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 By: Isaac Hinds What happens in Vegas... doesn't stay in Vegas, at least not this weekend. The October 14-15th Olympia results will provide fodder for the magazines and message boards. As the men boast who will dethrone Ronnie and debate about their guts, the women are quietly making their final preparations to compete as well. The women often don't get the respect they deserve. Have they earned it? Certainly but that's for another discussion. Let's take care of the matter at hand, the biggest show of the year - the "O". Will the 20% rule come into play at this show? We'll see but if I had to place all my chips on this hand, I'd go with no it won't make a difference.
The Fitness Olympia is by far my favorite event of the weekend. This year Kelly Ryan is absent from the line-up leaving the door open for someone to move into a top 5 slot. My picks for top 5 are:
Known for her entertaining routines and shock value the last two years, I'm anxious to see what she has in store this time. How do you top "the kiss" and "sister Jen"? She cruised to victory in her mini-hummer on the Arnold stage but something tells me she'll be sporting new digs for this show.
Will she be able to repeat as the champ? She wasn't her best at the Arnold Classic, but she is out for redemption. If she is a little tighter than the Arnold she has a chance.
She went on to victory at the New York Pro. She will bring in one of the best physiques to the lineup, if not thee best. Her routines have been criticized in the past, but I look for her to step it up a notch. I have her placing third but she has a legitimate chance to be anywhere in the top three.
She will have her work cut out for her but a top five slot looks like it's hers for the taking. Tracey narrowly lost to Julie Palmer at the Charlotte Pro and will come back to overtake her this time.
Julie was in the 6th slot last year and with Kelly out will slide into the 5th place position.
The other women may disagree with me here, but I'll stand by my picks. Julie and Angela will be making their Olympia debuts; perhaps one of them will be the dark horse to prove me wrong?
WOW! That's all I can say about this lineup. Okay, so it's not all I can say but this is definitely the most impressive lineup on any stage since the inception of IFBB Figure. Every single woman deserves to be on this stage and I can't point out a single woman who will look out of place. Several women will be competing in their first Olympia. I attempted to get previews of all the women however only a couple responded. I'll blame the carbs or lack thereof. I definitely wouldn't gamble on this show, as your bet is as good as mine. I'll go out on a limb and predict my top 5.
She has the lines, healthy look and symmetry that exemplifies what Ms. Figure Olympia should look like. I like her chances as shaking the figure world up and coming out on top.
Say what you will about her wheels but she is flawless when it comes to her stage presence. She was the bride's maid at last year's Olympia and my guess is she'll be there again this year.
I am a huge fan of Mo and baffled by her placing no matter what look she brings to the stage. We'll see what look Monica and her trainer Kim Oddo bring to the stage this weekend. Regardless of where Monica places she is an icon for the sport and will do things off the stage that others could only dream of accomplishing.
Davana won last year with straight first place votes and did so in her two shows this year. She appeared off at the Charlotte Pro, maybe she planned to peak for this show, possible but doubtful. Davana always has the most amazing suits on stage; I'll give her that. While I agree with many she has good shape and is a beautiful woman; my qualm comes from her stage presence and conditioning from the rear. The winner of the biggest show should be the example of how to pose and what to look like all-around.
Coming off her first pro victory she has the confidence to lock in fifth. She has great stage presence, a tiny little waist and her conditioning is always on the mark. Christine is a "shorty" but can hold her own with the tall girls. Women take note of Christine's demeanor on stage - she is always smiling and always has a healthy look. The only criticism has been her lack of change in the suit department.
When asked if she had any words of wisdom or anyone to thank she had this to say, "I want to thank my boyfriend for putting up with me for the past several months! I also want to thank the people helping me through my prep with advice and support - they know who they are! And for words of wisdom, just because odds may be stacked against you, doesn't mean that the dream shouldn't be chased. I qualified for the World Series of our sport in my second pro show (as quite a few of the girls this year did). Dreams DO come true! See you in Vegas!"
Monica had a little mishap that prevented her from training for a week, let's see if she is able to shake if off and "bring it" this weekend.
This is her second pro season and first time on the Olympia stage. Latisha thanks her husband, Sam, for putting up with her during her contest prep.
When asked if she had any challenges to overcome for this year, she shared,
"I have someone who is very close to me who is terminally ill and it has been a hard couple of months, watching a loved one die slowly. I use him as motivation though, to get through my workouts and diet. Life is precious - I never take one moment for granted."
She had this to share when asked whom to thank, "To all my friends that have come to watch my competitions and all my family members that are flying in from Canada to watch me at the Olympia. Thanks to my trainer Mike Davies for coaching me. It has been a very exciting first year and I am honored to be competing this year at the 2005 Olympia"
Anyone attending the Olympia or watching the tape later, take note of how she owns the stage. Many, myself included, were stunned when she didn't capture the Jr. USA overall title but at this point it doesn't matter. If she can bring in a slightly tighter, more conditioned physique she will be knocking on the top 5. I don't think she'll do it this year but turning pro and landing in the 10 for your rookie year is not a bad way to start your career.
Best of luck to all the women, you're amongst the best physiques in the world. Anyone who has qualified to compete in this show should be proud. All the armchair cowboys can say what they want about you, but at the end of the day you're in an elite group. Look for a recap of the show next week. See ya'll in Sin City.
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