tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45135176808598792082024-03-13T08:21:16.967-07:00The Official Blog of Team EmergeTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-22218929159097562502013-08-20T07:30:00.003-07:002013-08-20T07:30:40.439-07:00Team Emerge and the CBBF 2013 National Figure and Bikini Championships
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This past weekend was the CBBF
Nationals and Team Emerge members Emily Zelinka and Emilee Farmer
were both bringing their personal best packages to Vancouver. Emily
Z was competing once again in Figure and Emilee F was competing for
her first time at Nationals in Bikini. Unfortunately I was unable to
attend the show as I had Head Judge commitments at the Fitness STAR
World Championships at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre but was
never far from my iphone to receive updates via text.</div>
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So how did it go for Team Emerge? Lets
start with Emilee and her first time on the National stage. I was
receiving texts regarding nerves early in the day, obviously this is
normal for anyone competing let alone competing for the first time at
Nationals. I was hoping that both girls would be able to meet up
with one another at the event to support each other physically and
emotionally but sadly the categories were divided in such a way that
this wasnt possible. I assured Emilee that her nerves were normal
and to focus on what we have worked on in the studio and walk out and
own that stage.</div>
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After Emilee came off stage she
messaged me to inform me that she wasnt in the first call out and
that she thinks she made errors in her presentation and posing.
Again, first time out on a big stage little mistakes can happen and
this is why I HATE not being able to be with my competitors before
they go on stage to go over everything again. Anyway, not being in
the first call out doesnt always mean a bad placing but it doesnt do
anything to instill confidence either. I told Emilee to stay focused
and positive and we will see what happens later in the evening.</div>
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Now to Emily Z, she contacted me in the
morning feeling very positive, happy with how she looked and felt.
For Emily this is almost second nature as she has stepped on this
stage and dominated many times before. She was looking forward to
getting on stage and showing off her post baby body, which funny
enough was the best her body ever looked.</div>
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When Emily came off stage she informed
me that she was in the first call out and if she was to guess she
figured she was in 1<sup>st</sup> or 2<sup>nd</sup> place. Again,
you never know what your position on stage in pre judging means but
with Emily's experience on stage if she feels she is in the top two
she probably is and that’s enough for me to be excited.</div>
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The Results</div>
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As it turned out Emilee F not being in
the first call out did prevent her from breaking the top 5. She
ended up placing 8<sup>th</sup> out of 18 competitors which is great
for anyone to break the top 10 first time out, especially at 21 years
old and having only a couple shows under her belt before heading to
Nationals. Obviously she wasnt happy with the placing and I dont
blame her but she brought the best physique she ever has to the stage
and that is the main goal from there its up to the judges and
whatever they are looking for that day. From the pictures I have
seen of Emilee on stage I think she looked great and has so much
potential to compete in high level bikini and fitness model
competitions.</div>
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Now back to Emily Z, when the awards
were being presented her hunch about placing first or second was
correct. Emily ended up placing first in her class and headed off to
face the rest of the class winners for the overall. She has been in
this position before and the result was not what we had hoped for but
this time was different. Emily ended up not only winning her class
but also winning the overall and FINALLY being presented with
something that should have been hers years ago, an IFBB Pro card!!
Needless to say there are many people other than myself that are
super proud of Emily and pumped about her becoming a pro. I cant
wait to see how she does on the Pro stage in the future, what a great
story she has earning her pro status only months after giving birth!
She is an inspiration and I am so happy that we started working
together, she has come a looooooooong way since I gave her my honest
opinion on the package she brought to the stage at the North American
Championships years ago. She has blossomed into the best of the best
on stage and no one deserves it like she does:)</div>
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That's it for now, next step for Team
Emerge is on September 14<sup>th</sup> at the OPA Natural Provincial
Championships where Team Emerge member Ally will be competing to earn
her place on the National stage. Stay tuned.</div>
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<br />D</div>
Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-87383249059465990662013-06-02T11:36:00.001-07:002013-06-02T11:36:24.485-07:00The 2013 Oxygen/MuscleMag Fitness/Bikini Model SearchThis weekend at the Toronto Pro Show in
the Metro Toronto Convention Center there were many events going on
to entertain any fan of the fitness world. I however was there for
one reason, to watch Team Emerge members Ally and Emilee compete in
the Oxygen Fitness Model and MuscleMag Bikini Model Search
respectfully. Ally is just coming off of her second place finish at
the OPA show in London and this would be the first time on stage for
Emilee since her second place finish at last years OPA Provincial
Championships.
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Since Ally wasn’t able to compete
this weekend in the Open Provincial Championships she decided to do
the Oxygen Fitness Model Search as the competition bug has clearly
bitten her after her last show. Funny how a great showing and lots
of props from people can make someone want to compete again;) Emilee
wanted to do the MuscleMag Bikini Model Search just to get back on
stage again before she heads to Vancouver in August to compete at
Nationals.
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Ally had the largest amount of
competition in the Oxygen Model Search, they split the women into a
short and tall class. Ally was in the short class (25 competitors),
and as far as I was concerned only had one person to worry about in
that class. The thing with competitions like this is that there is
no standard, there is no specific look that is posted that they are
looking for so you don’t know if your client should be leaner,
softer, more muscled or less. They are a crap shoot and often judged
by editors, photographers and other random people, not actual fitness
industry judges. Needless to say that the judging is very
subjective, therefor I tell any of my clients competing in such a
show “do it for fun” because we have no idea what they are
looking for.<br />
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Anyway, Ally rocked the stage and was a
real stand out. When comparing her to the other girls in her round
it was clear that she had the best overall physique and condition,
again not necessarily what the judges are looking for. When they
called all the competitors on stage at the end of her round they made
their top 5 call out, Ally was the first person they called. Right
beside her was the one other girl I thought had the best chance
besides Ally to win. But bottom line, getting the first call out was
the best she could do for the day as the results weren’t going to
be given until Sunday.<br />
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Next up was Emilee and the MuscleMag
Bikini Model Competition, her category was not as large as Allys and
short and tall competitors were all grouped together. Watching each
person come out is always interesting at show, I (as a judge for
Fitness STAR International) tend to look for physique and
presentation flaws in everyone, including my own clients. When
Emilee walked on stage it was like the competition went to a whole
other level. Since Emilee is aiming for Nationals mid August she was
not in typical competition shape, she still has a few pounds of fat
to drop before Nationals but we thought that for this competition her
softer look might work in her favour.<br />
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Once Emilee's class was finished I had
seen some competitors that were extremely soft to ripped to shreds.
Again, not knowing what the exact look is that the judges are looking
for the physiques were all over the place. When it came time to call
the first call out once again Team Emerge was standing there, Emilee
also made the first call out. Her group was a mixed grab bag of soft
and extremely hard physiques, therefor I compared her to the other
softer girls. Out of the softer girls in the first call out she had
the nicer overall look, Emilee most definitely blew away every other
girl on stage with her back pose and looked great from the front too.<br />
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After the judging was over Ally, Emilee
and I met for a little pow wow. Basically I told them how i felt
they did and what we need to work on for the next show (not much
luckily). It was nice to see an “Emilee Fan” request a photo
with her and of course she dropped her dress to reveal her bikini
body again for his picture, such a gracious girl;) At that point we
went our separate ways and I wished them both luck for the awards
ceremony on Sunday which I unfortunately wouldn't be able to attend.
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The results are in and as expected they
are good. Ally came in second overall in the Oxygen Fitness Model
Search and Emilee came in first in the MuscleMag Bikini Model
Search!! Both girls did an amazing job on stage and even though they
both had different looks they clearly had looks that the judges
couldn’t overlook. On to bigger and badder competitions with a
little bit more air in everyone’s tires. Look for even more
improved performances the next time they step on stage, sure glad I
chose both these girls to be sponsored they are doing exactly how I expected;)</div>
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<br />D</div>
Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-85408927915156753062013-05-29T10:36:00.000-07:002013-05-29T10:36:17.440-07:00Belated update for 2013 GNC Stephanie Worsfold Classic
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Im sorry to be posting this so late but
I was in France for 10 days while Ally was competing at the 2013 GNC
Stephanie Worsfold Classic an OPA Natural competition. Today is the
first chance I got to sit down and review her performance in the show
and post about it.</div>
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Anyway, I wanted Ally to do this show
as I wanted her to qualify for the OPA Provencal Championships this
coming weekend, as it turns out since it was a “Natural”
competition she wouldn’t qualify for the show this weekend in
Toronto but the Natural Provincials in Sept in Hamilton. Either way
I gave Ally less than two weeks notice that she was ready to step on
stage and this was the event she would be doing. Needless to say she
was very nervous and thought that she didn’t look ready, even
though she looked amazing. I had to send her pics of top IFBB bikini
competitors on stage and compare her body to theirs to convince her
she was ready, physically anyway.</div>
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We only had one day to actually
practice posing and work on her stage presence which is where I knew
she needed the most work. I hated the fact that I wouldn’t be
there for her on the day of the show as I know how important the
mental side of stepping on stage is as well as how a few tweaks on
the day of the show to her poses etc. But unfortunately I couldn’t
be there physically even though I tried my best through texts, but
thats not even close to the same. A good thing is that Ally looked
so ready weeks out from the show that there would be no complex prep
required to step on stage, I wanted her to eat and drink like it was
a normal day. One less issue to worry about.</div>
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<br />Poor Ally had to endure delays with
her hair and make up on the day, just a couple more things to add to
the list of stressful events on show day. I assured her that
everything would get done in time and that she would look amazing.
Finally hair and make up was done and a pic was sent to me and like I
predicted she did look amazing:) Its always funny seeing my super
pale clients painted up and stage ready, what a difference.</div>
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I asked Team Emerge member Emily
Zelinka to keep an eye out for her as she was there working a booth
for her new sponsor Advanced Genetics (free plug). Fortunately they
got to meet up and Emily sent me a message saying how great Ally
looked on the day, I trust Emily's opinion 100% as I know, like me,
she will always give me the straight goods. Emily told Ally that
after watching her on stage she felt it was her show to win. That
made me feel very confident, that along with Ally informing me that
she was in the first call out.</div>
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Since I was in France and six hours
ahead of Ontario time I was in bed when the evening show was complete
and trophies handed out. I awoke to find texts and pics from Ally
informing me that she came in second place! Second place is great,
obviously, but I always hope for a first place finish. After
reviewing some pics from the show I felt that Ally honestly had the
most IFBB pro bikini physique. Saying that her abs are quite hard
which isnt going to be an easy fix to soften since her upper body
leans out easier than her lower.</div>
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<br />The major difference I saw between
her and the winner, keeping in mind I only had pics to go by, wasn’t
that the winner looked better but the pictures showed that she looked
way more comfortable on stage. Stage presence can come across in
pics just as easily as being there watching, and I knew this was our
week area. Saying that, Ally did awesome for a week and a half
notice and only one hour to practice posing with me. I can assure
everyone that the next time Ally steps on stage her presentation is
going to be improved big time!
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Ally's physique would enable her to
compete in figure too with an easy addition of a few pounds of
muscle, but bikini is where we both want her to be. Bottom line Ally
did great all things considered and she did it without anyone else to
be with her through the day which isn’t easy for most. As a
sponsor I am proud to have her represent me and I know Karen from KHP
was also proud to have her in one of her beautiful suits. I am
looking forward to Provincials in Sept and Ally moving on to
nationals to compete for her IFBB pro card in bikini.<br /><br />D</div>
Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-32025288736713395262013-04-05T06:33:00.002-07:002013-04-05T06:33:37.804-07:00Update on Sponsored Clients<span class="userContent">It has been a month since I started working with my sponsored athletes <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100000641461872&extragetparams=%7B%22group_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/kaycandice?group_id=0">Candice Kay</a>. <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=541050253&extragetparams=%7B%22group_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/emilee.farmer.3?group_id=0">Emilee Farmer</a>, <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100004322891335&extragetparams=%7B%22group_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/ally.alterego?group_id=0">Ally Reith</a>. I would like to give an update for Emilee and Ally so far, Candice's update will come next week.<br /> <br />
With Ally the goal was to put on a little more muscle and lose fat, she
was only 14% bf day one and in less than four weeks dropped to 10% bf,
while increasing her muscle mass! Ally has inc<span class="text_exposed_show">reased her lean mass by 4lbs and dropped 7lbs of fat. Just a few more tweaks to go and she will be stage ready in no time.<br /> <br />
With Emilee the goal was to gain 5+lbs of lean mass to fill out her
5'9" frame and to lose 12lbs of fat to be contest ready, her diet was
tuned to focus more on the lean mass gain to start. Her starting body
fat percentage was 17.2% day one and in less than four weeks it has gone
down to 13.6% and she has lost 5lbs of fat and gained 8lbs of lean
mass!!!<br /> <br /> Funny what a nutrition program based on science and not
what fitness people have followed for decades can do in a short period
of time. That along with a workout regime that takes recovery time into
account more so than gym time and reduced both women's time in the gym
dramatically. Great job ladies, keep it up:)<br /> <br /> By the way, no progress pics as I don't want to unveil anyone until we have a finished product.</span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">D </span></span>Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-74771594861000534182013-03-29T05:49:00.001-07:002013-04-05T06:34:03.720-07:00Exciting new additions to the Team and SponsorshipsI am proud to announce both a new Team Emerge member and a fitness industry internet phenom we will be working with.<br />
<br />
First I would like to welcome Fitness STAR pro Kerry Mcnie to the team. I will be working with Kerry to her body to the next level to get her ready for the Fitness STAR World Championships as well as get her ready to compete in the OPA. Stay tuned for what I know will be an amazing transformation!<br />
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Secondly I would like to announce that I will be working with fitness internet powerhouse<a href="http://www.bodyrocktv.com/"> BodyRockTv.com </a>and The Daily Hiit. I will be helping on air personalities get into even better shape as well as becoming <span class="userContent">their resource for information on nutrition and training.<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> <br />
Go to their website, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BodyRock.Tv">facebook </a>and Youtube page and check them out!
With over 600,000 subscribers on their Youtube channel and over
600,000,000 (thats right, six hundred million) views they are obviously
doing something right! BodyRockTv will also be sponsoring Team Emerge providing team attire for both competitions and the gym.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Keep checking back for more exciting news and updates on how the new team members are coming along.</span></span><br />
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<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">D </span></span>Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-60609305687262754322013-03-05T10:41:00.001-08:002013-03-05T10:41:27.994-08:00It's Been a While.......But we are back baby!!
So, I haven't posted anything in a while on the Team Emerge blog. A big part of that reason is that I stopped working with competitors, yes there were a couple people that I helped over the last year and change but nothing formally. If you have been following the blog its not hard to see when working with competitors started to decline. Posts were less and less as was the content. Anyway, not the case anymore.<br />
<br />
Sometimes in my line of work working with top notch fitness industry women can effect your home life. Some women don't feel comfortable knowing their man is surrounded by fitness models all the time (to put it mildly). To make someone happy I reluctantly took a step back from the competition scene. Now that that chapter is over and I am no longer with an insecure person, I started thinking about working with competitors again. I realized as much as I would complain about judging and standards that aren’t being followed at competitions I actually missed being part of the competition world, mainly watching my clients shine on stage, so I am back and I am putting a team together.<br />
<br />
Ok, enough relationship and competition hiatus talk and onto some exciting news.
A couple weeks ago I put the word out on facebook that I was looking for 2 women to sponsor for one year of competition. Full sponsorship including, training, diet, contest prep, posing, and even had Karen Phillips from KHP (the best of the best in competition suits) offer to sponsor who ever I did as she knows that I am only going to put a quality product on stage. Within a couple days I had messages from over 30 women (and a couple men) that were very interested in sponsorship. After reviewing applicants pictures and stories I arranged 6 face to face meetings.<br />
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If a picture can tell a thousand words seeing someone in person can tell a million words. After meeting everyone, from experienced competitors to first timers, I ended up choosing to work with three women not two. Today I would like to introduce the three women I will be working with:<br />
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Ally Reith – 31, never competed. I will be grooming her for bikini competitions and fitness modelling.<br />
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Emilee Farmer – 21, came in 3rd place for bikini OPA regional show, came
in 2nd place at OPA Provincials against 15 competitors, qualified for
CBBF Nationals in August. I will be grooming her for nationals as well
as fitness modelling<br />
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Candice Kay – 30, never competed. Established fitness model and spokes person, wore and wears many hats in the fitness industry. Also a working single mom with limited spare time. I will be grooming her for fitness modelling opportunities and we MIGHT see her on stage at some point.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2OzqdC5WGmw/UTY6Ro-qlVI/AAAAAAAAAbk/4Td89mrSx9k/s1600/candice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2OzqdC5WGmw/UTY6Ro-qlVI/AAAAAAAAAbk/4Td89mrSx9k/s320/candice.jpg" /></a><br />
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I am very excited to work with these three very different woman all with great potential. I look forward to watching them change week to week and keep you posted on how they are coming along.<br />
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Stay Tuned<br />
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DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-176220300867550952012-04-30T09:25:00.001-07:002012-04-30T09:25:15.728-07:002012 CBBF National NaturalsThis weekend was the 2012 CBBF National Naturals in Winnepeg Manitoba. Team Emerge members Simone and Shannon were there to compete in Bikini, Simone representing Ontario and Shannon representing Nova Scotia. Both of them looked great as usual bringing top notch stage presence as well as amazing physiques to the stage.
Shannon started prepping for the competition a little late and really had to do everything right in order to come in stage ready in time. She wasnt able to achieve her best physique on stage but her physique at 90% is still an amazing physique! Her amazing physique along with her professional stage presence and wow factor were enough to achieve 2nd place in her class! With a little bit more time 1st place would have been hers no doubt, but given the time frame Shannon had she did awesome!
Simone went into the show as the National CBBF Champion from the Saskatoon show this past summer. She also came with a great level of conditioning and as she puts it "a new bum". Her hard work over the past several months has paid off and she walked on stage looking the best she ever has. As usual she brought her A game and like Shannon, she also brought amazing stage presence. Once again Simone took the first place trophy!! Unfortunately didnt not win the overall and her IFBB pro card. Dispite not winning the pro card she carried herself like the champ that she is. Funny thing is, SImone scored the best out of any other competitor on stage including the winner of the pro card, strange how the best person doesnt always win...
Both women are looking forward to the next step and will bring even better packages to the stage next time (if its even possible;)).
DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-62401527661162842262011-10-05T08:39:00.001-07:002011-11-04T13:06:43.494-07:00Belated show updateSorry for the delay in posting recent Team Emerge results, I have so many things on the go right now it slipped my mind! Anyway, lets go back a few weeks to the 17th of September when new Team Emerge member Ania competed for the first time. She competed in the Fitness STAR Model Search World Championships in both the Athletic Fitness Model category and the Bikini category. <br /><br />As many of you know I am the Head Judge for Fitness STAR International but I do not actually score competitors competing, I write comments down so when competitors ask for feed back I have it. Therefor there is no conflict of interest if I have a competitor competing in the show. Anyway, back to Ania... I told Ania that she looked great the week of the show and knew she would do very well in the Athletic Fitness Model round, the Bikini class in Fitness STAR is a smaller softer look than in other organizations and I felt Ania was too lean and muscular for that category but let her enter for more stage time.<br /><br />It was clear when Ania's fitness model class came on stage that she was the standout, she looked great (despite a less than perfect spray tan). I decided to have her compete without doing a prep, no depletion what so ever, she walked on stage like it was a normal day. Her stage presence was very good for her first time (we have a few things to work on) and she showed herself very well.<br /><br />When she came on stage for the Bikini category I knew she was too conditioned and muscular but she still represented on stage bringing a Bikini body more suited for the OPA stage.<br /><br />When the awards were presented Ania came in 1st in the Athletic Fitness Model category and won best female abs too. She didn’t place in the Bikini category but we knew that wouldn’t be the case going in. All in all a great day and first show for Ania, already the photographers have been setting up photo shoot dates with her. Ania has more shows coming up this fall, stay tuned!<br /><br />On September 24th Team Emerge members Pam and Simone both competed in the 2011 Natural Ontario Championships. I wasn’t able to attend this show so all I can mention is their placings but before I do I would like to mention Pam's dilemma pre show. Pam and I met up a week before the show, she wasn’t planning on doing the show and had not been dieting for a competition but thought maybe she would try it to place top 5 and qualify for the National Naturals in the spring. <br /><br />Pam came to see me too access how she looked, she was not even close to her best but I told her to follow our depletion prep for a week and come see me the day before the show and we would decide at that point if it was worth stepping on stage. I do not like putting clients on stage if they are not at their best or damn near. When I saw her the day before the show she had improved but not where I would have liked her to be, we were sitting on the fence about having her compete but decided why not, it was worth the chance.<br /><br />Pam competed in Figure short class and masters. Pam came in 1st in the short class and 4th in masters qualifying for the Nationals in the spring, mission accomplished!!<br /><br />Simone was competing in Bikini and since she was the main athlete featured in the poster for this show she had to represent big time. Simone not only won her height class but also the overall again! Needless to say both girls represented very well and I cant wait to see what happens in the spring!!<br /><br />D<br />(Pictures to follow)Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-84778556391541327202011-08-26T09:57:00.000-07:002011-11-04T13:06:43.502-07:00Announcing a new Team Emerge member<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zI950W4r7eU/TlfSCUhWxvI/AAAAAAAAAa4/DJwLaNljkjk/s1600/shannon.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zI950W4r7eU/TlfSCUhWxvI/AAAAAAAAAa4/DJwLaNljkjk/s320/shannon.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5645211595242391282" /></a><br />I am pleased to announce new Team Emerge member Shannon Lynch! Shannon is another top level addition to the team, she is a National Level Bikini Competitor, former WBFF Pro and a sought after fitness model. Shannon has joined to team (like others) to follow a better and healthier approach to getting contest or photo shoot ready.<br /><br />Shannon flew from Halifax to Toronto to meet me in Oakville to train and get her nutrition on line. This type of dedication excites me about our future working together. I am looking forward to seeing her new Team Emerge body in the near future. Expect even bigger things from Shannon in late 2011 and beyond! <br /><br />Welcome aboard Shannon!<br /><br />DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-46823525262539431782011-07-24T09:03:00.001-07:002011-08-06T12:02:43.346-07:00The 2011 CBBF National Figure & Bikini ChampionshipsThis weekend was the 2011 CBBF National Figure & Bikini Championships in Saskatoon. Team Emerge members Simone (bikini) and Emily (figure) were there representing the team. Emily was looking to defend her national title from last year and to compete for an IFBB Pro card in Figure. Simone was there for the first time looking to win her class and compete for an IFBB Pro card in Bikini. <br /><br />I spoke with both of them prior to the competition and there were both feeling pumped and ready to compete. Emily looked better than she did last year with significant improvements to an already very complete physique. Simone was bringing the same package that she brought a couple weeks ago to the OPA Henderson Thorne Natural Classic where she won the overall. On the morning of the show both girls expressed that they were physically and mentally ready for the stage.<br /><br />During prejudging both girls were in the first call out for their classes and very confident about how they did. Simone and Emily both felt they had a very good chance of winning their class (although you never know what can happen) and were very eager to get back on stage to find out how they did.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JmCo2IEBSKY/Tj2PPVntfyI/AAAAAAAAAao/DQ2-1DN1-JQ/s1600/Simonenat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JmCo2IEBSKY/Tj2PPVntfyI/AAAAAAAAAao/DQ2-1DN1-JQ/s320/Simonenat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637819802202242850" /></a><br /><br />I wasn't able to attend the show in person so I was anxiously waiting for updates once the evening show started. I got a phone call from Simone as soon as she stepped off stage, “I won my class! Gotta get back on stage for the overall!” A short and sweet phone call that left me happy for her that she won her first National title but nervous now that she was competing for the overall and a pro card. I didnt have to wait long for the second phone call, “I didnt win the overall” is what I heard and I was disappointed for Simone. She however was very upbeat about the experience and was already focused on competing at the North American Championships in Cleveland. “That's originally where you said you wanted me to win my pro card remember?” She was right, from the start everything we have done with her look was based on what the US judges are looking for. <br /><br />After talking to Simone she went back to the competition to watch Emily's class and report back to me. Shortly after a text came through from Simone informing me that Emily came in 2nd place. In most circles 2nd place at a National show would be received with cheers as its a great achievement but I knew that wasn't going to be the case for Emily. Going into a competition that you won the year before and bringing an even better physique you expect to repeat. We expected Emily to come first and take the overall this year(like she should have last year) not to come in 2nd place.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A4RHz3hMGc8/Tj2PgJnexxI/AAAAAAAAAaw/PUuJtFARAEo/s1600/Emily2nd.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A4RHz3hMGc8/Tj2PgJnexxI/AAAAAAAAAaw/PUuJtFARAEo/s320/Emily2nd.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5637820091037828882" /></a><br /><br />My phone rang again and it was Emily on the other end. Without getting into the nitty gritty details I can say that Emily was quite upset by her placing. She has come in 2nd place at competitions in the past and been proud of the placing but this was not one of those times. Emily is the most laid back competitor that I have ever worked with and has always rolled with the punches but this show was different. After talking for a while she was slowly getting back to the Emily I enjoy working with. <br /><br />I want Emily to refocus on joining Simone at the North Americans where she has done very well in the past. She is going to take some time to think about the next step before confirming one way or another which I totally agree with.<br /><br />So, all in all it was technically a great show for Team Emerge, two competitors entered the competition and we came back with a 2nd place and a 1st place National Title. Honestly I thought we would be coming back with trophies but also two pro cards. Simone and Emily both looked amazing and represented for the team very well. I am proud to be associated with two top notch competitors and people. Great job ladies!<br /><br />DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-75374421524332316332011-07-12T13:11:00.000-07:002011-07-12T13:15:02.803-07:00Henderson Thorne Natural Classic 2011<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hfQ9vFi3u38/ThyrEy6lRMI/AAAAAAAAAaY/JRJ28hw1G28/s1600/Simone%2Bnaturals.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hfQ9vFi3u38/ThyrEy6lRMI/AAAAAAAAAaY/JRJ28hw1G28/s320/Simone%2Bnaturals.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5628561733181588674" /></a><br />This past weekend was the OPA Henderson Thorne Natural Classic 2011, and the only Team Emerge competitor competing was bikini competitor Simone. Like mentioned in a previous blog entry one of Simone's goals was to compete completely natural, walking on stage as healthy as could be. Competing in a “Natural” tested show was the best way to showcase this desire and achieve this goal.<br /><br />Last show we tried a different look for Simone with bangs, we weren’t happy with the way that style looked on stage and decided to go with a more “natural” look. We also changed up the suit, as a matter of fact Karen from KHP literally made the suit last minute that day! When Simone put on her suit and entered the back stage area Karen commented on how amazing her body looked compared to last year. I had to agree, she looked tight but full and she looked healthy. She had a lean face but full not sunken, her arms and legs were shapely and tone without being ripped, and her torso was lean and tight without showing too much abdominal definition. In other words, she looked just like the standard!<br /><br />When Simone's class walked on stage Simone (as usual) stood out because of her wow factor. Her walk, the way she strikes a pose and her transitions were all professional grade. We had spoke about a slightly different stage presence than last show and she pulled it off perfectly. I knew that Simone would take this class and it was going to be a matter of facing the other winners in the other classes. <br /><br />After Simone came off stage her husband and I met up with her to tell her how great she looked and performed. At that point we had approximately 5 hours until the evening show so we went our separate ways, I lived 20 minutes away and went home. Unfortunately I ended up with a killer headache and called Simone to inform her, she let me know that she was ready for the evening show with or without me :( kidding. I told her what I thought she needed to do on stage to stand out from who I thought would be the winners of the other classes when she made it to the overall (which I was confident she would be competing in) and asked her to keep me posted.<br /><br />A few hours later Simone informed me that she won her class and then the overall!! I was soooo happy for her as was she, that night we proved to many that you can follow a natural healthy approach and not only be competitive but be the best!<br /><br />Congrats Simone! Next step Nationals, look out Canadian Bikini Competitors!<br /><br />DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-70725065477932590872011-06-19T16:11:00.000-07:002011-06-22T13:35:26.790-07:00OPA Provincial Championships<div>This weekend was the 2011 OPA Provincial Championships and for Team Emerge and it twas the debut of the NEW Simone Sinclaire as a Team Emerge member.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DtTSDk4I3Ns/TgJRnGAsJ2I/AAAAAAAAAaQ/KyqShnrsFoY/s1600/siomone%2Bback.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DtTSDk4I3Ns/TgJRnGAsJ2I/AAAAAAAAAaQ/KyqShnrsFoY/s320/siomone%2Bback.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621145016982054754" /></a><br />The goal with Simone was to get her on stage 100% natural, to step on stage with only training and diet not with any other aids. Mission accomplished, she stepped on stage eating like a normal day, no special prep and no supplements just like I did with Justine Munro and Silvana Simoni before their IFBB pro wins. Simone felt the best she ever felt the day of a show and if you ask me, looked the best. Her body was lean and at her muscles and face were full. With any bikini competition the judging can be subjective and Simone came out with a 2nd place trophy at the end of the day. Saying that we spoke to one of the OPA judges that stated that he and others had her in first place and he was shocked to find she came in second. This show was the biggest OPA show in history and the judges were given very little time to judge each class so mistakes might have been made. Not that it matters as at the end of the day as this show was just a stepping stone to the actual goal, the Nationals or North American Championships.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qEEKrsbnvbM/TgJRM8bAdSI/AAAAAAAAAaI/quvxY2MIpEQ/s1600/simone%2Bfront.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qEEKrsbnvbM/TgJRM8bAdSI/AAAAAAAAAaI/quvxY2MIpEQ/s320/simone%2Bfront.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621144567731483938" /></a><br />I'm not the type of trainer to say my client got robbed but in this case it was pretty clear that she stood out from the others. Saying that its not me judging, it's other people. We will go with the fact that she came in top 3 which means she qualifies for the Nationals and the North Americans, which is the way I have designed her look and what I was shooting for anyway. All in all I am happy that she moves on to bigger and better things and that the main goal was accomplished.<br /><br />Regardless of the second place, I'm very happy with the way Simone represented on stage and I see BIG things for her in the immediate future! She looked the most polished of any other competitor on stage and brought an IFBB pro presentation. I, as well as several OPA judges, cant wait to see what she does at Nationals and/or The North Americans.<br /><br />Rose Rayfield who recently came back to Team Emerge (realizing that she looked the best with Team Emerge) also competed in the Oxygen Fitness Model search competition. This competition was held at the Toronto Pro Show Fitness Expo at the same time as the provincial championships. At 42 she looked amazing, at any age she looks amazing, she didn’t win yet she looked awesome against tough competition which is all we can hope for.<br /><br />Rose and Simone represented very well for the Team Emerge brand, as always I am very happy how my team did and hope that this inspires others to compete without resorting to extreme measures.<br /><br />Team Emerge rocks!<br /><br />Thanks to Willie Lam for supplying the photos<br /><br />D</div>Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-27578040186412809362011-03-28T10:37:00.000-07:002011-03-28T10:39:33.852-07:00Introducing New Team Emerge Member<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZpybU3Ql9BE/TZDHkTX0EwI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/XdxOVrsArqI/s1600/photo1.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZpybU3Ql9BE/TZDHkTX0EwI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/XdxOVrsArqI/s320/photo1.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589186564056158978" /></a><br />I would like to welcome bikini competitor, fitness/glamour model and TV personality Simone Sinclaire to Team Emerge. She has come to Emerge to get away from they typical deprivation diets and over training approach that usually leads competitors to weight rebounds after competitions. With the Emerge approach I ensure clients like Simone easily maintain a photo shoot body composition year round in a natural healthy way. <br /><br />With Simone’s existing base and the Emerge approach I am very excited about what the future holds for Simone, I know we will be seeing a lot of her. I can’t wait to see the new and improved Simone on stage, what stage and when? Stay tuned.<br /><br />DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-26925390601311028692011-03-06T11:30:00.000-08:002011-03-22T18:53:18.433-07:002011 IFBB Arnold Amateur<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-63lW09ODHs8/TYlSZZTuZKI/AAAAAAAAAZs/LQuhAKjbRKQ/s1600/facebookem.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-63lW09ODHs8/TYlSZZTuZKI/AAAAAAAAAZs/LQuhAKjbRKQ/s320/facebookem.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587087408973636770" /></a><br />This week Team Emerge member Emily came from London to the Emerge Oakville studio to work on her presentation before hitting the stage at the2011 IFBB Arnold Amateur. Usually I can find something to critique about the way one on my competitors walk or pose but as much as I tried Emily was flawless. Its crazy how polished and professional she presents now compared to a year ago. Of course Emily has her training and nutrition down and looked great considering she was water and sodium loading!<br /><br />We talked about the level of competition she would be facing against 27 of the top figure competitors in her class on the planet. Emily was shooting for a top 5 placing against this calibre of competition. I told her (not that I had to) that she is one of the best and would be bringing home hardware not just place top 5. Unfortunately I couldn’t attend the show so Emily assured me she would let me know how the prejudging went as soon as she got of stage.<br />Thursday evening 10:22pm Emily informs me that she made the first call out of 8 and that her placing was looking very positive. I was pumped and so was she, at that point it was just a waiting game until Saturday morning. Saturday morning came with a 3rd place trophy! Great start to what I expect to be a great year for Emily on stage.<br /><br />Congratulations Emily and enjoy your well earned Caribbean vacation (jealous)!Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-14042990621342714042010-11-09T07:05:00.000-08:002010-11-24T07:44:32.500-08:00Nov 6th 2010 FItness STAR and IDFANovember 6th 2010 was a busy day for Team Emerge. That day marked my debut as the new Head Judge for Fitness STAR where we had two competitors competing for the first time ever and we also had one of the original Team Emerge members Cindy competing at the IDFA show.<br /><br />Lets cover Fitness STAR first. We had Tanya and Dave competing in Athletic Fitness Model categories, female and male. Both had never stepped on stage before but wanted to give it a try. I am not one to throw people on stage just because so I told them day one if they didn’t look the part the week of the show they will not be stepping on stage. Luckily they did look the part.<br /><br />Tanya came out in the first swimwear category and when she walked on stage in her bikini I was pleasantly surprised at how good she looked! The body looked great but the stage presence could have used a little more tweaking, we knew that was going to be the main issue going in. She stood out as one of the girls to beat on stage despite the less than perfect stage presence (very few people feel comfortable on stage first time out). Saying that she was in a class of 14 and there was some tough competition in that class.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TOv-32hAO5I/AAAAAAAAAZM/49VB4fQ1KUI/s1600/tanya.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TOv-32hAO5I/AAAAAAAAAZM/49VB4fQ1KUI/s320/tanya.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542804001889729426" /></a><br /><br />When Dave came out in his swimwear category he looked pretty comfortable, sure the stage presence could have been a bit more polished but it wasn’t bad at all. Dave was competing against some guys that won the genetic lottery to say the least. At the end of the day Dave definitely looked the part and belonged up there with the best of them.<br /><br />During the break I filled both Dave and Tanya in on what they needed to do for the next round and that all centered around improving stage presence. Being head judge I didn’t want to seem like I was favoring my clients (which I wasn’t, I was giving them the same info I would have regardless of my position that day), so I also spoke to many other competitors on how to improve their game for the next round.<br /><br />One thing I would like to mention, I have never been at a fitness event before with the positive vibe I felt backstage at the Fitness STAR event. Seeing competitors helping one another regardless of what team they are from or who they are competing against was amazing. Fitness STAR is so different from any other competition I have been too and I am very proud to be part of it going forward.<br /><br />Anyway, back to the action. In the sportswear round Tanya came out and showed an improvement in her stage presence. Dave came out in the same fashion, he looked very comfortable in this round and the crowd responded. <br /><br />All in all both Tanya and Dave did very well, at this point I am not 100% sure of placing as I was so busy with other responsibilities I didn’t have time to check but I believe they both just missed placing and came in 4th. Either way, great first time out against great competition. <br /><br />Meanwhile over at the IDFA Cindy was representing Team Emerge solo. From what I have seen in pics Cindy looked amazing. I told her leading up to the competition that she was going to bring the best package to the stage she has to date. Sure enough she did, everything fell into place and she looked the best ever.<br /><br />Cindy ended up winning her class in the Masters division and ended up winning the overall for Masters. Then she won her class in the open division and ended up winning the overall in the open to become the new IDFA Figure Pro!!! Cindy has had some undeserved 2nd placings over the years and its nice to finally see her achieve a pro card in an organization which is all she ever aspired to do. My only regret is not being able to be there to celebrate with her and her husband Glen.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TO0yjNLDECI/AAAAAAAAAZc/VBw5JE_I2lM/s1600/cindy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TO0yjNLDECI/AAAAAAAAAZc/VBw5JE_I2lM/s320/cindy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543142296775757858" /></a><br /><br />It looks like it was another good competition weekend for Team Emerge, another pro card win and two new competitors on stage. My debut as the Fitness STAR head judge was a success and I learned a lot about what I will be required to do for future shows and that has made me realize what I can add to those duties to make future Fitness STAR events even more fun for competitors and the audience alike.<br /><br />DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-207464254921666412010-09-07T09:20:00.001-07:002010-09-07T09:30:54.987-07:002010 IFBB North American Bodybuilding, Figure, Fitness and Bikini Championships ResultsThis was the first year in a while that I didnt make it down to the North American Championships in Cleveland. I usually enjoy this trip due to the great restaurants in the area, oh and the show is pretty good too;) With wedding planning at the early yet important stages I had to stay home to visit halls etc.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs630.snc4/59013_424600788586_500923586_5090275_7148503_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 478px; height: 720px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs630.snc4/59013_424600788586_500923586_5090275_7148503_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Anyway, Team Emerge's Emily made her way down to Cleveland this weekend to compete against the best competitors in the continent. After hearing from her after the morning show we knew she was in the first call out therefore the top 5 competitors in her category. She felt she looked right and her stage presence was right on. <br /><br />At the end of the Evening show she contacted me to inform me that she had come in 2nd place! Great work Emily!! Last year 9th and this year 2nd is a huge improvement. I feel 2011 is going to be Emily's year, this was just a taste.<br /><br />Congrats again Emily on a hell of a season!<br /><br />DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-21000776876713904552010-09-02T09:21:00.000-07:002010-09-02T09:25:04.024-07:002010 IFBB North American Bodybuilding, Figure, Fitness and Bikini ChampionshipsTeam Emerge member Emily will be heading to Cleveland today to compete this weekend in the IFBB North American Championships. I am hoping that after last weekends successful win and her 2nd place at the Arnold armatures earlier in the year that she walks away with another win and hopefully an IFBB Pro card. Team Emerge member Silvana cleaned house last year winning an unprecedented 4 catagories to earn her pro card. Is there a repeat for Team Emerge??? Time will tell, good luck Emily!! <br /><br />DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-39251980550263984132010-08-30T11:33:00.000-07:002010-08-31T04:57:45.065-07:002010 CBBF National Figure, Fitness and Bikini Championships ResultsWow what a day I had at the CNE this past Saturday. I didn’t step foot on any rides but it was a roller coaster of a day! On a side note Team Emerge trainer Brandon did step on a ride after our lunch of curried goat and almost lost his lunch, anyway back to the real reason we were there, the CBBF National Figure, Fitness and Bikini Championships!<br /><br />This year we had three girls competing at Nationals, Emily in Figure Tall, Adrianna in Bikini Short and Justine in Bikini Tall. As usual the Team Emerge competitors were more than ready to compete, they all looked incredible! I had high hopes going into the competition this year as we have been on a roll and there was a lot of talk about Emily and Justine from industry insiders leading up to the show. <br /><br />First I would like to talk about Adrianna. Its funny when I think about how she wanted to compete in Figure at the beginning of the season and I said I wanted her to do Bikini instead. I love when clients listen to me because I USUALLY know what I am talking about. Thankfully she did listen because she is a natural in that class, if you read previous posts you will find she placed first at her first show qualifying for Provincials and then placed first at Provincials qualifying for Nationals. At prejudging Adrianna stepped on stage and looked stunning in her gold bikini. She came out looking very confident and had great stage presence. Like all classes at Nationals there were a lot of great looking competitors in her class. They ranged from quit thin to more muscular, Adrianna being one of the more muscular girls.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv6DrlVDRI/AAAAAAAAAXU/akZR3PAm838/s1600/IMG_3327.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv6DrlVDRI/AAAAAAAAAXU/akZR3PAm838/s320/IMG_3327.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511273510163778834" /></a><br />Typically the first call out for competitors contains the top 5 competitors; unfortunately Adrianna was in the second call out. The first call out was made up of the thinner competitors not the more athletic ones. Despite the call out you never know where someone is going to place until the evening show. After prejudging Adrianna was in good spirits and said she enjoyed herself regardless of the outcome. I told her she looked great and did a great job on stage (except for looking a bit too relaxed at the back of the stage where I feel you should still be “on”) and we will see what the judges think later. Unfortunately the call outs for the morning dictated the evening results. Adrianna didn’t make the top five but definitely placed in the top 10 first time at Nationals which is awesome.<br /><br />Emily had quite the ordeal getting to the show to begin with, we were texting back and forth and I was informing her of the Figure Short Class being on stage and she was still trying to get into the CNE. This was one issue that I had with the show, it was a pain in the ass trying to get to the event. The roads were jammed going to the CNE and it was a maze once you got there to find the venue. Anyway luckily Emily did get to the venue on time, BARELY. When she arrived her class was already lined up to go on stage, so no pump up or touch ups for her she had to take off her track suit and line up immediately.<br /><br />When Emily walked on stage I was pumped, everything we had been working on fell into place. Her walk was amazing, I know that sounds strange for those that aren’t that deep into the competition world but stage presence is HUGE and she walked with a swagger and confidence. Those hips were moving like they never did before, she wasn’t the tom boy I usually see walk into the studio she was a sexy beast;) The first round of prejudging for Figure is in a black bikini so everyone is judged equally. She looked great from her hair and make up to her over all balance. Every pose was perfect as were her transitions. I recall Brandon mentioning that she really stands out over everyone else on presentation, she looked so much more polished than everyone else on stage.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv6fRvB8yI/AAAAAAAAAXc/r17nzfN_tr4/s1600/IMG_3302.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv6fRvB8yI/AAAAAAAAAXc/r17nzfN_tr4/s320/IMG_3302.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511273984261485346" /></a><br />She was called out in the first call out and stood in the middle the whole time as they moved others around her (typically a good sign that she is the one to be compared too). I couldn’t see anyone with a better overall package on stage and I knew this was her competition. Brad (Emily’s husband) came over to ask me what I thought. I basically told him for me it wasn’t a case of hoping she wins the class it was a case of hoping she takes the overall and gets her pro card. Needless to say he agreed;) The second round in the one piece suit was no different than the first round, in the center of the first call out.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv7BE1tJpI/AAAAAAAAAXk/EN9jQ5xbTVs/s1600/IMG_3441.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv7BE1tJpI/AAAAAAAAAXk/EN9jQ5xbTVs/s320/IMG_3441.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511274564915373714" /></a><br />When she came off stage she came over with Brad and she was all smiles. After a big hug we all talked about the new walk and how others had commented to her about it as she came off stage. She brought sexy back;) I told her she has the class beat and I hadn’t seen any other competitor in Figure that day that could beat her for the overall. We all went our separate ways to eat and minutes later I received a pic text from Emily with a glass of wine, well earned!<br /><br />At the evening show Emily came out with her class and looked great (the wine didn’t hurt at all) after the whole class did their turns they left the stage and the three top competitors were called back, Emily being one. As the trophies were given out my heart was in my mouth, as were the hearts of the other Emerge peeps, Brandon, Paul and Liz. When Emily got first place everyone cheered for her and I waited for the overall. At this point my heart rate was probably 150+. Looking at the other class winners I said to my crew “she has this”. Unfortunately she didn’t have it. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv7dA9j2II/AAAAAAAAAXs/GPNBLVVvlfs/s1600/IMG_3519.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv7dA9j2II/AAAAAAAAAXs/GPNBLVVvlfs/s320/IMG_3519.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511275044910913666" /></a><br />For those of you that don’t understand the politics at Nationals let me fill you in. Its not always the best competitor on stage that day that gets a pro card its often the one that paid her dues the most. The winner of the pro card this year was in line for some time and has competed and won at Nationals many times. I HONESTLY feel that Emily had the best package on stage that day (as do the judges I spoke to) but she hasn’t paid enough dues yet I guess…. Oh well, either way I am super proud of how she did and from the comments I got from insiders she made me look like the man;) She will be off to the North American Championships next week to see if she can get that pro card down south. She is definitely in the hunt!!<br /><br />Finally we come to Justine (why do I always end my blogs with Justine??), I guess I like to save the best news until last… SPOILER! I saw Justine as she was getting her make up done when I first arrived at the venue. As usual she was the consummate pro, calm as could be and ready to claim what we have been talking about since day one. Mentally this was her show to lose, the IFBB pro card is what we have been working for and Justine wasn’t going to let anyone take it from her.<br /><br />When she came out on stage for the prejudging there was disproportionately more screams and cheers from the audience for her than any other person in her class. She came out in typical Justine fashion with her confident and deliberate stride. Needless to say this was the toughest competition she had faced to date and a lot of the girls looked great. Saying that, Justine still stood out with that blonde mane of hair and an amazing white Swarovski crystal bikini made by KHP designs (again, great job Karen). As the girls went through their turns you could see the ones that were pulling out all the stops to show the judges everything they had. In Justine fashion once again she got into a pose and held it, no need to show 20 different poses, she dosent need too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv8ZQWEpyI/AAAAAAAAAX0/F9NqdOzZj5c/s1600/IMG_3377_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv8ZQWEpyI/AAAAAAAAAX0/F9NqdOzZj5c/s320/IMG_3377_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511276079832409890" /></a><br />The first call out came and Justine was dead center, they moved everyone around her to compare and it was clear she was the one to beat. Once again the girls were fidgeting all over the place but Justine stood there in her pose looking at the judges and smiling. After a few turns, spins of the crystal tassel and a few cutesy shoulder shrugs she left the stage to wait until the evening show. When she came off stage I told her that she has this class and she will be in the overall and it’s a no brainer, she is bringing home another IFBB pro card for Team Emerge! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv8_CYWrMI/AAAAAAAAAX8/hSIIDcGGIgg/s1600/IMG_3549.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv8_CYWrMI/AAAAAAAAAX8/hSIIDcGGIgg/s320/IMG_3549.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511276728918912194" /></a><br />During the intermission between both shows Justine was approached by a few people that had little negative comments about her presentation. These comments didn’t bother her but they bother me! I tell my competitors to listen to one person, ME. I am known for giving the bad not the good more often than not. If I think there is a problem I will say there is and here is how we will fix it. Justine is perfect on stage and anyone that says otherwise is doing so to mess with her head and nothing more. Being the “pro” that she is she doesn’t let these comments effect her on stage but that is clearly the goal when people say these things. Everyone but Team Emerge has an agenda and it isn’t getting Team Emerge competitors ahead it’s the opposite. I guess these other “trainers” and insiders are lucky that I don’t play dirty and try to get into other peoples heads, I focus on my team and making them as good as I can so they can beat others on stage not mentally. Anyway, enough ranting.<br /><br />So, off we all went to eat lunch at the CNE food building. Justine being focused on the prize had her cooler packed with enough chicken, yams, tuna, pasta, etc. to last a week! She was set for food but the rest of us slackers had to mow down some dirty fair;) After a long, slow, sweaty break between shows filled with burns aimed at grossly overweight people eating garbage and Justine and Liz shaking their heads at Brandon and I for saying the stuff we did (all very funny if you ask me) we headed back for the Evening show.<br /><br />When the Justine’s class came on stage once again Justine got the biggest roar, at that point Brandon pretty well lost his voice. The girls all went through their turns and left the stage for the top to be called back. Justine’s mom came over to me and asked what I think, I said she won for sure. Justine was of course in the top three, hearts in our mouths again they started handing out the trophies and Justine came first! I new there was no way the winner of the short class could touch Justine for the overall. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv9Y9JtRrI/AAAAAAAAAYE/e7kWVVLEpTQ/s1600/IMG_3572.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv9Y9JtRrI/AAAAAAAAAYE/e7kWVVLEpTQ/s320/IMG_3572.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511277174191900338" /></a><br />As I predicted the overall came and went leaving Justine the overall winner and the new Canadian IFBB pro card winner! I was so happy for her, she has worked so hard and done everything right to get to this stage. I instantly thought back to the day we met and I told her I wanted her in the OPA and she would get her pro card in bikini this year. When she came off stage she was ecstatic as we all were, as she jumped up and down her parents convinced me to jump at least once, which I did;) I explained how big of a win this was to her family as they didn’t grasp the magnitude of winning an IFBB Pro status. For us its like being at the Oscars and coming home with best picture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv9zLlfDsI/AAAAAAAAAYM/57zDOXBMDNs/s1600/IMG_3617.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/THv9zLlfDsI/AAAAAAAAAYM/57zDOXBMDNs/s320/IMG_3617.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511277624743104194" /></a><br />We had to end the night right there as we all had commitments for later that evening. For me it was a great drive home, beautiful night for the top dropped down. I thought of how successful of a show it was, all three girls represented for Team Emerge and regardless of placing I was very happy. The wins and the pro card were the icing on a very dense, rich and tasty cake. Two IFBB pro cards in less than a year for Team Emerge and another shot at one next week, crazy. Congrats to all three girls job well done. Cant wait to see Justine on her first pro stage, its gonna be a trip!<br /><br />DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-17515916967287645542010-08-27T09:43:00.000-07:002010-08-27T09:47:59.266-07:002010 CBBF National Figure, Fitness and Bikini ChampionshipsTomorrow Team Emerge will be representing Ontario on the National Stage. We have Emily competing in the Figure Tall class, Justine in Bikini Tall and Adrianna in Bikini Short. Everyone is ready to go and bring a great total package to the stage.<br /><br />Less than a year ago today Silvana made Team Emerge proud bringing home an IFBB Pro card in Figure at the IFBB North American Championships, will we see another IFBB Pro card in Figure or Bikini this year??? I feel we will but I wont know for sure for about 36 hours....Stay tuned!!<br /><br />Good Luck ladies, not that you need it!!<br /><br />DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-76728042446846396462010-06-20T12:16:00.000-07:002010-06-20T12:50:04.751-07:002010 OPA Provincial Championships updateLast night was the OPA Provincial Championships and Team Emerge had 7 girls competing (some placings I know and others I am still waiting for). We had three girls in Bikini Short, Saira, Adrianna, and Gorretti. Three competing in the Bikini Tall class, Melissa, Justine and Nikki. We also had Pam competing in Figure Short. Before getting to the break down I would like to say that every team member was ready to compete and looked the part. We had different goals for each girl, some goals were to take home hardware and others were to make top 5 to move on to nationals. <br /><br />There was some wonky judging last night, at least in the categories I was watching. This isn’t a sour grapes comment, there were more than a few competitors less than happy with their placings. I even heard a judge told one of the Bikini competitors (not a Team Emerge girl) that the judges were told that the way they judge bikini is to” imagine they are on a beach and pick the competitor you would be more likely to approach”. What kind of description is this, this is nothing more than a personal preference and not a standard!? This explains some of results I guess, anyway back to the results.<br /><br />Half the team was dialled in 100% and were focused on bringing back hardware this would include, Adrianna, Justine, Saira and Pam. The other half Gorretti, Nikki and Melissa were not quite at 100% physique wise but still ready to step on stage (and look competitive, if Emerge girls won’t look right on stage they don’t go on stage) and show the judges they have what it takes to make top 5 and represent Ontario at Nationals.<br /><br />First person I want to talk about is Pam. Pam competed in a very tough Figure class, I’ll give credit where it is due and some of the girls looked terrific in this class. Pam looked the best she has ever looked on stage, her body has never looked as good as it did at this show. She presented very well and brought the best Pam she could to the stage. Despite looking the best she ever has she just missed out on the top 5 placing coming in 6th. We heard from OPA reps later that night that they thought she should have been in the top 5 and that she looked great. I have been training competitors for shows long enough to know anything can happen on the judges’ score cards especially in Figure and Bikini. Regardless, Pam did very well and I know she is going to do very well going forward. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5sjbsBUQI/AAAAAAAAAWc/MYlLVzTnik0/s1600/OPA+Provincials+2010+006+(2).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5sjbsBUQI/AAAAAAAAAWc/MYlLVzTnik0/s320/OPA+Provincials+2010+006+(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484940752167457026" /></a><br /><br />Next up is Melissa, she was competing in a very tough Bikini Tall class. I was hoping to get Melissa in the top 5 so we would have a few more weeks to improve her condition for Nationals. She looked great, especially when I think back to the struggles we faced over the year. Melissa never ceases to amaze me with her never say never take no prisoners attitude. I hadn’t seen Melissa in a bikini in a few weeks and I was very happy with how her body had changed in that time. Her stage presence was great and considering she was at about 75% ready I would still put her middle of the pack physique wise. I’m not sure where she placed yet but sadly it wasn’t in the top 5. Needless to say we weren’t over joyed with this placing and aren’t sure if it was conditioning or the edgy look Melissa is known for, who knows. I hope to find out what needs to improve or change so we can get back to the drawing board. Regardless of her placing I was very happy with how Melissa looked and performed, she is a fighter in more ways than one and I happy to have her as a part of the team.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5skFDzsUI/AAAAAAAAAWk/fitgAVy7HDo/s1600/OPA+Provincials+2010+152+(2).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5skFDzsUI/AAAAAAAAAWk/fitgAVy7HDo/s320/OPA+Provincials+2010+152+(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484940763273081154" /></a><br /><br />Saira competed in a very tough Bikini Short class (obviously every class was very tough) she looked amazing and brought a better overall package to the stage this time. I was expecting Saira to bring home a trophy for sure after her second place trophy at her first show. Her new suit (thanks KHP) looked great and so did her stage presence. For her second show she did extremely well against the best in the province. I thought that Saira had the one of if not the best physique on the stage and the way the call outs were done I would have bet she would have a top 3 placing. Unfortunately she ended up in 6th place to the shock of many. I know what we need to work on going forward and Saira is ready to do whatever it takes to get to the next level. Once she gets more comfortable on stage she will be a top contender every time she steps on stage. Despite her placing she enjoyed the experience and is probably enjoying some dirty food as I type ;)<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5qR9mXqlI/AAAAAAAAAVs/fB0hjtfhx4w/s1600/OPA+Provincials+2010+026+(2).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5qR9mXqlI/AAAAAAAAAVs/fB0hjtfhx4w/s320/OPA+Provincials+2010+026+(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484938253009660498" /></a><br />Nikki was competing hoping to place but aiming for a top 5 finish. Nikki has a great stage presence and is a real stand out on stage. Nikki wasn’t at 100% physique wise as she was unable to start training for the competition in time to get dialled in like she typically would. This was due to commitments that had her out of the country for some time. Despite not being dialled in as usual Nikki still looked great and had that wow factor when she came out on stage. One thing I will mention is Nikki did have a knack for ruining her spray tan. I have never touched anyone up as many times in one day in my life, I think I did more touch ups on her than the entire team combined;) <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5tiGNxjJI/AAAAAAAAAWs/7UhoYJSPIYc/s1600/OPA+Provincials+2010+328.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5tiGNxjJI/AAAAAAAAAWs/7UhoYJSPIYc/s320/OPA+Provincials+2010+328.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484941828735208594" /></a><br /><br />Gorretti was ideally shooting for a top 3 finish but realistically we were aiming for a top 5. Gorretti has had a challenging 6 months to say the least. There were many distractions that slowed down her contest prep. Like the competitor she is she pulled out all the stops to get into the best shape possible with the little time we had. When I saw her at the show in her bikini (again great job KHP) I thought she can place top 3! She looked great (not as great as I know she can and will but wow), very few girls can show themselves like Gorretti can. She knows how to show the good and hide the not so good like no other. When she came out on stage she looked glamorous and showed herself amazingly. I thought she had placed by the way the call outs were done but when the trophies her handed out Gorretti came in 4th. I can piss and moan about how she should have been at least 3rd but bottom line is she has qualified for Nationals and I plan on having the best Gorretti EVER on that National stage.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5tjABXpOI/AAAAAAAAAW0/aYInbbxsccU/s1600/OPA+Provincials+2010+237.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5tjABXpOI/AAAAAAAAAW0/aYInbbxsccU/s320/OPA+Provincials+2010+237.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484941844252435682" /></a><br /><br />Adrianna was competing in the Bikini Short class and is coming off her win in Stratford. Adrianna brought a better overall package to the stage this time. Her conditioning was spot on for the category and her stage presence was the best and most comfortable I have seen her. Her suit was amazing looking especially considering it came off the shelf at Victoria Secret!! Due to the call outs in the morning show I had thought that Adrianna was also in the top 3 (but what do I know). When the evening show came and they called out the top 5 in her class she was one of them. As the trophies were handed out one by one I was getting pumped to see her still waiting for hers. It came down to Adrianna and a very seasoned and well conditioned Ashley Harrison. Ashley came in second and Adrianna got 1st, I was so happy for her and couldn’t wait to see who she would be facing in the overall!!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5qRCt6hHI/AAAAAAAAAVk/CeH-sO0NJP8/s1600/OPA+Provincials+2010+025+(2).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5qRCt6hHI/AAAAAAAAAVk/CeH-sO0NJP8/s320/OPA+Provincials+2010+025+(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484938237203612786" /></a><br /><br />Finally we get to Justine. Obviously I had high hopes for Justine after her overall win in Mississauga, there was a huge response to her in Mississauga when she came out on stage first in her category. She was on stage first again this time and once again there was a huge response. She wore a new KHP suit and looked stunning. During prejudging she was on stage for quite a long time during comparisons against some great bodies. In the evening show when the top 5 were called she was included in the group. You never know what’s going to happen and after hearing the description for Bikini judging criteria I was hoping the judges liked blondes more than brunettes;) Like in the short class as the trophies were being handed out I was getting more nervous than pumped. I honestly expected Justine to win this class before the show even started so anything other than a win would have been unacceptable for me. Luckily a win is what we got!! I was very happy for Justine and her mom who was texting me every few seconds for updates;)<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5vy4Y7CLI/AAAAAAAAAW8/Mpzu2VTSsB4/s1600/OPA+Provincials+2010+114+(2).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5vy4Y7CLI/AAAAAAAAAW8/Mpzu2VTSsB4/s320/OPA+Provincials+2010+114+(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484944316104902834" /></a><br /><br /><br />When the bikini overall came I felt a sense of relief and pride as both my girls were standing on stage together going for the overall. It was a win win for Team Emerge regardless of the outcome but I was also great to see two team mates up there that would be extremely happy for the other person if they won. I have to say before I go on that we had a hell of a team at the show, everyone was very supportive of each other. From helping each other with their suits, colour, food and posing. It really felt like a team environment, great job girls! Anyway, the overall winner is.....Justine Munro! Once again she takes the overall and once again no one could argue with that result. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see Justine after her win as she had to rush home and I was occupied at the other end of the building. We spoke on the phone and reminded each other about how good of a team we are. <br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5vzVlkqmI/AAAAAAAAAXE/evbrQIeBttI/s1600/OPA+Provincials+2010+371.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TB5vzVlkqmI/AAAAAAAAAXE/evbrQIeBttI/s320/OPA+Provincials+2010+371.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484944323942591074" /></a><br /><br />All in all an event filled with ups and downs and everything in between. I am obviously happy with the domination of the bikini class (which I called in November and ensured it became a reality) but I expected more of the team to be standing on the national stage this year. I guess we have a little more work to do but at the end of the day the team made me proud to stand with them back stage. We showed every other competitor what it’s like to be a real team, hell Justine even asked me to touch up the colour on a girl competing against her. If us helping the competition don’t speak volumes about the type of people I work with I don’t know what does. Great job guys!!!!!<br /><br />As far as Nationals goes we now have the following girls competing: In Figure, Emily (who had a nice write up in Muscle Mag this month picking her as a front runner to win at nationals) and Lauren (will be working with the team to ensure her stage presence is the best it can be). In Bikini we have Gorretti, Adrianna and of course Justine. The rest of the girls will not be resting on their laurels so you will see them on other stages over the course of the summer. Stay tuned.Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-91655950185222377282010-06-07T06:34:00.000-07:002010-06-07T06:36:51.448-07:00Northern Cup Challenge resultsIt was another successful showing for Team Emerge at the Northern Cup Challenge<br />in Sault Ste Marie, ON this weekend. Team member Melissa Traynor stepped on stage in Bikini tall for the first time in the OPA. This also marked a major tuning point for Melissa as she has had a significant battle with her health and her body over the last year.<br /><br />I have worked closely with Melissa on her nutrition over the last year, for the record I have never come across a body as stubborn as hers was. We tried everything from high cals to low, high carb no carb, I even agreed to hours of cardio a day. Nothing worked and her weight and body comp wouldn’t budge. The medical field was the next logical step. Thankfully after seeing many doctors Melissa got the answers we were looking for. Finally now the old Melissa is almost back to 100%. I am very happy and proud that Melissa was able to compete this weekend and take another big step in her recovery.<br /><br />So how did she do? If all she did was step on stage I would have called it a success but the plan was to place top 5 to qualify for provincials and giving us another 2 weeks to improve. Not only did Melissa make the top 5 but came back with a third place trophy!!! Great job Mel, you’re back;)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TAz1y8v_GgI/AAAAAAAAAVU/HyfxcsvUCMM/s1600/melissa3rd.php"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/TAz1y8v_GgI/AAAAAAAAAVU/HyfxcsvUCMM/s320/melissa3rd.php" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480025102252710402" /></a>Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-20656163996601536832010-05-23T15:20:00.000-07:002010-05-23T17:46:51.039-07:00OPA Mississauga Championships UpdateLast November when Team Emerge member Nikki took the Bikini overall trophy for the first time in the OPA I said that we would dominate Bikini going forward. So far it looks like I am quite the fortune teller.<br /><br />Last month (April) Team Emerge member Adrianna competed in the OPA show in Stratford in the bikini short class. She was originally planning on competing in Figure but I felt that Figure was going back to the harder more muscular look of a few years back. She had the muscle to do figure but in the time we had she wouldn’t be lean and hard enough to be competitive. Despite never competing in bikini before I told her she should compete in bikini instead and we adjusted our focus to bikini. This was obviously a good decision as not only did Adrianna look the part but she placed first in the short class (Sadly only 2 people in her class but she looked the part regardless). She didn’t win the overall mainly due to presentation in my opinion. Adrianna didn’t have the stage presence of the tall class winner as we didn’t have a lot of time to work on posing prior to the show. Despite that Adrianna did very well for her first time out and I know she will look and present even better at the Provincials Championships next month.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_mq12Cmc8I/AAAAAAAAASs/nsRSttCwzmU/s1600/IMG_2293.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_mq12Cmc8I/AAAAAAAAASs/nsRSttCwzmU/s320/IMG_2293.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474594664061760450" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_mthPi0HII/AAAAAAAAAS0/gouBjbajsXY/s1600/IMG_2289.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_mthPi0HII/AAAAAAAAAS0/gouBjbajsXY/s320/IMG_2289.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474597608665390210" /></a><br /><br />Last night at the OPA show in Mississauga Team Emerge members Saira, Pam and Justine competed in bikini. Saira and Pam were in the short class and Justine in the tall class. This was the first competition for Saira ever, Pam has competed in the past in Figure but never Bikini and Justine has competed in Fitness model competitions but never in the OPA or Bikini. We were all excited about the show and this time the girls were ready to step on stage weeks before the show. We did no prep or anything special for the show, the girls walked on stage eating and drinking like a regular day. They felt great and it showed, no drawn tired faces back stage.<br /><br />Even though you never know what will happen on the judge’s score cards I had a feeling (as usual) the girls were going to do well. All it took to confirm my feeling was the reaction of many other competitors in the pump up room as our girls got into their suits and started strutting. Justine took off her track suit to reveal her red bikini (nice work KHP) and her new and improved Emerge physique. She started walking back and there was an instant change for the worse in the mood of many bikini competitors and trainers watching. I looked around and soaked it all in, ahhhhhh.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m1qdjdg9I/AAAAAAAAATU/JsRpfCoIIa4/s1600/IMG_2430.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 123px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m1qdjdg9I/AAAAAAAAATU/JsRpfCoIIa4/s320/IMG_2430.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474606563138044882" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m1qGnFmFI/AAAAAAAAATM/FLLTRGb5PGw/s1600/IMG_2439.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 166px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m1qGnFmFI/AAAAAAAAATM/FLLTRGb5PGw/s320/IMG_2439.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474606556979238994" /></a>The short class had 8 girls in competing and they were all shapes and sizes, Saira and Pam both came in with lean feminine athletic physiques. They both did extremely well despite not being as comfortable with presentation as some of the other girls. The goal was to place top 5 so they qualified for the Provincial Championships which would give us a few more weeks to work on stage presence. Pam ended up in 4th place, this placing came down to presentation as the description given that night by the OPA for a bikini competitor was as follows. A bikini competitor should look like a Victoria Secret model but with a more athletic body, they still should have some muscle shape and tone. The third place girl was very thin and didn’t have an athletic side at all. She was a pretty girl with good stage presence and that edged her past Pam. Pam still did great for her first time in bikini against some quality girls. Mission accomplished, she now qualifies in both Bikini and Figure Short at the Provincial Championships. We will decide which to compete in this week.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_mw-2sT2CI/AAAAAAAAAS8/lq7PGXB583U/s1600/IMG_2416.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_mw-2sT2CI/AAAAAAAAAS8/lq7PGXB583U/s320/IMG_2416.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474601415925291042" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_mw_KaJlKI/AAAAAAAAATE/AndNVUkSSBQ/s1600/IMG_2398.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_mw_KaJlKI/AAAAAAAAATE/AndNVUkSSBQ/s320/IMG_2398.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474601421217830050" /></a>Saira looked amazing and had her routine down, for her first time on stage she did very well. I knew after prejudging she was going to be 1st or 2nd, depending on how important stage presentation was to the judges. Like Pam, Saira needs just a little more time to get more comfortable with bikini stage presence. I felt Saira had the best physique on stage but was edged out by a girl that also had a good physique (not as good, especially from the back pose) and was very comfortable on the stage. I am sure if Saira could have smiled bigger and looked a little more confident she would have won, but earning second place against some of those girls was terrific . She did an awesome job for her first time on stage and I expect to see big improvements in both Saira and Pam for the Provincials; they will look like they were born on stage by then. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m3tiXYdGI/AAAAAAAAATc/8zKu7T7zato/s1600/IMG_2586.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m3tiXYdGI/AAAAAAAAATc/8zKu7T7zato/s320/IMG_2586.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474608814992421986" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m89IEbN9I/AAAAAAAAAT0/vtPxeJHThtQ/s1600/IMG_2597.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 247px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m89IEbN9I/AAAAAAAAAT0/vtPxeJHThtQ/s320/IMG_2597.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474614580369635282" /></a>When it was time for the tall class in bikini Justine was the first one to come out on stage. When she walked out it reminded me of the reaction Team Emerge member and IFBB Pro Silvana Simioni had walking out for the first time. There was a reaction from the crowd, the judges and the photographers that was different from other competitors. Everyone that came on stage after her couldn’t hold a candle even though there was some decent competition. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m7fNKcczI/AAAAAAAAATs/XwnFGUSm-4U/s1600/IMG_2624.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 145px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m7fNKcczI/AAAAAAAAATs/XwnFGUSm-4U/s320/IMG_2624.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474612966829355826" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m7ep2RCjI/AAAAAAAAATk/Um1lXv3zne4/s1600/IMG_2478.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m7ep2RCjI/AAAAAAAAATk/Um1lXv3zne4/s320/IMG_2478.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474612957349481010" /></a>Despite some of the competitor’s best efforts to steal the spot light (by going overboard with posing or trying to block Justine from the judges) Justine remained composed and stuck to her game plan. After being crowded with her front pose and transitioning into her back pose she gave her bikini bottom’s crystal tassel a spin with her hand getting a huge pop from the crowd. Every pose she hit was a great photo op for anyone with a camera, Justine moves around the stage as comfortably as she walks around her house! No surprise to anyone in the auditorium Justine was awarded the first place trophy for the tall class. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m-nMJ4arI/AAAAAAAAAT8/XPBRH4nht68/s1600/IMG_2657.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m-nMJ4arI/AAAAAAAAAT8/XPBRH4nht68/s320/IMG_2657.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474616402532395698" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m_x_MPvgI/AAAAAAAAAUE/_Auq4wNcCZI/s1600/IMG_2698.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/S_m_x_MPvgI/AAAAAAAAAUE/_Auq4wNcCZI/s320/IMG_2698.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474617687542840834" /></a>Then it was time for the overall. The winner of the short class had great stage presence as I mentioned earlier but Justine had amazing stage presence and a physique that matches the standard to the tee. As the two girls we put through the comparisons there was no question in my mind (and the minds of many) that Justine was the complete package. The short class winner looked and presented very well and depending on if the judges liked a thinner or curvier toned look it could have went either way. The girls left the stage and I was hoping that the direction I went with Justine’s physique was the right one. “And the overall Bikini champion is, Justine Munro!” She came out to a huge response from the crowd and took that big trophy off the stage.<br /><br />As usual I was approached by photographers and industry peers congratulating me on bringing another group of top notch physiques to the stage. Out in the lobby I hugged Saira and Pam and told them how well they did, Justine’s hug left Jan Tanna all over my kick ass white shirt. The overall win was totally worth the orange stains!! Another great show for the team and the Team Emerge domination continues. <br /><br /><br />The following Team Emerge members (so far) are qualified for Provincials in bikini: Justine(Tall bikini), Pam(Short bikini and/or short figure), Saira(Short bikini), Adrianna(Short bikini), Gorretti(Short bikini) and Nikki(Tall bikini). I expect to see the majority if not all of the girls stepping on the National stage right after Provincials. They will be joining Team Emerge member and Figure Tall National level competitor Emily Zelinka. Emily is coming off her successful appearance at the 2010 Arnold’s where she placed second in the Figure tall class and is aiming for her IFBB pro card at Nationals or the North Americans. <br /><br />Great job team we are setting the bar again.<br /><br />DTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-6897279615369970042010-05-05T12:51:00.000-07:002010-05-05T12:53:41.456-07:00UpdatesIt's been a while since I have updated the Team Emerge Blog. There have been more changes and additions to the team in recent months. I will post a complete update after the May 22nd OPA show as we will have 4 girls competing in that show and I am expecting good results.<br /><br />So stay tuned as there is lots of new stuff coming!<br /><br />DarrinTeam Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-28394931115717243202009-11-23T16:21:00.000-08:002009-11-23T16:45:35.033-08:00OPA London ShowSo, the last OPA show of the season and it was one of the best shows of the season for the OPA. Great competitors on stage and a pretty good turn out in the seats too. This was one of the best lit OPA shows I have been to enabling me to get better shots of the Team Emerge girls on stage. Lets find out how Team Emerge did.<br /><br />Prejudging:<br /><br />First Team Emerge girls on stage were Ashley and Janet, both competing in the Bikini Short category. Ashley came out and as usual rocked the stage, she looked a little tighter than the UFE show last week and I was very happy with how she looked and presented. Janet was the last girl in the class to come out and Janet also showed a great presentation, especially since this is her first bikini competition. After watching all the girls on stage I had Ashley or Goretti in 1st and Janet 3rd or 4th, by my eye anyway.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/SwsscyLCZCI/AAAAAAAAARc/JkX9wxBQ9Js/s1600/IMG_0750_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/SwsscyLCZCI/AAAAAAAAARc/JkX9wxBQ9Js/s320/IMG_0750_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407464650604438562" /></a><br /><br />Next in Bikini Tall we had Niki, she was the last to enter the stage but when she did she out classed the other girls with her presentation. Bikini is new and many girls still don’t understand the presentation, fortunately I got to watch the best in North America compete for IFBB pro cards and took this presentation style back to Team Emerge. I told Niki back stage that she has 1st, if the judges wanted to see a more ripped look then I thought she had 2nd but I would be shocked if she didn’t get first. I told her to play safe with her food between the prejudging and evening show as I thought she would be competing for the overall against Ashely!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/SwssUyWiXlI/AAAAAAAAARU/h1fErInpw6I/s1600/IMG_0719_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/SwssUyWiXlI/AAAAAAAAARU/h1fErInpw6I/s320/IMG_0719_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407464513213718098" /></a><br /><br />In Figure we had Kristine compete in the Grand Masters class, sadly she was the only one in the class but still looked great and deserved her win. In the Figure Short class we had Cara and Kristine. Cara was the smallest girl in the class and not the hardest either, however she is balanced and that is a big requirement for the judges. I told Cara that I saw her in the top 3 due to her balance but thought the biggest leanest girl would be 1st and Kristine might be 2nd if the judges are looking at muscle mass as a priority.<br /><br />Evening show:<br /><br />Ashley and Janet were the first Team Emerge girls out in the evening. Again they looked and showed great, then left the stage to wait for the top 3 to be called out. Ashley made it to the top 3. When 3rd place was called it was Goretti, I was shocked as I had her and Ashley fighting for first, I knew Ashley had first at this point. Ashley was called for second place, the half dozen people around me (who don’t know I am working with her) exploded! They thought, as I did, that Ashley had this category hands down…. <br /><br />I don’t want to take anything away from the girl that won but I don’t know how she scored over Ashley. They had similar bodies, conditioning and musculature wise but Ashley’s stage presence was leaps and bounds ahead of the winner. Back stage Ashley had a great attitude and wasn’t over the moon with her placing but she wasn’t complaining either. <br /><br />Despite Janet not placing she did very well and I know that next season she is going to be one of the top girls in Bikini Short for sure! We have some work to do with presentation and getting the right suit for Janet before the next show, watch out cause next time will be a new and improved Janet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/SwssBcrfoMI/AAAAAAAAARM/OAtDmhi8Mik/s1600/IMG_0658_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/SwssBcrfoMI/AAAAAAAAARM/OAtDmhi8Mik/s320/IMG_0658_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407464180978524354" /></a><br /><br />Let’s put Bikini on hold for a minute and go to Figure. Kristine came out and collected her win for Grand Masters to a round of applause. She looks great for any age let alone 47!! Kristine and Cara came back on stage for the Level 2 Figure Short class. After performing their turns they left the stage to wait for the top 3 to be called. Cara made the top three but to my surprise Kristine did not. At the end of it all Cara came out with a second place trophy against much bigger girls, again her balance must have been the key. I joked with her back stage about not coming first (she is very competitive and always wants to win), she laughed and said she was happy with her placing and so she should be!! This is probably the last time the stage will see Cara as a figure competitor as she will be moving to Bikini which is a better class for her body type. Next season should be interesting to see how she does in Bikini.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/Swsr9OLuJOI/AAAAAAAAARE/7tzJMBBLJVo/s1600/IMG_0572_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/Swsr9OLuJOI/AAAAAAAAARE/7tzJMBBLJVo/s320/IMG_0572_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407464108367684834" /></a><br /><br />So, back to Bikini Tall. Niki was nervous back stage due to some things she had heard about the judging of her category. I told her not worry about anything and to go out there and be ready to compete for the overall. Again she was the last girl on stage and came out with a confident attitude! People around me said “She won hands down!! Unless the same thing happens in this class as the short class”. Her class left the stage and we waited for the top 3, Niki was one of them! The one girl I was concerned about in her class was also called, she was more conditioned than Niki but lacked the presentation. At the end of it all Niki came out with 1st place!! She was glowing when she left the stage.<br /><br />Niki had to come back out to compete for the over all against the short class winner, the girl that “beat” Ashley. After a few turns and a few striking poses the judges made their decision and the overall winner was Niki!!!! I feel she avenged Ashley’s second place and Team Emerge came out with the overall and set the new standard for Bikini in the OPA!! Back stage Niki was shocked, dazed is more like it, as she posed for pics and was congratulated by many. I told her never to doubt me again;) This was the confidence booster of all confidence boosters. <br /><br />All in all a great day for Team Emerge, a couple shockers and a couple high lights. I have a funny feeling that Team Emerge is going to be a Bikini power house next season. I am already hearing from many girls that have been on the circuit for some time looking to join the ranks so keep your eyes on Team Emerge. We had our first IFBB Figure pro this year, could our first IFBB Bikini pro be next year???<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/Swsskn98M3I/AAAAAAAAARk/qjBsQFICx7k/s1600/IMG_0897_1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/Swsskn98M3I/AAAAAAAAARk/qjBsQFICx7k/s320/IMG_0897_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407464785304105842" /></a>Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com64tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4513517680859879208.post-13534920109339662892009-11-17T12:20:00.000-08:002009-11-17T12:23:59.586-08:00UFE National Championship update:<span class="uistorymessage" style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Once again, great UFE show.<span style=""> </span>Their production quality and entertainment factor is spot on.<span style=""> </span>To be honest I am not a big fan of competitions and never go to one unless I have clients competing in it.<span style=""> </span>This is one organization that I would go to watch regardless of having someone in it or not.<span style=""> </span>Great job Sean!</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/SwMFxTYQeXI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/IRwDaTgdZUs/s1600/IMG_0316_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/SwMFxTYQeXI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/IRwDaTgdZUs/s320/IMG_0316_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405170322348472690" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" ><span class="uistorymessage">Ashley Harrison stepped on stage for the first time as a member of Team Emerge competing in the Elite Fitness Model class. We had only been working together a few short weeks and Ashely's conditioning isn’t where we would like it yet, saying that she rocked the stage. This was my first time seeing her in action and I have to sa</span><span class="textexposedshow">y she has wow factor big time!! It was a class of almost 30 top knotch competitors and unfortunately she did not place this time out. The top 3 girls were very conditioned and I feel totally deserved their placing.<span style=""> </span>Ashley’s stage presence stood out and she had the crowd cheering for her, it was great to watch.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;font-size:100%;" ><span class="textexposedshow">Ashley will be bringing a similar package to the OPA London show this weekend for the Bikini division. After this show it will be construction time as we come up with the off season game plan to take Ashley to new levels next year!!<span style=""> </span>I am very excited about her future with Team Emerge!!</span></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/SwMF1wIF4_I/AAAAAAAAAQ8/aEMBD6Kllkk/s1600/IMG_0412_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_McQ3CljXYqs/SwMF1wIF4_I/AAAAAAAAAQ8/aEMBD6Kllkk/s320/IMG_0412_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405170398784775154" border="0" /></a></span>Team Emergehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17362016216545840505noreply@blogger.com0