|
2008 NPC Junior Nationals Contest Report - Women's Bodybuilding
Return to the Junior Nationals Coverage and Photo Page
With a lot of the major stars in the amateur bodybuilding
ranks keeping their powder dry as they look toward the pro card qualifiers, there were several athletes in the small field at Junior
Nationals that served notice that they belong in that elite group.
Pittsburgh-area bodybuilder Amber DeFrancesco
stepped up to the national stage for the first time and swept the heavyweights and the overall women's bodybuilding title.
Amber, also the 2007 NPC Pittsburgh heavyweight and overall champion, weighed in at 150 lbs and posed extremely well to go along with
her natural beauty and outstanding legs. When she does step up to her first pro-qualifier she should do very well because of her
marketable look, but we recommend that she tone down the winking just a little bit. That type of interaction with the audience and judges,
combined with her presentation and charisma, was great in moderation but ended up being overdone just a little bit.
Ten of the judges placed Amber first but one judge
gave the top spot in the heavyweights to Monique Jones, a South Carolinian who at 5'9" and
167 lbs was taller than every figure competitor at the show. Monique looked so good it's safe to say that she did not lose, but
was just bested slightly this time around. The difference might have been the little bit of water in her lower abs during the
pre-judging, but Monique is a total package athlete with very symmetrical lines and a particularly remarkable back. Other than
the one first place vote she was the unanimous choice for second place in the heavies.
In the light heavyweights, Justine Dohring scored an almost
unanimous win with a sleek, symmetrical physique and excellent conditioning. Justine looks much better on stage and in person than
any photos we have seen of her prior to Junior Nationals. After Justine there was very little consensus among the judging panel
and we would have shaken things up a bit. Texas girl Deanna Harvick made the switch from figure in Charleston to bodybuilding in
Chicago, and she shouldn't look back because she looked beautiful and healthy and like she was enjoying the opportunity to flex on
stage. Deanna is the latest in a line of many successful crossover athletes that we see coming down the pike this year.
We have to include Dominique Durand in the perfect storm of Louisiana lightning that
hit Junior Nationals in figure, because she really stood out in this class. Like Veronica Miller, Dominique is from Lafayette and is trained by Robin Parker and she
has a background in Japanese Shotokan and professional wrestling.
She's also the 2007 NPC Louisiana State Bodybuilding Champion and has only been training for bodybuilding shows for a couple of years. We think Dominique
has that all important "it" factor and she has a bright future in the sport.
In the middleweights, Heather Bayer scored a perfect "5" with superb conditioning
and a symmetrical physique. Indiana's Kira Neuman took second on her way to even greater things later in the year and beyond. Kira is a FigureRX favorite
and was recently named one of the top ten amateur bodybuilders to watch in the United States. Fourth place finisher Lisa Aranda presented a pro-style physique including some of the
best quad development of the night.
Return to the Junior Nationals Coverage and Photo Page
|
