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Review & Photography By www.NorthAmericanBodies.com. On November 3rd, 2007 there were 157 competitors waiting to take the stage at the FAME North American Championships. It was the largest turnout yet for a U.S. FAME show. The event was held in downtown Miami at the beautiful Gusman Theater for the Performing Arts.The abundant audience was eagerly anticipating both the amateur as well as pro competitions! Competitions were held in Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure, Fitness Model and Muscle Model classes.
  Click Image To Enlarge. FAME Competitors.
Bodybuilders were judged in on three bases, each worth 1/3 of their total scoring: symmetry, posing and routines. FAME has a 5 Tier system for class competition. Level 1 athletes are novices and newcomers. Level 2 athletes compete in the open class having already competed at Level 1. Level 3 athletes are the national level advanced class competitors who have placed in the top 5 in a Level 2 show. Level 4 are the elite athletes who have placed in the top 5 at a Level 4 show. Pro Status to compete at Level 5 is given to the overall winners from Level 3 and 4 shows. The FAME North American Championships featured bodybuilding athletes competing at all 5 Levels.
There was only 1 competitor registered in the men’s Junior class, but what a competitor he was. Alex Fontaine from Quebec, Canada took home 1st place, and while he was unchallenged, Alex has won the Juniors class in several previous shows against very stiff competition. It is likely that Alex would have won this class regardless, and he is a force to be reckoned with in the future.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Alex Fontaine.
The winner of the Men’s Masters class was Timothy Deemer. Timothy is from Pennsylvania and came to the stage with great conditioning.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Timothy Deemer.
This is the Masters Over 50 class, and Daryl Crawford of Florida won the class unchallenged.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Daryl Crawford.
Victor Garcia took the Novice class, with John Benevento taking 2nd and Daryl Crawford the Grandmasters winner taking 3rd. All three hail from Florida.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Novice Competitors.
Victor Garcia, the Novice winner, also took the Open class beating Femi Olagoke from New York who took 2nd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Open Competitors.
There was one woman in the open class, Kari Green from Calgary, Canada and she took the 1st place honors.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Kari Green.
One competitor competed in the Physically Challenged class, but I have to say, what an amazing and inspiring person. Superior bodybuilder Kyle Roberts from Louisiana moved the audience to hearty applause as he won the Physically Challenged Class. Kyle has to use a wheel chair after a severe football injury left him paralyzed from the waist down. He truly inspires.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Kyle Roberts.
This was a very good and competitive class. In the end, the Juniors winner, Alex Fontaine, won the class and a Pro card, with Kevin Ashby from Calgary taking 2nd and Armond Scipione from Florida taking 3rd. Kevin with his wife won the pairs title, and Armond has competed at previous shows in the Muscle Model class, and decided based upon encouragement he received to train for the bodybuilding class, and he looked great.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Advanced Competitors.
Winning the class and her Pro card was Kirsten Groody from Toronto.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Kirsten Groody.
The Level 5 Pro athletes at FAME are always amazing. Taking 1st place was Washington Zambrano from Miami. 2nd Place went to Erik Powers from Wisconsin and 3rd place went to Michael Elias from Oklahoma. Michael Elias, who earned his WNSO Pro card in 2005, tore his right pec and couldn’t train for months. He made a great showing when he returned to the FAME stage for the first time as a Pro.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Pro Bodybuilding Competitors.
John Rossman from Birmingham was victorious taking 1st place for Pro Masters Men, and Brian Cressman Alaska took 2nd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Pro Masters Competitors.
The Pro Masters Women winner was Vivianne Malette from Quebec. A very frequent competitor in this class, Ruby Carter-Pikes from California, placed 2nd. 3rd place went to Pat Reese from Kansas.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Women's Pro Masters Competitors.
Although the only competitor in this class, Scott “Old Navy” Hults from Birmingham, Alabama looked great and took home 1st place honors. Scott is called “Old Navy” because he is a retired U.S. Navy Captain.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Scott “Old Navy” Hults.
In the competition for bodybuilding pairs, there was only 1 couple, Kevin Ashby & his wife Wendy Carvalho-Ashby from Calgary, Canada, who once again brought their beautiful choreography to the stage to capture the Pairs competition. Both doctors, this pair has competed in other shows and placed quite high against other pairs, so the win was certainly well-deserved here.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Kevin & Wendy Ashby.
FAME Fitness athletes are judged in 2 rounds, symmetry (40%) and routine (60%). They must display muscle tone and have a fit athletic physique, but must not appear as rigid as bodybuilding or figure athletes. There was only 1 competitor for Junior fitness, but she put on quite a demonstration of her fitness prowess. Brooke Sharpton from Miami took the 1st place honors. The top 3 finishers in the Novice fitness class were Lindsay Koller of Florida taking 1st, Ella Magers also from Florida taking 2nd, and Jamie Tanner from Louisiana taking 3rd. Sarah Koeslag from Ontario was the only competitor, who won the class and a Pro card.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Junior Fitness (left), Advanced Fitness (right).
For Figure, symmetry is of utmost importance, then muscle definition and then muscle mass. They should not be quite a muscular as bodybuilding athletes. Figure is scored on three rounds each worth 1/3 of their total scores: symmetry, posing and routine.
There were two competitors in the Novice class from Down Under who graced the Miami Beach stage. Ellena Tsatsos from Australia took 1st place while Wendy LaRoche also from Australia took 2nd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Novice Figure Competitors.
For Open Figure, Wendy Carvalho from Calgary won taking 1st place. Lindsay Koller from Davie, Florida placed 2nd and Ellena Tsatsos from Australia took 3rd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Open Figure Competitors.
Ava Cowan became a new WNSO Pro when she won the Advanced class.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Ava Cowan. Check Out Ava Cowan's Latest Video & Wallpapers
There were two Pro Figure competitors, Maci Zimmerman from Calgary who took 1st and Sherilee Newton from Jersey City who took 2nd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Pro Figure Competitors.
Frequent Masters competitor Ruby Carter-Pikes from San Fernando, California, the only competitor in the Pro Masters class, took 1st place.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Ruby Carter-Pikes.
Bikini competitors wear suits similar to what they would wear to the beach, and judges are looking for a nice shapely yet fit physique and attractiveness. There is one swimsuit round. In the Open Bikini class, the top three finishers were Ella Magers from Miami, FL 1st, Lucianna Pursell from Fairfield, CT 2nd and Noelle Joye from Henderson, NV 3rd. In the Pro Bikini class, the top three finishers were Ainsley McSorley from Winnipeg, Canada 1st, Tammy Blais from New London, Connecticut 2nd and Mindy Karuk also from Winnipeg, Canada 3rd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Bikini Competitors.
The Fitness Model competition is looking for fit athletic physiques with muscle tone. They are judged in two rounds, swimsuit (60%) and sports/theme wear (40%). They should display poise, confidence, personality and an overall marketable package.
For the women, the top three models were Lucianna Pursell from Fairfield, Connecticut taking 1st, Ella Magers from Miami taking 2nd, and Sofia Venanzetti from Miami taking 3rd. There were no men in the Novice class.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Novice Fitness Model Competitors.
The top three male models were Jeff Richards from Miami taking 1st, Sam Moorman also from Miami taking 2nd, and Zac Tropf from Palm Harbour, Florida taking 3rd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Open Short Fitness Models. The top three female models were Tammy Treppeda of Delray Beach, Florida 1st, Tammy Blais of New London, Connecticut 2nd and Noelle Joye of Henderson, Nevada 3rd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Women's Open Short Fitness Models.
The top three male fitness models were Phil Williams of Palm Beach, Florida 1st place, Harry White from Charlotte, North Carolina taking 2nd, and Cham Pierre from Lighthouse Point, Florida taking 3rd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Open Tall Fitness Models. The top three female models were Tiffany Gaston from Arizona taking 1st place, Tonay Mobley from Ft. Lauderdale taking 2nd and Wendy LaRoche from Australia taking 3rd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Women's Open Tall Fitness Models.
Taking 1st and earning his Pro card was Andrew Judson from Toronto. Washington Candido from Jacksonville, Florida took 2nd and Leroy Bascombe from Ontario took 3rd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Advanced Fitness Models. For the women, taking 1st and earning her Pro card was Kamber Lindenbach from Calgary. In 2nd place was Ainsley McSorley from Winnipeg and taking 3rd place was Melissa Tucker from Toronto.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Women's Advanced Fitness Models.
For the men, John Rossman from Birmingham, Louisiana took 1st, with Mark Whalen from Hollywood, Florida in 2nd and Rick Mueller from Calgary in 3rd place.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Master Fitness Models. For women, Danielle Carrington from Ossington, NewYork took 1st and a Pro Card (Martha Stewart is her boss). Olga Fernandez from Miami took 2nd and Susan Choi from Calgary took 3rd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Women's Master Fitness Models.
Having a good year with several model wins, Kendall Wood from Georgia won the Men’s Pro Fitness Model title. Kendall overcame severe asthma and a leg injury in order to compete as a model. The legendary Zac Titus from Los Angeles took 2nd place at this show, and Michael McFarlane from Ontario, Canada took 3rd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Pro Fitness Models. For the women, Diana Chaloux from San Antonio took 1st place in the Pro‘s, with Isabelle Galarneau from Quebec in 2nd and Mindy Karuk from Winnipeg in 3rd place.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Women's Pro Fitness Models.
The Muscle Model competition that is very unique to FAME. The class is for the more fitness models who display more muscle mass than the typical fitness model. Many are cross-over bodybuilders. In this class, the models should appear more relaxed and should not be contracting their muscles. It is judged in two rounds, swimwear (60%) and sports/theme wear (40%).
Extremely strong and athletic, Cham Pierre from Lighthouse Point, Florida took 1st place and earned his Pro Card as a Muscle Model. Taking 2nd place was Harry White from Charlotte and taking 3rd place was Phil Williams from Palm Beach.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Open Muscle Models. For women, Wendy Carvalho-Ashby from Calgary won the Muscle Model class as well as her Pro card. In 2nd place was Ellena Tsatsos from Australia, with Wendy LaRoche also from Australia taking 3rd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Women's Open Muscle Models.
Taking his second Pro title of the night, Kendall wood won the Pro Muscle Model title, adding to his many wins this past year. 2nd place went to Michael McFarlane from Canada and 3rd place fell to Peter Merrero of Miami.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Men's Pro Muscle Models. For the women, Maci Zimmerman of Calgary took the Pro Muscle Model class, with Sherilee Newton of Jersey City placing 2nd and Laurie Dickson of Canada placing 3rd.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Women's Pro Muscle Models. The competition was held on Saturday and was sandwiched between two fun-filled events. On Friday a large group of the athletes hit the beach with cameramen from NBC’s “Telemundo” and representatives from “Fruit of the Loom” who were filming a segment for a TV show featuring the athletes of FAME in a Battle of the Sexes. Local residents and tourists stopped by to watch the action as video cameras rolled and still cameras clicked to capture some of the industry’s hottest models and athletes playing and posing. On Sunday, an even larger group of athletes gathered on South Beach to shoot videos and still photos. They had a lot of fun and got lots of great media shots.
 Click Image To Enlarge. Fun In The Sun.
Overall, the FAME North American Championships was a great show, with lots of talented athletes in many well-judged and varied categories. The venue, Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, was a spectacular theater built in 1926 with stunning Moorish architecture, perfect acoustics and a simulated night sky. It provided a very professional stage for the athletes to perform. Congratulations to the Jeff and Mindy and the entire FAME organization for a very well-run show, and everyone is looking forward to the 2008 FAME North Americans which will be returning to Miami! Information will be available at www.wowFAME.com.
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