KARIN KIMURA WINS GOVERNOR'S CUP PHYSIQUE
Sacramento, California, March 24: The California Governor's Cup became the third contest in a calendar month to feature a Pro Physique division, and like the prior two events, this competition produced another new winner. Like the inaugural Desert Muscle Classic in February and the more recent St. Louis Pro a week prior to this contest, the field was, again, of the compact variety with just nine contestants competing.
With title sponsor Jagware staging the contest at the Crest Theatre in downtown Sacramento, four of the nine competitors were from California (a reality that traveling expenses may be playing a roll in the entries at these events) and five women in the field had competed in bodybuilding prior to making the switch to the Physique division. The variety of physiques within this group was notably more diverse than in the two previous pro events as was the vastly different levels of competing experience on the contest resumes of the nine entrants.
In the first callout of prejudging, judges centered on Karin Kimura and Sarah Hurrle as competitors who fit the look they preferred in this field of women. Marina Lopez, who is the only competitor that has competed in all three pro physique division contests, and Susan Salazar were also included to complete the foursome that got the first call. The diversity of these four competitors with regard to their past experience was considerable. Kimura, who won the 2011 NPC National Physique overall title to earn her pro status has a background that was rooted in bodybuilding dating back to 1990 when she won the MW class of the NPC Idaho in her first contest. She later turned to the figure division where she won back-to-back class victories at the NPC Emerald Cup in 2007 and '08. As an amusing side note, Kimura has been measured at 5-4, 5-4 ½ 5-4 ¾, 5-5, and 5-5 ½, during her years as a figure competitor, - so take your pick.
Hurrle on the other hand began her competitive efforts in 2007 winning the overall at the Colorado Pro/Am contest. By 2010 she picked up a victory at the NPC Junior Nationals to secure her pro card and launched into her pro career the same year. Competing four times in 2010 and '11 with a sixth-place finish at the California Pro Figure as her best finish in the figure division, her entrance and eventual victory at the St. Louis Pro Physique event has given her a new outlook on her efforts at the pro level. Here, she was once again in the thick of the competition getting a close look from the judging panel.
Like Hurrle, Susan Salazar began her competitive efforts in 2007. Salazar also turned pro in 2010, but in four efforts in the pro figure division she missed cracking the top 15 in any of those events – presumably due to her higher level of muscularity. From Honolulu, Sa
lazar entered the Desert Muscle Classic finishing in the middle of that field placing sixth. Here, her assessment gained better approval and seemed to be a lock on a top five placing. With a well-balanced overall look, her muscle tone was recognized favorably, and those forgettable figure placings are now in her rear-view mirror.
By the final tallies, Karin Kimura edged Sarah Hurrle by just two points - 8 to10. Hurrle actually won the first round by a point, with Kimura taking a three-point edge in the final assessment. For Kimura, the win keeps her record perfect with two straight wins in the Physique division – one as an amateur and one as a pro. An added perk was that she was celebrating her 45th birthday the day after the contest. Kimura is from Boise, Idaho, and she's a black belt in Taekwando, and earned her Bachelor's degree in Health Promotion from Boise State.
Her prize winnings came to $2,000.
Hurrle just missed becoming the first Physique division competitor to win two consecutive contests finishing second. She accepted a $1,000 check for the runner-up finish.
Marina Lopez continued her steady climb in the placings with a fourth-place finish here. The former NPC National LW bodybuilding champion in 2010 and the overall winner at the NPC Junior Nationals the same year, Lopez was seventh at the Desert Muscle Classic, and fifth in St. Louis. Any way you stack it, she has a sharp looking physique, and she's edging ever closer to a prize money position.
With Marina Lopez totaling 25 points for fourth place, just two points behind was Akane Nigro-Ismeal, the highest placing Californian at this event. W
ith an overall structure that is among the best in this fledgling division, she earned her pro card after winning her figure class at the 2009 NPC USA. The same year she finished fifth at both the Border States Pro and Sacramento Pro. At this event she was noticeably softer than what she presented in 2009, but if she returns to that level of condition with the beautiful muscle shapes and sound genetic structure she possesses, there is no reason why she can't move up the placement ladder in short order. She is certainly prototype-worthy when it comes to an idyllic look for the Physique division.
Outside the top five was former NPC Team Universe overall bodybuilding winner Tracy Beckham finishing sixth. A true veteran of the sport dating back to her early bodybuilding contests in 1986, Beckham's weight registered 132 for her inaugural entry in the Physique division. Beckham last competed at the 2008 Ms. International where she made her pro debut finishing 16th. Since then she has turned 50 and leaves most fans in disbelief over that reality. The Physique division should be a good fit for Beckham as time moves on – considering the success she is having with holding off the aging process.
Seventh went to Valerie Gangi, another veteran of bodybuilding and one of only two competitors (Antoinette Thompson is the other) who have competed in the Physique division thus far that have had experience competing at the Ms. Olympia in bodybuilding. During the 90's, and along with her entry in the 1997 Ms. Olympia, Gangi also won the overall title at the 1995 NPC USA, was fifth at the 1996 Ms. International and second at the 1997 Jan Tana Classic. When she decided to move into the figure division her fortunes changed and after entering six pro figure events, she missed cracking the top ten in any of them. Her current level of muscularity may still be considered beyond the current criteria, but with time she should fit in very well.
Unlike many figure competitors who have been hammered mercilessly in their efforts to fit the judging criteria, eighth-place finisher Trish Wood has had a glowing run of success in that division by comparison. Witness 2011 where she won each of the five contests she entered including the 'A' class at the NPC USA Physique Championships launching her into the pro ranks of the new Physique division. At 4-11 ¾, and weighing just 101 pounds, it could be said she was simply overlooked (or perhaps missed completely!) due to her diminutive stature. She'll no doubt experience better placements in the near future.
The final placing went to Canadian Lisa Giesbrecht. The tallest contestant in this event at 5-8, it wasn't just her height that made her stand out in this lineup. Having begun her competitive efforts in 2007 as a figure contestant, she was deemed too muscular for the figure division and moved into the bodybuilding ranks in 2009. By 2011 she had won the overall Masters division at the Canadian Championships qualifying her for the pro ranks. So, the California Governor's Cup served as her pro debut, and the level of muscle she now carries has once again become an issue with her presence on stage. In any lineup, Giesbrecht would be an easy guess as a former athlete in any number of sports, but the truth is she never competed in any sports prior to her entry in figure contests. Structurally well-balanced overall with nice muscle shapes, Giesbrecht – who is from Victoria, BC – has nowhere else to go but up, and that's a distinct possibility with time to make some adjustments in her muscular level. All was not lost, however, with Giesbrecht's ninth-place finish. By entering and competing here, she became the first non-American living outside the borders of the United States to enter an IFBB Pro Physique division event.
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