Articles The Wennerstrom Report Women Take The Physique And Bodybuilding Spotlights At The 2013 NPC Emerald Cup
Women Take The Physique And Bodybuilding Spotlights At The 2013 NPC Emerald Cup
by Steve Wennerstrom, IFBB Women's Historian
For 31 years the Emerald Cup has been a staple for contestants aspiring to the national and pro ranks of bodybuilding in the Pacific Northwest. And along with the evolution of the 'body industry' where fitness, figure, bikini and physique divisions have made an entrance to share the spotlight with bodybuilding, the Emerald Cup has evolved right along with them. Promoted by Brad and Elaine Craig, this contest has been their baby since the inaugural event in 1983, and over the years the E-Cup has pumped out an impressive number of pro athletes in a consistent and almost predictable manner. A primary reason is that the event has a solid reputation and is annually staged with loving care. Consequently, athletes arrive in their best level of condition knowing the huge audiences are knowledgeable in the ways of physical development. Fans want to be entertained and the competitors entertain.
Staged this year at the spacious Meydenbauer Convention Center in Bellevue, Washington, on May 3-4, the event offered fans of all the above-mentioned divisions with plenty of visuals to go with guest posers that included Roelly Winklaar, Mark Dugdale, Frank McGrath, and the acrobatic Atlas Brothers.
WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE DIVISION - Oregon Wins All Three Classes, But Neilson Gets The Ratings!
Class A
With a field of 19 contestants filling the three height classes of the open Physique division, it was Oregon's Kelli Schrader who got things off to a solid start winning the A class with a well-balanced 5-3, 110-pound structure. Competing as a Figure competitor since 2010 she was a runner-up at the NPC Oregon in 2011, and finished third at the Oregon Ironman last year. The switch to Physique looks to agree with her onstage appearance considering she was tied for 16th at the NPC USA last year in the 'C' class of the Figure division. This event breathes new life into her competitive career.
Runner-up to Schrade
r was fellow Oregonian Heather Mell. At 5-2 and showing a somewhat thicker level of development, Mell kept things close falling just three points off the pace of Schrader's winning total. In 2012 Mell was the overall Physique winner at the NPC Seven Feathers and also won the novice bodybuilding division.
Washington's Natasha Grow interrupted a potential Oregon sweep by distributing 125 pounds on her 4-11 frame to place third. A former Figure competitor, Grow placed 13th at the Emerald Cup in 2011, and like Schrader, the transition to the Physique division has made for much more agreeable placings. While in high school, Grow wrestled as her sport of choice.
4- Jessica Larsen, Eagle River, Alaska.
5- Danielle Burk, Vancouver, Washington.
6- Noemi Pelegrin-Tudor, Surrey, BC, Canada.
7- Shannon McDowell, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Class B
When you want to talk about seamless physiques that have the ability to move from Figure to Physique with little more than a slight change in the level of flexing to make the difference, then Oregon's Joni Neilson possesses the quality in spades. A former winner in Figure at the 2010 Emerald Cup, she returned this year to enter both the Figure and Physique divisions. The result was a victory in her Figure class and an overall victory in the Physique division. A seamless effort indeed.
From Portland, Oregon, Neilson used an extensive athletic background that included track & field (she was a sprinter), volleyball, basketball and dance. To create a very pleasing athletic look. That, along with strong genetics, by way of an excellent structure and muscle shapes, made her tough to beat. Having competed in Figure since 2007 with good results including a third-place finish at the 2010 NPC USA, Neilson had also posted wins at the 2010 Tanji Johnson Classic and 2009 Oregon Ironman. But at 5-5, 130 pounds she looks to have found her ideal niche in the Physique division as she showed a pro-level quality with national events looming ahead where she can further display that look. In the posedown for the overall, Neilson topped tall class winner Rikki Smead by three points, with short class winner Kelli Schrader third.
Second to Neilson was Kim Goeden – also from Portland, Oregon. Another former Figure competitor, Goeden showed nice balance on her 5-4 ¾ , 127-pound frame. Last year Goeden showed her potential in the division by placing fifth in her class at the NPC USA. With dance, cheerleading and gymnastics in her athletic background she also made a solid showing with her routine.
Kimberly Agnew from Missoula, Montana, finished third. Competing since 1988 when she finished third in the NPC Montana, Agnew has competed in several different organizations over the years with multiple titles. At 5-6, 137 pounds she showed plenty of quality muscle and most recently had won the NPC Big Sky Championships. A former track & field athlete and gymnast, she works as a fitness trainer and owns a fitness studio.
4- Peggy Willis, Spokane, Washington.
5- Annette McBride, Boise, Idaho.
6- Krista McNaught-Davis, Spokane, Washington.
7- Dusty Sage, Grande Prairie, BC, Canada.
8- Darcy Watt, Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
Class C
In stunning fashion, Oregon's Rikki Smead captured the 'tall class' Physique division using a dazzling overall structure and nice muscle shapes on her 5-9, 145-pound frame to win this class of four unanimously. A former volleyball and softball player in high school who attended the University of Oregon, Smead was a picture of athleticism that blended well with her model good looks. Perhaps the most striking element as it applies to her victory here, is that she has only been training two years, and in a short two-year span she has competed in bikini, figure and now physique. At the 2011 NPC Oregon she won both the Bikini and Figure events, and finished fourth in Figure at last year's Emerald Cup. Due in large part to her gifted genetics, Smead shows the capacity to fill out her statuesque structure while retaining the fluid lines she possesses. With an added five to seven pounds and further training experience, her ability to challenge for a top spot at the national level is a certainty. Conceivably, at just 26, she has several years of quality competition time ahead of her assuming she stays focused. Next up for Smead will be a date at the NPC USA where she will surely make her presence felt.
Washington physical therapist assistant Melissa Lovell claimed the runner-up spot at 5-10, 149 pounds. In 2012 Lovell was also the runner-up in the Physique class at the NPC Vancouver Naturals.
Third went to Montana's Shari Bjelland. Similar in size to winner Rikki Smead at 5-8, 145 pounds, Bjelland has had stage experience as both a Figure competitor and Bodybuilder. Bjelland, who served in the U.S. Navy, works as a laser technician.
4- Nadine (No last name on entry), Ft. Collins, Colorado.
WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING – Carrie Woolridge Forms Bermuda Triangle With Victory.
In its 31-year history, the Emerald Cup has welcomed competitors from at least half the of states in the USA along with several foreign countries. But if you were to guess what foreign country has won the most Emerald Cup women's overall bodybuilding titles, Bermuda would undoubtedly rank well down your list. Yet this tiny island in the Atlantic ocean has made a strong impact on the E-Cup, and this year's lightweight and overall winner – Carrie Woolridge – added to Bermuda's stature at this big event. In fact, only one foreign country has won an overall women's bodybuilding title – Bermuda. And the island nation has done it three times. Millie Cleveland was the first to win the E-Cup overall for Bermuda in 2005, and she enjoyed herself so much at the contest she returned in 2008 with no great expectations of winning - but did exactly that. At a contest with past winners such as Shelley Beattie, Nikki Fuller, Mah-Ann Mendoza, Sheila Bleck and Nicole Berg, the Bermuda victories are something of an accomplishment to say the least. But nonetheless, well-earned. So Bermuda's latest star to emerge from the Atlantic has her own very interesting story.
Tiny in stature at just 4-ll, Woolridge packs an impressive 123 pounds over her diminutive frame...and she sports outstanding musculature in every bodypart. With highly peaked biceps, diamond-shaped calves, notable glutial/hamstring tie-ins, solid back double bi and lat spread poses to go with quads that were separated and a visible six-pack, she left little to find fault with. And the result was a unanimous decision by the judges. Her victory w
as noticeably exciting for Woolridge as she mentioned that it was the first time she had competed in the United States although she had competed extensively at events such as the Caribbean Championships and Central American Championships. Those contests took her to Venezuela, Barbados, Bahamas, Turks & Caicos and Jamaica. Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, Woolridge's early sporting involvement included triathlons and soccer. So when it comes to the question as to how long she's been training, she has a one-word answer, “forever”. Perhaps even more amazing about her victory and outstanding conditioning, is the fact that she hadn't competed in eight years. So she easily qualifies as a poster girl and glowing example of 'muscle memory'. It would seem that if she desires to move on to the pro ranks, an entry at the upcoming IFBB North American Championships or even the IFBB World Amateur Championships would be viable considerations in the immediate future. But where the Emerald Cup was concerned on this weekend, she owned it.
Running second to Woolridge was another record setter in a different way. Canadian Wendy Lindquist finished second for the third time at the Emerald Cup, but that wasn't what set her apart from all those who had come before her. Dating back to 2003 Lindquist was competing in her NINTH
E-Cup – a record for this longstanding event. She could easily be considered 'the face' of the E-Cup. So enthusiastic about this contest, there were years she entered both the Figure and Bodybuilding divisions. But this year the 5-3, 125-pounder from British Columbia was at her absolute best. A former gymnast with dance background, she put on another one of her patented routines that was solid and mistake free. A stalwart and consistent competitor since 2001, Lindquist brings a level of love for bodybuilding that is evident in all her contest efforts. Through her nine entries at this event she was a MW winner in 2011 and has always placed among the top five. Still, you get the feeling she wants that overall title before she feels she's thoroughly conquered the Emerald Cup.
Placing third was fellow Canadian Shauna Matyas. The contest's shortest entrant at just 4-9, she weighed in at 118.8 pounds. From Calgary, Alberta, Matyas finished third as a MW at the Alberta Provincials in 2011 and eighth as a LW in the same contest in 2012.
Canadian Qureshi Wins Heavyweight Class by 60 Inches
It's tough enough to win a bodybuilding contest at the regional level but when you're a heavyweight and only 60 inches tall (an even 5 feet), well, the chances are pretty slim. But none of that seemed to have a detrimental effect on Tamara Qureshi. Her structure and the muscle she packed on it to the tune of 130 pounds made her stand out in the first lineups of the prejudging round. Another solid Canadian competitor – this time from Calgary, Alberta - Qureshi was pint-sized by heavyweight standards, but her genetics and overall shapes made her height a non-issue. One issue that was made with regard to her height was that she became the shortest heavyweight ever to win the Emerald Cup – a great trivia question for future years. With a field hockey and soccer background, Qureshi entered her first contest in 2002 and since then she has won the 2007 Southern Alberta lightweight title and was the 2011 Alberta Provincial middleweight champion. In winning the HW class, she matched muscle qualities with LW wi
nner Carrie Woolridge, but lacked the needed detail and conditioning levels to challenge for the overall title. Both Qureshi and Woolridge were representative winners in their classes and it was the first time non-Americans won all available weight classes in women's bodybuilding.
Alaska's Heidi Hegg finished second to Qureshi, and she had her fair share of followers who preferred her more defined level of muscular development on a 5-5, 158-pound frame. A fire fighter for the Anchorage Fire Department, Hegg has been a lifetime athlete having competed in world-level alpine ski racing, cycling, and as a goalie in ice hockey. She has also owns a second degree black belt in karate. An alumni of the University of Alaska, Hegg won the HW class at the Emerald Cup in 2009 – the same year she won the NPC Alaska state title. She has also competed on the national level at the NPC Masters Nationals and NPC Nationals.
Third was Peggy Willis from Spokane, Washington. Another veteran of Emerald Cup competitions, Willis was entering her seventh E-Cup having finished as high as second in the HW class in 2011. Willis has also been a frequent entrant at the NPC Empire Classic winning the event in 2012. She was also a winner at the NPC Vancouver Natural in 2010. As added icing on her competitive cake here she placed fourth in the Physique division 'B' class.
4- Samantha Bourassa, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
5- Gina Hamilton, Anacortes, Washington.
6- Cynthia Santiago, Federal Way, Washington.
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