2003 NPC Jr Nationals Contest Report and Free Photo Gallery

2003 Junior Nationals
by Gene X Hwang - June 13-14, 2003

Rosemont, IL, USA - The greater Chicago area was hosting two major events this weekend as the U.S. Open Golf tournament was drawing fans to nearby Olympia Fields, but bodybuilding and fitness fans were being welcomed back to the Hyatt Regency O'Hare in Rosemont, IL. With the weather improving all week, by the time finals came around, the weather was as impressive as the lineup of athletes.

Figure once again drew the largest numbers, but the talent in the bodybuilding and fitness competitions was still there. This year the heavyweight class was not as deep with talent as it was last year, but the middleweight class stepped up to take up the slack and did not disappoint.

It was the six deep lightweight class that started things off though, and the impressively detailed physique of Muriel Brewer began the competition. Brewer presented a finely conditioned physique as did almost all of the class, with mature muscle and good cuts throughout. However, it was Beth Wachter who was the most finely conditioned athlete and she came in completely ripped. With her face a bit widthdrawn from the dieting, her physique was etched in striations and muscle fibers were visible throughout, especially in her impressively deep back.

Following closely was Linda Shepler who was wider than Wachter, but not as shredded. While still impressively conditioned, Shepler also had nice back detail and triceps and had an elegant posing routine. Brewer followed those two and Valerie Varnauskas, who took third. Varnauskas was also very tight but her aesthetics and shape prevented her from moving up.

Christy Straub and Lisa Burtner rounded out the class and both presented strong physiques. Straub showed strong arms and pecs, but when it comes to USAs or Nationals though, these athletes will have to make some improvements to their physiques to edge out some of the others who will most likely return to compete on the National stage such as Shannon Rabon and Michelle Burdick.

As the middleweight class strode out onto the stage, the first grouping of them immediately impressed the crowd, starting with Kirsty Hawkins and Amanda Dunbar. Dunbar has better aesthetics, and Hawkins has nice thick muscles, but with a little more mass and muscle maturity, will blossom into a very strong threat to take the class. Dunbar, who received a first place vote has the genetic structure and v-taper to go far, once she too develops more mature and thick muscle.

It was Kim Perez and Dena Westerfield that would take the top two positions though, and Perez's upper body and detailing were phenominal, while Westerfield had the total balanced package. In the end the judges rewarded Westerfield and it was that physique that would also win the overall title. Christine Moore took fifth, and presented some amazing leg development with very full muscle bellies in her quads, and some very rounded and thick calves. With a bit more rounded delts and a tighter waistline, expect to see Moore knock on the top spot.

Even sixth place finisher Rita Kaya was impressive, with a good balanced physique that just needs a bit more size and thickness throughout, and considering her age, was even more impressive. Ninth place finisher Tammy Storch resembles Cameron Diaz a bit in the face, and her smile complimented her tight physique. She just needs to work on her aesthetic more to get more flowing lines, and will move up the ranks quickly.

The heavyweights as always were the most anticipated class, and Audrey Peden came out first and the crowd felt another battle for the heavies looming, but in the end, the class was not as deep as it was last year, although the eventual winner of the class, Emily Holder, was definitely a capable flag bearer for the heavies. Edging out Peden on the strength of her conditioning and thickness, Peden showed strong muscle maturity and dense muscle throughout.

Yvonne Edmunds trailed in third, and displayed her serratus nicely, while the mature muscularity of Laurie Bruning's physique along with her balanced and shapely physique enabled her to sweep to fourth place and Michelle Baker rounded out the top five.

Outside the top five, Andrea Cloward displayed impressively developed quads but wasn't as tight as she needed to be while the same fate laid for Colorado's Deb Widdis. Both Cloward and Widdis were two of the larger competitors, and if they come in a bit tighter overall, will improve their placings. Unfortunately, several other heavyweights also seemed to be having trouble dialing in their physiques just right, and those that didn't stood out.

In the end though, it was Dena Westerfield's night, and she was a deserving champion. With time to make small refinements to her physique, expect Westerfield to do well at the USAs or Nationals when she chooses to compete in one or both of those shows.

---

Fitness, while showing a decline in athletes entered because of figure, still puts out some strong competitors, and the short and tall class winners of the Junior Nationals were no exception. Kasie Watts in the short class, presented a very strong and balanced physique along with a routine that complimented it to sweep to the class title. Watts' wide shoulders and tight waistline look good against her strong legs, and only in her early 20's shows promise for years to come. She edged out the enegetic Lydia Haskell who took second and Jackie Salladay who took third. Haskell's physique was not as shapely as Watts, but Salladay was actually more conditioned than Watts, but didn't have the shape to edge her out.

Megan Tennant took fourth and Sharon Henderson's strong routine pulled her up to fifth. Henderson also was the most muscular fitness competitor, but may have been penalized for that, resulting in her lower physique round scores, but she placed second in the routine round.

In the tall class, it was another member of Mike Davies' Fitness Factory, Kirsten Nicewarner, who took the class title ahead of Shannon Dey and also won the overall. Dey had the best stage presentation and energy, but Nicewarner's physique was very impressive (although during the figure competition itself, she was not placed as high even though she presented the same physique).

Springfield's ever-improving Jennifer Flatt returned to take third, and has improved her routine and physique with consistency from year to year. Being as tall as she is, she still can add a bit more muscle to her frame, and present a balanced physique on stage.

Michigan's Kristina Henn took fourth ahead of Chicago's Sara Krajnik. Both are newcomers to the National stage, and made strong debuts. They could also add more muscle/thickness throughout and with the added fullness, compete for the top of the class.

---

The figure competition alone had over 100 athletes. This was far too many to judge all the way through, so the judging panel had to eliminate some physiques. Since the one-piece competition started things out, it was that which defined the competition early. For those that were essentially eliminated, a bad one-piece round score, would end their chances early, and it was seen throughout the competition.

The short class was no different with Texan Jodi Miller just missing the top five cut because of her first round score. The 4'10" dynamo was very tight and presented herself well on stage, but shone more in her two piece than one, and in the end took sixth. However, the short class was also the most competitive and with over 30 athletes, anyone towards the top of the group had earned it.

Winning the class was Monica Guerra who also looked surprised to take the overall crown as well. With great balance and good lines, Guerra's package was a strong one, although not quite as muscular as many of the others in the class, but that seems to be the look that the judges are going for with many of the more conditioned athletes placing lower or receiving later callouts.

In the medium class (over 5'2" and up to and including 5'3"), Mavis Tozzi was the judges pick. Chandra Coffey took second, but might have had the best aesthetics of anyone on stage in any of the categories. With a one-piece that wasn't cut optimally, Coffey didn't make the first callout in the first round, and probably because of that, didn't take 1st and earn her pro card, but she should soon.

Emerald Cup champ Misty Yi was in first after the one-piece round, but fell during the two-piece. Still sporting the best calves in the class, Yi will definitely be a contender and should soon earn her pro card as well. Californian Gina Camacho's elegant aesthetics and lines carried her to 4th just ahead of Kate Shelby who was probably the hardest girl of the top five with an almost visible christmas tree.

Jackie Salladay of Oklahoma displayed nice abs and a strong back, but finished 10th probably because she was a bit muscular (which we love!). Stephanie Knowles had a nice wide back, but might have been a bit too hard, and placed seventh.

In the medium-tall class, Christina Forlifer won, but boos rang out a bit when Michelle Adams was named in second place. A look at the scoresheets shows it was close though with five points separating them in the end. Following both though was Tara Hampton who looked very good, but with her longer torso, has to widen out a bit to get the better sweep in her lines in the two-piece round. Fourth went to the best legs in the class, and those belong to Brandee Hughes, whos quads and calves were impressively developed (to the point that her calves touched each other when standing in repose). Former bodybuilder Amy Rainaldo rounded out the top five.

Tinya DePaola also suffered from being in "too-tight" of condition. DePaola was very lean, and showed excellent shape, but the judges punished her, and didn't call her out until much later than her physique warranted. However, that is the trend in figure. Samantha Bullington faced the same problem, and didn't make it back to compete in the finals.

The tall class was won by Rhonda Riley (formerly Yancey). The Californian was called out first in both rounds and swept the scoresheets with 1sts across the board. She beat out the harder Kimberly Becker who has nice lines and a tiny waist but was probably too hard to edge out Riley.

Joelle Tyler took third ahead of Ieva Aleknaite and Laura Lewis. When asked how her figure competition experience went, Lewis admitted that it might not be where she stays. The former bodybuilder had trouble training down for figure, and the conditioning was tough too. Coming in at a condition that you know isn't as lean as you can be is troubling, and while it's the same problem the other figure competitors are facing, it's especially hard from those making the transition from bodybuilding to figure. Perhaps that's a good sign though, as bodybuilding still has strong support from the fans, and it appears, even from the crossover athletes.

As mentioned previously, Kirsten Nicewarner didn't fare as well in figure, and her physique looked even more full and muscular when in the figure lineup. Nalani Johnson showed great lines, and if she can tighten up her hamstrings, will do better, while Tina Louise Vaughan shined in the two-piece round displaying a very impressive torso and midsection which was hidden in the one-piece round.

Jennifer Searles showed off a strong back and was tighter than ever before, but placed seventh and Stephanie Collins was also very defined and lean, with thick back development that probably pushed her down to 15th place.

As the competition season is kicking into high gear, it's good to see solid turnout at the Junior Nationals, but there will be high expectation as always for the NPC USAs in Vegas next month. While the heavyweight bodybuilders may not have come out at Juniors, the lineup should be deep and competitive with the likes of Heather Policky in the heavies, and Elena Seiple in the middles. The summer is just starting to heat up.

 

 

Results

Women’s Bodybuilding (scoresheet) Overall: Dena Westerfield Lightweights 1) Beth Wachter 2) Linda Shepler 3) Valerie Varnauskas 4) Muriel Brewer 5) Christy Straub 6) Lisa Burtner Middleweights 1) Dena Westerfield 2) Kim Perez 3) Amanda Dunbar 4) Kristy Hawkins 5) Christine Moore 6) Rita Kaya 7) Keri Yates 8) Kristine Ziembiec 9) Tammy Storch 10) Christine Sabo 11) Dana Capobianco 12) Debbie Patton 13) Danet Seely 14) Farrah Faulkner Heavyweights 1) Emily Holder 2) Audry Peden 3) Yvonne Edmunds 4) Laurie Bruning 5) Michelle Baker 6) Michelle Falsetta 7) Kirsten Haug 8) Jackie Christopher 9) Jennifer Turner 10) Andrea Cloward 11) Deb Widdis 12) Karen Christman 13) Ella Williams   Fitness Overall: Kirsten Nicewarner Short: (scoresheet) 1) Kasey Watts 2) Lydia Haskell 3) Jackie Salladay 4) Megan Tennant 5) Sharon Henderson 6) Angelina Summers 7) Lorraine Rosa 8) Michelle Woodward 9) Dena DeMauro Tall: (scoresheet) 1) Kirsten Nicewarner 2) Shannon Dey 3) Jennifer Flatt 4) Kristina Henn 5) Sara Krajnik 6) Lori Smith 7) Tara Richards

Figure Overall: Monica Guerra* Short: (scoresheet) 1) Monica Guerra* 2) Tera Sheehan 3) Latisha Wilder 4) Rebecca Rush 5) Kasey Watts 6) Jodi Miller 7) Shelia Rawlins 8) Cindy Martinez 9) Janelle Casanova 10) Nikki Warner 11) Hope Zarro 12) Susanne Davies 13) Lorraine Rosa 14) Makeba Johnson 15) Ann Pratt 16 tie) Amanda Platt 16 tie) Phoylin Vongkhamchanh 16 tie) Sharon Henderson 16 tie) Erica Sammy 16 tie) Rachael Adams 16 tie) Angela Chambliss 16 tie) Vanessa Orozco 16 tie) Misty Roberson 16 tie) Bonnie Kositzke 16 tie) Sylvie Marjanowicz 16 tie) Latisha LeBourtgeois Medium: (scoresheet) 1) Mavis Tozzi* 2) Chandra Coffey 3) Misty Yi 4) Gina Camacho 5) Kate Shelby 6) Zena Collins 7) Stephanie Knowles 8) Veronica Ruth 9) Lydia Haskell 10) Jackie Salladay 11) Kristin Locker 12) Selma McPherson 13) Kim Higley 14) Tina Ponchillia 15) Melissa Hanson 16 tie) Michelle Woodward 16 tie) Sue Webb 16 tie) Jone'e Winterson Medium-Tall: (scoresheet) 1) Christina Forlifer* 2) Michelle Adams 3) Tara Hampton 4) Brandee Hughes 5) Amy Rainaldo 6) Deborah Denio 7) Laura Sutter 8) Sandra Del Vecchio 9) Yolanda Tillman 10) Kara Falk 11) Angie Fernwault 12) Tinya DePaola 13) Debbie Cole 14) Bridget Malinger 15) Melissa Babers 16 tie) Grace Rivera 16 tie) Jessica Plank 16 tie) Tara Richards 16 tie) Danielle Hollenshade 16 tie) Aida Aragon 16 tie) Angela Wehage 16 tie) Allison Snow 16 tie) Melissa Cruz 16 tie) Andrea Baker 16 tie) Nancy Oshana 16 tie) Heather Winters 16 tie) Lias Johnson 16 tie) Tamara Fearno Tall: (scoresheet) 1) Rhonda Riley* 2) Kimberly Becker 3) Joelle Tyler 4) Ieva Aleknaite 5) Laura Lewis 6) Tanisha Harrison 7) Jennifer Searles 8) Collette Flack 9) Kirsten Nicewarner 10) Tina Moore 11) Kritina Henn 12) Tina Louise Vaughn 13) Jennifer Flatt 14) Colette Kozlowski 15) Stephanie Collins 16 tie) Chastity Slone 16 tie) Jill Owens 16 tie) Jalani Johnson 16 tie) Sara Krajnik 16 tie) Randi Post 16 tie) Tammy Brazile 16 tie) Melissa Mong 16 tie) Jermaine W. Jones 16 tie) Tabitha Reed 16 tie) Nikoletta Kutrumanes 16 tie) Crystal Wallen 16 tie) Brandy Cook * earns pro card

Last updated: 6/17/2003 @ 10:08 p.m. PT