Last night on the instant messenger my buddy Ron Avidan asked who I thought would win the Cal Pro Figure, which will take place in Culver City this Saturday, May 23, along with the NPC California Bodybuilding, Figure and Bikini Championships. Fortunately, Yogi didn’t demand that I list my top five, in order—I’m not big on that—however, a glance at the final list of competitors gives an idea of the way things will trend.
For some time I’ve been assuming that Sonia Gonzales (formerly Adcock) would repeat her victory of two years ago. The last-minute entry of Heather Mae French, who lost the top spot in Orlando to Nicole Wilkins Lee last month by a single point, changed the landscape a bit. Heather, who was second to Felicia Romero at this show last year, finished one place ahead of Sonia at the Figure International in March, which would make her the favorite to win. On the other hand, Sonia has the Southern California hometown advantage, which makes the outcome a toss-up in my mind.
In an attempt to avoid making a choice, I pointed out that, although there are numerous talented rookies signed up to quarter-turn at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium—Jennifer DeJoya, Alicia Harris, Carin Hawkins, Crystal Lowery, Amy O’Neil and Natalie Waples, to name a few—the first-year pro who is most likely to make a dent in the Olympia-qualifying top three is Sherlyn Roy, last year’s Team Universe overall champ. My comment wasn’t based on the fact that Sherlyn finished behind Heather and Sonia at the International, cracking the top 10 in her pro debut, but because that gal really knows how to sparkle on the runway—and her physique ain’t bad either.
In all 29 women are scheduled to get onstage in Culver City on Saturday, and despite the above comments, anything can happen. I’ll see you—and Yogi—there.
Photo: Will it be Sonia Gonzales (pictured), Heather Mae French or someone else picking up the biggest check at the Cal Pro Figure?
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