MS. OYMPIA 2000
CONTEST REPORT

INTRODUCTION
The first and, probably, most important thing to say about the Ms. Olympia 2000 is that it actually took place. As fans of female bodybuilding know, that almost wasn't the case. After the contest was moved at the last minute last year from Santa Monica, California to Secaucus, New Jersey, whether the event would be staged at all in 2000 was left up in the air. The obvious move was to hold the Ms. Olympia with the Fitness Olympia on Friday night in Las Vegas, the day before the Mr. Olympia was scheduled. Last year, the audience was kept sitting for long periods while the fitness competitors were changing backstage and getting ready for the next round. Combining bodybuilding and fitness would allow for virtually continuous action on stage, which was much more exciting for the audience.

Fortunately, the IFBB was able to make the obvious move and scheduled the Ms. Olympia for Las Vegas in 2000.

There were other significant aspects of this year's Ms. Olympia. The competitors were divided into two weight divisions, with 135 pounds as the cut-off point, the first Ms. Olympia to be held using this format. In theory, this is a good idea, since it allows smaller women to become pro bodybuilders with some hope of being able to win titles. However, weight classes in the top amateur contests usually involve anything up to 15 competitors. In this Ms. Olympia, there were only 5 women in the lightweight class, and only 7 heavyweights. Even allowing for the fact that both classes were brought out together, the stage did look a little bare. Are there really on 12 excellent pro female bodybuilders in the IFBB?

Another extremely important development for the Ms. Olympia 2000 was that Kim Chizevsky did not compete. She was on hand as an M.C., having lost some 30 pounds or more as part of her plan to enter fitness competition next year (stay tuned for further developments). But Kim did not really "retire" from bodybuilding voluntarily. After seeing Kim winning multiple Ms. Olympia titles, the IFBB decided to change the rules, issuing "guidelines" designed to reward women who came to contests smaller and softer and with less definition. Since Kim was the biggest, hardest and most defined woman on stage the past few years, the message being sent by the federation couldn't have been delivered any better by Western Union. These are "anti-Kim" guidelines, without a doubt. Rather than face the embarrassment and disappointment of being beaten by a lesser bodybuilder, Kim decided to bow out gracefully. Who could blame her?

Driving the best female bodybuilder that has ever competed out of the sport is a shameful act that will take the IFBB a long time to live down.

The entire contest, including the prejudging, free posing rounds and the posedown, was held on Friday night to avoid conflict with the fitness expo running all day Friday and Joe Weider's Muscle Beach, which was held out at the Mandalay Bay Beach. But the outcome of the contest was significantly affected the day before at the weight-in (which was held without notice on a stage at the expo, and went unnoticed by many fans and some of us journalists.) Valentina Chepiga, winner of the Jan Tana - and "great white hope" of the IFBB, since they percieve her as "conventionally attractive" - was expected to enter as a lightweight. However, she ended up almost a pound heavier than the 135 pound limit, so was moved up to the heavyweight class. This was to make a profound difference to the results.

THE LIGHTWEIGHTS
The lightweights featured another match-up between Brenda Raganot and Andrulla Blanchette, who had competed against each other at the Ms. International earlier in the year, with Brenda taking the lightweight title. Brenda won round one - the so-called "symmetry" round - but came in second to Andrulla in all the others. Why the difference between Las Vegas and Columbus? It does seem as if Brenda might have been a little sharper at the Arnold, at least as far as anyone could tell given how bad the lighting was. But it is also a fact that the Arnold was the first time the new "guidelines" were introduced, and the judges were probably bending over backwards trying to figure out what "soft" bodybuilding is supposed to be and lean, aesthetic Brenda became the beneficiary of their confusion.

Andrulla was certainly a deserving winner. But it should be noted that Brenda Raganot is just in her first year of pro competition, and it seems likely she will only get better from here on, so expect her to continue to do well in future events. Also, look for a super set of photos on this site that I shot of Brenda in the studio a few days after returning from Las Vegas.

Renee Casella placed third in the class and continues to amaze considering how long she has been competing and how much time she took off before returning to pro competition. A good object lesson for those who are tempted to quit when they enter the pros and don't achieve immediate success.

Cathy Lafrancoise - now Cathy Priest, since her marriage to pro bodybuilder Lee Priest - was lovely as ever. But WOW does she need better application of color. Her Pro Tan, or whatever product she was using, was put on WAY too heavy, making her so dark it was difficult to see any details in her physique. In the Mr. Olympia the following night, it was obvious that Lee Priest was also having some difficulties applying color, so improving this aspect of their presentation would seem to be imperative for both of these pro bodybuilders.

Jennifer McVicar, winner of the USA, was in the contest but confessed she had not really had a chance to adequately prepare for the event, but was entering mostly for the experience. She really has nice look and will be worth watching in the future.

THE HEAVYWEIGHTS
Valentina Chepiga might well be the female bodybuilder the IFBB is looking for to "save" the sport, but she is also a first-rate competitor. She is aesthetic, muscular and did a terrific posing routine. There is no doubt she would have won either class she entered. As it was, especially given the "guidelines," she had a lock on first place in the heavyweight Ms. Olympia.

The is, although Valentina was first-rate, this was not actually a first-rate contest. When you are a lightweight, the threat of the "guidelines" isn't usually much of a factor. But they are obviously aimed at curtailing the development and the hardness of the "big girls," so the heavyweight class was very much affected.

For example, after years of work and effort, Vickie Gates was able to build up her weak areas - mostly the legs - and came to Secaucus last year with a complete, balanced physique. She finished second to Kim Chizevsky, who NOBODY currently in the sport could defeat when Kim is sharp - which she always has seemed to be. Then came the "guidelines," and Vickie in Columbus earlier in the year was soft and her legs had disappeared. A very sorry sight, I thought when I saw her.

Vickie in Las Vegas was much better than Columbus, but had not come back to the level of last year's Ms. Olympia. The reason is obvious - the "guidelines." The thing in, if Valentina hadn't come in a pound overweight, her strategy would have worked. Valentina would have been Ms. Olympia, Lightweight Division, and would have left the heavyweight title to Vickie. That one pound of body weight cost Vickie the title, and gave one to Andrulla.

Lesa Lewis, who placed third, was also improved over Columbus. Which she needed to be. Lesa's attempt in Columbus to conform to the vague and subjective IFBB "guidelines" simply left her looking big and soft. In Las Vegas, she wasn't as sharp as she needs to learn to be, but she looked "okay." Well, "okay" in bodybuilding competition terms, FABULOUS as a muscular female. Unfortunately, what competition bodybuilding is about involves applying the standards of bodybuilding competition, and not those of "real life" (IFBB, take note).

But take a look at some of the Olympia candid photos of Lesa in her slinky dresses, and all thoughts of judges and scoring go out the window.

Yaxini Oriquen placed 4^th, and she is another bodybuilder who has gotten gradually better over the years. In fact, I did some photos of her on Saturday morning at the Mandalay Bay "beach" and - well, take a look at the set and you can see for yourself how aesthetic and shapely her physique has become.

The real controversy - and perhaps the greatest injustice in the contest - involved Iris Kyle. Iris was big, hard and cut. She looked as if she would have given Chizevsky at her best a good run for the title. How did she look next to Valentina? As far as I can recall, we never saw her compared to Valenina. Only 7 women in the class, but no comparisons between Chepiga and Kyle? This was OBVIOUSLY the infamous "guidelines" at work. It wouldn't be the first time.

At the USA, I spoke to a judge who placed Debbie Laszewski 7^th in her class, when it seemed to me she was the best in the whole contest. Was it because of the guidelines, I asked? Yes, he told me. And where would he have placed her had he been judging without being told what to look for? "I'd have given her the show," he replied.

Now, it is not certain that Iris should have beaten Valentina for the title. But it is clear that they were the two best competitors on the stage, and the outcome of the class should have been determined by a series of careful comparisonsof these two outstanding bodybuilders. The fact that it didn't - that Iris was overlooked and ignored - just shows this was not a real bodybuilding contest, that the "guidelines" are inappropriate and detrimental to the development of female bodybuilding, and that using these rules they might as well have put a sign on Iris that said, "Don't vote for her, she's too big and hard."

Shameful.

As to the rest of the class, Denise Hoshor showed up with no color on at all, having spent the day wandering around the expo instead of preparing for the contest. Jan Tana slapped some color on her between rounds, but it only helped a little.

Th-resa Bostick was WAY off. She'd had an illness in her family, which made it difficult for her to get ready for the show. Her appearance on stage in Las Vegas was hardly typical and her fans can expect her to be back to her old self when next she competes.

THE OVERALL
There was none. Unfortunately, this means there are now two Ms. Olympia titleholders, which tends to diminish the prestige of the title. The main reason for not having an overall seems to involve an inability to decide how to divide up an amount of prize money that is largely inadequate in the first place.

CONCLUSION
As I said above, we should be thankful the Ms. Olympia took place at all. Let's hope the event was financially successful enough so that the bodybuilding will continue to be staged along with the fitness in years to come.

The weight class system does seem to work, but there need to be more female bodybuilders invited to compete. With only two pro shows in which women can qualify for the Olympia, perhaps the IFBB needs to open it up to more competitors.

Valentina Chepiga is a good bodybuilder and is a deserving champion. So is Andrulla Blanchette. When you have a contest with excellent winners, that makes up for a lot of other problems. However, the "guidelines" have got to go. They are inappropriate to bodybuilding. Using them is like "fixing" the contest for individuals you have decided you want to win. They also represent gender discrimination, which is unacceptable in any other major sport and contrary to the policies of the International Olympic Committee.

As a result of this contest, Iris Kyle says she is quitting. If she follows through on this, than the "guidelines" will have driven two excellent bodybuilders out of the sport - Kim and Iris - along with forcing women to compete looking small and in a kind of contest that is about big, hard and defined. Is all this effort supposed to be about making female bodybuilding more "marketable" to the general public? Well, listen up - the general public doesn't care about competition bodybuilding and probably won't care very much in the near future. The danger here is that the bodybuilding audience itself will be turned off, and potential women competitors will be discouraged from "entering the pipeline," fewer will decide to compete at all and the sport will simply dry up from a combination of too few bodybuilders and too few ticket buyers.

That, too, would be a shame.

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