This weekend marks the last contest IFBB contest of the year but at the same time, it’s the first qualifying show for the 2011 Fitness Olympia. This is an important show to pay attention to as it’s the first show that will implement the new rule changes in the IFBB Pro League. The new rule places more emphasis on the 2-minute Fitness Routine (2/3 of the score). The routines will also include four mandatory moves… Pushup (of any kind), High Kicks, Straddle Hold and Side Split.
This show has a number of angles to watch. There are a few women competing for the first time as pros and a couple of comebacks. There’s no clear cut favorite for this contest which makes it even more interesting to follow.
Competitor List includes:
1. Peggy Sue Barber
2. Michelle Craven
3. Nicole Duncan
4. Tina Durkin
5. Allison Ethier
6. Debbie Fowler
7. Ryall Graber-Vasani
8. Donna Jones
9. Tamme Marie
10. Deana Martinez
11. Michele Mayberry
12. Venus Nguyen
13. Kary Odiatu
14. Minna Pajulahti
15. Sylvia Tremblay
16. Kizzy Vaines
Peggy Sue Barber – Peggy Sue Barber may not be a name many of you are familiar with unless you’re in the Michigan area. Admittedly, I needed to do a bit of research to find more about her. Peggy Sue turned pro at the 2002 Team Universe Fitness as Peggy Sue Crawford by winning the Medium height class. It’s been a few years since she’s competed so it will be interesting to see how does. Welcome back!
Michelle Craven - Michelle has been at the bottom of the pack in the world of IFBB Figure since turning pro in 2008. She’ll be making the transition to her first pro fitness show at this contest. Michelle has enlisted the help of Fitness International & Fitness Olympia Champ, Jen Hendershott for her choreography. If you’re going to go big why not enlist the help of one of the best? I think she’ll find more success in the Fitness division than she’s seen in Figure. Props for putting together a routine and making the move.
Nicole Duncan - Nicole has one of the best routines in the IFBB and should be one of the women who benefits from the new rule change. She’s always impressive with her twists, turns and tumbling but her conditioning has held her back in the past. She’ll still need to be in shape to hang in the physique department but look for her in one of the top spots. Don’t blink or you may miss one of her many impressive moves.
Tina Durkin - Tina was 7th at the Fitness Olympia this year and will look to get back to the Olympia stage with a top three finish. She’s been as high as 3rd as a pro and will look to match or improve it. Tina brought a better routine to the Olympia than she did to the Fitness International. She benefited from a solid physique so it’ll be interesting to see how the rule change effects her placing.
Allison Ethier - Allison will make the trek from Canada and look to move into an Olympia qualifying spot. She started the 2010 year off with a rocky performance at the Fitness International but has battled back and been consistently in the top 6. She’ll be in the upper 1/2 of this line up and we’ll have to see if she can move up into a top three spot.
Debbie Fowler – Debbie will be making her IFBB debut. She turned pro in her first NPC national show (the 2010 NPC Jr. Nationals) and will look to find similar success as a pro. She was a consistent as an amateur and a welcome addition to the pro ranks.
Ryall Graber-Vasani - Ryall was 7th at the Europa Super Show in Dallas and will look to improve in Florida. She has the potential to be in the top five and could be a contender if she brings a solid routine.
Donna Jones – Donna has been part of the competitive landscape for some time. She had a career high at the 2008 Atlantic City with a sixth place finish. It will be a challenge for her to be in a top spot here but if her routine is solid don’t rule it out.
Tamee Marie - Tammee will be making her IFBB pro debut at this contest. Many women know her as one of the top suit makers in the business. Tammee’s biggest challenge will be to not over perform. She comes out with a ton of energy and a lot of power with her routine. If she can harness that energy she’ll have a successful debut.
Deana Martinez – It’s been a few years since we last saw her compete. She was the runner-up in the 2006 All-Star Fitness Pro and went on to compete in the 2006 Olympia. Deana turned pro at the 2004 NPC Nationals by winning the overall fitness title. She has an incredible physique and should be one of the tops in the physique round (if she brings what she did in ’06). Deana went by Deana Lee if you’re confused by the name. It’ll be good to see her back. She’s my dark horse to shake things up in this contest.
Michele Mayberry - Michele has been trying her hand in the Figure division lately and with minimal success. She has the potential to hold her own here and most of it will come down to the little details of her presentation. Hair, make up, tanning have been things that in my opinion held her back from moving up a spot or two. It’s good to see her back in the fitness division and I think she’ll find more success here than she did in Figure.
Venus Nguyen – Venus will be making her pro debut after turning pro at this year’s 2010 NPC Team Universe. We’ll see how she fairs in her debut. The rule change could benefit her with more emphasis on the routine round.
Kary Odiatu – Kary is another season fitness pro. She’s been competing since 1995 and been up and down in her placings as an IFBB pro. It’s been a few years since we last saw the Canadian fitness pro compete. It will be good to see her back on stage and how the time off suited her. Welcome back Kary.
Minna Pajulahti – Minna will be making the trip from Finland to compete this weekend. She brings a good deal of muscle to the stage and it’ll be interesting to see how she compares to the other women in this line up. Minna’s last competition outing earned her 2nd place at the Arnold Amateur contest. That placing earned her IFBB pro status in Finland and this will be her pro debut.
Sylvia Tremblay - Sylvia has been in the middle of the pack in her last two contests. She’ll look to move into a top spot here and could with the new emphasis on the routines. She made her pro debut at this year’s Fitness International where she placed 13th and her last contest was the Dallas Europa where she landed in 7th. Another Canadian competitor who will look to leave with an Olympia qualification.
Kizzy Vaines - Kizzy is the defending Ft. Lauderdale Cup champion. She came out of no where last year to take the top spot. Her incredible flexibility is impressive to watch when it’s implemented in a routine that flows. The routine Kizzy did last year at this contest left everyone with their jaw to the floor. She’s since changed her routines and that haven’t matched what she brought to this stage last year. If she can bring a similar routine to the stage again she’ll have a good chance at repeating. If we see routines like those in the last couple of shows she’ll be on the outside looking in.
As you can see this fitness event has a number of cool story lines and will be exciting to see who lands on top. On paper… Tina Durkin, Nicole Duncan and Kizzy Vaines could be considered the favorites as they each competed in the Olympia this year. Can one of the rookies keep them from returning to the stage? How about the many comeback ladies, might one of them find their way into the top three? We’ll find out this weekend.
From Hardbody.com
http://www.hardbody.com/news/2010/11/16/2010-ifbb-ft-lauderdale-cup-fitness-preview/
