Friday Update—NAC and WPD on My Mind

Another big pro qualifier went down last weekend in Cleveland, where promoter Gary Udit drew a record 550-plus athletes at the ’11 IFBB North American Championships. As the name implies, this show is open to competitors from north and south of the United States borders, as well as NPC-folk, and it has grown every year since Gary took it on a while back. Word is he’ll be moving the NAC next year to Pittsburgh, his home base and the scene of his other big national-level production, the Teen, Collegiate, Masters Nationals, where he’ll undoubtedly have continued success. (Note that I’m not seeing a formal announcement of this yet.)

Also poised—or should I say posed—for success are the 15 women over five sports who earned their pro cards at the NAC. I’m focusing mainly on the women’s physique division in this brief review because of time—and because it is the most interesting thing going on in the various women’s physique sports, especially for those who have been around since the days of Cory Everson, if not Rachael McLish.

Some 51 gals with the guts to let their feminine muscle blossom came to Cleveland for the debut of the women’s physique division at the contest. The overall went to Oklahoma’s Bailey Shuck, a lively brunette who really does look in the photos like a well-balanced figure competitor with a little more muscle. After taking the B-class, Bailey beat out Colorado’s Tracy Bodner and Florida’s Jordan Renee for the top trophy.

Not for the first time in this first year of amateur women’s physique competition, NPC/IFBB officials were so pleased with the turnout that they decided to award pro cards to the top two in each class after initially limiting it to the winners. That meant that Nola Trimble, an athlete who had come so close at every previous WPD qualifier, finally got the call. Finishing second to overall winner Bailey in the B-class, Nola had lost a few cuts and added one important one—a soft-and-flattering new haircut—to arrive at the perfect package. Also getting a runner-up card were Valerie Busch in the A-class and Gloria Faulls in the Cs.

This was the fifth big pro-card bonanza national competition of the 2011 season, with the NPC Nationals still to come in mid-November. Besides the six given out in women’s physique, pro cards were awarded in women’s bodybuilding, fitness, figure and bikini as well. See the complete list below.

Photo: Women’s physique winners (from left) Jordan Renee, Bailey Shuck and Tracy Bodner

’11 IFBB North American Championships Pro-Call

Women’s Bodybuilding
Guillian Kovack, women’s overall
Janeen Lankowski, masters-over-35 overall

Fitness
Danielle Ruban, overall

Women’s Physique
A-class
1) Tracy Bodner
2) Vallerie Busch
B-Class
1) Bailey Shuck (overall winner)
2) Nola Trimble
C-class
1) Jordan Renee
2) Gloria Faulls

Figure
Sue Knott, D-class and overall
Essence Monet, F-class
Daphne Bascomb, masters-over-35 overall

Bikini
Cristal Matthews, D-class and overall
Lexi Kaufman, A-class
Kristie Winter, masters-over-35 overall