Jamie will receive a stiff challenge from Prudence Moe,
a competitor of Burmese descent who hails from outside of New Orleans. Prudence, an Optimum Nutrition-sponsored athlete, came out
of nowhere and placed in the top five at Junior Nationals and one of her most remarkable attributes is her
waist-to-quad ratio. She packs a lot of muscle into her lower body but still manages to come in very tight, and if she does
not win a card she will at least cement her status as a top national contender and move up in the RX NPC figure rankings.
One of our favorite competitors in the short class will be making her first appearance of 2008. Carin Hawkins
had a 2007 that was often hit or miss, placing in the top five at Junior Nationals and then a whisker away from a pro card at USA's in Las Vegas. When
Carin is on, which means that she has timed her carbs and is filled out and vascular, she is seriously on and she has the beauty, lines, muscle and genetics to challenge for the overall.
We're excited to see what this star will bring to the stage this year.
We don't know if Pleasanton is anywhere near Pleasant Hill, but the quality coming out of California is evident and at this show as competitors
continue to decide to compete closer to home due to high travel costs. The third place finisher in Chicago will also be hitting the stage in Las Vegas,
and Akane Nigro_Ismeal
is a beautiful athlete who has the marketable look that is desired in the NPC right now. Akane has excellent mass and outstanding legs that remind
us a lot of Huong Arcinas. She's also
very tight and well conditioned but we expect her to come in a little more streamlined at USA's. We believe that Akane is a future pro card winner and
it's just a question of when.
You can't create a list of competitors with the best abdominals in amateur figure without at least mentioning another underrated competitor,
Gemma Santos
. We have a
feeling that the 5'2" Santos will find herself solidly in Class B, but for now
she's listed in A and she has the ability to be a contender in any class. We know that she has expert guidance from Team Garcia, and if she can combine her stage presentation from the 2006 Excalibur, where
she was carrying a little bit of water, with the lines and conditioning that she brought to last year's North Americans then watch out.
There are several other competitors who have a strong chance to contend for the top, including Texan
Aketa Thomas who has
excellent delt caps and a very strong back. We love the muscle quality and vascularity of Hawaiian champion
Sarah Nakajima, who has a bodybuilding
background. She presents a total package and has an excellent stage presence, so we think she will be noticed and may crack the top five.
NPC San Diego class champion Lisa Sandercock
is one of our personal favorites but we'll see if she's carrying too much mass based on this year's
judging criteria. Mandy Henderson is very beautiful and
has great symmetry which really allows her to stand out in her one piece, while Mary Cencich has
a real opportunity to move up if she comes in a little tighter than she did in Chicago.
Denise Dinger is a true
inspiration to us and to many others and we'll be looking for her to finish in the top
ten as well.
Check out the rest of the Figure Class A contenders by going to the FigureRX USA's coverage page and clicking on each name for photos and contest histories!!
Return to the USA Figure Coverage and Photo Page
Proceed to the Class B Figure Preview
