May 24, Charleston, South Carolina: Promoters Tres Bennett and Shannon Meteraud have built a quality event over the past several years and once again they welcomed competitors from coast to coast to assemble in the now familiar North Charleston Performing Arts Center to compete for the NPC Junior USA championship crowns and the additional perk of qualifying for IFBB pro status. In the Women's Physique division, the field was split into two height classes with 24 contestants in each. The winner of each class would earn pro status.
Class A
The stan
dout winner in the 'A' group was Michelle Jin. Born in China and moving to the United States when she was 18, Jin showed strong overall structural qualities with calves that were so prominent, they almost distracted from the rest of her physique above the knees. Although she isn't yet a household name on the competitive scene, she is, noneltheless, no newcomer to the contest stage. In 2006 Jin placed second in the lightweight class of the NPC Contra Costa Championships in northern California. Later she switched to figure and placed third at the NPC San Francisco in 2010.
In 2011 Jin made her first entry in the Physique division at the NPC Junior Nationals and placed in a tie for 16th along with eight other competitors. Last year Jin won the overall title at the Elite Muscle Classic and with her victory here – moving her along to the pro level – it's likely those 16th-place finishes will be a thing of the past. As Dave Palumbo mentioned in his play-by-play of this class regarding Jin, "She's a pro waiting to happen." On this day she didn't need to wait very long.
In the runner-up spot was Jill Vadala. Over the past four years, Vadala has been a regular entrant in national-level NPC events and with the exception of the 2012 Junior USA where she placed 14th in the Physique division, all her other finishes have been well into the top ten.
And this year's second-place effort more than makes up for her 14th-place stumble two years ago. Vadala's highest national-level placing came in 2012 when she also finished second at the NPC Nationals. In future national events Vadala will need to increase her upper body size in an effort to balance her overall structural quality.
Third went to Rocio Guillen from Flo
rida. An English professor at Miami Dade College, Guillen entered her first figure contest (the NPC South Florida) in 2011 and has since found the Physique division more to her liking. Last year she finished second at the NPC Southern Classic, fifth in the NPC Masters Nationals (45+ class), and seventh in the NPC Nationals B class. For this event, Guillen's conditioning was very good as highlighted by her tight glutes and hamstrings – a difficult area for many women to conquer during contest prep.
The fourth and fifth positions went to Michelle Davis and Katie Chin respectively.
Class B
Another 24 contestants took aim at the top spot in the 'B' class and in the final results Danielle Mastomatteo not only dominated the field of two dozen, she added the overall title by outflexing Class A winner Michelle Jin. Although Mastromatteo may not have a long or active contest history, her overall win at the 2013 NPC California in the Physique division pointed to a strong potential after that event – and it was realized here at the Junior USA.
Sporting a decidedly athletic look to her overall structure, Mastromatteo wears it well and backs it up with athletic abilities outside the world of weights. A frequent entrant in 10k races in the past, Mastromatteo has also run half-marathons including the 2013 Surf City USA half-marathon held in Huntington Beach, Ca. All that calorie-burning relating to running distances certainly hasn't had a negative effect on her muscular look… far from it. In
fact, her double biceps pose was the best in the entire Physique division. So, with her victory, she now joins the ranks of the pros and she accomplished it in more of a sprint than a jog!
Finishing second to Mastromatteo was April Long. Here placing here had to be much more satisfying than the seventh-place finish she garnered at the NPC Nationals last year. Prior to that national-level placement Long won the Physique division at the NPC Mike Francois Classic in 2012, and added a runner-up finish at the NPC Natural Ohio the same year. A return trip to the NPC Nationals this year should find her much more competitive.
Third went to Sharee Davis. Fourth was Shayann Schuessler, and rounding out the top five was Stacia Woods.
Michelle Shebloski is the New NPC Junior USA Bodybuilding Champion
With the continuing decline of entrants in the women's bodybuilding division, it would seem that now would be the best time to enter this classification offering a quick way to move to the national-level and perhaps the pro ranks. The reality of this was illustrated at this year's Junior USA when just four contestants entered… one lightweight and three heavyweights. At the prejudging, if you blinked, you missed it.
One thing the judges didn't miss was the selection of Michelle Shebloski as their winner of the heavyweight and overall Junior USA title. From Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Shebloski is a relative newcomer to bodybuilding with a runner-up placing at the NPC Panhandle Showdown in 2012. But perhaps her greatest accomplishment rests with her winning this overall title after weighing over 200 pounds in the past. That's a diet prep for the ages!
Finishing second was Karen Pratt. Also new to competition, the 53-year-old won the masters class (over 45) at last year's Palmetto Classic in Florida. A mother of three sons, she is also the grandmother of five. Third went to Jessica McKenzie.
The lightweight winner uncontested was Virginian Jenny Walker, a former figure competitor who 
placed eighth at the 2011 NPC Nationals in the Physique division.
And a Little History…
Although the Junior USA has a women's bodybuilding history dating back to the mid-80s, here are the overall winners over the past decade:
2013 - Rebecca Andrades
2012 - Cassandra Wilson
2011 - Judy Gaillard
2010 - Olivia Terry
2009 - Gail Auerbach
2008 - Jennifer Cowan
2007 - Tammy Patnode
2006 - Heidi Bagwell
2005 - Jody Coy
2004 - Heidi Gay
… and the newer Physique Division:
2013 - Leila Thompson
2012 - Trina Thompson
2011 - Dana Linn Bailey
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