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2007 NPC USAs
2007 NPC USA Bodybuilding and Figure Championiships - contest photos and coverage - genex magazine - Isabelle Turell, Robyn Mentgen, Casey Daugherty flexing

July 20-21, 2007 - by Hans Klein and Gene X Hwang

sheila bleckLas Vegas, NV, USA - 53 female bodybuilders competing for one pro card made for some very long odds at the 2007 NPC USA in Las Vegas. As always, it was a very competitive – and controversial - show.

The first big surprise of the show came at the final weigh-in on Friday morning, where there was no sign of hot favorite Isabelle Turell. 27 year-old Isabelle, who had won the light-heavies at the North Americans last year, was someone a lot of the other competitors were most worried about and several of them could be heard breathing a sigh of relief on Friday when they realized that they wouldn’t have to stand alongside her onstage.

Isabelle’s no-show left the contest – and especially the heavyweights - wide open. The word at the weigh-ins was that last year’s runner-up, Michele Neil, who had won the class at the Masters a week earlier but missed out on the overall, and Indiana’s Julia Stamper, who was competing at the USA for the first time after placing a controversial sixth at Junior Nationals last year, were both shredded. Sheila Bleck – who placed third here a year ago - also looked incredible when she weighed in on Friday morning.

The pre-judging was held as usual on Saturday morning at UNLV’s Artemus Ham Hall, with the female bodybuilders up first. When the 9 lightweights stepped out onstage, your eyes were immediately drawn to Galina Serdtsev,  now living in Florida, who had placed fourth in Miami last November on her national-level debut. She looked ever better here, her tiny waist making her instantly stand out from the line-up and looking like the obvious class winner.

The middleweights was the smallest class of the show with just seven competitors. Jennifer Sedia of Texas, who had placed second here last year behind Tina Chandler on her national-level and then took fourth in Miami, dominated the stage with her thickness and perfect symmetry. Diana Tinelle also shone with her shape and presentation. Kelly Dobbins, who was on a roll after winning the overall at the Contra Costa and the lightweight at the Emerald Cup and was probably the most ripped competitor in the class, also looked great.

In the light-heavies – as so often in the last few years - it was less clear-cut. It was a packed line-up as usual, with a range of 18 contrasting physiques. Among the first nine competitors to line up onstage, the standouts were Christine Sabo, who was second at this show last year and seemed to have brought in her waist and improved her shape; Holly Geersen, who was in her best condition ever; and last year’s light-heavyweight class winner Angie Salvagno, who looked slightly off last year’s condition but still had that incredible v-shaped upper body.

star blaylockAmong the second group of light-heavies to line up onstage was Star Blaylock, who had dropped three pounds in 30 minutes to make weight on Friday morning. Although she was not quite as hard as some of the other competitors, especially in the legs, her shape and lines instantly made her stand out. On the other hand, Bev DiRenzo and Karen Choate were both ripped to the bone from head to toe as usual – it was just a matter of what the judges were looking for this time. Kim Ferrell, who was competing at the USA for the first time and said she was just hoping to be able to hang in this class, was also in incredible shape, with cross-striations in her quads.

The first comparison – apparently called out in numerical order – consisted of Karen, Angie, Holly, Chris, Star and Bev. After they had gone through mandatories, the judges moved Bev and Star to center stage and compared them again.  After that, all six returned to the line-up, so by the end of pre-judging the audience was pretty much in the dark about who the top three were, let alone the winner.

The heavyweight class was even more packed than the light-heavies, with 19 competitors. Michele Neil and Julia Stamper were both in amazing shape as expected and Sheila Bleck also looked incredible, with what was probably the most perfect structure of the class. Another of the favorites in the heavyweights, Oklahoma’s Candy Canary, had a completely new look. Candy had made her national-level debut at this show 12 months ago and placed seventh, weighing 155 pounds. This time she competed at a much lower weight (she said after the show she thought she stepped onstage at around 142), but it had the effect of making her look more balanced from top to bottom.

The first call out – again apparently in numerical order – was Candy, Sheila, Julia, Michelle and Dianne. After a round of mandatories, the judges moved Sheila to the middle, with Julia and Michelle on either side, which seemed to suggest Sheila had it.

At the night show, the first two classes went pretty much as expected.

Galina Serdtsev – introduced by emcee Lonnie Teper as “the Siberian express”  – took the lightweights as expected, with Beth Wachter in second and Tracy Witherspoon in third. In the middleweights, Jennifer Sedia seemed to be even harder at the night show than at pre-judging and was the unanimous winner, with Diana Tinelle in second and Kelly Dobbins third.

The big surprise came when the top five light-heavies had gone through their routines and the audience realized that Chris Sabo hadn’t made the finals.
It turned out that although two of the judges had her in second place, she was in sixth – possibly the most surprising placing of the night.

Holly Geersen was given fifth – another placing that surprised a lot of people in the audience – with Bev DiRenzo in fourth and Karen Choate in third (four of the judges had her first and another four in fifth). That left Star Blaylock and Angie Salvagno as the final two. When Star was announced in second, there were loud boos from the audience. It turned out that Angie and Star had equal scores, with four judges voting for Angie and three for Star. As always seems to be the case, people at the show were discussing the light-heavyweight placings for the rest of the weekend.

There was more drama in the heavyweights. After a mix-up over fourth and fifth place, Candy Canary was given fourth and Dianne Solomons fifth. Julia Stamper placed third – an outstanding placing for an athlete who many people felt was overlooked at Junior Nationals last year.  That left Michele Neil and Sheila Bleck – a classic contrast of size and conditioning versus structure and shape. The judges went with Michele; Sheila, who said after the show she thought she had won, looked shocked.

Any of the four class winners could have won what was an intriguing contest for the overall. After they had gone through mandatories, the judges moved Jennifer and Michelle to the middle, suggesting it was between the two of them, and put them through another set of comparisons. Despite Michele’s sheer size and phenomenal conditioning, Jennifer more than held her own and the audience was delighted when the middleweight was announced as the overall winner. A pro exactly 12 months after making her national-level debut, Jennifer was in tears as last year’s overall winner, Heather Policky, presented her with the trophy.


mendi sakamoto On the figure side of things, another six pro cards were to be handed out and this was finally Jessica Wright's time.  Having been on the cusp so many times, the persistent and consistent Wright finally broke through to win the tall class and earn her pro status.  The tall class was a bit mixed up when the results were announced and the two most affected were Jamie Reed who wasn't originally brought out on stage, and Mendi Sakamoto.  Sakamoto was brought out as one of the top five, while Reed was not.  Then they realized the mistake and brought Reed out from backstage and had the remaining three women go offstage (since Reed was in third place).  

Sakamoto ended up not coming back out which was a harsh thing but the results had to be correct.  She'll no doubt be out there though in the future as Sakamoto has a tremendous physique and is not one to be overlooked with her striking looks.  Stephanie MacDonald took second to Wright, Maria Rogers took fourth and veteran athlete Nancy Georges took fifth.  All looked tremendous and should all be on the pro stage soon enough.

Going to the A Class, it was Desha Rodriguez taking the always tough class.  With nice balance throughout and a great stage presence, she edged Carin Hawking and Mary Cencic to take the class.  Shelly Rigo is always in the mix and took fourth just ahead of Jessica Madden.  Monica Mark may have been the crowd fave and narrowly missed making the top five.  Look for her to be in the mix the next time around.

Others to keep an eye on inclue Jamie Costa (#221) who was buff and lean but didn't get a good look from the judges.  Crystal Lowery and Karen Wolfram also looked nice but both placed towards the bottom of the class.

Another long time national force was Allison Williams - aka AJ who finally turned pro as the B class champ.  It was a very competitive group in the top five with Chrissy Burton and Michelle Woodward pushing her in the top three.  But it was finally AJs day and she was a deserving winner.  Tracy Bodner was the most ripped athlete in the class but got punished for her conditioning.  She would probably do better in bodybuilding and Nikki Warner could also make the switch but looked great on stage and took 10th.

The C class was won by Lynn Widdowson who took first just ahead of Erin Heath.  Heath has been knocking on the door of a title and no doubt will earn a victory soon.  Danielle Leavitt is also one to keep an eye on.  

April Fortier won the D class just ahead of Danielle Kifer who looked tremendous.  Kifer has classic lines and a nicely developed physique.  

The overall champion of the show - Catherine Andersen - came from the E class.  While there were a variety of different physiques in the top five, the judges went for Andersen ahead of Danielle Edmonds, Natalie Calland and Amanda Quinlan.  Angela Watson took fifth.  Watson has incredible shape with her dramatic v-taper and it won't be long before she steps on a pro stage.

Notable in the E Class was Erin Parrish who looked like a slightly more muscular and lean Jessica Paxson, and Catherine Boshuizen and Melisa Thalheimer also sport nice physiques - all of them tied for 16th. 

Veronica Miller was not in the top five, narrowly missing out and placing sixth, but she placed higher than Tanya Merryman who took 8th. Merryman is finally getting looks from the judging panel and if she can bring her upper body to match those legs, she'll be hard to overlook.  She did say that she may be back on the fitness stage though so keep an eye out for her in Dallas!

Check out our message boards to discuss the show, post your thoughts and chat with athletes from the competition!  

debbie bramwell, jennifer martyniuk, flexing


Results

 Bodybuilding

Overall:   Jennifer Sedia*

Lightweights (scoresheet)
1) Galina Sardtsev
2) Beth Wachter
3) Tracy Witherspoon
4) Melinda Williams
5) Tricia Travis
6) Sharon Garrett
7) Melissa Alvarado
8) Natalie Barnett

Middeweights
(scoresheet)
1) Jennifer Sedia
2) Diana Tinnelle
3) Kelly Dobbins
4) Sally Taylor
5) Holly Robey
6) Heidi Bagwell
7) Rebecca Greaig

Light Heavyweights (scoresheet)
1) Angie Salvagno
2) Star Blaylock
3) Karen Choate
4) 
Beverly DiRenzo
5) Holly Geersen
6) Christine Sabo     
7) Kim Ferrell
8) Gina Spengler
9) Diana Cook
10) Tina Zampa
11) Casey Daugherty
12) Theresa Hendricks
13) Shar Courtney
14) Roxanne Edwards
15) Akila Pervis

NP)    Jennifer Benda

Heavyweights (scoresheet)
1) Michelle Neil
2) Sheila Bleck
3) Julia Stamper
4) Candy Canary
5) Dianne Solomons
6) Bettina Kadet
7) Joella Bernard
8) Kim Winn
9) Gerri Deach
10) Gabrielle Nicander
11) Bonnie Pappas
12) Rose Kasallis
13) Cindy Johnson
14) Giulia Divina
15) Robyn Mentgen
NP) Yamile Marero
NP) Brenda King
NP) Tammy Jackson
NP) Jody May

* Eligible for IFBB Pro Card


 Figure

Overall:  Catherine Anderson*

A Class (scoresheet)
1) Desha Rodriguez*
2) Carin Hawkins
3) Mary Cencic
4) Shelly Rigo
5) Jessica Madden
6) Monica Mark
7) Vicki Counts
8) Liza Kampstra
9) Gemma Santos
10) Christina Morales
11) Jamie Costa
12) Busaraporn (Ann) Treesukosol
13) Sue Upson
14) Crystal Lowery
15) Nikki Browner
16 tie) Angela McKenzie
16 tie) Karen Wolfram
16 tie) Mona Liza Reyes
16 tie) Denise Dinger
16 tie) Mandy Henderson
16 tie) Traci Hall
16 tie) Nicole Jimenez
16 tie) Misi White
16 tie) Jennifer DeJoya
16 tie) Andi Grasso
16 tie) Carla Stone
16 tie) Trina Goosby
16 tie) Tricia Temple
16 tie) Huong Vo
16 tie) Tina Arabia
16 tie) Christine Burton
16 tie) Melody Manlove
16 tie) Jill Knight
16 tie) Shannon Bennett
16 tie) Kristie Newsome
16 tie) Patricia Wilson
16 tie) Robin Channell
16 tie) Eva Lee
16 tie) Akane Nigro
16 tie) Susan Bailey
16 tie) Jennifer Ulrich
16 tie) Brie Zentil

B Class (scoresheet)
1) Allison Jones Williams*
2) Chrissy Burton
3) Michelle Woodward
4) Stacy Garcia
5) Janae Stewart
6) Bea Fox
7) Jacqueline Skibba
8) Keri Moser
9) Stacy Adams
10) Nikki Warner
11) Candice Houston
12) Marama Smith
13) Denise Rose
14) Marissa Garza
15 tie) Laura Milar
15 tie) Kori Propst
15 tie) Natosha Green
15 tie) Elissa Schlichter
15 tie) Nez Zamorano
15 tie) Anjalee Lalich
15 tie) Lori Brooks
15 tie) Laura Kutnock
15 tie) Tracy Bodner
15 tie) Karen Mullarkey
15 tie) Patty Farrow
15 tie) Carolyn Secor
15 tie) Jane Archer
15 tie) Kelli Piggee


C Class (scoresheet)
1) Lynn Widdowson*
2) Erin Heath
3) Emily Nicholson
4) Holly Semanoff
5) Jessica Norlander
6) Michelle Anderson
7) Anna Laratta
8) Danyell Leavitt
9) Enji Khoo
10) Ginger Redeker
11) Wendi Murray
12) Jana Stewart
13) Maria Avalos
14) Dina Atha
15) Jeri Corte
16 tie) Erika Branich
16 tie) Stephanie Rupp
16 tie) Siene Silva
16 tie) Linday Nguyen
16 tie) Shannon Furstenberg
16 tie) Kristine Reinking
16 tie) Susie Henrie
16 tie) Bonnie Stuckenschmidt
16 tie) Rada Reyes
16 tie) Grace Rivera
16 tie) Angel Allison
16 tie) Rose Cannon
16 tie) Stacie Hunt


D Class (scoresheet)
1) April Fortier*
2) Danielle Kifer
3) Tracy Guarino
4) Lillian Granillo
5) Brooke Brusch
6) Jessica Troha
7) Natalie Bastiao
8) Desunka Dawson
9) Kendra Mcadams
10) Felicia ONeal
11) Kimmie Brooks
12) Meredith Berthelson
13) Karin Kimura
14) Inez Bess
15) Michelle Welsh
16 tie) Heather Payne
16 tie) Noreene Castillo
16 tie) Toya Smith
16 tie) Laticia Harrell
16 tie) Maria Reyes
16 tie) Amy Burkins
16 tie) Charla Cormier
16 tie) Jill Oksenhorn
16 tie) Joy Lewis
16 tie) Venus Ramos
16 tie) Valerie Carlino
16 tie) Courtney Paul
16 tie) Kathryn Stewart
16 tie) Kimberly Agnew
16 tie) Michelle Bishop
16 tie) Tiffany Stoker
16 tie) Tanya Rhoades
16 tie) Heather Grace
16 tie) Jennifer Reynolds
16 tie) Kiersten Weber
16 tie) Traci Saba
16 tie) Rachelle Stephens


E Class (scoresheet)
1) Catherine Anderson*
2) Danielle Edmonds
3) Natalie Calland
5) Amanda Quinlan
6) Veronica Miller
7) Stephanie Blocker
8) Tanya Merryman
9) Jenny Lewis
10) Robyn Roveccio-Palmer
11) Sandy Scamman
12) Brandy Gilmore
13) Shari Yates
14) Kari Lege
15) Susana Gentry
16 tie) Corina Frikken
16 tie) Angela Watson
16 tie) Lindsey Cope
16 tie) Terra Walker
16 tie) Carolyn Maul-LaTham
16 tie) Alecia Rankovic
16 tie) Nola Trimble
16 tie) Joanna Wilson
16 tie) Carol Flick
16 tie) Brandy Leaver
16 tie) Robin Sinclear
16 tie) Melissa Thalhamer
16 tie) Jennifer Schumm
16 tie) Melissa Deal
16 tie) Denise Blackwell
16 tie) Suzanne Barlas
16 tie) Norma Larson
16 tie) Michelle Mazulis
16 tie) Adriana Martinez
16 tie) Catherine Boshuizen
16 tie) Erin Parrish
16 tie) Janice Turbyfill


F Class (scoresheet)
1) Jessica Wright
2) Stephanie McDonald
3) Jamie Reed
4) Maria Rogers
5) Nancy Georges
6) Jessica Steffens
7) Jamie Justin
8) Ali Huston
9) Christine Aguilar
10) Julie Alves
11) Brandie Gardner
12) Mendi Sakamoto
13) Rachel Carraway
14) Jeanne Nimmer
15) Heather Skaar
16 tie) Ifeyinwa Nzerem
16 tie) Kerstin Khalfani
16 tie) Jessica Livingston
16 tie) Michelle Batista
16 tie) Avis Ware
16 tie) Julianna Jade
16 tie) Jennifer Banks
16 tie) Ursula Cristofaro
16 tie) Sarah Sharpe
16 tie) Heidi Mierendorf
16 tie) Brigette King
16 tie) Jessica Shannon
16 tie) Christina Pistotnik
16 tie) Misty Green
16 tie) Lisa Balash
16 tie) Heather Porter
16 tie) Angela Stueber
16 tie) Jodie Dooley
16 tie) Martha Lepe
16 tie) Sheila Salinas


* Eligible for IFBB Pro Card

Last updated: July 31, 2007 @ 11:05 p.m. PT

       

     

     

       

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

      

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

      

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

      

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

     

       

       

       

       

       

       

      

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

      

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

      

       

       

       

       

       

       

      

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

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