2003 San Francisco Grand Prix

Heather Horsebrook took third behind Park and Poncey, and looked very good. While not as cut or muscled as the top two, she has a good structure. Blanco Delgado came into this show with a little more muscle than before, but still looked a tad bit tentative on stage, which may have pushed her down the placings a bit. She has good base muscularity and just needs to be more comfortable and confident in displaying her physique to progress. First timer Adrianna Medina had the most radiant smile of the group, but was too soft this time out. However, her structure is good, and with more training, a bit more muscle and coming in leaner, she should do well in future figure competitions. Finally Melissa Taylor rounded out the short class and was also a bit smooth. Like Medina, she too will improve as she adds more definition and musculature.

The tall class had some recognizable faces such as overall winner Rhonda Yancey. Yancy barely missed out on earning her pro figure card, and you can see that with her genetics, Yancey should soon gain pro status. While not as hard as Park, who she battled for the overall, her shape and lines were more aesthetic.

Brooke Novak looked strong, and pushed Yancey, but wasn't able to overcome Yancey's structural edge. Novak was tighter and more lean, so in another show, she may have placed higher. Another who suffered the same result was Tanya Pennington who looked excellent. Very hard and defined, but not overly ripped, Pennington was crisp and sharp throughout, but it may have been to sharp as she didn't make the top three. San Francisco's own Monica Chang rounded out the top three and the 37-year old mother looked fantastic, also winning the Master's Figure show.

Lori Ann Martindale and Tamara Carosous rounded out the group. Both have good shape, but were not quite hard enough to make the top half of the group. Martindale, like Delgado just needs more work on her presentation and posing to look more comfortable on stage, while Carosous looked good overall, but the competition was strong at the top of the group. Carosous also competed in the masters competition and took fourth, although she probably deserved a higher placing.

The other two masters competitors were 51-year-old Nancy Mims, a former bodybuilder who was fantastic in very hard, lean shape, and with some mature muscularity and poise. Beth Darmer placed third, but was not quite as hard, although she of course looked fantastic for her age, as did all of the Masters competitors.

Men's Pro Show - the Battle of the Bay

Most of the gathered crowd at Zellerbach Hall were on hand to see the biggest and best on stage and they were not disappointed as virtually ALL of the top male bodybuilders took the stage for one reason or another, including an Olympia preview with both Ronnie Coleman and Gunter Schlierkamp.

However, the two were probably more interested in what was happening with the competitors, especially Jay Cutler, fresh off his sweep at the Arnold and Ironman Pro. Cutler made it three in a row, taking the title in Berkeley. Cutler was thick, shredded and tight throughout, edging out Chris Cormier again for the second week in a row. His sheer mass and size was overpowering, and while Cormier looked amazing himself, he just wasn't able to get any first place votes. This time, Dexter Jackson chased Cormier, with a very balanced and full package. Maintaining his Arnold conditioning and perhaps even looking a bit more polished, Jackson deservedly placed third.

Following Jackson was Melvin Anthony who as usual performed a very entertaining posing routine, while perhaps making the most improvements over the previous week in Columbus. Troy Alves, who placed 5th also looked incredibly sharp with razor cuts, looking very shredded. Kevin Levrone guest posed, but did compete during prejudging, but felt too ill from the flu, that he could not complete the competition. While he looked good, he definitely was not on.

Ahmad Haider looked fantastic too, with perhaps the best midsection in the competition with a tight six pack and a refined and balanced overall package. Unfortunately he didn't have the mass to place higher. Other notables were Fred Bigot and Johnny O. Jackson who both looked strong, but with such a deep group of competitors, was not able to crack the top five.

In the end though, Cutler managed to maintain his momentum and the stage has continued to be set for perhaps one of the more exciting Mr. Olympia battles in recent history.

Results (competitor #s follow their names)

Amateur Figure Overall: Rhonda Yancey Short 1) Hannah Park(#1) 2) Maria Poncey (3) 3) Heather Horsebrook (2) - Melissa Taylor (4) - Blanco Delgado (5) - Adrianna Medina (6) Tall 1) Rhonda Yancey (8) 2) Brooke Novak (9) 3) Monica Change (11) - Lori Ann Martindale (7) - Tanya Pennington (10) - Tamara Carosous (12) Masters 1) Monica Change (11) 2) Nancy Mims (16) 3) Beth Darmer (13) 4) Tamara Carosous (12)

Men's Pro Show 1) Jay Cutler 2) Chris Cormier 3) Dexter Jackson 4) Melvin Anthony 5) Troy Alves 6) Ahmad Haidar 7) Quincy Taylor 8) Claude Groulx 9) Johnnie O. Jackson 10) Tevita Aholelei 11) Fred Bigot 12) Tommi Thorvildsen 13) John Hodgson 14) Stan McCrary 15) Christian Lobarede

Last updated: 3/9/2003 @ 6:20 p.m. PT