Articles The Wennerstrom Report Leila Thompson and Rebecca Andrades Win Physique and Bodybuilding Titles at Junior USA
Leila Thompson and Rebecca Andrades Win Physique and Bodybuilding Titles at Junior USA
by Steve Wennerstrom, IFBB Women's Historian
Utilizing the beautiful North Charleston Performing
Arts Center in Charleston, South Carolina, promoter Tres Bennett has perfected the art of putting on a successful bodybuilding event. It's a contest that competitors can depend on to be efficiently run, and this year was no different. As the first pro qualifier in selected divisions for the competitive 2013 season, contestants were more than collectively ready to make a good first impression.
For purposes of this report the focus will center on the open women's Physique and women's Bodybuilding divisions – both of which were dramatically different that in the past two years. One element did remain the same, the winners of the Physique classes would earn pro status, while the bodybuilding classes did not.
PHYSIQUE - Class A
In 2011 and 2012 when the Physique division was first offered at the Junior USA, anxious anticipation reigned supreme as contestants from both the Figure and Bodybuilding divisions jumped into the unexplored territory of the new Physique division. With two height classes (short and tall) Dana Linn Bailey and Amanda Braun Harris got the nods from judges as a starting point in their respective classes on the journey to a new physical ideal for this division. Bailey won the overall, and both women earned pro status in the new pro division that was scheduled to launch in 2012. Forty-four contestants with 22 in each class competed in 2011, and coincidentally 44 contestants again made the trip to Charleston in 2012 while many admitted they had wanted to wait and see how the division would pan out.
But this year was different. The dust has settled. There is a judging evolution taking place within the Physique division and competitors who had pondered making a switch have been less anxious to make the jump. That said, the 'A' class of Physique this year featured 12 contestants, down ten from last year. The prejudging saw judges divide the class into two call-outs of six each. The first included Leila Thompson, Eunika Desir, Kristen Broadway, Kelly Differenderfer, Tina Trigoero, and Brittany Gittelman. That group of six would make up the eventual top six with Leila Thompson winning unanimously. Thompson, who was a former Figure competitor and had only entered six contests previously was a runner-up finisher at the 2012 Victory Classic. From North Carolina, Thompson showed a streamlined look with nice muscular detail. Most impressive is the fact that she has three children, ages 17, 15 and 13. So, along with overall Bodybuilding winner Rebecca Andrades, both overall winners have six children between them!
Second to Thompson was Jacksonville, Floridian, Eunika Desir. A solid choice for her placing here, her potential looks notable. Originally from Haiti, Desir has progressed from Bikini competitions to Physique and the switch was not only necessary due to her natural level of genetic muscle, but wise in terms of her success in future events. At 5-4, she was at the upper end of the allowable height in her class. In past contests she was a bikini winner at the 2012 Ancient City Classic,and sixth at the 2012 Dexter Jackson Classic. Desir is trained by Sharon Long - wife of Don Long.
The battle for the third and fourth
was a close one with Oklahoma's Brittany Gittelman edging eventual fourth-placer Kristen Broadway by two points. They were close in another way as there was just a half inch difference in their heights. Gittelman was a gymnast for 11 years as well as a cheerleader for four years. Most recently she won her Physique class at the 2012 Europa Super Show.
The fifth-place spot went to Tina Trigoero.
6- Kelly Diffenderfer
7- Wendy Gerkman
8- Debra Rietscha
9- Rachel McMillan
10- Heather Ruelan
11- Dana Acuri
12- Molly Renshaw
PHYSIQUE - Class B
It doesn't get any closer than the heated race for the top spot in the 'B' class for competitors over 5-4. With 16 total contestants that included two who returned from last year's event, the added reality of placing competitors whose wide range of heights encompassed 5-4 ½ to 5-ll made for a notable judging dilemma. With the additional wide variety of physiques in this group, judges were put to the test to select a winner, and the challenge of that task was graphically displayed by the final placings and the all-important point totals.
Eventual winner Jessica Gaine
s got the victory nod, but not before runner-up Jen Carvalho offered up her own level of quality. The final scores for both Gaines and Carvalho was 8 points, and a countback of the judges was needed to finalize the winner. With a total of nine judges, five gave a higher score to Gaines with four going to Carvalho. Put simply, Gaines won by a single judges' vote. It doesn't get any closer that that. Last year Gaines finished eighth in her class at the NPC Nationals and added a runner-up finish at the NPC Masters Nationals in the 35+ class both in the Physique division.
With a clear cut third-place finish going to Heather Barbee, the fourth and fifth place positions were also close as the statuesque Shayann Schvessler at 5-91/2, topped fifth-placer Tracy Weller by a single point 21-22. From Loganville, Georgia, Weller has had extensive experience at the national level at the NPC Team Universe, IFBB North Americans and NPC Nationals. At this event last year Weller placed fourth and was looking to improve on that finish. More impressively last year she finished third at the NPC Nationals placing behind eventual class and overall winner Toni West, so her finish here had to be disappointing.
6- Kim Agnew
7- Rachel Ketchum
8- Erika Laine
9-Stacie Tootle
10- Jinny Giron
11- Rebecca Jackson
12- Alisa Allen
13- Luciana Wojnarowski
14- Monica Smith
15- Lisa Horrigan
16- Holly McPherson
BODYBUILDING.............and The There Were Two.
There was more than meets the eye in this divisi
on. Sure, there were only two contestants, down from 11 last year. But the two competitors were in different weight classes, so they both won unopposed. In the lightweight class, Rebecca Andrades accepted her trophy and after a brief posedown with heavyweight winner Melanie Wiggins, she became the overall NPC Junior USA champion. But there is more to the story. Andrades, who is no shrinking violet when drawing attention, brought an eye-catching look to the stage. With a wide variety of tattoos covering her body from head to toe, and a spiked hairstyle colored bright fire engine red, even if there had been a dozen other entrants in her class she could not have been overlooked. Visible across her torso was the tattooed word 'Trouble'. The mind wonders. But here's the most interesting side of Andrades journey. With only 11 months of training behind her, she had only competed once before – at the 2012 Gold's Classic – and she won that event UNOPPOSED also! So, in the most unique of ways she not only reached the national level, but won at the national level without ever having competed against anyone in her class. The posedown with Melanie Wiggins must have been a source of relief to finally have someone to compete against! Andrades - who sports a pair of well-shaped biceps in her physical arsenal - is a mother of three children, matching Leila Thompson's triple litter. If Andrades moves on to the NPC USA or NPC Nationals she should enjoy the company onstage at those events where there is always plenty of competition at the highest national level.
As for heavyweight winner Melanie Wiggins, by comparison to Andrades, she was a veteran of this event having placed fourth in the HW at this contest last year. Wiggins' return to this show and with just two entries in women's bodybuilding, equals the same number of returnees from the entire Physique division 'A' class that had only one entrant to previously enter the Junior USA .
Over the past three years the bodybuilding entries have dwindled with 9 in 2010, 7 in 2011, 11 in 2012 and just 2 this year. In years past, the bodybuilding entries were plentiful. The 1991 Junior USA, for example, had 40 entrants in three weight classes and included a third place HW finisher named Vickie Gates who would move on to the pro ranks to win three Ms. Internationals. There were always over 20 entries through the 80's and 90's, and the event served as a springboard for many women who moved into the pro ranks. But with the coming of new divisions such as fitness and figure the numbers in bodybuilding began to drop. This year's all-time low entry total might weigh heavily on the decisions of what will become of the bodybuilding division for the Junior USA in 2014.
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