While it remains to be seen if the inaugural Ferrigno Legacy competition will become a traditional affair, there is no denying Lou Ferrigno, his son Lou Jr., Chris Minnes and World Gym did their level best to put on a first class event and make a strong, positive impression for the competitors and fans on the November 28-29 Thanksgiving weekend.
In a first class city like Santa Barbara, California, at a first class venue like the impressive Grenada Theatre, the two-day schedule gave the IFBB pros their special Friday to bring the best they had to offer, while Saturday was set aside for the NPC amateur portion of the weekend.
In any event being staged for the first time, competitors are treated especially well and the desire of Lou Ferrigno – himself a former pro bodybuilder of worldwide notoriety – was evident in his wish to provide what he felt was the best possible experience for those who made the trek to this exquisite Pacific coast locale. His wishes were seemingly granted as the general consensus was two thumbs up for his effort as the event drew contestants from across the country as well as an impressive list of entries from around the world.
So, as the final IFBB Physique Division contest of the calendar year, as well as the fourth post-Olympia event that would count in 2015 Olympia qualification and point scoring categories, a field of 24 Ferrigno Legacy Pro contestants were ready to put the finishing touches on the year of 2014.
Jamie Postill Scratches Her Seven Year Itch to Win The Ferrigno Legacy Pro
In any sport, a layoff of several years can make a comeback a daunting task. Even a once finely-tuned athlete can find it difficult to summon the three D's – Determination, Discipline and Dedication – in an effort to return to top form. But that is exactly what Canada's Jamie Postill did this year after a seven-year hiatus from competition. What makes Postill's achievement so special is that she not only made a successful comeback after seven years of inactivity, but she did it in a more demanding division. Successfully returning to the Figure division would be a triumph in itself, but Postil not only made the switch to the Physique division, but she managed to fit in right away. Big time!
Competing in her early days, Jamie Senuk tried her hand at both Fitness and Figure and by 2005 she was an Overall Alberta Provincial champion in Figure. A year later she won the tall class and overall titles at the Canadian National Figure Championships to earn her IFBB pro status. She was regal at that event and carried the look of a champion. But in 2007 her venture into the pro ranks fell short of her expectations after a pair of distant placings at the Atlantic City Pro and Europa Super Show. She said that time, "My heart just wasn't in it". With that she disappeared from the stage, and after a few years it was rightly as
sumed that she was gone forever. But forever is a long time, and with the coming of 2014, married, and with a fresh outlook, Jamie Postill showed up at the Europa Phoenix Pro in Arizona with a physique that carried every bit the look of a Physique pro that was ready to flex her way into the top five of an event that featured a field of 32 competitors that included three women who had previous Olympia experience as well as the overall 2013 NPC National Physique champion.
When the dust had settled, Postill had finished fourth. That effort was motivation enough to stay on track and point for the Ferrigno Legacy in an effort to put an exclamation mark on the end of the year. As things turned out, an exclamation mark may have been an understatement.
With a first call-out of five in the preliminaries, Postill was front and center among her competitors and looking like a strong candidate to be in the top three. At 5’8” and weighing 150 (just two pounds more than she did for the Phoenix event), her overall balance was sound and her muscular detail was right in line with the desired guidelines. Displaying the same dynamic stage presence that had led her to the Canadian Figure title was textbook. And her interaction with judges and the audience was unmistakable. Jamie Postill was having an honest to goodness good time, and it showed.
That spirit of competition elevated itself for the evening show as Postill's posing performance carried a level of joy and confidence all rolled into one. The result brought her the first victorious moment she had experienced since 2006 and for her, it was very special. Postill was quick to credit former Canadian Bodybuilding champion and Olympia competitor Helen Bouchard in guiding her through a regimented contest prep (a regimentation that was no surprise considering Bouchard's military background).
With a touch of irony, it only seems appropriate that Jamie Senuk earned her Bachelor's degree in Exercise Rehabilitation from the University of Alberta in 2005, and now she was putting the knowledge of her degree to good use performing a rehab job on herself that was nothing short of magic. Accepting the winner's prize money of $2,000 and an automatic qualification to the Physique Olympia, Postill now looks to next year and the reality of a goal she has held from her earliest days… The Big Show.
Candrea Judd-Adams – Have Contest, Will Travel!
If there was a familiar face and physique in this event, Georgia's Candrea Judd-Adams easily takes the prize for unwavering perseverance. The Legacy Pro contest was her NINTH of the year, and she waited until the month of November to experience her breakout efforts with a runner-up placing at the Ultimate Warriors event in Los Angeles on November 1st and another runner-up finish here. Adams’ other seven competitions bear repeating as she was on the road at the LA Grand Prix, the Golden State Grand Prix, the Optimum Classic, the Mile High Classic, the Greater Gulf States, the Tampa Pro and the Titans Grand Prix.
In her nine competitions Adams has traveled five times to California, twice to Louisiana, and once each to Florida and Colorado. A frequent flyer indeed. But now with her two post-Olympia runner-up finishes to begin the 2015 season, her 8 points in the qualification series is a great start. Hopefully, she won't need to compete in seven more events in the coming year to achieve her goal of qualifying for the Physique Olympia. In accepting a check for $1,500 for finishing second, that sum might just cover the baggage fees from her travels this year!
Loana Muttoni – What Would a Physique Contest Be Without a Brazilian?
Those who follow the pro Women's Physique division have been waiting for Loana Muttoni to gain her just due in the placements of a pro event, and it finally came to pass at the Legacy Pro as she flexed her way to the third-place spot with dynamic skeletal and muscular structures that combined to make an exquisite top-to-bottom physique.
At 5’2 1/4”, 136 pounds, this former figure skater (do they ice skate in Brazil?) brings a tightly-put-together package to the stage and without much fanfare has begun to win more and more approval for her look. In 2013 her best finish was 7th at the Europa Supershow in Dallas. But this year with the exception of a hiccup finish at the Phoenix pro, her 6th at the Ultimate Warriors and 5th at the Titan Grand Prix were a prelude to her 3rd-place finish here. And it was well-deserved. With $500 in prize money and a total of four points towards Olympia qualification in post-Olympia events, she can realistically be considered a major player in making the Olympia stage in 2015.
Jane Santos – What Would a Physique Contest Be Without a Brazilian – Book 2
As they sometimes say… Once a Brazilian, always a Brazilian. And for Jane Santos, her Brazilian roots contributed mightily to the look she brought to the Legacy stage even though she has lived in New York for nearly a decade. Darkly exotic and with a nicely balanced level of muscular development on her 5’4” frame, her switch to the Physique division in 2012 only came to fruition at the Legacy event after less than desirable finishes at the 2012 and 2013 New York Pro events. Those days look to now be in her rearview mirror.
Beginning as a Fitness competitor in Brazil in 1995, she made her pro debut at the 2006 West Palm Beach Pro Fitness where she placed 7th. Now, seemingly, her stage efforts have experienced a revival, and on the day after Christmas Santos will turn 42, which as we are all now well aware is the new 30. Never count out a Brazilian.
Marlene Koekemoer – Out of South Africa
When you know a competitor is determined to compete at the pro level, look to South Africa's Marlene Koekemoer. The Ferrigno Legacy event was the fifth time she has ventured to our shores to compete. But think about it… South Africa isn't exactly a hop, step and a jump travelwise. From South Africa to Santa Barbara was roughly 10 1/2 thousand miles from her home, and any way you stack it she was enduring 21 1/2 hours of flying time (under the best of conditions) to have her chance on stage.
In prior trips to compete in the USA she finished third at the 2011 Arnold Amateur in Fitness and was granted pro status shortly thereafter. But as a pro those journeys to and from South Africa must have been agonizing considering the fact that she finished tied for 16th in a trio of Figure contests in 2011 and 2012. But with a year of training in 2013, Koekemoer once again made the trek and the switch to the Physique division – which resulted in a fifth-place finish – made the trip much more worthwhile.
Competing in
the past as a blonde, Koekemoer sported long, strawberry red tresses here, and together with the added level of muscle, made for an eye-catching look that judges responded to in a positive way. Her fifth-place finish also put her on the Olympia Qualification points board moving into 2015.
The Results
1- Jamie Postill, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 6
2- Candrea Judd-Adams, Jonesboro, Georgia 9
3- Loana Muttoni, Sao Paulo, Brazil 19
4- Jane Santos, Brazil (Harrison, NY) 21
5- Marlene Koekemoer, South Africa 28
6- Jill Rudison, Venice, California 33
7- Dominique Furuta, Houston, Texas 35
8- Danielle Mastromatteo, Villa Park, California 36
9- Jill Dearmin, Hobe Sound, Florida 40
10- Holly Chambliss, Ft. Worth, Texas 51
11- Evangeline Belton, Elgin, South Carolina 55
12- Jill Vadala, Fredericksburg, Virginia 60
13- Amber McElreath, Frisco, Texas 66
14- Natalia Batova, Moscow, Russia 69
15- Misty Ali, Stafford, Virginia 75
16- Jennifer Jacques-Conn, Corona, California 80
16- Eleni Kaava, Greece 80
16- Marina Lopez, Aurora, Colorado 80
16- Moira McCormick, Venice, California 80
16- Nuria Novoa, Eastside, New Zealand 80
16- Marie Ripert, La Ciotet, France 80
16- Ida Sefland, Denmark 80
16- Casie Shepherd, Hopkins, Minnesota 80
16- Marnee Winn, Murray, Utah 80
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