April 30, 2002 Report:
Make that a solid 19-point win for hometown favorite Klaudia Kinska at the Slovakia Pro Fitness Classic in Bratislava on April 27. It was her first victory since the ’99 World Amateur Championships, where she took the Overall. Stacy Simons was second, with Aleksandra Kobielak picking up the last Olympia qualification. The judges did very little dithering at this one. Here are the results. Given the group at hand, the most interesting development is the fourth-place finisher, wouldn’t you say?
'02 IFBB Slovakia Pro Fitness Classic
1) Klaudia Kinska*
2) Stacy Simons*
3) Aleksandra Kobielak*
4) Beth Horn
5) Laura Mak
6) Carla Sanchez
7) Kamila Porczyk
8) Cynthia Bridges
9) Elizabeth Streeter
10) Allison Bookless
11) Julie Palmer
12) Bethany Howlett
*Qualifies for the Fitness Olympia.
Three for Texas
That would be the three IFBB Southwest Pro Cup competitions taking place in men’s and women’s bodybuilding and fitness this weekend, a.k.a. May 3’4, at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, Texas. What are the odds that Kim Chizevsky will pull a Fitness O invite out of the Cup? For a list of some of the luscious ladies she’ll face, see the April 18 and April 2 Hot News reports. For tickets or info call (817) 498-3631.
Figure to Go Pro? They Couldn’t Say No O
Forget all the reasons why it shouldn’t happen. The powers that IFBB are scurrying to find a way to add figure competitions to the pro circuit, probably in 2003. The success of the NPC’s recent experiment in figure has mandated that they take it to the next level. Now they have to figure what the next level is.
‘Everyone agrees that figure will not be able to stand on its own,’ explained Pro Division V.P. Wayne DeMilia, who said that the contests might be worked into big physique-and-expo weekends or as an added attraction at a big regional amateur show, as New York promoter Steve Weinberger successfully did with the New York Pro Fitness in March. ‘If a couple of other people decide to do this, we can throw it into the Olympia weekend at the end of 2003.’ As for setup, format, world-wide participation and that kind of thing, he said, ‘It’s progressing,’ and he suggested that the federation might do a version at the European Championships.
Keep your eyes peeled.
Tall Story
Speaking of the NPC figure bonanza, that federation recently announced new height-class configurations for its newest division. When there are three classes, they’ll be Under 5’3′, Over 5’3′ and Up to and Including 5’5 1/2′, and Over 5’5 1/2′. When there are two classes, the dividing point will be 5’3′. It seems the figure competitions are attracting more tall types’as opposed to fitness, where there are many more 5’2′ types’so officials decided to adjust the classes accordingly. The new numbers apply only to contests for which the promoters have not sent out printed materials listing the old height classes. They will be in effect at the Figure Nationals in August.
In other figure-type news.
The folks at the Fitness America Pageant have introduced their own version of fitness-without-the-fitness-routine competition. The new-for-2002 MBA (a.k.a. Ms. Bikini America) Pageant includes a sportswear-modeling round.
Rumors Confirmed
Yes, indeedy, Lenda Murray did register as an IFBB pro bodybuilder for 2002 and is telling the fans she will compete at this year’s Ms. Olympia. In a statement that was posted at www.billdobbins.com in April, she cited Juliette Bergmann‘s successful unretirement, as well as her own unretiring competitive nature, as motivation to shape up for the ultimate posing platform once again. Also heading for the big show in Las Vegas on October 18 is Laura Creavalle, who reportedly has accepted the special invitation offered by Pro Division head Wayne DeMilia. With a relatively short women’s bodybuilding season’which ends with the Jan Tana on August 16’17’and relatively few athletes actually qualified for the O, it likely won’t be the only special invite he hands out this year.
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