The IFBB Pro WPD – Building a Tradition in Year Two
By Steve Wennerstrom, IFBB Women's Historian
The 2013 competitive sea
son for the IFBB Pro Physique division is now in the books and much can be said as to how this fledgling class of competitors has progressed.
Since the Desert Muscle Classic event in early 2012 to the most recent Titan Grand Prix in October, twenty-five contests have offered a Pro Physique competition, and the growth and interest has been notable both internationally as well as here at home – and it only looks to be the tip of the iceberg where potential expansion is concern.
Comparisons between 2012 and this year are encouraging, to say the least. With 13 events staged in 2012, a total of 102 contestants tested the waters, making up a total of 191 entries. Many competitors entered multiple shows. This year those numbers made a sizable jump. With 128 total competitors entering 12 events, the total number of entries came to 262.
So, what did this mean on stage? The average number of entrants at a contest in 2012 was 15, with a high of 29 at the New York Pro and a low of 6 at the Houston Pro. The 2013 competitive season boasted an average of 22 contestants per contest with a high of 39 at the PBW Tampa Pro and a low of 12 at the Optimum Classic. The jump in interest could also be attributed, in part, to the addition of the inaugural Olympia Physique Showdown and the development of the Olympia Points Qualification Series that also provided opportunities for aspiring Physique competitors to reach the Olympia stage for the first time. Meanwhile an unknown number of bodybuilders, fitness and figure competitors may be waiting in the wings to observe how the judging process evolves.
With the annual IFBB Pro contest schedule for 2014 recently released the positive vibes are evident. A total of 20 contests – including the Olympia – will host a Pro Physique division. With more competitors turning pro in the new division with the coming of 2014, plus those who have most recently made the move to the pro level, competitors who were entering the early Physique division events in 2011 are already considered seasoned veterans. One thing is certain, the quality of the competitors will improve at a steady rate, and the depth of quality at each event will become stronger.
Another element that can't be overlooked is the influx of foreign contestants that will contribute to the overall growth of the division in the coming years. In 2012, 12 countries were represented during the year. This year, 15 countries – including Venezuela, Canada, 
England, Mexico, Trinidad, Ukraine, Germany, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Russia – were represented.
It is probable, due to their European tendency to reward a leaner look, many of their Bodyfitness contestants will drift into Physique. Many of the European Bodyfitness
competitors are built along the lines of Jillian Reville.
The Qualification Points Series (with a 5-4-3-2-1) based on the top five placings at each of this year's events served to motivate contestants who were just missing a contest victory. This year the five competitors who scored the most points got an invitation to join those who had won an event. They were Karin Hobbs – 11, Mindi O'Brien – 9, Jillian Reville – 9, Venus Nguyen – 8, and Mikaila Soto – 7.
An additional 19 competitors scored somewhere between 6 points and 1 point. With the increasing numbers of women competing in this division, this points series race will become even more intensified. One of the questions hovering over the competitors who would capture an invite to the Olympia lineup by way of the points system was the perceived unlikelihood that any of them could place well. That thought was dispelled by Jillian Reville. She placed sixth in the field of 16 topping the likes of Juliana Malacarne and Karina Nascimento, among others.
Along with Iris Kyle's bid to win a momentous ninth Ms. Olympia title, the most anticipated event on the women's event schedule was the first-ever Physique Olympia Showdown. Sixteen contestants made up the field and collectively this group would establish the beginning of what will be an exciting new event on the Olympia Weekend. In much the same way the first Ms. Olympia brought considerable attention to the women's side of what was a fast-growing sport over 30 years ago, the Physique Olympia brought a new level of curiosity and how it might be compared to the Ms. O.
With Rachel McLish flexing her
way to the first Ms. O win in a field of 20 contestants, she became an instant media star and jettisoned the popularity of women aspiring to new levels of muscular development. With the new Physique division, a judging criteria was developed that would re-create the look of bodybuilders from decades past.
With little argument, the two most talked about personalities and a duo who had gained high levels of popularity as they prepared to enter the first Physique Olympia were Dana Linn Bailey and Juliana Malacarne. Unlike the first Ms. O where a dozen comparisons were made, the Physique Olympia offered just four group comparisons with a final fifth callout that included the eventual top three placers.
With Malacarne in the second callout, and Bailey in the first, the two never got the opportunity to be compared directly. Bailey would become the first winner of this prestigious event with Malacarne finishing 7th. Still, the contest established a necessary starting point with a field that featured a wide variety of competitors that varied in height from 5-0 to 5-9, and levels of conditioning and muscular development that could have been predicted based on the results of the qualifying events during the year. With little question this division will continue to evolve just as the women's bodybuilding did in the past.
That said, here are all the IFBB Pro Women's Physique Division Winners from 2012 and 2013.
Wins Winner Where They Won
3 Sara Hurrle, USA '12 St.Louis Pro, '12 LA Pro Grand Prix, '13 Mile High Pro
3 Patricia Mello, Brazil '12 Show of Champions, '13 LA Pro Grand Prix,
'13 Show of Champions
3 Karina Nascimento, Brazil '12 Desert Muscle Classic, '12 Valenti Gold Cup, 
'13 Optimum Classic
2 Dana Linn Bailey, USA '13 Europa Super Show, '13 Physique Olympia
2 Juliana Malacarne, Brazil '12 New York Pro, '13 New York Pro
2 Tamee Marie, USA '12 Greater Gulf States, '12 Houston Pro
2 Sabrina Taylor, USA '12 Titan Grand Prix, '13 Titan Grand Prix
2 Nola Trimble, USA '12 Wings of Strength, '12 PBW Tampa Pro
1 Tycie Coppett, USA '13 Greater Gulf States
1 Valerie Gangi, USA '13 PBW Tampa Pro
1 Karin Hobbs, USA '12 California Governor's Cup
1 Jamie Pinder, USA '13 Wings of Strength
1 Kim Tilden, Canada '12 Toronto Supershow
1 Toni West, USA '13 Toronto Supershow
Among the 14 contestants who have won a Pro event over the past two years, three have successfully defended titles. They are Juliana Malacarne at the New York Pro, Patricia Mello at the Show of Champions, and Sabrina Taylor at the Titan Grand Prix. And of these past 14 contest winners, only two-time winner Nola Trimble and Canadian Kim Tilden missed making it to the inaugural Olympia stage through the 2013 Olympia qualification points series.
An interesting and surprising factoid as to competitors who have entered the three history-making Women's Physique Division events... There are only TWO. Jillian Reville and Dana Linn Bailey. Both competitors entered the first-ever WPD event – the NPC Junior USA on May 25, 2011 in Charleston, South Carolina. The first Pro WPD contest – the Desert Muscle Classic on February 25, 2012 in Mesa, Arizona, and the first Physique Olympia on September 28, 2013 in Las Vegas. Sounds like a great trivia question for the future.
And not to be forgotten – The stalwart competitors in the pro ranks of the WPD division over the past two years. A quartet of contestants who made the trip to the stage most often:
MIKAILA SOTO - 11.jpg)
'12 St. Louis Pro 6th
'12 Show of Champions 19th
'12 Wings of Strength 2nd
'12 Greater Gulf States 8th
'12 PBW Tampa Pro 2nd
'12 Valenti Gold Cup 4th
'12 Houston Pro 3rd
'13 Show of Champions 2nd
'13 PBW Tampa Pro 15th
'13 Europa Super Show 16th tie
'13 Physique Olympia 11th
JILLIAN REVILLE - 9
'12 Desert Muscle Classic 3rd
'12 Show of Champions 2nd
'12 New York Pro 12th
'13 Show of Champions 5th
'13 New York Pro 7th
'13 Mile High Pro 2nd
'13 PBW Tampa Pro 6th
'13 Europa Super Show 2nd
'13 Physique Olympia 6th
MARINA LOPEZ - 9
'12 Desert Muscle Classic 7th
'12 St. Louis Pro 5th
'12 California Governor's Cup 4th
'12 LA Pro Grand Prix 11th
'12 Show of Champions 10th
'12 New York Pro 16th tie
'12 Toronto Supershow 11th
'13 New York Pro 16th tie
'13 Toronto Supershow 11th
JILL RUDISON - 7
'12 Show of Champions 5th
'13 LA Pro Grand Prix 4th
'13 Show of Champions 13th
'13 New York Pro 8th
'13 Toronto Supershow 5th
'13 Wings of Strength 18th
'13 PBW Tampa Pro 8th
Of the above mentioned foursome, all missed winning a pro event in 2012 and 2013, although both Mikaila Soto and Jillian Reville scored a total of five second-place finishes among their many entries.
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