Nine-year-old Tamee Marie (and that's not a typo) won the Physique division of the Omaha Pro on June 7th at Omaha's CenturyLink Center in front of a wildly enthusiastic hometown crowd. The explanation of her age is simple, she was born on February 29th and you can imagine what fun she has explaining that fact to her 10-year-old daughter. No matter. What Marie showed at this event was a 5’9”, 146-pound 'fully adult' super-structure with terrific lines and nice muscle shapes overall.
A transplan
ted Californian, Marie moved to Nebraska (her boyfriend and eventual husband was from there) after growing up on the beaches of Orange County and San Diego. Today she can say she qualifies as a certifiable Cornhusker and she enjoyed an auditorium full of Cornhuskers pulling for her every step of the way. Marie's victory here gave her three in her career as a pro Physique competitor, having previously won the 2012 Houston Pro and the Greater Gulf States the same year. After a runner-up finish in her Figure class at the NPC Team Universe in 2010 to earn her pro status she switched to the Physique division and it has suited her very well.
Although her victory here qualifies her for the upcoming Olympia, she will enter the Greater Gulf States once again in two weeks. "Actually," says Marie, "I didn't plan on entering the Omaha contest, but my coach (Kim Oddo) thought it would be a good tune-up for the Greater Gulf States. Since I had already made the plans to go to New Orleans, I decided to follow through with it." Looking forward to the Olympia, Marie's goal is to improve on the 9th place finish she took at the inaugural Physique Olympia last year. With this win she becomes the seventh pro Physique division winner this year, and the 13th qualifier for the upcoming Olympia. Her prize money for this Omaha event totaled $2,000.
Finishing in the runner-up position was Rachel Baker from Lutherville, Maryland. Steadily but quietly making her way into the upper levels of the pro Physique division, Baker earned her pro status in 2012 with an NPC Team Universe victory in her class to go with several top-three placings at the national level as an amateur. Unheralded in her pro debut at the 2013 Europa Show of Champions where she placed 14th, Baker has made a striking turnaround with a trio of finishes this year including second at the Optimum Classic, third at the Mile High Pro and a runner-up finish again at this event. Her Olympia Qualifying Series point total now leads a group of 30 additional competitors who have scored points towards an Olympia berth. Baker's runner-up placing also garnered $1,000 in prize money.
Also ranking high among those who have scored points
for an Olympia spot is Colorado's Jacklyn Sutton-Abrams. Placing third here, this striking blonde was a runner-up finisher at the Mile High Pro a week earlier and shows signs that she has the ability to be a top placer at any pro Physique division event. In five pro Physique events she has entered since 2012, Sutton has never finished outside the top eight, and with six Physique division events left on the 2014 schedule before the Olympia, she has a strong chance of qualifying depending on how many additional contests she chooses to enter. For her third-place finish, she accepted a check for $500.
Holland's Mascha Tieken claimed the fourth spot just two points behind Sutton-Abrams. A veteran competitor with many years of bodybuilding experience behind her, she has made a strong return to major competitions following a 15th place finish at the LA Grand Prix in 2012. This placing shows her ability to be consistent after an excellent fifth-place showing at the New York Pro Physique show on May 17th. At 5’5”, Tieken has good height to fit in well in any lineup and her overall structural balance blends well with her height. With all six remaining pro Physique events until the Olympia being held in the United States, it may be an expensive proposition to make another trip across the pond in an effort to qualify. One thing is certain, her determination goes without saying. Don't count her out quite yet.
Rounding out the top five was Maryland's Ayanna Carroll. At 5’2” and weighing in the 130 range, Carroll showed a pleasing set of bodylines and muscle shapes to say nothing of a beautiful pair of biceps. Returning to the pro Physique division after a third-place finish at the Europa Show of Champions and fourth at the NY Pro Physique in 2012, she began this year on a bumpy note placing a perplexing 16th at the Europa SuperShow. Her fifth-place finish here gives a much better indication of what she is capable.
Outside the Top Five
6- Danielle Reardon, Florida 29
7- Jill Dearmin, Florida 36
8- Jill Rudison, California 40
9- Anne Marie Kam, Oregon 45
10- Marina
Lopez, Colorado 50
11- Beni Lopez, Texas 57
12- Rita Rae, New Mexico 58
13- Dominque Furuta, Texas 65
14- Rose Brunner, Colorado 72
15- Irene Veselova, New Jersey 78
15- Jen Louwagie, Minnesota 78
17- Marcy McCaskey, Oregon 79
18- Aurelia Grozajova, Slovakia 80
18- Cathy Jackson, Colorado 80
18- Colette Nelson, New York 80
18- Nola Trimble, Illinois 80
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