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Wayne's Hard News - 2005 Olympia Weekend Report Part 2 - The Women |
Wayne's Hard News - 2005 Olympia Weekend Report Part 2 - The Women
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As usual the prejudging for the 3 classes for the women was held at the Expo. My comments are general in that certain aspects of the Figure Class need updating. It should be a smaller version of the women's bodybuilding class so that those women who have the good physique genetics do not have to take it to extremes. Especially if they are of shorter stature. A senior IFBB official once said to me "but they will take stuff and simply get bigger and bigger each year if it becomes another bodybuilding class". My reply was that the judges set the criteria and too big is simply marked down. Not all that hard to do.
Secondly Figure Class, the fastest growing class in bodybuilding, is dead boring. Endless 1/4 turn, bigger and bigger classes and no routines is a recipe for total boredom.
The same official again said "but we have no time for routines from up to 100 women - it will make the shows run too long". The simple answer is to at least look at what other organisations do. Allow say a 30 seconds routine for all competitors at the prejudging and then the top 6 only in each class allowed to perform say a 60 seconds routine at the finals. Believe me such routines are usually highly entertaining and can contain elements of choice from bodybuilding poses to aerobic moves to fitness type moves and a combination of all 3. The main emphasis being on bodybuilding, not gymnastics or aerobics.
Endless 1/4 turns at prejudging and finals are like a warm-up to a sporting event without any real action. I know that the figure women are "needed at shows to put extra bums on seats" from family, friends and fans, with the female supporters then insulted by showing them as little as possible of these fine athletes before they are swept off the stage. Figure is now going down the path of long-legged lean bodies, often with long waists/long proportions. Having a V-shaped bodybuilder's physique, however well proportioned, is not going to win a figure contest. The long look is in.
Davana Medina made it 3 victories in a row in the Figure Olympia. As I expected Jenny Lynn was second with a flawless figure and a pretty good physique in the style the judges prefer these days. Monica Brant looked absolutely sensational but not having the long lean look they prefer, she placed 3rd.
Although all three Olympia classes of women were judged together, class for class, at the Friday afternoon at the Expo, only the finals for fitness and figure on the Friday night were held at the Orleans Arena. This was in conjunction with a men's "Wild Card" event that permitted pro bodybuilders not qualified for the Mr.Olympia to obtain entry for the next day. Only one Olympia entry was available as a winner take all event which was won by David Henry.
The Fitness Class had a familiar look about it. But no Kelly Ryan this year. It was obvious to me that the main contenders were Jen Hendershott, Kim Klein and Adela Garcia. Jen and Adela had the best physiques in my opinion and Jen had the best overall package of body and great routine. I felt that Kim Klein was more of a threat to Jen than Adela who seemed a little flat this year. That is how it ended up with Tracey Greenwood also impressing me. Jen Hendershott was a most worthy winner, performing an unbelievable routine and showing the most emotion I have ever seen from a female winner! Good on you Jen as you have worked long and hard for this title. She will be making a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2006.
Some of the fitness competitor's routines were somewhat hard to see clearly as they were performed on the basic low stage. No risers were used as in previous years. I watched most of these routines on the big video screens. Compared to other major pro shows, the women were marginalized. When the figure and fitness women finally finally got on stage, they only appeared in one piece suits, no bikinis and no quarter turns. Friday night has traditionally been women's Olympia night with this year seeing some major surgery to the way it was run. Apart from sweeping aside the figure and fitness women to a large degree to leave time for the Wild Card for the men, there was no traditional Ms Olympia class finals. Not a large female physique in sight.
Finally some comments on the physique class - the prestigious Ms Olympia event. At least it used to be prestigious enough to be on the main stage at the Friday night finals on the main Arena stage. Not this year as the Ms Olympia final was staged at the Expo. There were no weight divisions which again I felt was a mistake. There is no logical reason why the women should all be judged in one class. Just because we love to se the giant monsters smash the smaller symmetrical more ripped guys in the Mr Olympia, it does not mean we want to see the same thing with the women! I liked the 2 weight classes as it gave people of smaller stature such as Dayana Cadeau a chance to say she was Ms Olympia. Such was the case last year when Iris Klyle won the posedown for the overall title. However Dayana will always be a Ms Olympia winner in her class in the record books.
The sizes of the women which you can also read as weights of the women varied greatly. From the lightest being Rosemary Jennings and Tonia Williams in the 130 pounds range to the biggest and heaviest competitor in Yaxeni at 173 pounds. Steve Wennerstrom supplied these details. This was quite a weight spread.
When I had the good fortune to shoot the video of the 1998 Ms Olympia in Prague, there was a very shy novice in her first Olympia who was unable to speak more than a couple of words of English. Her name was Yaxeni Oriquen. I did not dream that in the early 2000s she would be winning Ms International titles and then in 2005 winning the Ms Olympia crown. The journey from 1998 to 2005 represents 7 years of amazingly hard work and self belief that she could win this title. I have never seen Yaxeni look better - lean yet with good hard size and wonderful shape and proportions. She epitomised the ideals of a Ms Olympia winner and was also a most popular winner.
In second place was Iris Kyle, last year's overall winner. Iris was still looking fantastic although a little drawn I thought and not quite as good as last year. Usually I see these women up close in the pump room but it was not to be this year. 3rd place went to Dayana Cadeau who also looked quite amazing with great size on such a compact frame. She was sharp and tight and had the winning look such that she placed ahead of many other bigger women who outweighed her by many pounds.
Biggest surprise for me was to see the reappearance of the beautiful and symmetrical Jikta Harizimova from the Czech Republic. I last saw her in her home Olympia in Prague in 1998. As far as I recall that was her last Olympia before starting her family. She made her comeback to the Olympia by winning the recent pro show in Charlotte. I feel she has the potential to take this title if she really wants it, and can get into the hard condition that is needed these days to be an Olympia champion. She presents the good media face of women's bodybuilding that the bodybuilding magazines should embrace. Do you know how often you see a Ms Olympia winner on a physique magazine cover! Never! 4th place to Jitka in her comeback Olympia was quite outstanding.
I hope that next year we will see the return of the Ms Olympia to the main Orleans Arena stage and not continue to be demoted to the Expo as a side event. Even the bench press world record attempt got onto the main stage at the Arena on the Saturday night. Let's give some respect to the best professional female bodybuilders in the world. |
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