Jody Wald At The 2006 Canadian Nationals

6D6E9994, originally uploaded by genexmagazine.

In this GeneX photo, Jody Wald shows her amazing and balanced muscle development as she poses in the 2006 Canadian Nationals.

Nicole Ball Wins 2006 Canadian Nationals

According to GeneX, our favorite FBB reporter on the scene, Nicole Ball won the 2006 Canadian Nationals.

Here's the list of winners:

Women's Bodybuilding

Overall: Nicole Ball*

Lightweights
1) Heather King
2) Shannon Holman
3) Barbara Stanard

Middleweights
1) Nicole Ball*
2) Cindy Phillips
3) Ellen Partnoy

Heavyweights
1) Pam Howard
2) Lyris Capelle
3) Janeen Lankowski

* eligible for IFBB pro card

Junior Women

Champion: Krystan Bellows

Masters Bodybuilding
1) Ellen Partnoy
2) Francina Bezzubetz-Chopp
3) Mirna Cruz

Grand Masters Bodybuilding
1) Leigh Keess
2) Linda Franc-Vickers
3) Denise Conan

Atlantic City Pro Show Competitor List

I found this list of competitors for The Atlantic City Pro Show at the Unrealmuscle.com forum.

1. Irene Anderson
2. Angela Debatin
3. Denise Gerard
4. Aurelia Grozajova
5. Merete Hornnes
6. Mary Ellen Jerumbo
7. Cathy LeFrancois
8. Emery Miller
9. Gayle Moher
10. Vicki Nixon
11. Antoinette Norman
12. Betty Pariso
13. Debbie Patton
14. Carla Salotti
15. Helen Bouchard
16. Nathalie Abellan
17. Lisa Aukland
18. Mercedes Bazemore
19. Maria Calo
20. Marika Johansson
21. Klaudia Larson
22. Jana Linke-Sippl
23. Colette Nelson
24. Kim Perez
25. Nicole Pfutzenreuter
26. Tonia Villalobos

Introducing Sarah Pawlicki!!!

Sarah started her career last year, just 13 months after giving birth to her daughter Faith. Don't we all looked this good after popping out a little one!

More on Sarah, from Sarah and GeneX Online Magazine:

Hi, my name is Sarah Pawlicki. My goal was always to come back from pregnancy and prove that I could get my body back and I did! I won my first Figure competition, taking not only first, but overall as well!

This year I made the leap to Nationals competiing in the NY Team Universe and the USA's in Vegas. I did well for my first year compeating nationally! I know what I have to do for next year and am actively pursuing success in the spring of next year!

I also run an online training sight, buildyourownbody.com and have invented a new piece of equipment. The Spider ball is about to become the new face of fitness! The patent is pending and we can't wait to get it out to the world! Thanks for your attention.

Sarah Pawlicki

Best of luck to Sarah and her "Spider Ball"!!!

Kaylie Perry: The Petite Powerhouse

GeneX Online Magazine just posted a great new feature on the 5'1", 123 lb. Kaylie Perry.

The 33 yr-old middleweight made her national-level debut at the 2005 Nationals, nothing special, I know. Until you hear that just 16 weeks before the competition she weighed in at 173 lbs. Yup, a 50 lb. difference.

Here's the story.

By Hans - Photos By James Cook

Kaylie Perry was one of the most impressive new faces at the 2005 Nationals in Atlanta. At 5-foot-1 and 123 pounds, the 33 year-old from New Hampshire was one of the thickest-looking competitors in the middleweights. Making her national-level debut, she placed 8th in the middleweights and could have placed higher if she had been a little leaner in her lower body.

The way she looked onstage – and even the fact she made the middleweight class - was even more amazing to those that had seen her at the start of her 16-week contest prep, when she weighed 173 pounds.

Losing 50 pounds in 16 weeks, while holding on to her muscle, was a challenge for Kaylie to say the least.

“I was having crazy dreams about not making weight and being in the audience asking spectators for help and, being in the crowd when I should have been on stage,” she says. “I was listless, frustrated, you name it. I was feeling sick - and sick of the process. I prayed, ‘Just let me make it to Nationals.’”

But being up onstage at Nationals fulfilled a dream Kaylie had had ever since she was a kid, although she never really believed it would become a reality.

“It was exhilarating!” she says. “I never thought ever I would be competing at national level nor did I know what it involved to get there. To be among the top competitors in the sport was stunning. It wasn’t until I reviewed contest photos that I truly believed that I deserved to be there.”

Now that she has her first national-level show under her belt, she can’t wait to do another.

“Of course, top 5 would have been better, but I am very happy with the recognition and feedback I have received,” she says. “I had an awesome time. The next step is managing the off-season weight!”


Kaylie Perry, who is of French and Puerto Rican heritage, was born and raised in Laconia, N.H. In high school, she was “semi-athletic, with a muscular build” but says she was “average” at sports. However, even then she had a dream of what she could look like.

“I always had an appreciation for muscle on women,” she says. “I always thought I had the right genetics and a great body structure for bodybuilding, and I hoped that someday I could commit seriously to the sport and eventually compete.”

When Kaylie was 17, her older brother Aaron, who at the time was preparing for his first bodybuilding competition, introduced her to weight training. Kaylie began going with him to the gym and training her lower body using a Cory Everson routine she had seen in Muscle & Fitness. However, she was a chronic dieter most of her young adult life and always felt she was overweight.

“I was never happy with the way I looked and constantly struggled with low self-esteem,” she says.

For the next few years, Kaylie continued to train, but inconsistently. In 1998, Kaylie began training in a powerlifting gym, where she began to develop a base of muscle. But it was only in 2002, as she hit 30, that she finally decided to go for it.

She had moved to Florida and was living alone, away from family and friends, which she says gave her the solitude she needed to focus on her goal of developing a competitive physique.

“I needed to improve my image as well as self-esteem and overall take on a more positive outlook and attitude,” she says.

Soon after joining a gym in Florida, Kaylie met Amanda Dunbar, then an up-and-coming national-level bodybuilder and now a pro, who encouraged her to compete. That gave Kaylie the impetus she needed.


After a year, Kaylie moved back to New Hampshire a different, more focused person. She did her first show, the 2004 New Hampshire State, where she was the only female bodybuilder and automatically won. Later that year she went to New York to compete in the Tournament of Champions, and won the heavyweight and overall.

Next up was the Eastern USA, where she took first place and overall, qualifying her for Nationals. Kaylie says that show was the highlight of her career so far.

“It was there I experienced my first real victory,” she says. “The two shows prior to the Eastern, even though I won them they were so small I never considered them to be much of a challenge.”

At the Eastern, she also met Colette Nelson, who has since become a close friend and a key part of Kaylie’s prep team. It was Colette who helped Kaylie through her diet for Nationals, particularly when she hit a plateau.

“Colette stayed with me daily by phone to keep my head in the game,” Kaylie says.

Kaylie’s plan for 2006 is to compete at the NPC New England in May and re-qualify for Nationals in Miami. In the meantime she is working on developing her hamstrings and refining her quads while keeping her off-season weight under control.

“My maximum weight should be 155-160,” she says. “Dieting for my next show will not be nearly as tough if I keep it there.”

Colette Nelson, who will be working with Kaylie again this year, has no doubts about her potential. “She is going to be a top five middleweight finisher at this year’s Nationals,” she says.

For more on Kaylie, visit her website, KayliePerry.com.

Cindy Phillips With Two Weeks Before The Canadian Nationals

On her blog, Cindy Phillips writes:

I find myself sad thinkin about this prep ending. As much as i'd like to eat and get back to being a little more normal, i can't help but be saddened to know that soon this journey will be over. You work sooo hard for so long and then bam all the sudden its over....the lean muscle u took so long to scalp out gets covered back up with carbs and food and your daily life no longer revolves around getting to that date. I'm sure alot of girls kina feel like that. I sense of loss, for somthing that was so much a part of your life for so long.

HAHAHA, but really i cant friggin wait to eat me some CHHESCAKE FOR REAL!!! That keeps me happy :).

2006 Europa Pro Show - Judge List Mostly Male

"fbbhubby" reports on 2006 Europa Pro Show judges on the GeneX message board:

I asked Gary Udit for the judges names also. He gave me these names, but didn't know exactly who was on the panel and didn't think the head judge (whoever it was) knew either. Not much help. Couldn't get e-mail addresses for most and the ones I e-mailed for feedback didn't reply. At the competitors meeting, it was stated that the e-mail addresses are on the website, but that isn't true.

Jim Rockell
Matt Crane
Linda Wood-Hoyt
Steve Weinberger
Debbie Albert
Ernest Bea
Quincy Roberts
Lee Thompson

Note that only two -- Linda Wood-Hoyt and Debbie Albert -- are women.

What Separates Bodybuilders, Fitness and Figure Competitors?

Really though, is it the diet? The training? The individual? Or a combination of all three? That was the awesome question posted in the GeneX Forums last week.

If you're not already a member, the boards are a great place to learn anything and everything about the ever-growing sport of Women's Bodybuilding.

Some of the answers that peaked my interest are as follows:

"Annie" a trainer of both bodybuilders and figure competitors said:

It depends on the woman as to how they will respond to weight lifting and given that response where THEY personally want to take it. I looked like a bodybuilder the minute I started lifting years ago; I am a mesomorph. I train a woman, Rachael McMillan who is very similar in body type to myself and she responds just as well. She is a bodybuilder. I also train a woman who trains WITH Rachael and I and she trains just as hard as us. She does not build large amounts of muscle easily. She is a figure competitor.

The figure competitor (Sonya Garner) does the same exact workouts as Rachael and I but of course with lighter weights; however she is still lifting as heavy as she can personally lift. I adjust her workouts just weeks before contests, less sets...but that's just for a few weeks. She busts her ass with cardio...very high intensity...no low heartrates here. Rachael and I do the same. Sonya diets harder than us because she holds stubborn fat on the upper hamstrings.

In my opinion, it depends on the body type of the individual. Just because someone is 'smaller' does not mean that they do not train as hard to achieve their desired look. If some of the ladies do not train as hard because they will get 'too big' then maybe they should have chosen bodybuilding, who knows? If those 'figures' are easy for some women to attain and they do not have to train as hard, God bless them! I'll leave it at that.

"Babydoc" said her training has changed dramatically since she switched from figure to fitness:

For fitness, my workouts are specifically designed to help me with my routine; I need endurance and power to do quick, explosive movements as well as a very strong core to execute the strength moves/presses. In addition, I have on average 4-5 hours/week of gymnastics and routine practice per week.

With fitness, I also have to keep a very tight rein on my weight during the offseason--as I have to continue to tumble and work on new routine skills/elements. As you might imagine, it is very difficult to flip around and to hold your body weight up on your hands if you are carrying a lot of extra weight!

A competition diet for fitness requires more carbs and fats than a figure or bodybuilding diet since we need energy to perform a two minute routine. The weight loss must be very gradual in fitness since the routine practices get more intense as the weeks go by.

In fitness, our physiques are permitted to be a bit more muscular and harder than the figure girls. This is a result of the fitness routine training. It's darn near impossible to do a strong fitness routine and maintain the level of "softness" that the NPC/IFBB likes to see in figure.

Other folks said that the main differences for them, since switching, was diet. Most seemed to agree that other than a change in caloric-intake, they still lifted as much as they could year-round.

For more on the conversation visit the general discussion board of GeneX Magazine.

GeneX at work:

Sarah Dunlap At The Europa Pro Show

Sarah Dunlap, originally uploaded by genexmagazine.

Generally known for size and definition, Sarah Dunlap presented an entirely different look for the Europa Pro Show. Here's she's certainly the thinest that I've ever seen her. If you look at her and Collete Nelson, to name two, it seems that some of the women most known for size and defintion were deliberately aiming for a look much more in the area of "figure" than "bodybuilding" -- a sign of things to come??

Kim Perez At The Europa Pro Show

Kim Perez, originally uploaded by genexmagazine.

Here's totally ripped Kim Perez, who also was the focus of the controversy at the Europa Pro Show as some congradulated her on her overall muscularity and definition, yet she did not win, place, or show.

Heather Foster Wins 2006 Europa Pro Show

6D6E4736, originally uploaded by genexmagazine.

In a night of controversy, Heather Foster -- middle -- won the Europa Pro Show in Arlington, Texas. To the right is Colette Nelson and to the left is Dena Westerfield.

Even though the judging may have been questionable, a good look at the winners does reveal a consistent muscular style. Even though I think only women should judge the contest, the men were not as uneven as some claim in my view.

Virgin Mobile Ringtone Commercial Shoot

Virgin Mobile ringtone commercial shoot, originally uploaded by hansk01.

For all of those who think women's bodybuilding can't draw corporate sponsors...

from left to right: Lena Squarciafico-Sanchez, Colette Nelson, Elena Seiple, "emcee" Scott, Heather Foster and Lisa Aukland on the set of the Virgin Mobile ringtone commercial shoot. Photo: Tom Dellinger

Colette Nelson Did Her Homework - Controversy At The 2006 Europa Pro Show; Time For Women Judges

Colette Nelson, originally uploaded by genexmagazine.

It's all over the message boards from GeneX to Unrealmuscle. Observers are bashing the decisions of the judges at the Europa Pro Show.

The basic overall criticism is that the winning women, starting with Heather Foster, all lacked well-defined legs. As one poster put it:

"Originally Posted by Ally Taay

That said, if the lady bodybuilders had known that Heather Foster's thick midsection and smooth quads were going to take #1, perhaps none of them needed to diet at all. WHAT were the judges looking for? Collette has personality and beauty, but this is a BODYBUILDING contest - - not a beauty pageant.

All three of the winners lacked LEGS! I guess a top hat and cane or a slinky blue dress can overcome the lack of calves and quads (future competitors, take note!)"

And it goes from there.

The one voice no one's heard from is that of the judges themselves. As for me, I didn't attend the event, and totally object to the domination of the male in the judging ranks. Indeed, it may be time to have all women judges for female bodybuilding. More and more, we're seeing a group of men as judges that seem to be threatened by a really well-defined and muscular woman. It's almost as if there's a kind of culture war underway.

As for Colelte, I think she may have known what the judges were looking for, as her legs -- especially her thighs -- have been bigger in the past. Perhaps she did her homework, but still only got third place.

I'm going to congradulate Heather Foster on her victory. She's certainly and arguably balanced in her build, but Tazzie's a hard one to pass up in my view.

I think so.