Arnold Classic 2008 - Who do you want to see in it?

[Lift Studios]

Hello everybody, I'm new in this site... there is something I can't hunderstand... Why Valerie Waugaman and Latitia Wilder do not plase top tree... What's wrong with them....?? 

Place top three in what, the Arnold? It's a tough show and you have to be "on" to win here. Val has every chance to place top three here and Latisha seems to get no love at this show, why? I'm not sure.

[Lift Studios]

Let me make one thing clear, I do NOT have anything to do with who gets selected at the Arnold. My list was not intended to piss anyone off by them not being on it. Many of the women competing deserve to be considered but don't make it. Jim Lormier always says in his meeting with the competitors, that they were chosen for their accomplishments and what they bring to the sport. I've already received a few emails from competitors either or or off my initial list. The list is intended to spawn a discussion, which it most certainly has and hope it continues.

It's interesting to hear WHY people think they or their favorite should be invited.

Tre, you bring up an interesting thought (and no this is not directly solely at Sandra). There are many competitors outside of the USA, at least that originate from there but may live here now.  Should a competitor be invited simply because they are from another country?

[FigureRX]

Place top three in what, the Arnold? It's a tough show and you have to be "on" to win here. Val has every chance to place top three here and Latisha seems to get no love at this show, why? I'm not sure.

Latisha was 4th last year.  That's a lot of well deserved love on a big stage like the Arnold!!

[Fitness Fan]

Fitness
Palmer, Lohre,  Johnson, and Simons.  Maybe even Grishina - Just to see how she'd fare....
Palmer because she is a solid competitor and seems to be making some headway.
Lohre because she is downright beautiful and soo feminine, a strong all around competitor and a great representative for the sport.  She's competed no less than 4 or 5 times this year with top 4 placings in all.
Johnson also because she is a great representative for the sport and has OFF the HOOK routines!!!  Has crossed over to figure and shown that she can hold her own even without a routine.
Grishina, well even though I'm not a fan of her routines, I think it would be interesting to see her pitted up against routines again from Palmer, Lohre, and Johnson to see how it would shake out on the ASC stage.
Simons - Flexible Freak - So entertaining.

Figure
Some old, some new - Benson, Valerie, Littlejohn and maybe the new one Poala (Paula?) Almerico
Valerie just simply because she is about as marketable to the mainstream you can get, lots of magazine exposure and covers etc.  Markets herself well and has a very good presence about her.
Almerico because she is beautiful and a new pro and consistently has moved up each show.  She's got a great look and a statuesque physique.
Littlejohn and Benson because their figures are UNDENIABLE!!!!  They are to me what the ideal competitor should look like in figure.
I would like to see Mary Lado as well...although the OLD Mary...I'm not sure what she did this year, but I liked her look a while ago.  I'd like to see her get another shot!

[Tre]

Tre, you bring up an interesting thought (and no this is not directly solely at Sandra). There are many competitors outside of the USA, at least that originate from there but may live here now.  Should a competitor be invited simply because they are from another country?

No, but if the IFBB wants to be more like the "International Federation of Bodybuilders" instead of the "Internet Federation of Bodybuilders", then half the invitational field should be from outside the U.S.

Back to reality - I don't want competitors invited just to fill a quota.  They've gotta be good, too.  I would like to see more variety, though - it seems that 90% of the field is the same every year.  *yawn*


 

[Lift Studios]

No, but if the IFBB wants to be more like the "International Federation of Bodybuilders" instead of the "Internet Federation of Bodybuilders", then half the invitational field should be from outside the U.S.

Back to reality - I don't want competitors invited just to fill a quota.  They've gotta be good, too.  I would like to see more variety, though - it seems that 90% of the field is the same every year.  *yawn*

I agree on more variety.

Fitness - Oksana - Russia
Figure - Juliana - Brazil

Two World Champions would be a welcome addition.

[figfan]

What does everyone think about having the Arnold be a pro figure debut?  I know that Briana T did it a year ago and I felt that was a well deserved invite, but I see a couple of athletes on the list above who have had their pro cards for a while but have not yet competed at the pro level.  Given the large number of qualified competitors do we think that hurts them, as far as selection?

No way Briana T. or Corry Mathews deserved to see the Arnold Classic stage. Briana won the North Americans which is the weakest show of the year and Corry didn't even win an overall. It should be proven pros and maybe the Team Universe overall. 

[Denny Crane]

All this talk is useless without photos.

Denny Crane. Master of the House.

[AntonioC]

I agree on more variety.

Fitness - Oksana - Russia
Figure - Juliana - Brazil

Two World Champions would be a welcome addition.

that's just two competitors. tre is right ifbb stands for international and there are alot of european girls that deserve to represent their country and judged fairly against us competitors, which they dont.
in any interantional sport there athletes from all over which makes it more fun and interesting and here we see same girls win year after year and placings pretty much pre determined ahead of time. by the way juliana placed out of top 15 at every show she did, just because she wasnt from us or represented by somebody important. now that she is with "you know who" i think she might get the invite.

[Lift Studios]

that's just two competitors. tre is right ifbb stands for international and there are alot of european girls that deserve to represent their country and judged fairly against us competitors, which they dont.
in any interantional sport there athletes from all over which makes it more fun and interesting and here we see same girls win year after year and placings pretty much pre determined ahead of time. by the way juliana placed out of top 15 at every show she did, just because she wasnt from us or represented by somebody important. now that she is with "you know who" i think she might get the invite.

Who else should get an invite? I mention the two I'd like to see get an invite.

By the way - Juliana did not place out of the top 15 in every show she did.

[mjsbroda]

I don't know the criteria for getting an invite to the Arnold, but in my opinion it should not just come down to placing a consistent top 5 in previous shows, as we all know some competitors get (for lack of a better word) screwed by the judging.  I think that the competitors, especially in fitness, should be considered by the hard work, their yearly improvement - not just top 5.

Just my 2 cents.

[Tre]

I agree on more variety.

Fitness - Oksana - Russia
Figure - Juliana - Brazil

Two World Champions would be a welcome addition.

I don't know Oksana yet, but I couldn't agree with you more regarding Juliana.

Heck, she should be invited if for no other reason than to have the name 'Malacarne' - and those incredible legs - in the lineup. 

C'mon, International Selection Committee - we know you're watching, so let's make it happen.  I understand there's value in limiting the number of athletes invited each year, but making more of an effort to go beyond our borders will pay dividends for decades to come. 

[AntonioC]

I don't know Oksana yet, but I couldn't agree with you more regarding Juliana.

Heck, she should be invited if for no other reason than to have the name 'Malacarne' - and those incredible legs - in the lineup. 

C'mon, International Selection Committee - we know you're watching, so let's make it happen.  I understand there's value in limiting the number of athletes invited each year, but making more of an effort to go beyond our borders will pay dividends for decades to come. 

couldnt agree more with you
juliana definately deserves to be invited
she placed something like 22nd in pittsburgh
there are so namy international girls who are simplu amazing and if judged fairly would be great addition to this sport and make it really international
only to mention few who get shafted for very obvious reasons are inga, juliana, irina, pauline nordin, arina manta, petra mertl and others
all the above mentioned girls are champions either in europe or their country but here in us in international federation they cant crack top 10 in even smaller shows. why should they if they are not represented by someone whos dad runs the whole thing or have a big contract behind them with us based company, so naturally they wont get invited as there is no way they will place.
and by the way zivile, who by the way is gorgeous does not count as she is from long island and works for steve at powerhose and won his show.

[Lift Studios]

couldnt agree more with you
juliana definately deserves to be invited
she placed something like 22nd in pittsburgh
there are so namy international girls who are simplu amazing and if judged fairly would be great addition to this sport and make it really international
only to mention few who get shafted for very obvious reasons are inga, juliana, irina, pauline nordin, arina manta, petra mertl and others
all the above mentioned girls are champions either in europe or their country but here in us in international federation they cant crack top 10 in even smaller shows. why should they if they are not represented by someone whos dad runs the whole thing or have a big contract behind them with us based company, so naturally they wont get invited as there is no way they will place.
and by the way zivile, who by the way is gorgeous does not count as she is from long island and works for steve at powerhose and won his show.

Antonio get your facts straight before posting big guy. Inga was invited last year and placed 10th. Do tell, which big company was behind her? Cracking the top 10 at the Arnold is pretty good. That is a lame excuse on Zivile. Juliana lives in New York now, should we not consider her?

You didn't agree with me when I first posted Juliana but when Tre does, you couldn't agree more. 

[AntonioC]

Antonio get your facts straight before posting big guy. Inga was invited last year and placed 10th. Do tell, which big company was behind her? Cracking the top 10 at the Arnold is pretty good. That is a lame excuse on Zivile. Juliana lives in New York now, should we not consider her?

You didn't agree with me when I first posted Juliana but when Tre does, you couldn't agree more. 

Isaac, first and for most anything coming from you should be completely disregarded as you always were and will be an IFBB puppet, so I will just ignore you from now on as you neither faire or objective. And by the way you never said anything nice about Juliana back when everyone, including myself was saying that she along with Irina and Pauline got screwed in Pittsburgh back in May. Only now when she signed with J.M all of a sudden you are her biggest fan. The point is not about Juliana living in NY. The point is that Arnold should be a truly International event with athletes representing different continents, which would make it more interesting.
Inga placed 10th at the Arnold true, but definately deserved much higher. I guess for European Champion and somebody who is on the cover on most European magazines thats good enough. Now thats lame. Was she atleast compared to Jenny or Sonia? And the difference is? You know the answer.

[Lift Studios]

Isaac, first and for most anything coming from you should be completely disregarded as you always were and will be an IFBB puppet, so I will just ignore you from now on as you neither faire or objective. And by the way you never said anything nice about Juliana back when everyone, including myself was saying that she along with Irina and Pauline got screwed in Pittsburgh back in May. Only now when she signed with J.M all of a sudden you are her biggest fan. The point is not about Juliana living in NY. The point is that Arnold should be a truly International event with athletes representing different continents, which would make it more interesting.
Inga placed 10th at the Arnold true, but definately deserved much higher. I guess for European Champion and somebody who is on the cover on most European magazines thats good enough. Now thats lame. Was she atleast compared to Jenny or Sonia? And the difference is? You know the answer.

I've always spoke highly of Juliana, feel free to look back to last year's West Palm Beach show. Perhaps you should think before you type. I didn't think she got screwed at the Pittsburgh show, so perhaps that is why I didn't say anything of the such. Now you are changing your story in that Inga did place in the top 10 but should have be higher. You're embarrassing yourself with every post. Do yourself a favor and not post any more on things you know very little about.

[AntonioC]

Isaac learn to read.
Inga definately deserved better. You agreed with Juliana's last place in Pittsburgh? Of course you did. I wouldnt expect less from you. I mean a loyal puppy will always do as he told.
If anyone is embarrassing himself it's you with your loyal IFBB support and not a hint of objective critisism and true loyal support to athletes who deserved better. Anything for a press pass Isaac, right?

[Lift Studios]

Isaac learn to read.
Inga definately deserved better. You agreed with Juliana's last place in Pittsburgh? Of course you did. I wouldnt expect less from you. I mean a loyal puppy will always do as he told.
If anyone is embarrassing himself it's you with your loyal IFBB support and not a hint of objective critisism and true loyal support to athletes who deserved better. Anything for a press pass Isaac, right?

I can read, but can you comprehend, is the question. 10th place at the Arnold if very good, yet you complain. Zivile wins a show and you claim it was fixed. I don't agree with you on Juliana getting screwed and I'm an IFBB puppet or is it a puppy know?  What about Nicole Pitcher-Scott she placed 7th in Pitt and 3rd in Colorado, she's European, did she get "screwed" too? 

When you can make a logical argument come back and we'll discuss.

[AntonioC]

I can read, but can you comprehend, is the question. 10th place at the Arnold if very good, yet you complain. Zivile wins a show and you claim it was fixed. I don't agree with you on Juliana getting screwed and I'm an IFBB puppet or is it a puppy know?  What about Nicole Pitcher-Scott she placed 7th in Pitt and 3rd in Colorado, she's European, did she get "screwed" too? 

When you can make a logical argument come back and we'll discuss.

When you stop sucking up to IFBB for a pass, come back and we'll continue.
the conversation.
By the way now that Juliana is with J.M and she willplace top 10 dont forget to be the first to come here and say she deserved it.

[Lift Studios]

When you stop sucking up to IFBB for a pass, come back and we'll continue.
the conversation.
By the way now that Juliana is with J.M and she willplace top 10 dont forget to be the first to come here and say she deserved it.

Can you come up with anything else? You used the "company man" rhetoric back in the spring. Juliana has been with J.M. for awhile, again try to get your facts straight. I'm a fan of Juliana's physique, always have been but that doesn't mean I thought she should be top 5. Unlike you I can be objective. Juliana has been in the tough spot of being too small for bodybuilding and too muscular for figure. I'd still like to see her on the Arnold stage, would that be okay with you or does she not deserve it now?

Remind us who you are Mr. "AntonioC"?

[FigureRX]

If Juliana places top ten then she will have deserved it.  There I said it first, now we don't have to worry about it later and everyone can enjoy the accomplishments of all the athletes.

This board needs one of those "group hug" smilies .... I can point you mods to a link if you want.

When you stop sucking up to IFBB for a pass, come back and we'll continue.
the conversation.
By the way now that Juliana is with J.M and she willplace top 10 dont forget to be the first to come here and say she deserved it.

[AntonioC]

If Juliana places top ten then she will have deserved it.  There I said it first, now we don't have to worry about it later and everyone can enjoy the accomplishments of all the athletes.

This board needs one of those "group hug" smilies .... I can point you mods to a link if you want.

Juliana desrves it for sure. I think she is like Oksana of Figure being that she is different and would be a great addition. Juliana is great and there are many others.
All I am saying I would like to see the Arnold as international event with at least a possibility of a different outcome.

[Lift Studios]

There will be a different outcome this year, at least in fitness. One of the "big three" won't be in the mix...
http://www.hardbody.com/news/

I'd wager that we'll see a new Figure champion as well and my money is on Amanda Savell or Gina Aliotti.

[Tre]

I didn't mean to start a fight. 

[Lift Studios]

Tre is there proper "schmoe etiquette" when defending competitors outside of the US?