Well as you can see I was right on some and wrong on others. Such is the name of this competitive industry. Overall I agreed with most of the placings, there were a couple that I was left scratching my head as to what the judges saw but hey such is life. The top five in all the classes were solid for the most part, where they placed was often decided by very few points.

Congrats to all the new pros! I’ll write more of my thoughts tomorrow while on the plane home. The rain finally stopped so it looks like I’ll be heading back to the Rocky Mountains without much trouble. If I spend any more time in New York I may end up weighing 300lbs from all the pizza I’ve consumed. Yes, hands down the best pizza in the world is in NYC.

Some quick thoughts before the finals. The show was well run and everything went quickly. Thankfully there was plenty of time to get back to the hotel, relax a bit and grab a bite to eat before the finals. Below are my opinions of the contest, again simply my opinion and not the final outcome or how the judging will go.

Female Bodybuilding:
Lightweights – I look for Kim Landry-Ayres to take the class with Rochelle Palko in second.

Middleweights – Top three should be Cassandra Floyd, Shelli Schinkus and Ellen Woodley.

Heavyweights – I have Lea Ann Scelfo in first and Shawna Walker in second.

There were some good conditioned competitors in the show. There was no real show stopper to me so it will come down to the comparisons tonight on who will be the new IFBB Pro.

Figure: Lots of women, some classes were stacked with great competitors while others not so much. Overall a very good show with well conditioned competitors. Again simply how I saw the show and now how it will actually play out. The top two in each class are eligible for IFBB Pro Status.

A Class: I really like Ann Clairborne’s look and the package she brought. Her posing could have been just a bit better from behind but conditioning was great. A very competitive class and the final standing could go a number of ways. Lots of mixing around with the competitors during both rounds.
1 – Sheryln Roy
2 – Ann Claiborne
3 – Carin Hawkins
4 – Paige Oliver
5 – Debra Lavette

B Class: There was no clear cut winner in this class and things could go a number of ways. I do look for Candice and Melody to get their pro cards as they seemed to be the most consistent from front to back in both rounds.
1 – Candice Houston
2 – Melody Clark
3 – Liza Kampstra
4 – Soleivi Hernandez
5 – Danielle Agrapides

C Class: This was a big class with lots of great competitors. The two leaders in this group were Jessica and Cynthia. The rest were all over the map and could place 3 or 6th. Tough group with a number of comparisons within the first couple call outs.
1 – Jessica Clay
2 – Cynthia Henderson
3 – Emily Nicholson
4 – Pamela Sooper
5 – Debra Dunn

D Class: This class was HUGE. The big stand out was Alicia “smiley” Harris. She has never looked better and really shined on stage. I think she’ll fair better in her two piece than her one piece but I look for her to take the class and leave an IFBB Pro. Second through fifth was a battle. Terri Turner came on much stronger in her one piece and could move up a spot or two from the two piece. Her posing is a little off and I think she’s looked her best in Charleston and Chicago.
1 – Alicia Harris
2 – Danielle Kifer
3 – Jennifer Toth
4 – Terri Turner
5 – Maire Ann Newman

E Class: The two standouts in this class were Natalie Callando and Michelle Craven. I look for them to leave as new IFBB Pros tonight. This class had a number of comparisons and they brought out a few at the end of the two piece round. Jaime Meade was overlooked at first but look for her to be in the top five.
1 – Michelle Craven
2 – Natalie Callando
3 – Stephanie McDonald
4 – Jaime Meade
5 – Tara Zito

F Class: Alicia Marie walks away with this class tonight. The question is who will be second. Alicia doesn’t carry much muscle but does have nice shape and presentation. She looked better here than she did in Vegas but she will still do better as a model then a figure competitor. Who will get the second pro card? It’s a tough battle between Monique Minton, Courtney West and M.J. Fox.
1 – Alicia Marie
2 – Monique Minton
3 – Courtney West
4 – M.J. Fox
5 – Christian Hammond

Again these are only how I would place it. We’ll get the actual placings in a few hours.

Fitness:
Short Class – I have Rose Hendricks and Paige Oliver in the top two for the physique rounds. Unfortunately for Paige she forgot parts of her routine and most likely didn’t fair too well in that round. It will depend on how low she placed on whether she will get a pro card tonight.

Medium Class – Jessica Clay and Cinzia Massaro-Clapp are my top two picks in this class. I have Jessica winning the class.

Tall Class - Look for Jo Marriner to leave New York a new IFBB Pro. She brought up her physique enough to keep her in the running. As I mentioned before she rocked the house with her routine and now that her physique has come up, look for her to win this class. Amanda Marinelli should win the physique round with Jo in second. Amanda could get the second card tonight. I have Sandi Stuart in third and Jill Brooks in fourth.

Lots of new pros will be crowned tonight. The rain has hit NYC hard and heavy. Check back for more info and photos later on. Congrats to all the competitors as most of them did a very good job.

Things are gloomy here in New York. I’m not talking about the competition but the weather has changed to cloudy skies and drizzle. The weather reports are saying 3-6 inches as the tropical storm makes it way up the coast. Later this evening winds could be up to 60mph.

Rain or shine the show must go on and on it is. Last night the fitness ladies took the stage with their routines. Overall it was a lackluster showing from the competitors. There were a few women who “brought it” but many of the routines seemed to be taking place in slow motion and not the caliber needed to be at to be on the pro level.

Short  Class – Ten women are in this class. I have the routine round going to either Rose Hendricks from Shoreline, WA or Nita Marquez. They both brought energetic routines and showed off great strength skills. The two ladies also had nice costumes that showed off their physiques. Both are in great condition and if you work hard and are in shape, why not show the judges a preview and catch their attention? Victoria Larvie showed some solid gymnastic skills and should be in the top 3-4 in the routine rounds.

Medium Class – This group and the best display of solid routines. Erin Nomura won the routine round in my opinion for this class. She had a nice mix of dance, strength and gymnastics. Safiya Johnson held her own with a new routine and did a great job, she should be in the top spots as well. Lishia Dean brought a new routine and did well with it. It had a bit too much dancing for my liking but still a good job. Venus Ramos performed her best routine to date. She had the look of determination and did a much, much better performance than I’ve ever seen her do. Desiree Walker should be in the mix with a good performance laced with loads of gymnastics. Nez Zamdrano did a good job with her gymnastics and had a solid routine.

Tall Class – No question about it Jo Marriner from Colorado steals the show again. Jo will bring the New York house down tonight when she performs. It’s hard to tell but from my vantage point she looks like she has added some muscle to her frame. This should be her show for the taking and if I look for her to walk away a pro. She displays the most control with her strength moves and puts most of the pros to shame. When it comes to routines this is the woman you want guest posing for a crowd. She performed last and it held true the best was for last. After that it will be a battle between Jill Brooks and Sandi Stuart for second. Both did decent jobs but seemed nervous and didn’t “own” the stage.

Prejudging begins with figure and physique rounds in fitness shortly. Check back later for more updates.

The young Janet Jackson look-alike, aka Smiley, Alicia Harris is today’s photo of the day. Alicia was an awesome model and when she smiles it lights up the camera. I caught up with Alicia on the UNLV track for a photo shoot. She’ll be making the trip to The Big Apple in September for the Team Univers/Figure Nationals and hopes to leave with a pro card. Keep your eye on her, she has the potential to do well on and off stage with her look.

Alicia Harris was all smiles in Las Vegas.

There’s no more looking back for Smiley, it’s on to New York.