Andrea Trent Tears Bicep, Will Miss Contra Costa Show in Hayward

Training for the 2006 Jr Nationals in Chicago, Andrea Trent tore her bicep. This happened the same weekend as the Arnold and has put a dent into her prep. We'll keep you updated on how she's doing and visit her blog with a click on the title of this post.

Heather Policky May Quit Women's Bodybuilding After July USA's

Heather Policky, one of the most popular female bodybuilders in the World, told me she may quit the sport after the July USA contest in Las Vegas.

"It's hard for all of us," she said. Moreover, Policky doesn't see an end to some of the problems she's faced -- some she may detail in the future, but not now.

I can say that she had a powerful reaction to the retirement letter written by IFBB pro Nancy Lewis. In her blog, Policky essentially used Lewis's words and wrote:

"The individuals that made these disturbing remarks are what shocked me most, bringing me to try and take some sort of action. These remarks were plastered in paper on print for the entire world to see. Nothing can erase the words of arrogance or hurt caused by a few minimal individuals. One in which is soon to be married to a female bodybuilder and the other is simply a competitor that has close to never cracked a top 10 at a pro show.

Nonetheless I took a stance writing to the IFBB sending certified letters to anyone who would listen and to all the addresses I had available. After nearly a month in a half I get a response from Mr. Jim Manion stating that this sort of bashing each other is normal in bodybuilding and that the men do it to each other all the time. He referenced the names Craig Titus and King Kamali. That was it. That was all he said on the issue and nothing was done to these certain individuals.This issue floored me and made me realize my 15 years as an IFBB Female Pro athlete was in serious question. I set and think about the lack of respect we get not just from our fellow brothers in the sport but also from the Pro Federation we are representing. A federation that makes money off of us regardless of how much money they say they loose holding woman's events.

....and that's not all. For the rest, read her blog by clicking on these words.

Chastity Slone Wins San Francisco Pro Show - From Bodysport.com

From Bodysport.com, who I'd wish would identify their author!

Coming off a 4th place finish at the Arnold Classic Figure International just one week ago, Chastity Slone hammered home her first IFBB Pro Figure victory tonight at the San Francisco Pro Figure Championships. In the morning judging it looked like she had it hands down but as the day wore on and the girls came out for the night show, Gina Comacho started to garner a lot more attention than she had earlier in the day. Gina had finished 12th in the Arnold the week before and while she had tightened up her physique a little, it looked more like the judges just noticed her this time and put her in second.

Andrea Dumond made huge improvements since turning pro last year and while time will help her streamline all that new muscle, she certainly deserved 3rd place tonight. Andrea looked incredible and is one of the new faces in pro figure that earned a lot of respect tonight.

For Zhanna Rotar it seems like the judges love her or they hate her but there is no in between. As a national level amateur it took her a few tries last year to get the judges to look her way but with lots of perseverance she finally nailed it and turned pro. She got some incredibly good news when she was invited to the Arnold Classic this year but that good turned into a humbling experience when she placed dead last in Columbus. One week later at this show she landed in a well deserved 4th place in front of a judging panel that were not about to let her go unnoticed again. Zhanna will fine tune some details for her next show but as she learned tonight, you should not get too upset with how you place at any show because a week later it can be all completely different.

Canadian Debbie Leung picked up the 5th place spot. Debbie looks to have taken some emphasis off being big and put more time into creating a more aesthetically pleasing physique and it paid off for her tonight. This was the best overall look she has presented in her entire career.

All in all it was a very good show. It started promptly and was over in enough time for the competitors to get a decent post contest meal and for once no one complained about the judging.

IFBB Pro Nancy Lewis' Retirement Letter

To Fellow Female IFBB Pro Competitors & Other Acquaintances:

In the later part of last year you heard me speak out regarding derogatory remarks against female bodybuilders. The individuals that made these disturbing remarks are what shocked me most, bringing me to try and take some sort of action. These remarks were plastered in paper on print for the entire world to see. Nothing can erase the words of arrogance or hurt caused by a few minimal individuals. One in which is soon to be married to a female bodybuilder and the other is simply a competitor that has close to never cracked a top 10 at a pro show.

Nonetheless I took a stance writing to the IFBB sending certified letters to anyone who would listen and to all the addresses I had available. After nearly a month in a half I get a response from Mr. Jim Manion stating that this sort of bashing each other is normal in bodybuilding and that the men do it to each other all the time. He referenced the names Craig Titus and King Kamali. That was it. That was all he said on the issue and nothing was done to these certain individuals.

This issue floored me and made me realize my 15 years as an IFBB Female Pro athlete was in serious question. I set and think about the lack of respect we get not just from our fellow brothers in the sport but also from the Pro Federation we are representing. A federation that makes money off of us regardless of how much money they say they loose holding woman's events.

I believe with the lack of support, the disgraceful differences in prize money and lack of shows will not change any time soon. I can say that I am grateful to Mrs. Betty Pariso for standing up for all the female bodybuilders. She has truly made a difference and I personally thank you Betty. However, neither Betty nor I could do this effort on our own. We needed support from all the female bodybuilders to come together to make a difference. I wrote to every female athlete I knew and many I never met. I can honestly say less then three individuals wrote me back about getting together to form a meeting. How terribly heart breaking that was for me to realize the new generation of female bodybuilders had succumb to and accept the way the female bodybuilder is being treated today.

Even today I look through the fitness magazines and read of our male pro counter parts talking about how much money they have, how big there home is, or about there latest sports car they added to there collection due to there endorsement deals etc. This makes me look around and see how proud I am of myself and what I myself have accomplished. I look around and see a beautiful home on land, cars, horses, dogs and a happy life with my long time partner Melissa. Now, did any endorsement deals get these things for me? Or did any IFBB female pro show earnings get me these things.???

Well we all know the answer's NO.

I feel I have put many, many years into the sport I love like many other female pro athletes. Years ago as I entered the sport there was promise and future in the sport. Today looking at the sport the IFBB has portrayed us as sideshow events with little to no respect at all. The minimal advances of the MS. O being moved back to the night show yes is a great step forward. But I ask you should it have been moved at all to the expo? I also ask is a photo op in this month issue of flex of the Men's Rep on his knees in front of Betty supposed to erase the verbal abuse that was spoken in internationally sold magazines??

This year I planned on doing the Ms. International at the ASC as last year I had to pull out of the show due to a serious torn quad tendon. As many other female athletes had I sent in my dues and request for an invite and was obviously not chosen for an invite. This was my last blow given as a Pro athlete. However, I was shocked to see on the men's side that year after year many of the same men are chosen to compete in this event, and these same men are known to be drug users (recreational) and coming into shows consistently out of shape. But they can ride the coat tails and are guaranteed an invite no matter of there inconsistencies.

For the sport I love I will always hope there will be bigger and better things for the female bodybuilders of today and tomorrow. There are individuals like Betty & Ed Pariso whom not only put up there time but there own personal money to continue to give the woman more shows and money. I congratulate the both of them.

As for myself I have come to understand the veterans of old are either accepting the treatment of our sport or not willing to come together as a whole. For the younger generation I must understand that I was once there long ago as a new pro or up and comer and really did not want to shake the boat. The problem is one day there might not be any boat to shake if something is not done very soon.

I have decided to retire effective immediately from my professional competitive career from the IFBB and have sent the appropriate letters to inform the federation of this. Today I only write this letter to the few female pro athletes/friends I respect and have competed with for years and wish them all good health and best of wishes with there lives both personally and professionally. I would also like to thank Mr. Steve Wennerstrom, Bill Dobbins, James and Gene at FT.Video for always portraying me and many other female athletes in such a beautiful, eloquent way for so many years. As well as there continuous support of the female athlete.

Best of wishes to all of you in somehow finally coming together to make a change for yourself and others in the sport we all love.

Sincerely,

Nancy Lewis

San Francisco Pro Show Figure Contestant List - Show's March 11th

The San Francisco Pro Show's March 11th from 9 AM and with the finals at 6:30 PM, at Chabot College Performing Arts Center 25555 Hesperian Blvd., Hayward, California. The event's hotel is The Crown Plaza, Union City.

Well, Jenny Lynn was to be in this one, but after last weekend's flu that may not be. While her appearance is not confirmed as of this writing, here's the list:

Lynsey Beattie-Ahearne
Myriam Bustamante
Gina Camacho
Carmen Knight
Anna Larsson
Tammie Leady
Deborah Leung
Julie Lohre
Jenny Lynn
Ali Metkovich
Pauline Nordin
Jennifer Peyton
Nicole Pitcher-Scott
Chastity Slone
Zhanna Rotar
Waleska Valle-Granger
Trish Warren

Jenny Lynn's Flu Causes Arnold Classic Skip

From Bodysport.com on March 4th 2006

For Jenny Lynn the Arnold Classic Figure International was over before it even started. Nope. it wasn'tt because she ran away with the show for the 4th consecutive year. It was over for Jenny because she didn’t even make it out of her hotel room to compete. When she arrived in Columbus a few days before the contest she was as ready as she could hope to be. She had just about sealed up 12 weeks of contest preparations that included up to 3 hours a day of cardio, extremely hard training and her usual very restrictive diet…and she was all set and ready to win again.

Then the unthinkable started to happen…

In the hotel room after the morning judging Jenny sat looking at pictures from the morning show, what would have been her competition, and with puffy eyes that were dry just for the moment she quietly reflected, "my legs were separated and looked the best they had ever been and I was in the best shape of my life. I really did it this time. But within an hour I started to smooth out."

As her story unfolded you couldn’t help but feel the absolute agony and disappointment she was trying so valiantly to keep inside that moment. With one of those Jenny Lynn stiff upper lip smiles that covered up her broken heart she went on to explain that she was on the money on Wednesday morning when she got out of bed. Then as the day progressed she started to smooth out and look drawn. Her boyfriend Blair was there and expressed the panic that ensued as despite their best efforts they could not improve her rapidly deteriorating physique, "her legs just smoothed out and she started looking skinny. We didn’t know she was sick yet so we didn’t know what was wrong. She ate and drank what she was supposed to but nothing worked." Then the first signs of her being sick started to hit as her appetite left her and her stomach didn't feel right.

By Thursday morning all hell had broken loose and Jenny was so sick she was barely able to leave the bathroom. She still held out hope and Blair scoured the City of Columbus for an over-the-counter solution to Jenny’s rapidly deteriorating condition but despite trying everything they could possibly think of short of bringing in a Voodoo priest, she was not getting any better. They hoped she would be well enough on Friday but as the night progressed, so did her illness.

Friday morning, the day of her show, Jenny was still sick as a dog and barely able to stand and when she did it was only long enough to get herself back into the bathroom. The doctor was called but despite what Jenny had hoped, Mother Nature was not going to be stopped by modern medicine at this point and she was told she would just have to ride it out. Still insisting that she could somehow pry herself out of bed or off the can, pour what was left of herself into some heels and rhinestones and try to win a 4th time, Jenny would not give up hope that she would be able to compete. One hour before she was supposed to be on stage, Jenny finally threw in the towel knowing full well she would not make the trip downstairs to get on the bus let alone get onstage and compete.

She called her Manger JM Manion and let him know she would be spending the 2006 Arnold Figure International in her hotel room.

Jenny spend the rest of the morning and early afternoon crying out the last few drops of water she had in her body, frustrated with the injustice of things she simply couldn’t control. But Jenny is never one to lay down for anything without a fight and despite there not being much of anything left inside her flu wracked body; she found enough spark to tell us through puffy eyes that "it’s OK, this was meant to happen for some reason. I’ll just have to hold off buying that patio furniture I wanted until after the Olympia this year."

It was just the flu; don’t make the mistake of counting her out quite yet.

Arnold Classic - GeneX Photos of Diana Chadoux and Maria Warren

GeneX Huang's always a fixture at the major shows. Here's some pix he took at the Arnold Classic of Diana Chadoux and Maria Warren, respectively. For more, go to his message board with a click on this title post.

Lisa Aukland Back from The Arnold Classic

Got this email from Lisa Aukland, who's back from her performance at The Arnold Classic

Whew! Back from the show...and back to WORK today. :((

I had a great time at the Arnold as usual. At this show my trainer (Mike Davies) tried something different for pre-contest prep...didn't work out as well as we wanted ! He tried NO water depletion the last couple days to see if I would come in fuller, rounder, rather than cut- like the judges asked for. Well, I came in fuller and rounder but it blurred out some of my conditioning. I'm not sorry we tried. You never know how it will work unless you try. Next time- dry and crisp!

oxoxo lisa

2006 Arnold Classic Results from GeneX - Congradulations to Iris Kyle, Adela Garcia, and Mary Elizabeth Lado

GeneX and James Cook are covering the 2006 Arnold Classic. They just posted the results, which are here and at their site, which can be visited with a click on the title post link.

Ms. International

1) Iris Kyle*
2) Dayana Cadeau*
3) Yaxeni Oriquen*
4) Jitka Harazimova
5) Betty Pariso
6) Bonny Priest
7) Annie Rivieccio
8) Lisa Aukland
9) Kim Harris
10) Antoinette Norman
11) Mah-Ann Mendoza
12) Rosemary Jennings
13) Christine Roth
14) Angela Debatin

* qualifies for 2006 Olympia


Fitness International

1) Adela Garcia*
2) Kim Klein*
3) Jenny Hendershott*
4) Tracey Greenwood*
5) Julie Childs*
6) Tanji Johnson
7) Julie Palmer
8) Regiana DaSilva
9) Angela Monteleone-Semsch
10) Stacey Simons
10) Mindi O'Brien
12) Heidi Fletcher
13) Allison Daughtry

Figure International

1) Mary Elizabeth Lado*
2) Monica Brant*
3) Amanda Savell*
4) Chastity Sloane*
5) Jane Awad*
6) Christine Pomponio-Pate
7) Latisha Wilder
8) Valerie Waugaman
9) Monica Guerra
10) Elaine Goodlad
11) Danielle Hollenshade
12) Gina Camacho
13) Nina Luchka
14) Debby Leung
15) Michelle Flake
16) Tammy Pies
17) Ali Metkovich
DNP) Anna Larssen
DNP) Zhanna Rotar
DNP) Jenny Lynn**

* qualifies for 2006 Olympia

* withdrew due to Injury