Well I am LMAO. Checking out my “bio” on the Los Angeles FitExpo list of guests who’ll be appearing at the IRON MAN booth this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, January 28 and 29, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, and I see that in the alphabetically listing Ruth comes right after Robby, as in Robby Robinson, a.k.a the Black Prince, bodybuilding legend. Back in the day before there were five different categories of women’s physique competitions, I used to cover men’s bodybuilding and interviewed many of the stars. My conversation with Robby was of my all-time favorites. I can’t recall what issue it was in, but suffice it to say, he was still competing and it was before there were five women’s physique sports on the schedule.

Also a favorite story is the the getting of that interview. We met at the Firehouse in Venice—my first ever visit. I arrived first, I think. Robbie and his wife arrived, and we got a table. She was very friendly, and he was very quiet, expressionless behind his dark shades, and I thought, Oh, chit! This is not going to go well.

Well, we ordered, and the tape recorder came out. Robby paused briefly, then off came the sunglasses, and on came the charm. The result was, as I said, one of my all-time favorite interviews.

Robby started his journey as an art student—did you know that? Meet him at the IRON MAN booth on Saturday, along with me and a slew of IM contributors. I’m looking forward to it.

I’m also looking forward to making the rounds at this growing-larger-every-year event. Hundreds of booths and activities are on the program, including the NPC IRON MAN Naturally on Saturday. Prejudging starts at 10 a.m.

See you there.

Defending champs Branch Warren, Iris Kyle, Adela Garcia, Nicole Wilkins and Nicole Nagrani will top the lineups at the ’12 Arnold Classic and Ms., Fitness, Figure and Bikini International competitions, which are set for March 2 and 3 in Columbus, Ohio.

Photo: Nicole Wilkins at the ’11 Figure I.

Here are the complete lists:

2012 Ms. International (15)
Maria Rita Bello
Brigita Brezovac
Kim Buck
Tina Chandler
Alevtina Goroshinskaya
Monique Jones
Iris Kyle
Debi Laszewski
Cathy LeFrancois
Zoa Lindsey
Geraldine Morgan
Yaxeni Oriquen
Kim Perez
Alina Popa
Maria Segura

2012 Fitness International (17)
Michelle Blank
Jodi Boam
Myriam Capes
Regiane Da Silva
Tina Durkin
Allison Ethier
Adela Garcia
Oksana Grishina
Tanji Johnson
Diana Monteiro
Julie Palmer
Kayde Puckett
Camala Rodriguez
Daniella Ruban
Kizzy Vaines
Sheri Vucick
Bethany Wagner

2012 Figure International (16)
Jelena Abbou
Teresa Anthony
Cheryl Brown
Krissy Chin
Ava Cowan
Heather Dees
Alicia Harris
Raquel Hernandez
Candice Keene
Gloria Keplinger Tarpley
Sue Knott
Larissa Reis
Erin Stern
Gennifer Strobo
Latisha Wilder
Nicole Wilkins

2012 Bikini International (18)
Jennifer Andrews
Jaime Baird
Abbie Burrows
Juliana Daniell
Sonia Gonzales
Candyce Graham
Diana Graham
Jessica Jessie
Lexi Kaufman
Nathalia Melo
Justine Munro
Nicole Nagrani
India Paulino
Jessica Paxson
Natalie Pennington
Monique Ricardo
Tianna Ta
Christine Vargas

2012 Arnold Classic (14)
Fouad Abiad
Gustavo Badell
Lionel Beyeke
Matthias Botthof
Evan Centopani
Eduardo Correa
Brandon Curry
Dexter Jackson
Michael Kefalianos
Ben Pakulski
Shawn Rhoden
Branch Warren
Ben White
Dennis Wolf

Congratulations to India Paulino, who capped a huge competition year with two big wins, including her unanimous victory at the Florida Pro Bikini in Miami on Saturday, December 10. Earning her pro card at the Junior Nationals in June, Paulino has been pretty consistent all season. Once again she was sporting just the right combination of conditioning and sass—not to much, not too little on the former; playful and plentiful on the latter—and she was the clear winner from the time the contestants took the stage.

Held in conjunction with the World Pro Masters Championship, the very last contest of the year attracted a lively lineup of 15 hoping to score big in what may have been the last top-three Olympia qualifier ever thanks to stricter rules going into effect in 2012. Getting the nod were runner-up Tianna Ta and third-placer Julianna Danielle, both of whom were thrilled that they’d decided to do the show, which took place at the Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason Theater, the scene of the recent ’11 NPC Nationals.

Returning to that stage after earning her card at the Nationals—and looking spectacular—was Jennifer Chapman, who pulled a fourth-place finish in her pro debut, while Heather Nappi stride ‘n’ snappied her way into fifth.

Interesting note: Neither Chapman nor Nappi made the first callout, but by the end of the judging, the judges had moved them into the top group. That meant that a couple of gals who did make the first round of comparisons, Yeshaira Robles and Brittany Tacy, had to settle for sixth and seventh, respectively.

Thanks to promoter Jarka Lorie Schneider, who pulled off a fabulous weekend anchored by the Return of the Legends-Pro World Masters event. The festivities also included a press conference, meet the athletes and a wonderful postcontest banquet. I was glad I got to make trip to work with BODTV.

Photo (from left): Jennifer Chapman, Tianna Ta, Jarka Lorie Schneider, India Paulino, Julianna Danielle and Heather Nappi.

Find the complete results below:

IFBB Florida Pro Bikini
1) India Paulino*
2) Tianna Ta*
3) Juliana Daniell*
4) Jennifer Chapman
5) Heather Nappi
6) Yeshaira Robles
7) Brittany Tacy
8) Missy Coles
9) Kim DeArcangelis
10) Brittany Gaylord
11) Theresa Byrne
12) Figen Oezdemir
13) Bernadett Matassa
13) Yenny Polanco
15) Khanh Nguyen
*Qualifies for the ’12 Bikini Olympia.

I’m finally going to get to meet Jarka Lorie Schneider—and thank her for the wonderful time I had at the ’98 Ms. Olympia, which she promoted in Prague, Czech Republic, and which I was fortunate enough to cover. It was a fabulous weekend, and Jarka wined us and dined us; however, she was not actually present in Prague and was directing the action from this side of the Atlantic. Now she’s putting on another fab weekend, the IFBB Pro World Masters competition and Florida Pro Bikini, which will be rockin’ the Fillmore Theater in Miami this Saturday, December 10, and I have to admit, I was wishing I could go. So when Jay Hammett of BODTV ask if I’d like to go to come on down to help with the video coverage of Jarka’s big gathering of bodybuilding talent and history,  I jumped at the chance.

The Return of the Legends will  be crammed full of legends both in and out of the lineup. Guests of honor: Lee Haney, Frank Zane and Lou Ferrigno—and they tell me the Big Nasty, Mr. Ronnie Coleman will be in the house. A pro seminar with Dorian Yates and star posing from Robby Robinson, Juliette Bergmann, Vince Taylor and Andy Hamm are on the program. Shawn Ray will do the master of ceremonies honors, and he’s bringing his talented young daughter, Asia Monet Ray, who will also guest pose. (In case you’ve never seen the six-year-old dynamo in motion, she who could probably blow away the Fitness Olympia lineup.)

With $240,000 up for grabs in the masters show and a $20,000 total purse for bikini, the contests have attracted top talent, with Dexter Jackson, Toney Freeman, Troy Alves and Tricky Jackson standing out on the masters list, along with some of my old faves like Darrem Charles and Pavel Jablonicky.

India Paulino, Missy Coles, Juliana Danielle, Tianna Ta and Brittany Tacy are  among the attention getters who’ll do the bikini contest. You can find the updated lineups at www.IFBBPro.com.

Look for me on the red carpet, interviewing one and all  before the finals, not to mention at the press conference, VIP reception, Meet the Pros session, awards banquet and the contests themselves. Whew, I’d better get packing.

If you’re going to be in south Florida this weekend, you’ll definitely want  check it out. For tickets—or more info: www.jarkasgym.com.

Introducing a new feature here at the Pump & Circumstance blog—20 questions with an athlete I’d like to get to know better. First up is Canadian figure pro Natalie Waples, a symmetrical lass I first met a couple of  years ago at the Cal Pro Figure and have watched, mostly from afar, as she’s worked her way up from the bottom of the lineup to just knocking on the door of top placings. Will she make it to the next run on the ladder? As evidenced in the following conversation, she’s certainly got the motivation:

• Before we even get to the basics, straighten me out on the correct pronunciation of your last name. Does it rhyme with maple?
Yes it does!  Waples like maples, staples and Naples :-)

• Now the stats—your age, height and weight?
32, 5’7, 130 off season and 120 on season

• Hometown and current residence?
Hometown: Espanola, Ontario, Canada
Current Residence: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

• How did you get from there to here (where you live now)?
Home of the mountains, the Vancouver Canucks and the Olympics.. How could I not live here?!

• What’s your day job?
I work as a Senior Human Resources Officer for the Canadian government, and I also train clients on a part-time basis for competition preparation—bikini and figure.

• What’s your athletic background?
I played basketball, baseball, volleyball and track and field in school and was also in figure skating. When I hit university, I played volleyball and joined the varsity cheerleading squad, which is also when I started weight training, as it was part of our team’s workout program.

• What or who got you into figure competition?
Mindi O’Brien (fellow Canadian and an IFBB fitness pro) was a judge at a fitness modeling competition I entered in Toronto, Canada, and told me after the show I should try figure. I’ve never looked back!

• Your first contest: What was it and what was it like?
My first contest was the Western Ontario Figure Championships in 2006. I placed 1st in the tall class and then took the same title two weeks later at the Eastern Ontario Championships. I had no idea what I was doing, but the girls were great, and winning really fueled my competitive fire for the sport.

• Where did you turn pro and how long did it take you?
I turned pro at the 2008 North American Figure Championships. As most people in the industry know, turning pro in Canada is extremely difficult, as there are only a few pro cards given out a year (even fewer back in ’08), so after placing fourth at the 2007 NACs, I went back and took top spot in my class and was then one of two pro card winners amongst the six height classes (Georginia Lona got the second). It took me just under two years to turn pro.

• What has been your best competition so far, and why?
My best competition to date was definitely the 2011 California Pro. I had been working with my coach, Tad Inoue, for five months, and in that time had been able to streamline my physique, get my conditioning on par and finally place top three and earn an Olympia qualification—the first Canadian in three years for figure! It was a great show. And being referred to as “the leggy Canadian” by you was also quite flattering.

• My pleasure. But what about the opposite: your biggest disaster?
I wouldn’t name any particular show as a disaster per se, more of a learn as you go. Prior to working with Tad, I always battled with conditioning but have been able to improve upon that a lot, and in turn have placed top five twice this year.

• What did it mean for you to get that Olympia qualification (finishing third at the Cal) and compete in Vegas this past year?
I have to be honest in that when I qualified for the Olympia at the Cal Pro this year, I almost cried. The closest I had come to a top spot prior to that was seventh at the 2010 Border States, so qualifying for the Figure Olympia was a dream come true for me. Competing in Vegas, in front of 8,000 people, was an unbelievable experience and one I will never forget. My friends made “Go Waples Go” T-shirts with the Maple Leaf on them to wear at the prejudging… So amazing!

• Any comment on your placing there?
I have no complaints about my placing at the Olympia. It features the best in the IFBB for that year, and I was one of 29 girls on that stage, so I am so honored to have been up there. Plus the pictures are priceless.

• Regarding placings, over the past year you have moved solidly into the top 10, if not the top five. What happened at the Houston Pro on October 15?
At the Houston Pro the show was running late, and so the judges  did not do comparisons and went straight to callouts after modeling presentations. I was not called out at all and was told afterwards that it was an error, in that my number was supposed to be called during the second callout, but they literally missed it—human error. Unfortunately they did not rescore us at the night show, and so I was left with a NP; i.e., 16th versus a top 10 spot. It was a disappointing experience; however these things happen, and I just had to move on and focus on the next show.

• Two weeks later at the Border States you were back in fourth, which is where you ended the season—getting closer but still right on the cusp of being a top-tier athlete. What’s it feel like to be right there right now?
Being right on the cusp of an Olympia qualification at the 2011 Border States was bittersweet, but I was also in a great group of athletes and was extremely happy with a top five placing. The promoter and my coach also surprised me with birthday cupcakes onstage right after the top-five medal ceremony, so all in all I was really happy.

• What do you do next in terms of improving your physique?
Tad and I are confident that we will be able to get my physique where it needs to be to compete for a top spot this year. I am going to focus on back and delt development in the off-season and make sure to give myself adequate recovery so that my muscle can grow, instead of doing too much cardio (which I have been guilty of).

• What’s your contest strategy for 2012? Will the new, more stringent Olympia-qualification rules affect your choices?
My strategy for 2012 is twofold in that I do plan on submitting an application for the Arnold [Figure International], which if accepted, will change my off-season duration and gains, but would be an amazing opportunity. Otherwise I will be focusing on doing a few shows back to back in the early summer and really focus on conditioning, poise and presentation. I love to compete and will do so despite the new Olympia-qualifying rules. Yes it makes it more difficult, but that just means I have to work harder!

• The International is a tough show—strictly invitational with limited spaces in the lineup. Twenty-eight competitors besides the gal who won made it to the Olympia in 2011. Why should Jim Lorimer pick you?
The Figure International is just that, an international event, and there hasn’t been a Canadian in the it for three years—I want to break that streak! I believe that with my placings this year (third at the Cal Pro, my showing at the Olympia, fourth at Border States), combined with magazine features (publications like Oxygen, MF Hers, FLEX and Inside Fitness Magazine), as well as promotional work for my sponsors Nutrabolics and SunLove Athletics, I have been a very visible Canadian in the industry and try to be a good representative of the sport. It would be an honor to be selected to compete at the 2012 Figure International.

• You make a big deal out of your Canadian-ness. I found at least two blogs where you write “Canuck” news and feature Canadian athletes. Patriotism or a way to make yourself stand out?
I am very proud to be Canadian, especially in a sea of American competitors, so it is in no way a “gimmick.” I started the “Canuck Corner” for RX Girls because I wanted to showcase Canadian athletes and events, as well as some of the little things that make us different, such as our use of the metric system, saying “Eh” and spelling words like *tonne the British way—and no, not taking canoes to work or living in igloos. Those are primarily false ;-)!

• What do you want for Christmas?
For the holidays I would like an Arnold invite (and may just do a happy dance if my name appears on that particular list). I have had a great year and am looking forward to spending time with family and friends.

• Besides that?
Besides that I just want a happy, healthy 2012. Cheesy but true!

Okay, that was 21 questions if you were counting. Find Natalie’s Web site at www.nataliewaplesfitness.com.

Photo: Natalie at the ’11 Figure Olympia—”a dream come true.”

It is a full week now since the NPC Nationals, and people who worked the show in one way or another are just recovering—reporters, photographers, judges, staff and others—along with the athletes. Since my big trip to Miami for the big show—a record 943  competitors—included a side trip to Boca Raton to visit family followed by a hit-the-ground-running return to Los Angeles for the IRON MAN deadline, things have been a little surreal at my humble Hollywood hideaway. Still, it is nothing compared to what the guys and gals who worked almost every weekend this season, including all the pro-qualifiers  and myriad national qualifiers and IFBB pro shows, must be experiencing in terms of recovery.

Topping the record numbers at the NPC USA last July, the Nationals presented challenges from start to finish, yet the judges and backstage wizards, along with my longtime colleague Lonnie Teper onstage as the emcee, pulled it off. We were done in plenty of time for L.T. and I to shoot wrap-up videos with Dave Palumbo and Chris Aceto of RxMuscle.com, feed our faces at Jerry’s Deli (along with IM photog Roland Balik and Dave Liberman) and get a few hours of sleep before reconvening at the Gansevoort Hotel’s rooftop pool at 9 a.m. for J.M. Manion‘s traditional photo shoot of the champs for the NPC News.

Needless to say there was a bit of grumbling, with various suggestions being made for ways to tweak the schedule. At the Teen, Collegiate, Masters Nationals, promoter Gary Udit stages the finals for some competitions on Friday night, so that idea is out there. (I’d be in favor of something that would give my buddies the photographers and anyone else who doesn’t get one a rest break, but that’s not likely to shorten the proceedings.)

Folks are estimating that all the pro qualifiers but especially the USA and Nationals will continue growing in 2012, so it wouldn’t shock me if some tinkering is done before we pass the 1,000-competitors mark. With three classes attracting more than 50 competitors in Miami—the short class in women’s physique and the two taller classes in men’s physique, with one MPD class getting almost 70—it’s also not hard to predict that the PDs will be adding a height class or two, a testament to the success of those new competitions. As for saving some time, in some divisions everyone got to pose at the finals, and in others it was only the top 15; so we may see cutoffs in more divisions next time.

One place I didn’t hear grumblings was from the athletes. Those I spoke with were all having a fabulous time, and even the women who didn’t make the cut in their classes were smiling on Saturday night as they waited their turn onstage—more evidence that the folks who ran the marathon to put on the ’11 NPC National Championships had a huge success.

The biggest smiles of all, of course, were on the faces of those who made it to the photo shoot on Sunday morning, like the athletes pictured here: bikini overall champ Candy Agundez with men’s physique winners (from left) Matthew Acton, Miguel Aquilar and Anthony Scotti. Acton took the overall.
Look for my interviews with Candy and Matthew plus figure champ Julie Mayer-Hymen, women’s physique winner Kimmie Morgan and overall bodybuilding champ Michelle Cumings at ironmanmagazine.com.