressive debut from Laura. She ditched the red bow suit from Nationals but I still wasn’t crazy about her suit choice here. She has the looks and the physique to be on the Olympia Bikini stage. It will come down to some fine tuning on the little details before we see her there. Solid start to her pro career.

5. Vanessa Prebyl – Vanessa is already heading to the Olympia with her third place finish in Houston but was looking to move up here. She slipped a bit and wasn’t quite as tight in the lower body as she was in Texas.

6. Leigh Brandt - The Canadian cutie made some improvements since the last time she competed in the States. I like her look and as she continues to polish her presentation you’ll see her move up in the bikini ranks.

7. Safiya Johnson - Safiya was improved here but could still be a bit tighter. If she tightens up she’ll move up but until then we’ll see her in the middle of the pack. She has the potential to move up though.

8. Jennifer Dietrick - I had Dietrick a lock for the top five heading into this show but she wasn’t quite tight enough to get there. One of the better booties in all of bikini.

9. Theresa Byrne - Not quite the debut Theresa was hoping for but the showing can help her improve for the next one. I look for her to refine some details and move up in the placings at future shows.

10. Sherlyn Roy - This wasn’t the same Sherlyn that fans saw in New York where she qualified for the Olympia. This was probably the worst we’ve seen her since making the switch from figure to bikini. Whatever she did for this show, she’ll want to avoid it and go back to the formula she used earlier in the year.

11. Nita Marquez - Nita made the switch from Fitness to Bikini and certainly has the personality to sass it up however her physique didn’t match up. Nita missed the mark here and found herself at the bottom of the pack.

Zara Pineda-Boorder made the trek down from Canada however she missed the prejudging portion of the show. Definitely not something any competitor wants to have happen. A reminder to all competitors that the show must go on. If you’re not there they can only wait so long for you. She did pose at the evening show but a bummer for her to miss the judging in the morning. I’m sure we won’t see her make that mistake again. Julia Aragon and Brooke Mora were both slated to be in the show but withdrew before the show.

IFBB SACRAMENTO PRO BIKINI RESULTS
1. Amanda Latona*
2. Jessica Paxson-Putnam*
3. Natalie Pennington*
4. Laura Calderon
5. Vanessa Prebyl
6. Leigh Brandt
7. Safiya Johnson
8. Jennifer Dietrick
9. Theresa Byrne
10. Sherlyn Roy
11. Nita Marquez

* Qualify for 2011 Bikini Olympia

Filed Under: Contest Results, IFBB Sacramento Pro

IFBB Sacramento Pro Bikini Preview

November 2, 2010 By Isaac Hinds 3 Comments

This weekend a number of IFBB Bikini Pros will head to Sacramento, California in hopes of qualifying for the 2011 Bikini Olympia. In years past, this show played host to the Figure division however this year it will host Bikini and the Men’s 202. Here’s an inside look at the weekend’s line-up.

While this isn’t the largest number of competitors we’ve seen it certainly is one of the most competitive.
**competitor list updated November 3rd**

The Hardbody breakdown of this weekend’s competition.

Julia Aragon -Julie is listed but I think this is an error. She just competed in the Border States Pro Figure where she placed 15th. I’d be surprised if she is entering the bikini division as she carries a good deal of muscle.

Leigh Brandt – The Canadian cutie will venture down to try her hand at the bikini division again. She was the first IFBB Bikini Pro in Canada and has the looks to do well. She’ll need to be a bit tighter than she was at the Musclecontest show earlier in the year and if she is look for her to be in the mix.

Theresa Byrne – Theresa will be making her pro debut after heating things up in the amateur ranks. Look for her to be in the top call-out and make a push for the top three in her debut.

Laura Calderon – Laura turned pro at the 2010 NPC Nationals just a few weeks ago by winning the Bikini D class. She has a nice physique and should hold her own here. I wasn’t crazy about her suit, it had a red bow on the back. Might be cool for a Holiday photo shoot but found it distracting for this type of competition. Hopefully we see a new suit on her.

Jennifer Dietrick - Jennifer has a great physique and started to find her groove as the year went on. If she can present her physique with confidence she’ll be in the top half of this competition.

Safiya Johnson – Safiya is one of the pros who migrated to the bikini division from fitness. She lacks the muscle maturity to hang with her sis in the physique department but with the new changes to emphasize the routine, I’d like to see her return to fitness. Nice look but I don’t see her in the mix for a top spot here given the depth she’s up against.

Amanda Latona - Amanda rocked the stage at the 2010 Europa taking home top honors. She slipped a bit at the Olympia and it appeared let nerves get the better of her. If a confident Amanda takes the stage this weekend she’s your Sacramento Pro champ. If she is unsure of herself like she looked at the Olympia prejudging she’ll be on the outside looking in on the top spot.

Nita Marquez – Nita is making the switch from Fitness to Bikini. She’s a little spitfire when she performs her routines and she should have no problem with the sass in Sacramento. She’ll need to present her physique to create the illusion that she’s curvier than she is. Nita could be one competitor who may have to tone down the sass as to not be over the top when presenting. We’ll see what she brings in her Bikini debut.

Natalie Pennington – Natalie is already qualified for the 2011 Bikini Olympia with her placing at the Houston Pro (second). She has the exotic good looks from the front however I still feel she needs more of a booty to be in the top spots.

Zara Pineda-Boorder - Zara will make the trip down from Canada in hopes of moving up from her pro debut. She held her own at the Detroit Pro but will need to be a bit tighter at this show if she hopes to get in the top call-out.

Vanessa Prebyl - The pressure is off Vanessa for this show as she qualified for the 2011 Olympia by placing third in Houston a couple of weeks ago. She’s got the looks to put her in the top five here.

Jessica Putnam - Jessica will make the trip with her husband Peter who will be competing in the Men’s 202 division. Jessica has the looks and presents well. If she brings a tight booty to the stage look for her to be in the mix of the top spots.

Sherlyn Roy – Sherlyn ditched the distracting flower from her noggin and found her groove in the middle of the year. She’s a bikini tweener where she borderlines on too much muscle for bikini but not enough for figure. We’ll see where the judges place her but I’d guess she’ll be some where in the 6-9 range.

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