Jan Tana Results
Best-poser Bidding War
Murray Makes a Decision

Reported September 12, 2003

Tana Time
Catching Up With the Last Show Befo’ the O
Don’t tell the Masters Olympia competitors, but the significance of the annual Jan Tana Classic weekend is its focus on the women’s side of the posing platform. Sure, Jan brought the Masters O into the mix a couple of years ago, but unlike the Arnold, the NOC and the Olympia, this is one festival of fitness and bodybuilding on the IFBB pro schedule where the ladies take center stage’on Saturday night. Stars are made’and careers are born’at the Tana, and as has frequently happened over the 13 years that she’s been putting on this shindig, the 2003 edition was the last opportunity for Olympia-hungry babes to earn an invite to the big October showdown. The August 15’16 event was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, and just to show she’s up with the times, Tana added the J.T. Pro Figure Classic to a busy bill that also includes a big regional NPC competition. The result was a slew of excellent additions to the various Olympia lineups and three very happy women who scored their first pro wins.

J.T. Pro Bodybuilding Classic. Last year ’01 NPC National heavyweight winner Beth Roberts swept her class at this contest in her pro debut, but this year Roberts had to make way for a new force to be reckoned with. Danish champ Helle Nielsen came to her own pro debut with no expectations, particularly as she was completely unknown to the U.S.-based judging panel. Boy, did she get a surprise. Sporting the kind of size, symmetry and detail that separates the champs from the also-rans, Helle swept past Roberts and walked away with the show, duplicating Roberts’ feat of making it to the O her first time out and earning the overall title as well.

In the middleweights it was symmetry vs. symmetry as Dayana Cadeau showed up with the conditioning’and waistline’that have been missing from her recent appearances to beat out a best-ever Mah-Ann Mendoza for class honors, with Vilma Caez taking a special award for best stage presence of the show. (See below for more on that subject. Angela Debatin outconditioned the highly symmetrical Joanna Thomas, another former J.T. class winner, for the lightweight title to pick up an Olympia invite as well.

J.T. Fitness Classic. With heavy hitters like Jenny Worth and three-time J.T. winner Kelly Ryan sitting this one out, the stage was set for somebody new to come out on top. Enter anatomy prof Tracey Greenwood, who won the two physique rounds plus the 90-second mandatory routines to score a 24-point victory over the already-qualified Stacy Hylton to earn a place in the Fitness O lineup. Twenty-three women chased down to Charlotte in search of those elusive invites. Also, making the grade was Kimberly Scheidler-Klein, who finished just a few points behind Hylton in third. Best routine honors went to the high-flying Bridgette Newell.

J.T. Figure Classic. With Figure Olympia spots promised to the top five contestants, this was the biggest of the women’s contests with 31 beautiful bodies onstage. Not surprisingly, Dina Al-Sabah and D.J. Wallis, second and third at the New York Pro a week earlier, each moved up a slot to finish first and second. So the big victor was Hannah Park, who won the IRONMAN NPC Figure show in February, picked up a pro card at the Junior USA in April, finished a disappointing eighth at the New York Pro and grabbed the number-three run on the ladder here. An even newer rookie, Theil Bradford, who earned her pro card in fitness at the USA in July, took fourth-place honors, while Aleksandra Kobielak got the fifth-place Olympia invite.

Now, about those best-poser prizes. It happened at the athletes’ meeting, and it was something no one could have anticipated. Shawn Ray, perennial top-five Mr. Olympia finisher, legendary tightwad and candidate to become the athletes’ rep for men’s bodybuilding, came up out of his pocket and offered to put up a grand to be awarded to the best poser in the Masters Olympia. That set off what could be described as a bidding war. Steve Wennerstrom, IFBB Women’s Historian and a correspondent for Flex and Women’s Physique World, offered $1,000 for the best poser in women’s bodybuilding, followed by masters competitor Ken Jones, who reportedly pulled out a wad of bills and offered another $1,000 for the best fitness routine. Accounts vary as to who actually coughed up for what after Wennerstrom spoke. Please note that the bodybuilding prizes, which were given for “best stage presentation,” went to the actual best posers, not to the winners of the posing rounds. In the Masters O the prize went to the always entertaining Flavio Baccianini. Interestingly enough, no put up any money for the figure competition.

Here’s the complete results from the Jan Tana competitions:

Jan Tana Pro Bodybuilding Classic
Overall: Helle Nielsen*

Lightweight
1) Angela Debatin*
2) Joanna Thomas
3) Mary Ellen Doss
4) Susanne Neiderhauser
5) Mary Ellen Warman

Middleweight
1) Dayana Cadeau*
2) Mah-Ann Mendoza
3) Vilma Caez
4) Monica Martin
5) Christine Envall
6) Jeannie Paparone
7) Claudie Bianchi
8) Antoinette Norman

Heavyweight
1) Helle Nielsen*
2) Beth Roberts
3) Maria Calo-Wallace
4) Susanne Bock
5) Sharon Robelle
6) Annett Wittic
7) Merete Horness
8) Carmella Key
*Qualifies for the Ms. Olympia.
Jan Tana Fitness Classic
1) Tracey Greenwood*
2) Stacy Hylton*
3) Kimberly Scheidler-Klein*
4) Tanji Johnson
5) Lisa Reed
6) Julie Childs
7) Iveta Stasenko
8) Bridgette Newell
9) Clair Morris-Parmley
10) Carla Sanchez
*Qualifies for the Fitness Olympia.

Jan Tana Figure Classic
1) Dina Al-Sabah*
2) D.J. Wallis*
3) Hannah Park*
4) Theil Bradford*
5) Aleksandra Kobielak*
6) Elaine Goodlad
7) Christine Wan
8) Andrea Breunig
9) Monica Guerra
10) Christina Forlifer
*Qualifies for the Figure Olympia.

In Other News
Murray Makes a Decision
Speaking of Ms. Olympia. Those who were speculating whether Lenda Murray would defend her title at the Ms. Olympia in October can rest easy. The lady has signed her contract to compete. As to the question of whether she’ll repeat the condition she displayed at the 2002 event, let the speculation begin.