Articles The Wennerstrom Report Wennerstrom's IFBB Europa Hartford Pro Women's Bodybuilding Report!
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.
In the hopes this event will become an annual affair, 18 female bodybuilders played a major role in filling out the women's side of the competitions along with 24 figure competitors and 11 bikini entrants.
On the heels of the PBW Tampa Championships held a week earlier in Florida, several of the contestants from that contest made their way north for this first time event.
Once again, as in Tampa, a strong contingent of foreign competitors was present with eleven entries from nine countries. An additional seven Americans filled out the field, with a total of 13 contestants from Tampa answering the call to compete in Hartford.
Lead by Tampa winner Brigita Brezovac of Slovenia, six of the top-ten finishers in Tampa were competing in Hartford in the hopes of capturing that illusive Ms. Olympia qualification spot.
More stressful is the fact that whenever two contests have been held so close together (and it has been a very rare occasion in the women's bodybuilding division), the bottom line becomes a matter of who can maintain their conditioning level if they're already sharp. And who can put the pedal to the metal to sharpen up and refine certain areas of their physique within those few days between shows, while still others fight the dreaded chance of losing their peak and struggle to remain competitive. In the case of this contest, there was a little of everything, and as always it makes for an interesting judging dilemma combined with the inevitable comparisons these athletes are subjected to from one event to another.
Brezovac Breezes to Her Second Victory
For many of us who follow the women's competitions, the primary question regarding Brigita Brezovac was whether or not she could maintain her level of conditioning through the week and traveling to Hartford. The answer came early in the prejudging. Not only did she maintain her overall muscular condition, she even managed to put further detail in her striking quad development. Obviously, jet la
g had not become a consideration in her contest prep. Adding a second victory to her IFBB pro contest resume, she will make a nice addition to the Ms. Olympia lineup, and based on the fact that central and eastern Europeans carry with them a very strong work ethic by nature, the sleek Slovenian will most assuredly look like she belongs in a Ms. O lineup. No doubt still floating on the cloud of victory from the Tampa contest, and still digesting the fact that she will be making the trip to Las Vegas in September, Brezovac has remained unassuming and humble about her good fortune - and an additional $3,000 for her first-place finish here will also make life that much easier over the next two months.
In a monumental effort to chase down Brezovac, Canadian Helen Bouchard is the text book example of a competitor who never lost focus for one minute between Tampa and Hartford. Her pedal of prep for Hartford was solidly to the metal. Looking notably tighter and more detailed than in Tampa, Bouchard's physique was quite literally ‘shrink-wrapped'. A fourth-place finisher in Tampa behind Brezovac, Tina Chandler, and Cathy Lefrancois, the former Canadian National champion vaulted over Lefrancois with her overall refinement as a primary element to her success. For her effort she captured the runner-up spot and the $2,000 in prize money.
Entering these two events as both a respected pro and an underdog at the same time, Bouchard had last competed in 2007 when she finished seventh at the Atlantic City Championships. Just a year earlier she had her best year as a pro when she placed second at the same Atlantic City event, followed by an eighth-place finish at the Ms. Olympia. While some wondered whether her hiatus might take an edge off her muscle density and overall detail, the time away from competitions seemed to show a level of rejuvenation in her muscular shapes, as well as an improved overall general appearance on stage. In any case she was a solid choice for the second-place spot punching her ticket for a second entry in the Ms. Olympia.
Taking the third place position for the second week in a row was Cathy Lefrancois. Coincidentally, her scores from Tampa and here at Hartford were identical at 28. The chances of that mathematical occurrence are slim indeed. But it earned her an additional $1,000 in prize money while she kept her overall physical condition at an optimum level keeping potential challengers at shoulder's length. With the Olympia just two months away, Lefrancois will have her sights set squarely on finishing in the top ten of what will be a very competitive field.
Placing fourth and moving up one place from her Tampa effort was Nicole Ball. Although she improved her placing here, her look softened somewhat, and even if she had held on to her 
condition, it would not have been enough to unseat Lefrancois from the third-place spot. Enjoying a vocally strong support group, Ball's fan following still sees the exotic former Canadian champion as a legitimate Olympia-level competitor. Her final score of 24 points left her just in front of a three-way cat fight for places five through seven.
Notching the fifth-place position and moving up two places from last 
week was Debbie Bramwell with a score of 28 points. Looking fuller with more volume in her overall musculature, Bramwell is also seen by her fans as one who should make a return to the Ms. O stage. Few would argue the point.
Right on Bramwell's heels was German newcomer Skadi Frei-Seifert with 29 points. Her sixth-place finish was a dramatic improvement over the 13th position she gracefully accepted a week earlier. With time and more stage experience, the genetically solid Frei-Seifert can edge her way more closely to the money-winning positions.
Placing seventh and moving up two slots from her ninth-place Tampa debut was Lisette Acevedo. Her score of 30 points filled out the triad of strong competitors who - at just one point separating each of them - are all on the cusp of bigger and better finishes in the immediate future. Acevedo exhibits the clean lines of a thoroughbred racehorse, and as she fills out
with additional muscle size on her overall structure, she will be a force to be reckoned with. The proof of her potential can be seen in the fact that she was brought out in the first call-out along with Brezovac, Bouchard, Lefrancois, and Ball.
The eighth position went to veteran Tazzie Colomb. This former NPC USA champion from 1992 is like a ticking time bomb in any lineup. With a long and distinguished pro career, Colomb can point to four Ms. Olympia contests and five Ms. Internationals as only part of the contest resume she has built over the years. Here, Colomb ran up against several competitors who were considered superior in structural qualities - a reality that is difficult to overcome. Still, she is a classic in the world of women's bodybuilding, and one of the strongest to boot.
Making the biggest splash at this event was England's Wendy McCready. A former overall British champion in 2004 McCready found herself solidly back on the right track with her ninth-place finish considering she had been dashed to an unheralded 17th place in Tampa. In 2008 McCready had placed fifth at the Tampa Championships, so her ability to reach the top level finishes is not an optical illusion.
Former NPC Team Universe champion Cassandra Floyd rounded out this week's top ten, edging 11th placed Bev DiRenzo by three points 50-53. DiRenzo's placing was considerably improved from her forgettable 18th place finish in Tampa, and as a consolation, she was chosen as the event's ‘Best Poser'.
The Rest of the Best
12th Rita Rae, USA
13th Tammy Patnode, USA
14th Maria Calo, Argentina
15th Aurelia Grzajova, Slovakia
15th Daniela Sell, Switzerland
16th Irene Anderson, Sweden
16th Mary Ellen Jerumbo, USA
16th Sarah Bridges, England
16th Elizabeth Gomez, Mexico
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