HARDBODY News & Events

The two piece round from the New York Pro is featured on IFBBpro.com. Check out the photos from each competitor in the figure division.

Two-Piece Round in NYC

Photos from the New York Pro Figure are posted on IFBBpro.com. Thanks to Tony Blinn for continuing to support the women’s side of things.

Ziville wins in New York.

The night belonged to the competitor absent from the early lists… Ziville Raudoniene. When I spoke to Ziville at the New York Pro Men’s contest earlier in the year she mentioned she’d be back to defend her title. We haven’t seen much from her and since she wasn’t on the list I assumed she decided to skip the contest. The only thing she skipped was cheat meals as she was on point and the clear favorite from the moment she took the stage. She’s one of the competitors that shines more in person than she does in photos. Beautiful girl, nice balance to her physique and spot on conditioning. She will successfully defend her New York Pro Figure title.

Second will go to the rookie Julie Ann Kulla. Everything fell into place for her tonight. Her color, suits, hair, makeup, conditioning, muscularity… She had it all. Julie Ann looked better at this contest than she did when she won the Jr. Nationals title. Like Lenay Hernandez she will get the runner-up title and make a name for herself right out of the gate.

Who will get that last qualifying spot to the Olympia? It will either be Huong Arcinas or Jelena Abbou. Jelena is already qualified but Huong is not. Huong is the shortest competitor on stage but the most complete in my opinion. When you look at her physique top to bottom she has it all. Great calves, symmetry, muscularity and conditioning. This was the best I’ve seen Huong and she could get the nod. Jelena looked great and you’re either a fan of her physique or not. She was more polished in her presentation tonight than at the Europa. I personally like her look and she has done all she can do with her genetics. Super tiny waist, great presentation, beautiful with nice conditioning. It will be close between these two.

Based on the callouts I have Candice John in fourth. I’m not familiar with the Trinidad competitor and was surprised to see her called out in the first round. It is proof that when people want to cry “politics” and “the name game” that it isn’t the case. She was tied for 16th at this show last year so landing in the top five is a huge accomplishment for her. She has a nice physique with good symmetry and balance.

The top five as I have them on my scorecard:
1. Ziville Raudoniene
2. Julie Ann Kulla
3. Huong Arcinas
4. Jelena Abbou
5. Candice John

3-5 could be any mix of Houng, Jelena and Candice. We’ll have to wait and see how the final scores come out.

Other thoughts from the show…
Teresa Gillian is doing very well in her second pro show. She’ll be in the 6-8 range and looked great. Nice symmetry and balance. I wasn’t a huge fan of her make up as it looked a bit muddy on stage. Overall though her presentation continues to improve and is doing a great job.

Natalie Benson was a bit soft from behind and despite getting good callouts I didn’t have her as high as she will most likely end up. She did look better than at the Europa show and appeared much tighter.

Krissy Chin will find herself on the outside of the top 10 most likely. I thought she could have been in the second round of call outs but it wasn’t meant to be for her this time around.

Becky Clawson was much improved from her previous shows and moved up in her call outs. This was definitely her best showing as a pro.

Tana Clough has an amazing physique. She came in a bit too hard for her debut. Had her conditioning been backed off a bit she would have faired better. Tana also needs to work on her posing. This is her first pro show so there were most likely some first time jitters. If she is little less hard and presents herself better she will move up at the Atlantic City contest.

Erica Fuest made her return to the stage but wasn’t at her best. She is lacking the muscle maturity and wasn’t in the condition she needed to, in order to do well here. Erica plans to compete at the Tournament of Champions so she should be improved there.

Juliana Malacarne should do female bodybuilding. I love her physique and she carries a ton of muscle beautifully. She will never crack the top 5 in figure, in my opinion. If she were to compete in female bodybuilding she would be winning every lightweight competition she entered.

Jessica Steffens is a pretty woman and has a nice upper body. Her legs need to drastically improve for her to do well in the pro ranks of figure.

Ziville should repeat at New York Pro Figure Champ.

The quick skinny from New York…

The competitors all checked in last night and if they missed check-in last night they were able to do so this morning. IFBB Fitness Pro Kim Scheideler (formerly Klien) helped promoter Bev Francis with the process.

JM Manion drove in from PA to cover the show for NPC NEWS and will be shooting the winners on Sunday.

Two of the top contenders in the Figure F class were chatting it up with each other. Monique Minton and Alicia Marie were chilling in the lobby. Alicia was contemplating what to do with her Friday and Monique was feeling good with some fats and carbs in her system.

American Gladiator Mike O’Hearn was spotted carrying in groceries with her girlfriend Sheryln Roy. He was trying to be undercover with a five o’clock shadow and a hat on.

Tanji Johnson is in the Big Apple and brought and entire crew. They were doing a few impromptu photo shoots in the lobby showing off the team jackets.

Jen Hendershott is in attendance and will be cheering on one of her pupils, Lishia Dean. She tells me Lishia has ditched the “rock star” routine and will be bringing something new in hopes of nabbing a pro card. We’ll see how she fairs in the routine round tonight.

Carla Sanchez brought a number of women from her Performance Ready Team. Figure competitor Tara Green, who is a pilot, had her co-pilot give a shout out to the PR TEAM over the intercom. Look for Liza Kampstra, Jamie Meade and a few other PR figure divas to be in the mix this weekend.

Houng Arcinas tells me she is “on” and ready.

Krissy Chin said she was excited and ready to go.

Tracey Greenwood decided not to attend due to the imposing weather the local area is scheduled to have tomorrow.

The prejudging starts tonight at 6:30pm EST. Check back here for more info and stop by bodybuilding.com for photos throughout the weekend.

It’s time for another IFBB Figure show this weekend and three Olympia qualifications are on the line. Which ladies will prevail when they take the stage Friday night at the Tribecca Performing Arts Center? Looking at the line up there are a few women who stand out to me as being in the top call-outs. It all depends on who shows up at their best but let’s assume they all do.

My picks for the top callouts…
• Jelena Abbou - She’s already qualified for the Olympia so the pressure is off her to land in the top three. Anyone who knows Jelena knows that won’t stop her from coming in at her best. This Jersey girl has her sights set on the title and will have the hometown advantage at her side. Look for her to land in the top three in this show.

• Julie Ann Kulla - Julie Ann won the overall crown at this year’s Jr Nationals and has the potential to make a splash in her pro debut. She has the look that has been consistently rewarded and I look for her to be in the top callouts at this show. Don’t be surprised if you see this Minnesotan making the trip to Vegas in a couple weeks, as a Olympia competitor.

• Krissy Chin - Krissy returns to the stage where she turned pro. She’s consistently improved from show to show this year and should find herself in the top callouts in this line up. Will she prevail as she did last year? Highly possible for her to be making a trip to Vegas as well.

•  Huong Arcinas - She’ll be the shortest competitor on the stage but don’t be fooled by her height. Huong has one of the most complete physiques from top to bottom and can more than hold her own against the taller competitors. She should find herself in the top callouts.

Others who could be in the mix and could be as high as 3rd.

• Natalie Benson - This is a make or break show for Natalie. When she is on, she’s great but when she is off she is out of the top five. If Natalie brings a smaller, tighter package then she had at the Europa she could be in the hunt for the Olympia. The softer look doesn’t suit her physique because of the amount of muscle she carries.

• Teresa Gillian - She had an impressive debut in Dallas with a 7th place finish and has the makings of a solid pro. She should find herself in the first or second callouts in this line up and has a look that is often rewarded. The biggest challenge for Teresa is her stage presence and presenting her physique with confidence. That will come in time and if she’s able to strut her stuff she should be in the mix.

• Tivisay Briceno - I like her physique and thought she could have been in the top five at the Europa Super Show. She’ll hold her own in the Big Apple and will undoubtly be in the top ten. The question will be how high in that top ten? We’ll see.

• Allison Jones-Williams - She presents a nice physique and should find herself in the mix of the top couple of callouts. It will be a battle for her to get into the top five but don’t rutle it out.

The Darkhorses:
• Tana Clough - We haven’t seen her take the stage as a pro but she shined at last year’s Jr. Nationals. She has a very balanced, aesthetically pleasing physique. She could be in the mix in the top three or at the bottom of the pile. She carries a fair amount of muscle and the determining factor for Tana will be her conditioning. If she comes in too hard she’ll be on the outside looking in but if she finds a nice balance look for her to be called out early.

• Erica Fuerst - The California girl makes her return to the stage after a long lay-off. When she is on she’s great but if she is off she’s standing on the sidelines. The key for Erica to do well will be her conditioning. She’s struggled as a pro to nail it but if she finds the right balance here she could fair well. We’ll have to wait and see which Erica shows up in New York.

Check back here throughout the weekend as I provide updates on the show. Best of luck to all the competitors and remember these are only my opinions and we all know the saying about opinions.

There are currently 25 figure pros slated to take the stage this weekend in New York. Who do you like for the win? For more info on this event visit, IFBBpro.com.

1. Jelena ABBOU, USA
2. Huong ARCINAS, USA
3. Natalie BENSON, USA
4. Tivisay BRICENO, USA
5. Krissy CHIN, USA
6. Becky CLAWSON, USA
7. Tana CLOUGH, USA
8. Serena COOPER, Canada
9. Erica FUERST, USA
10. Marie GIBBON, USA
11. Oksana GRISHINA, Russia
12. Jacqui JARRETT, New Zealand
13. Candice JOHN, Trinidad
14. Allison JONES-WILLIAMS, USA
15. Donna JONES, Australia
16. Carol KING, Barbados
17. Jeanette KOLONIAS, USA
18. Julie Ann KULLA, USA
19. Juliana MALACARNE, Brazil
20. Arina MANTA, Australia
21. Karen MULLARKEY-BARRINGER, USA
22. Larissa REIS, Brazil
23. Jessica STEFFENS, USA
24. Rosalind VANTERPOOL, Barbados
25. Tessa WOOD, USA