2011 NPC Women's Bodybuilding Nationals
Miami Beach, Florida, November 19th: My first inclination for a title to this year's NPC Nationals was 'GIANT', but then I realized that had already been used many years ago. GIANT was a sprawling epic of a motion picture that starred James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson in 1956. On the other hand the 2011 NPC Nationals was a sprawling epic in itself and certainly deserving of the title. With a total number of contestants that was announced at 943, most everyone's guess was somewhere between 900 and 1,000. Even the joyous promoters were overwhelmed. In the history of the NPC, this year's Nationals is by far the largest event ever. And nestled comfortably among the many men's and women's divisions, women's bodybuilding contributed 48 contestants in four weight classes and an outcome that would pass along four new qualifiers to the IFBB pro division.
Staged this year at the Jackie Gleason Theatre in Miami Beach, the NPC Nationals returned to this South Florida playground for the fifth time dating back to 1986. Twenty five years ago Cathy Palyo captured that Miami event, followed in 1987 by Charla Sedacca. The National event returned to Miami again in 2003 when Annie Rivieccio earned her pro stripes with an overall victory. Then in 2006, at this same theatre, Lora Ottenad flexed her way to a hard-fought overall win against fellow class winners Jamie Troxell, Lisa Bickels, and Debi Laszewski. Miami would add another overall winner before the night was over.
But year in and year out it's easy to assume that after all these years there could be nothing new under the sun in women's bodybuilding. And with each passing year the NPC Nationals never seems to disappoint. Once again, with this 2011 edition of the NPC Nationals the event was filled with stories that help make this contest the most highly anticipated amateur event on the contest calendar annually. The results always bear it out.
Keep an eye on the last line of each weight class winner's summary, as I had to do some digging to realize just how unique the quartet of winners at this event were.
THE LIGHTWEIGHTS
First, this division opened the women's bodybuilding portion of the event with the smallest lightweight field ever in the long history of the NPC Nationals. Only five contestants entered. One could only imagine how many lightweights around the country must have been kicking themselves as they scrambled to enter either the Physique division of even Figure. But the fact that this field was so small took nothing away from the muscular quality put forth. The best evidence of that was eventual winner Kimmie Morgan from Lawrenceville, Georgia, who Dave Palumbo commented in his web posts “destroyed everyone in the class”. Showing an overall structural balance that quickly put the spotlight on her physique, Morgan showed no visible signs of weakness from head to toe. She presented an aesthetic package 
that was really pleasing to the eye. By way of experience, she can be considered a rookie. In 2010 at the NPC USA she placed 16th in Figure. At the IFBB North American the same year she missed placing much better with a 13th-place finish. But in 2011 she made the switch to Physique and in a return to the IFBB North Americans she made her mark with a fourth-place finish in the A class. In moving from Figure to Physique, and now onward to Bodybuilding, Kimmie Morgan made an improbable climb – a unique on actually - and her accomplishment is noteworthy. She's now qualified for the pro ranks in bodybuilding when just one year earlier she was a struggling Figure contestant. Kimmie Morgan won her class at the NPC Nationals in her first entry at this major event !
Running second to Morgan was Virginia's Patricia Watson. At 103 pounds, she was the lightest competitor at this years Nationals. And compared to Morgan she had considerably more experience at the national (as well as international) level. Watson has made steady improvement since placing 11th at the 2009 Nationals. She moved up to seventh in 2010. Then at the 2011 Watson won the LW class at the NPC Team Universe qualifying her for the team that represented the USA at the IFBB World Amateur Championships. There she placed fifth in a LW class that was under 121 pounds. No doubt she'll be itching to get another shot at this title in 2012.
Third went to Laurel Woodbridge of Stilwell, Kansas. Another contestant who was entering her first NPC Nationals, third place is a very respectable debut. A runner-up at the 2008 NPC Flex Wheeler event along with added experience at the Masters Nationals, it would seem likely she'll return in 2012 to push her way into the higher positions.
New York City's Natalie Barnett - finishing fourth - drew first blood for competitors from New York as that state was about to make noise in each of the four female bodybuilding weight classes during the evening. With four previous entries at the NPC Junior Nationals along with two USA's, Barnett recently made her presence felt most dramatically in winning the LW class at the IFBB North American Championships.
The fifth and final placing went to Miami Beach hometown girl, Nancy Espinal. Showing nice overall balance, her experience at the 2011 NPC Gold Coast and NPC Sunshine State will help her greatly if she chooses to re-enter the NPC Nationals next year. And that fifth-place trophy should serve as motivation throughout coming months.
THE MIDDLEWEIGHTS
A class of 11 set the pace in the middleweight division with what appeared to be a pretty good battle between Alaska's Laura Boisecq, New York's Jennifer Peccia and New Mexico's Tomefafa Ameko. Of that trio Boisecq looked like the only certifiable middleweight as Peccia had the look of a very good light-heavyweight. The same was true with Ameko. That said, all three had markedly different physiques that made the judging that much more difficult. In getting the nod as the champion of this class, Laura Boiscq became the first female competitor from Alaska to win a bodybuilding division title at the NPC Nationals. At just under 5-3, Boisecq showed the
ability to display the longer lines of a much taller competitor and it helped in her overall stage presence. She was fluid. Boisecq began competing in 2003 and has been a two-time winner of the Alaskan State Championships. She also made her mark at the national level with a third-place LW finish at the 2008 NPC USA. Most recently she was the overall winner of the prestigious NPC Emerald Cup in Washington this year as a prep for this event. One thing is certain, her effort to get to Miami and retain a high level of condition is commendable considering she flew over 4,000 miles from Anchorage to Miami....check out that diagonal flight on a map! More importantly, Laura Boisecq won her NPC National title in her first entry at this event.
Runner-up finisher Tomefafa Ameko was also making her first visit to the NPC Nationals and her steady improvement over the past three years can best be seen as she posted a pair of top six finishes at the NPC USA in 2009 and 2010. This year she added a victory at the NPC Nevada. At 27, she has several years of opportunity to improve an already good quality physique.
For many observers New Yorker Jennifer Peccia was a solid challenger for the title in this class. From College Point, New York, she made her point with a wagon load of muscle on her balanced structure. With a runner-up finish in the HW class at the 2011 Team Universe, followed by an overall victory at the NPC Atlantic States, her debut at the NPC Nationals sets well for the future. She has higher placings ahead of her.
From Ft. Worth, Texas, Holly Chambliss took the opportunity to drop down a weight class this year after a commendable seventh-place light-heavyweight finish at the Nationals last year. Fine tuning and overall muscular cultivation will make her even more competitive in another calendar year. Finishing fourth here can serve as fair warning for the future.
As one of the shorter MW's at 5-1, Minnesota's Jessica Simonet seems to have found her groove after stints at the Nationals in Figure where she placed 12th and 11th in 2008 and '09 respectively. Earlier this year Simonet placed eighth in the light-heavyweight class at the NPC USA, after capturing the third-place position at the 2010 Nationals as a MW. Finishing fifth here should serve as a reminder to her that the MW class is the way to go.
THE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS
With the intensity level seemingly growing with each passing class, the light-heavyweight contingent of 15 contestants was unique in the respect that within this group the number of mega-veterans made it interesting to see how they would fare against competitors who had far less contest experience. Led by Michelle Brent entering her ninth NPC Nationals (a record), along with Anita Ramsey who began her competitive bodybuilding exploits in 1986, Dana Capobianco and Christine Sabo, the question became whether any of them could wedge their way into the top five. The answer, surprisingly, was none. Many fan followers expressed their collective admiration for these women who have pressed on over many years of competing – in some cases, like Michelle Brent – multiple decades.
But in the final tallies, it was yet another New Yorker, Roxanne Edwards, herself something of a veteran competitor, who wound up with the preferred choice of the judges and the National title.
From Brooklyn, Edwards has been competing since the mid-90's with plenty of local experience having entered the NPC Atlantic States five times and placing second on three occasions. More recently at the national level, she was a runner-up at both the 2008 and '09 NPC Junior Nationals. This year she finished second again at the NPC Masters Nationals – again as a light-heavyweight. But, like LW Kimmie Morgan and MW Laura Boisecq before her, Roxanne Edwards won the NPC National LtHW title on her first entry in this event.
At 5-1 Wisconsin's Sarah Mathison made for an impressive vision on stage. At 38, she has made strong, steady progress in her contest efforts with this runner-up NPC National finish trumping the LtHW victory at the 2010 NPC Junior Nationals. In 2008 Mathison finished ninth as a 125-pound MW, but the seed was planted that she would improve on that mark. In 2009 at 135 pounds she finished third at the NPC Junior Nationals looking like a full-fledged LtHW and ready to challenge at a higher level. She did just that here in Miami. She is now one place from an NPC National title.
Claiming third and continuing to lurk as a sleeping giant, Texan Tierany Chretien presses ever closer to the top spot. As a LtHW in both 2009 and '10, Chretien placed fourth at the NPC Nationals. And to add intrigue to her exploits, she was the runner-up placer among the LtHW's at the NPC USA earlier this year. She is no doubt acutely aware that she is 'right there' physically. Like a select group of competitors at these Nationals, Chretien still only needs the fine tuning to make her a treat for the weight class National title.
Fourth-place finisher Justine Dohring can be noted as one of the most improved competitors at these Nationals. From Lincoln, Delaware, Dohring enjoyed a motivating experience when she finished second in the MW class at the NPC Junior Nationals. The following year she witnessed what can happen when moving up to a weight class....and....up to the NPC Nationals. She was welcomed with a forgettable 11th-place LtHW showing. A year later, and still in the LtHW class, she again placed 11th, this time at the IFBB North Americans. In Miami, however, she bounced back superbly by moving into the top five of the LtHW class at the NPC Nationals. Eleventh to fourth, not a bad year's work!
Finishing fifth, Californian ( and the only Californian to place in the top five of the Nationals in women's bodybuilding this year) Joella Bernard found the going a bit tougher here after placing second in the LtHW class last year. Gaining valuable experience in what is now her fourth trip to the NPC Nationals, Bernard was a ninth-place HW in 2008, and seventh-place LtHW in 2009. She still has the capacity to challenge for the top spot whenever her conditioning level and the muscular stars finally align.
Outside the top five was Puerto Rico's Yahaira Agosto. She bears mentioning considering the fact that in 2006 at 124 pounds she finished second in the MW class behind eventual winner Lisa Bickels. But more notably is who she defeated....a group that included Britt Miller in third, Jennifer Sedia in fourth, and Tina Chandler in fifth. It was one of the finest MW classes in the history of the NPC Nationals and both Sedia and Chandler made it to the Ms. Olympia stage. Here, she was simply off the needed conditioning to press into the top five. She no doubt has the all the physical tools and muscle shapes to be there once again.
THE HEAVYWEIGHTS
In the history of the NPC Nationals dating back to Cory Everson in 1984 heavyweight winners have gone on to win the overall NPC National title no fewer than 18 times. The crown is far from a slam dunk, but if you are physically complete, in great condition, showing strong stage presence and pleasing muscular lines, chances are you will be in the driver's seat when the final posedown commences. Of course none of that rages through the minds of competitors as they flex their way to what they hope will be a weight class victory.
This year 17 contestants took the stage in what is usually the largest class of the contest. That fact would be understandable when realizing it covers any competitor 
weighing over 140 pounds...and these days that's a lot. If you entered this class at 145 pounds for example, you would have been competing against Nuriye Evans and Heather Darling both weighing in at 185 pounds - the contest's largest female contestants. But that fact didn't seem to phase the likes of Michelle Cummings, who at 150 pounds, was looking every bit the pro-ready competitor on this evening. From the first call-out of prejudging where Cummings had been placed in the middleof the first group, the remainder of the competitors were forced to play catch up. It was a losing battle.
A former gymnast from Schenectady, New York, Cummings entered the Nationals with little experience on her contest resume. In 2009 she had won the HW class of a Natural New York State event, followed by a runner-up finish at the 2010 NPC Eastern USA. This year she was firing on all cylinders in winning the HW class at the NPC Atlantic States. That's it. Yet she looked like a polished veteran who was contest ready in every way. In winning the heavyweight class, Cummings joins an elite group of former HW winners, and when she stepped up to capture the overall title, she suddenly joined a club that includes Cory Everson, Diana Dennis, Brenda Raganot, and Sheila Bleck, among many others. In fact, Michelle Cummings became the first New Yorker to win the overall NPC National crown since Heather Foster won it in 2000. The only other overall NPC National winner from New York was Nicole Bass in 1997.
But once again and to complete the quartet of winners, Michelle Cummings won the NPC National HW title in her first entry at this event. It's the first time in the history of the NPC Nationals that all four weight class winners won their respective weight classes without a prior entry at this most prestigious contest.
A pair of Floridians occupied the second and third-place positions and their contest histories couldn't have been more diverse. Finishing second was Jennifer Kennedy of St. Petersburg. A former track competitor and gymnast, Kennedy was also entering her first NPC Nationals. Further, it was only her third contest. Competing once in her home sate of Michigan, Kennedy won the HW class at the NPC Michigan in 2000. She is in good company there, as Lenda Murray won the HW class at the NPC Michigan in 1988. But Kennedy didn't surface again until this year when she placed second at the NPC Florida. Second at the Florida, second at the Nationals. Who would bet on that possibility? One element that couldn't be argued, she surely looked like she belonged there with plenty of muscle on her 5-4 frame.
As the antithesis to Kennedy, fellow Floridan Nekole Hamrick finished third. Standing several inches taller than Kennedy, the statuesque Hamrick has competed regularly since 2000. More impressive is the fact that Hamrick (a former overall NPC Florida champion in 2004), has competed in the NPC Nationals a total of five times. During those competitions she has been teased with victory twice finishing second in both 2007 and 2008. In 2007 she also won the HW class at the IFBB North Americans but missed the overall. For several years during her career she was rightly compared to Cory Everson as the possessor of an athletically muscular and aesthetically pleasing physique. But this time, and once again, it wasn't enough to pull out the victory.
Former overall California champion Jennifer Gutierrez earned her highest NPC National finish after a pair of fifth-place finishes in 2008 and '09. Moving back and forth between the LtHW and HW classes with relative ease, she placed fourth here in a competitive field where the physiques of several competitor were similar in overall appearance. Most recently, and as a HW, Gutierrez has also placed fourth at the 2010 NPC USA, and fifth at the USA this year. In doing so, she has become one of the most consistent placers in the HW NPC ranks.
Angela Rayburn rounded out the top five HW's and has become a familiar entrant at the national level. From Columbia, Mississippi, Rayburn has impressive muscle size and carries it well. As a national-level competitor for the past five years, Rayburn has entered four NPC USA contests finishing as high a second in 2010. She has also competed in three Junior Nationals and two North Americans.
So, this year's NPC Nationals did have a story to tell....several of them. From Michelle Brent setting a record by entering her ninth NPC Nationals to a quartet of weight class winners who were all entering their first. From Laura Boisecq becoming Alaska's first NPC National weight class winner, to a quartet of New Yorkers who took home a top-five trophy in each of the four classes...including two victories and the overall.
It was New York's night and never a dull moment at the NPC Nationals!
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