Robin Parker IFBB Pro!
Congrats to Robin for winning the overall at the Teen, Collegiate, Masters tonight!
Christy Resendes!
Height: 5'5" Weight: 134-142 (contest) 150-165 (off season)At the age of 14 I watched my mother compete in her 1st bodybuilding show. I saw all the hard work and dedication that it took for her to compete and it inspired me. I decided to compete in the same show the following year. Having only weight trained and dieting for 3 months, I entered the ANBC Whaling City Bodybuilding Championships. I won best poser and the women's overall.
In 2005, I placed first in the open women's class at the Muscle Mania Atlantic. Then two weeks later, I decided to try an NPC show, which was not drug tested. I wanted to see how well I could do as a natural bodybuilder against women who were not natural. The 2005 New England Bodybuilding & Fitness Championship was held in Boston, MA. I knew realistically that I more than likely wouldn't even place, but I wanted to try anyway. I was the lightest woman in the women's heavy weight class, weighing 134 pounds. I ended up placing second in this show and the female that did win was 20 pounds heavier than me. It was a great competition and an awesome experience for me! Some of my other accomplishments include being a mother of three children ages 9, 5, and 1. I am enrolled full time and on the Dean's list at Bridgewater State College. I will be graduating with a Bachelor's degree in physical education in May of 2006. I am also a full time employee at the Acushnet Company located in New Bedford, Ma. I have had the honor of being a guest poser for my Theory/Practice Program of Resistance Training class. I was also featured in my local new paper, The Standard Times, for my bodybuilding accomplishments. Dr. Ellyn Robinson, a professor at Bridgewater State College, has done a flattering write up about my accomplishments last year which was posted on the Bridgewater State College website. I am also on my nutritionist's website, davelyford.com. My fitness goal is to be the best all natural for life bodybuilder that I can be. My ideal occupations would be fitness modeling, competing, and owning my own fitness facility. My life goal is to be the best mother that I can for my children.
Olympia response...
Dear Ms. Olympia Fan,
Thank you for taking the time to express your concerns about women’s bodybuilding and the Ms. Olympia competition. We share your concern for this sport, and we believe the flagging attendance and participation in women’s bodybuilding is something that can no longer be overlooked.
While female athletes at the professional level train and prepare every bit as hard as their male counterparts, as promoters we cannot ignore the thousands of fans who travel to the host site for the Olympia Weekend, but avoid the Friday night program and it’s centerpiece event, the Ms. Olympia contest. In 2004, for every five fans that attended the sell-out Mr. Olympia contest on Saturday evening, one fan attended the Friday evening program. Without changes to the events scheduled for Friday’s night, it would be unreasonable to expect attendance to grow.
As promoters we are obligated to produce an event that draws and entertains the largest possible audience of physique fans, while investing in a presentation that rewards and brings credit to the athletes and sponsors. The more successful we are at achieving these goals, the more we can continue to invest in the athletes and fans.
Our decision to move the Ms. Olympia competition to the main Expo stage is intended to provide an opportunity to schedule several new events on Friday evening. In addition, the Olympia expo on Saturday has a much more packed and exciting program than has been the case in previous years. One new initiative at Saturday’s expo is an Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) spectacular featuring an octagon with star fighters performing. Saturday’s compelling program of events will drive more traffic and enable the Ms. Olympia finals to grow its audience by virtue of tapping into the 15,000 plus fans we expect to attend the expo. We will also be showing highlights of the Ms. Olympia finals on Saturday night’s PPV broadcast.
We hope the additional expo audience and TV exposure (in tandem with the new IFBB judging criteria) can help the women revitalize their sport and return it to the popularity enjoyed in the mid to late ‘80s. In addition to these changes, we are increasing the prize money for the Ms. Olympia from $61,000 to $71,000 as part of our plan to continue investing in professional physique athletes.
We thank you for your concern and truly feel that the future growth of the sport of bodybuilding, for women as well as men, lies within the hands of its participants. We hope that 2005 will mark a turning point for the Ms. Olympia competition, and that the sport seizes this opportunity to fashion a new and successful future for itself.
Sincerely,
The Olympia 2005 Promotion Team
Real women have curves says Dove
You've probably seen the ads around town with the non-traditional models on them in all white. I saw them and liked the fact they are embracing women with curves and that's what their campaign and website is all about. Check it out and send in your own photo and opinion here.
Catherine Sansom-vanNederveen
Her photos are being shown in a gallery in Salt Lake City, UT. Check it out online as well.
An open letter from Heather Foster
Hello everyone!
I trust this e-mail finds you all in good health. As you all have now heard, the once prestigious Ms. Olympia finals has been relegated to a side show at the Olympia Expo. We are asking you to send e-mails informing your fans, family, friends, pro men bodybuilders, etc., asking them to write to each of the individuals listed below, voicing your outrage over the way the professional women bodybuilders are being treated. We have suffered many indignities over the years, yet we still remain professional, and continue to compete under less than ideal circumstances, and for very little prize money. They say we don't sell tickets, that no one wants to see us, yet we sold out the City Center Theater in NY!!! Wayne DeMilia made a statement to that effect in Flex Magazine, which is why he removed the other two divisions from the lineup the following year. So, those of us who attend the shows hear the difference in the reaction of the crowd when the female bodybuilders come onstage. I am in no way trying to take anything away from the other divisions (I have quite a few friends in both divisions). I am just stating a fact. So, I will encourage all the divisions, the amateur athletes, fans, family, friends, etc. to send an e-mail to each of the individuals below regarding this latest outrage. I do appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to to this. Thank you all in advance.
David Pecker: dpecker@amilink.com
Vince Scalisi: vscalisi@weiderpub.com
Peter McGough: PMcGough@flexmagazine.com
Healthfully Yours,
Heather
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