2004 NPC Jr USAs Contest Report

by Gene X Hwang - April 17, 2004

New Haven, CT, USA - The contest season started it's busy stretch in New Haven with the 2004 Jr USAs and a single figure pro card was up for grabs for the overall champion. The numbers in bodybuilding and fitness were down though, with the majority (over 50) of competitors competing in one of the four figure classes for the opportunity to turn pro.

Bodybuilding also had a new look with both the lat spread and the addition of the lightheavyweight class. Unfortunately, while the addition of the LHW is a great addition, the lightweight class cutoff was lowered to 115 lbs. which is a tough cutoff to make. Regardless, the LHW class proved to be the toughest of the competition, and it looks like that will be a trend to be continued later this year at the Jr. Nationals with an impressive preliminary list of competitors who are gunning for the class. But it was Heidi Gay's night as she powered to the class and overall titles, with a standout physique with crisp cuts and thick, full muscularity. Her quads were outstanding as was her conditioning and she beat out the thickly muscled Karen Van Heest for the class title.

Malea Jensen was on and had a tight overall package, but the judges rewarded Van Heest's conditioning and mass over the more balanced physique that Jensen presented. Helena Jenkins was fourth in the largest class of the competition.

The lightweights were won by veteran Muriel Brewer and Kim Marie Pauline, who was trained by Pro Denise Gerard, took second. Both were quite hard and lean, but to get under the 115 lb. class limit, that was a requirement.

The middleweights had only two competitors and Glenda Bozet was beat by Tami Tucker. Tucker had suffered a torn bicep (the tear could still be seen when up close) and as a result was hampered during her training but came in very sharp to win her class. With good balance and nice symmetry, Tucker was in the running for the overall, and was a deserving class champ.

Perhaps the thickest upper body belonged to Jamesheka Young. Although she wasn't as tight as she needed to be, her presentation and posing were entertaining and she brought good energy to the stage. Someone to keep an eye on is Annemarie Quinn who took second, but has very nice shape and lines. Her overall conditioning didn't get her dried out enough, but you could easily see the strong structure and muscularity that Quinn posseses. When she dials it in, she's a top contender at any show and only missed out the top placing by a single point. With this show being only her second, expect much more from this 26-year old who wants to hit the stage eventually at close to 180 lbs. of balanced feminine muscle.

The always competitive Dana Capobianco took the class and presented her physique well, with hard mature muscle throughout. She was just not quite lean enough to battle for the overall, but should press the top women at Nationals or USAs if she chooses to compete in those shows.

---

Fitness and Figure

Fitness has lost a lot of steam, but there are still some incredible athletes such as overall winner Kristi Wills. Wills won her short class and beat out Debbie Cole to take the Jr USA Fitness title and could easily be on her way to a pro card with a little refining of her physique. With a nice thick upper body and a tremendous routine, Wills is a promising star in fitness. Her class competition was LaTasha Barnes and Cole edged out Nicole Dielsi in her class. Dielsi has nice quads and good shape and looked strong in figure as well.

With so many athletes competing in figure, it's hard to keep track of everyone, but one thing that is evident is the increasingly impressive level of the competition. At the Jr USAs, every class had strong athletes, and many of the competitors could challenge some of the pros.

Outside of the top five placings in the A class (5'2" and under) were Brandy Nerney who showed impressive delts and calves to compliment her tight conditioning and Danae Oyler who's tiny waist will help her as she adds a bit more thickness throughout. Florida's Cynthia Sharp took the class and edged veteran Angela Mraz, Carina Dupree, Chrissy Garcia and Jodi Miller for the top of the class.

The tight Gabriela Hernandez took the B class ahead of Jeanette Freed (who posseses good muscularity and was the most muscular of the top five), while Kate Shelby took third. Shelby has a more streamlined physique which was rewarded in this class more than in others. Claudia Garza followed her and the 40-something Selma McPherson rounded out the top five. Amber Black looked good with a full physique with nice curves and strong delts.

The figure C class was definitely the biggest and baddest of the show. With big names like Tara Scotti, Marcy Porter and Jennifer Searles, it was sure to be a strong class. Scotti was on, and Porter was pushing her but was just edged out by Scotti's fuller muscle bellies. Porter will be the one to watch though as well as Danielle Hollenshade who took 3rd. Debbie Cole took fifth just ahead of Abby Eyre in the top five of the class.

However, outside the top five were many notable physiques, top among them perhaps, Laurie Gibson (formerly Noack). With tiny joints and almost cartoonish proportions, the incredible Gibson was sorely overlooked. From the back, her glutes and calves were amazing, and she will hopefully be rewarded in future competitions. Gibson is a bit top heavy, but can balance that out with a bit fuller muscularity in her upper body.

Wendy Hogans showed some ripped quads and Trish Knott's abs rivaled Scotti's while Staphanie Gnieski was very tight and Laurie Burdett had some of the best guns on stage. With such a competitive class, not everyone could be rewarded like Michelle Bell who made great improvements in her physique, but with such a deep class, had trouble standing out.

The tall women were nine strong, and Colette Flack was definitely the class winner, but Michelle Troll impressed and showed a nice v-taper and overall shape. Kristen Bush's back was the most ripped in the show, and she was one of the hardest competitors too. Jamie Justin took fourth followed by Christine Welsh who's torso was impressive with nice abs that were hidden during the one piece round, but looked outstanding in her 2-piece.

The show was run very smoothly, and the winners were all deserving, and as the amateur season heats up, it looks good for 2004. With the Emerald Cup on deck, expect to see a lot more impressive athletes in figure this year, and undoubtedly some fresh faces in bodybuilding and fitness.

Results

Bodybuilding Overall: Heidi Gay Lightweights (115 lbs and under) 1) Muriel Brewer 2) Kim Marie Pauline Middleweights (over 115-125 lbs.) 1) Tami Tucker 2) Glenda Bozet LightHeavyweights (over 125-140 lbs.) 1) Heidi Gay 2) Karen Van Heest 3) Malea Jensen 4) Helena Jenkins Heavyweights (over 140 lbs.) 1) Dana Copabianco 2) Annemarie Quinn 3) Jamasheka Young   Fitness Overall: Kristi Wills Short 1) Kristi Wills 2) LaTasha Barnes Tall 1) Debbie Cole 2) Nicole Dielsi

Figure Overall: Tara Scotti* 5'2" and under - A Class 1) Cynthia Sharp 2) Angela Mraz 3) Carina Dupree 4) Chrissy Garcia 5) Jodi Miller 6) Yves Nunez 7) Brandy Nerney 8) Huong Vo 9) Angela Chambliss 10) Jamie Scarlett 11) Danae Oyler Over 5'2"-5'4" - B Class 1) Gabriela Hernandez 2) Jeanette Freed 3) Kate Shelby 4) Claudia Garza 5) Selma McPherson 6) Tammy Hammer 7) Grace Rivera 8) Barbie Cash 9) Amber Black 10) Michelle Flake 11) Kristine Chen 12) Gabrielle Odom 13) Margo Bailey Over 5'4"-5'6" - C Class 1) Tara Scotti* 2) Marcy Porter 3) Danielle Hollenshade 4) Abby Eyre 5) Debbie Cole 6) Stephanie Gnieski 7) Trisha Angela Knott 8) Jennifer Searles 9) Nicole Dielsi 10) Michelle Bell 11) Sara Morin 12) Wendy Hogans 13) Jennifer Micheli 14) Jan Horn 15) Laurie Gibson 16 tie) Marsha Boggs 16 tie) Dorian Feleppa 16 tie) Christine Vale de Serra 16 tie) Laurie Burdette 16 tie) Rosetta Hazel 16 tie) Tashana Salmon 16 tie) Tanya Peale Over 5'6" - D Class 1) Colette Flack 2) Michelle Troll 3) Kristen Bush 4) Jamie Justin 5) Christine Welsh 6) Jeannie Skinner 7) Michelle Berger 8) Sherilee Newton * earns pro card