The date was May 26, 1979, and the Ms. Florida Physique contest held in Miami at the Gusman Cultural Center became the nation’s first state bodybuilding championship for women. The event was ground zero for what would become an explosion of state championship events that, by 1980, had spread from coast to coast.
As the enthusiastic promoter and pioneering founder of the women’s bodybuilding movement in Florida, Doris Barrilleaux had already formed the Southeastern Physique Association (SPA) and was actively encouraging women to enter upcoming contests that her organization had planned for the immediate future.
In the March 2010 issue of Ironman Magazine I penned an article entitled ‘The North American Championships - An Easy Path to the Pros? NOT! If by chance you missed it, the gist of the story was that there are competitors who assume that because the North American Championships have not traditionally had the numbers of entries enjoyed by contests such as an NPC USA or NPC National Championships, it may be a quicker path to qualifying for the IFBB pro ranks. Well, the fact is, year in and year out, that has not proven to be the case with outstanding women earning pro status in this event.
Just as competitive bodybuilders can come in a multitude of unique shapes and sizes the same is true when comparing the variety of backgrounds and career paths these women choose - both as bodybuilders as well as in their professional lives.
Presented here are three separate stories of three uniquely different competitors who all aspired to reach the highest possible level of physicality - given their individual pre-dispositions for muscular development. Of equal interest within this trio is the path each took in a world of uncertainty as it relates to judging, along with the stark reality of a subjectivity that is at the root of all bodybuilding competitions even to this day.
Over the years bodybuilding competitors have run the gamut of variety in how they approached the competitive stage. Legendary pioneer Lisa Lyon only competed once but brought immeasurable publicity to a new sport - while a precious few others have competed in excess of 50 times.
In the world of American bodybuilding, the end of July has become synonymous with the coming of the NPC USA Championships. And although the USA contest has been held throughout the country over the past 30 years, Las Vegas has become the permanent home of this gargantuan event ever since the turn of the millennium.
Staged again this year on July 31st and once again held at Artemus Ham Hall on the campus of the University of Nevada/ Las Vegas, Jon Lindsay and his production staff once again proved they were up to the task of providing an outstanding event for a huge field of athletes.
With 44 contestants competing in the women's bodybuilding competition (one more than last year's total of 43 at this event), the four weight classes were evenly distributed with 9 lightweights, 13 middleweights, 12 light-heavyweights, and 10 heavyweights.
The old saying goes, "You only have one chance to make a first impression". And the promotion team of Europa Supplements and Ed & Betty Pariso scored another solid win with their inaugural ‘Battle of the Champions' staged in Hartford, Connecticut, at the Connecticut Convention Center on July 23-24. As one of three events the Pariso's and Europa are staging in 2010, these contests offer an excellent opportunity for aspiring competitors to make their way to a qualification spot at the Ms. Olympia while also flexing for the $6,000 in prize money.
Uber promoter Tim Gardner has a good thing going here in Tampa. The 2010 edition of his contest - held on Saturday night - was the third annual affair, and the name of the contest was both long in length as the contest was long on quality. Officially, the event this year was called ‘The 2010 Complete Genetic Defiance's IFBB Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships and NPC Tim Gardner Extravaganza'. That's a mouth full, but the contest gave everyone their money's worth - especially when it came to the pro women's bodybuilding division.
For those who annually wave the flag of demise in women's bodybuilding, this contest proved otherwise. In fact, the 28 contestants from 13 countries at this event stands as one of the largest pro women's bodybuilding competitions in IFBB history. Back in 1993 the Ms. Olympia saw 32 women compete, and the same year the Jan Tana Pro Classic drew 28. No other pro contest for the women has reached that level in the past 17 years - until Tim Gardner's pride and joy this weekend
Finishing second at a given sporting event can elicit a wide range of emotional responses from those who find themselves coming up short in their aspirations to reach the top of the awards stand. The reality of missing out on the top spot can include a broad spectrum of feelings ranging from a joyous outpouring of happiness to deep-seated anger and frustration. And, depending on the level of importance the competition carries with it, those feelings can be profoundly mind-numbing when the expectations of the athlete are not met.
In women's bodybuilding a second-place finish can be notably distressing considering the tremendous pressure the judging system places on each contestant with regard to a shopping list of considerations in what goes into the making of the eventual winner of a contest - with so much of which existing at the subjective level.
Put simply, Lori Steele is not your garden variety bodybuilder - far from it. And due in part to the fact that she is the reigning national lightweight champion, having won the 2009 NPC National title last November, Lori Steele's ‘bigger picture' paints a colorful mural of noteworthy accomplishments mixed with a day-to-day lifestyle that would bring many to their collective knees.
In fact, it is the demands of Steele's daily life that makes one wonder where she finds the time to train with the consistency necessary to reach the level of becoming a national champion.
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