In just about any way imaginable when describing the promotional skills of uber-promoter Gary Udit, all the explanations from every direction are virtually identical and heartfelt. In short, he's a master of covering every last detail in looking after the competitors who enter his events, while making sure every element that goes into making a contest entertaining and enjoyable for both the competitors and the audience runs smoothly.
For those of us who have seen Gary Udit 'do his thing' for many years, the IFBB North American Championships has been pretty much his baby – and deservedly so. Historically, this event has a distinguished past like few others, and beginning back in 1982 when the first North American was held in New York City, for several years the contest was simply left off the schedule for one reason or another. But after 2002 and '03 when the event had not been stage in those years, Gary Udit stepped up to take the reins and from 2004 to 2011 he built onto the tradition that had been established in years past to make this contest one of the most prestigious in any year.
But his efforts over those eight years didn't grind to a halt in 2011; Udit moved the contest to Pittsburgh from 2012 to the present day. So, think about it for a moment, the IFBB North American Championships – born in 1982 and running at its best ever quality today – is the only contest that can claim three past winners who went on to win the Ms. Olympia. Cory Everson in '82, Lenda Murray in 1989, and Kim Chizevsky in 1992. So, if you are the fortunate one to win this year's overall title, you're in good company that also includes other past winners Sharon Bruneau, Lisa Aukland, Monique Jones and many others of sterling quality.
Aware of the contest legacy he has overtaken, Udit this year has really outdone himself by adding a Pittsburgh Pro Masters contest on Thursday and combined it with the Friday/Saturday amateur North American Championships where the final total number of contestants which floats somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,100 competitors. It's a three day wall-to-wall bodybuilding extravaganza that includes not just competitors from the USA, but also from Mexico and Canada – who, by the way, have all won the overall women's bodybuilding titles at least twice.
Featuring men's divisions, fitness, figure, men's physique, women's physique along with bodybuilding, fans were in for a crazy Labor Day weekend. And this may be one of Gary Udit's true masterpieces.
WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING – Pick Six
For a first time pro Masters division event the field was understandably small due to a rule that only allows pros who had qualified for the pro ranks through an amateur Masters pro qualifier. Should this division be held again in 2015, the entries will improve. But for now, just six competitors were on hand to compete in the three divisions – Over 35, Over 45 and Over 55. Among the six entrants, Kim Buck, and Beth Wachter entered two divisions to double their chances of taking home a 1st place trophy, while the stalwart Michelle Brent opted to enter all three.
OVER 35 – BUCK 1
With three entrants 
that included Kim Buck, Beth Wachter and Michelle Brent, it wasn't so much where they placed in this contest, it's the numbers this trio has amassed over their collective careers. Between them they have entered just over 75 contests. In Brent's case she had entered the NPC Masters Nationals 8 times (including a HW win in 2009) and 10 entries in the IFBB North American Championships dating back to 1991). Astonishingly, Brent placed second in six of those 10 North American contests as either a MW or LtHW. So, in her 29-year competitive career that began in 1985, she finally earned her pro status in 2012 at the Masters Nationals. In this division she finished third.
Finishing second was Florida's Beth Wachter who has also seen her fair share of trips to the contest stage dating back to 2002 where she won the LW class at the NPC Florida Championships. She was also a LW winner at the 2003 NPC Junior Nationals. A four-time entrant at the NPC Masters Nationals, Wachter struck gold in 2010 when she won the open LtHW class, the 45+ LtHW and the overall Masters Nationals title to earn her pro status. Since then, Wachter has competed four times in pro events and without exception she has always competed in top physical condition – and this Masters event was no exception, she looked terrific. As an added perk, mega-veteran pro bodybuilder Mary Ellen Jerumbo presented a check for $500 to Wachter as the competitor who 'Best Represents the Sport'. A very cool gesture indeed.
Taking top honors in this class was the always impressive Kim Buck. At 5’8” and normally completing around the 175 mark, Buck was a unanimous choice and competing for 15 years she also knows her way around a bodybuilding stage. As the HW and overall winner of the 2006 NPC Masters Nationals, Buck has had an exemplary pro career competing 14 times winning the Battle of Champions in 2011 along with two entries at the Ms. Olympia in 2011 and '12, and twice at the Ms. International in 2012 a
nd '13. At this event Buck was less defined than she has been in the past, but her muscle shapes and overall structural balance made this an easy decision for the judges. And she wasn't finished just yet.
OVER-45: BUCK PART DEUX
Had it not been for Colorado's Paula Francis entering this division, the results would have been a carbon copy of the Over-35 class. Once again, Kim Buck towered over the trio of challengers in this class and the Georgian more than made up for the 8th place finish she endured on the first weekend of August at the Tampa Pro. Again, she was a unanimous judges choice.
Stepping up to claim the runner-up placing was Paula Francis. With her roots dating back to winning the Masters division of the 2001 NPC Rocky Mountain Championships, Francis was also the overall winner of the 2010 NPC Colorado State title. She has entered the NPC Masters Nationals in 2010, '11, and '12, but it was at the 2012 Masters Nationals where she won the LtHW class and earned her pro status. Since turning pro she has entered the Tampa Pro twice, and placed 12th at the Omaha Pro in June.
Third went to Beth Wachter with Michelle Brent placing fourth.
FRANKLIN MINTS THE OVER-55 VICTORY
Kim Buck wasn't old enough to enter this division – a reality that no doubt put the trio of entrants in this class more at ease. But Michelle Brent ended up placing third and should have easily earned some sort of 'Glutton For Punishment' award taking home two thirds and a fourth for the day's work. Brent's third in this class came behind eventual winner Pamela Franklin and Patricia Corbett.
From Spring, Texas, Franklin is another veteran of Masters competitions. In fact she placed third at the 2002 NPC Texas Championships. Since then she has entered five NPC Masters Nationals missing a victory in any of them. But her perseverance paid off in 2011 as she won the Over-35 class at the NPC Team Universe to capture her pro status. A year later Franklin became one of the 11 competitors who competed in the inaugural women's Physique pro division Desert Muscle Class along with Karina Nascimento and Dana Linn Bailey among others.
Californian Patricia Corbett took the runner-up spot behind Franklin, and although she can't claim the extended contest rap sheet
of others in this division, she has done well in establishing her pedigree as a solid bodybuilder over the past seven years. An NPC California overall winner in 2009, Corbett has never lacked enough muscle to be noticed in a lineup. The year she won the NPC California, she placed a strong fourth in the MW class at the NPC USA – and keeping in mind her Masters age, that's a notable accomplishment. More than one observer suggested she be considered for an unofficial 'Best Calves' award.
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