2007 NPC Women’s Bodybuilding Year in Review

A National level month by month recap...

March
The Arnold Classic for the first time welcomed the NPC to hold a women's bodybuilding competition. The promoters and fans were not disappointed as 23 female bb's divided among three weight classes waltzed across the stage for the Saturday morning finals at the Columbus Convention Center. Maryland's Dianne Brown took the overall title coming out of the lightweight class. Brown declined a Pro card after winning a Pro qualifying OCB event in order to compete in the NPC and the move definitely paid off. Other class winners were perennial Masters contender Marcia Ferguson and Texan Shar Courtney who has All-American good looks and a charming personality to go with it.


Top 5 Results:
Lightweights
1. Dianne Brown
2. Annette Costa
3. Ann Caliri
4. Dee Lazard
5. Jennifer Wilson
Middleweights
1. Shar Courtney
2. Holly Nicholson
3. Amy Schmid
4. Rachael McMillan
5. Sueallen Lottimore
Heavyweights
1. Marcia Ferguson
2. Jody May
3. Leigh Bowen
4. Karin Klein
5. Evy Rustad

April
The Junior USA's were once again held in Charleston, SC and unlike past years when residence of the Palmetto State won this show, for example Jody Coy in '05 and Heidi Bagwell in '06. a northerner from the Empire State by the name of Tammy Patnode came down and took the overall title. Patnode, a hair dresser from Lake Placid, NY, edged out Tennessee's Connie Evans in the LW class and ruled queen over 16 fbbs dispersed over four classes.


Lightweights
1. Tammy Patnode
2. Connie Evans
3. Rebecca Gore
4. Jean Jitomir
Middleweights
1. Mauren Meehan
2. Ann Caliri
Light Heavyweight
1. Tracey Toth
2. Holly Bacola
3. Lisa Boushard
4. Cheryl Faust
5. Yoltie Smith
6. Judy Gaillard
Heavyweights
1. Audrey Turner
2. Clarice Zimmer
3. Christina Rhodes
4. Jaime Kocher


June
Twenty-two strong showed up to compete in the Windy City at the Junior Nationals show which a Floridian, Diana Cook, took the overall out of the heavyweight class. Cook who is a physical therapist by trade is a former Sunshine State champion and beat out a tough LW competitor, Lori Steele whose physique compliments her surname well, for the title. The two other class winners were Tennessee's Wanda Moore and Michigan's Tracey Toth who became one of the few athletes that can lay claim to a class win in both NPC Junior shows during the same calendar year.


Lightwweights
1. Lori Steele
2. Suzanne Germano
3. Sharon Garrett
4. Natalie Barnett
Middleweights
1. Wanda Moore
2. Colleen Sgro
3. Carrie Ann Simmons
4. Jamie Terrill
Light-Heavyweights
1. Tracey Toth
2. Judy Gaillard
3. Justine Dohring
4. Andrea Allaire
5. Anita Nelson
Heavyweight
1. Diana Cook
2. Kim Bergman
3. Angela Rayburn
4. Robyn Mentgen
5. Giulia Divina

July
This was the busiest month of the year with three shows and three Pro cards up for grabs. David Beckham may be one of the world's most popular soccer figures but for one hot day in downtown Manhattan, site for the Team Universe, California's Tracey Beckham was deemed the most popular by a panel of NPC judges. Twenty-two fbbs grazed the stage and competed among the three classes. The always photogenic Melissa Detweller won the MW's and fellow Texan Jodi Miller capped off a successful figure to bb transition with a LW class win.


Lightweights
1. Jodi Miller
2. Gina Quinn
3. Donna Karr
4. Sharon Garrett
5. Karen Geninatti
Middleweights
1. Melissa Dettwiller
2. Janelle Gallo
3. Cassandra Floyd
4. Cara Lombardo
5. Jennifer Cowan
Heavyweights
1. Tracy Beckham
2. Theresa Hendricks
3. Christy Resendes
4. Leann Scelfo
5. Joanne Allard


The second Pro card for women's bb went to San Diego's Debbie Bramwell by virtue of her win at the Masters Nationals annually held in Pittsburgh, PA. FBB's are like fine wine they just get better with age and the physiques of ladies like Bramwell, Michelle Ivers-Brent, and 50 + overall champion Trudy Ireland plus 60 year old Texan Dee Lazard who still competes at a very high level are proof of the fore mentioned statement therefore making this one of the most competitive contest of the season. Bramwell beat out 37 women among the four classes in the 35 + division. Dr. Michelle Neil of Oklahoma, Janet Kaufman, and Cindy Anderson were the other class winners. This show also includes the Collegiate Nationals and Indiana's Kira Neuman took the title and may very well be a torch carrier for the next generation of physique extrodinaires.


Lightweights
1. Cynthia Andersen
2. Maria Davis
3. Angelita Mcghee
4. Susan Gnesda
5. Kelle Lease
Middleweights
1. Janet Kaufman
2. Amy Sibcy
3. Brenda Smith
4. Beth Wachter
5. Gail Bowles
Light-Heavyweight
1. Debbie Bramwell
2. Anita Nikolich
3. Michelle Brent
4. Theresa Hendricks
5. Pamela Franklin
Heavyweights
1. Michelle Neil
2. Emily Holder
3. Geri Deach
4. Lauren Rottman
5 Marlene Wolverton
50+ overall winner
1. Trudy Ireland
Collegiate Nationals overall winner
1. Kira Neuman


This year in college football will be known as the 'year of the upset' and it all started back on Labor Day weekend when Appalachin State went on the road and shocked a heavily favored University of Michigan squad. Well unbeknowest at the time but Lubbock, TX, resident Jennifer Sedia went App State on the field of 53 women and earned a ticket to the Pros by winning the Las Vegas based USA Championships. Actually the shock value is mainly due to the lack of presence Sedia has on the internet but it shows what can happen when unknown competitors bring their A+ game. In the posedown for the overall Jen beat out the LW winner Florida's Galina Serdtsev, LHW winner Angela Salvagno, and Michelle Neil who was hands down the bodybuilder of the month if not for the entire 2007 season.


Lightweights
1. Galina Serdtsev
2. Beth Wachter
3. Tracy Witherspoon
4. Melinda Williamson
5. Tricia Travis
Middleweights
1. Jennifer Sedia
2. Diana Tinnelle
3. Kelly Dobbins
4. Sally Taylor
5. Holly Robey
Light-Heavyweights
1. Angela Salvano
2. Star Blaylock
3. Karen Choat
4. Beverly DiRenzo
5. Holly Geersen
Heavyweights
1. Michele Neil
2. Sheila Bleck
3. Julia Stamper
4. Candy Canary
5. Diane Solomons


September
If you follow the NBA you know almost every year a phenom arrives via a country outside of the United States and after a very short time we all fans of the sport know their name. Recent example includes France's Tony Parker, Germany's Dirk Niwitski, and China's Yoa Ming. The Cleveland, OH, based North American Championships show welcomed a Mexican fbb by the name of Maria Segura and she preceeded to win the whole shebang towering over all 35 competitors. Denying American's HW winner Nekole Hamrick, MW winner Tracey Mason, and LW class ring leader Lisa James a coveted invite to the next level. Florida's Hamrick who some say is a modern day Cory Everson with her dazzling good looks will no doubt be a top contender for a Pro card in 2008.



Lightweights
1. Lisa James
2. Karen Geninatti
Middleweights
1. Tracy Mason
2. Amy Sibcy
3. Pam Shealy
4. Michelle Morrison

5. Yadira Herrera
Light Heavyweights
1. Maria Segura
2. Michelle Brent
3. Anita Nikolich
4. Christine Sabo
5. Tammi Burdelski
Heavyweights
1. Nekole Hamrick

2. Beverly DiRenzo
3. Diana Cook
4. Heather Pedigo
5. Kim Bergman


November
Cal Tech may not have the Heisman Trophy winners like the University of Southern Cal nor does it have 11 national men's basketball championships like UCLA but it does have one thing those two athletic powerhouse schools doesn't have and that is a Pro bb'er. Her name is Kristy Hawkins and she went to Dallas, TX, the host for the NPC Nationals event, and won the granddaddy of all the bb shows. Hawkins, originally from nearby Longview, TX, beat out a tremendous field of 59 fbb athletes coming out of the ultra competitive LHW class holding off upstart Carolinian Britt Miller to take the class. In the overall posedown Kristy beat out figure crossover Beni Lopez from the LW's, Houston's Tina Chandler in the MW's and Cape Coral, FL's gymnastics instructor Beverly DiRenzo in the HW class. Lopez, who hails from San Antonio, was the most controversial of the four winners beating out reigning USA LW champion Galina Serdtev and NY's Tammy Patnode. Chandler meanwhile beat out Yasha who like rock stars Madonna and Prince goes by a single name. The HW class was stacked and was a bit controversial thanks to the placement of the ultra conditioned Michelle Neil who was the oddball among three Sunshine State resdents in DiRenzo, Hamrick and Jacksonville's Kris Murrell.

LightWeights
1. Beni Lopez
2. Galina Serchtsev
3. Tammy Patnode
4. Tera Guzman
5. Kirsten Haratyk
MiddleWeights
1. Tina Chandler
2. Yasha A
3. Janet Kaufman
4. Julia Korfhage
5. Terri Harris
Light HeavyWeights
1. Kristy Hawkins
2. Britt Ashley Miller
3. Karen Choat
4. Elena Seiple
5. Amy Neal
HeavyWeights
1. Beverly DiRenzo
2. Nekole Hamrick
3. Michele Neil
4. Kris Murrell
5. Gale Frankie

Scott's Corner would like to take this time to say congrats to all competitors out there. To all my readers thanks for taking time to read/follow my blog and I hope you all continue too. Plus, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very prosperous and healthy New Year!