Explore The Bill Dobbins Female Physique Webzine/Gallery
IFBB SACRAMENTO PRO 2007
February 24th, Crest Theater - Sacramento, CA
back
CONTEST REPORT
An important aspect of the Sacramento Pro for women bodybuilders is that it exists. FBBs have been complaining that figure competition abounds but there are relatively few places for female bodybuilders to compete. Now there is a new competition for women earlier in the year and, in fact, just before the Ms. International in Columbus. This gives a place to compete for women tuning up for the Arnold - and for those who want to compete but didn't receive an invitation to the Columbus show.
 |
Heather Policky |
Unfortunately, either the word didn't get out or many FBBs who knew about the contest didn't choose to compete. There was a good turn out of competitors, but there should have been more. I talked to one FBB earlier in February who told me she had decided to compete at the Ms. International but couldn't afford to go to Sacramento as well. But it was clear to me, even before the Columbus contest, that this competitor had no chance at all for a good placing in such a strong field but would likely do better in Sacramento. But this FBB apparently preferred placing among the very last in Columbus to having a chance to be in the top five in California. Reminds me of Clint Eastwood's comment in "Magnum Force": "A man's got to know his limitations."
The real story in Sacramento was the pro debut of Heather Policky (pronounced: Pole-iss-key). Several years ago, when the NPC judges overlooked Heather, or so it seemed to me, I published some photos of Heather and a few top pro FBBs to show how much like a pro she looked. In fact, she is famous for having had a judge tell her, "I couldn't place you first because you look too much like a pro and that's not what we are looking for." Or something close to that. But I also assured her that taking longer to becoming a pro was a blessing in disguise because she would be that much more competitive in the pro ranks once she finally made. In 2005 she won her class at the USA but lost the overall to Amanda Dunbar. But at the 2006 USA she won both her class and the overall and finally earned her pro card.
In the past few years Heather wasn't as finally sculpted and in as great shape as she was in Sacramento. She hadn't quite mastered how to do her hair or her overall appearance - important factors in addition to shape, proportion and definition. But her physique, her hair, her appearance and everything else were first rate on stage at the Sacramento Pro and she was the clear winner from the very beginning. In fact, it occured to most watching the contest that Heather is good enough to give Iris Kyle a run for her money and, in fact, is likely to be Ms. Olympia in the future if she keeps on her current course.
 |
Antoinette Norman |
The Sacramento Pro is one of those female bodybuilding contests that has gone back to using weight divisions. Weight divisions in bodybuilding are important because this is not a sport that is supposed to be about who is the biggest. It is about sculptural perfection. But in all sports the good big athlete tends to beat the good small one so when there is only one weight division the "Juliette Bergmann's" in the lineup have little chance of winning a title. There was no good reason for doing away with weight divisions in FBB events in the first place. Bringing them back for at least some contests is a move in the right direction. The IFBB needs to extend this to all it's other female bodybuilding contests. Certainly they need to do so if great lightweights like Toni Norman and Cathy Lefrancois have a chance to win major titles.
(Men's pro bodybuilding, which has become a contest of "monsters" (a term used with no disparagement intended), needs to go back to weight divisions as well. The "big guys" resist this for financial reasons but this move would be for the good of the sport and would increase income for everyone in the long run.)
The lightweight division was a contest between Antoinette Norman - sleek, aesthetic and refined - against Cathy Lefrancois - better in almost every body part but not as lean and ripped. Toni Norman was given first place by enough judges to give her the victory, although I spoke to three who voted for Cathy, who finished second. It seems likely that Toni's superb refinement was what the judges were voting for. However, if this had been a contest for male bodybuilders it seems doubtful that a competitor with better arms, legs, calves and back would have failed to win. If men's events were judges that way, Darem Charles would likely finish much higher in the placings than he tends to do.
But Antoinette Norman won the lightweight division and went up against Heather Policky for the overall. This was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Refinement only goes so far. And if Toni lacked body parts compared to Cathy she was certainly no match for the 170 pound Heather Policky.
Mention should be made of Kim Perez, who finsihed second to heather in the heavyweight division. Kim has a tremendous physique, lots of muscle and gets in great shape. She and Toni Norman are both physique champions who hail from Oklahoma. If Kim can develop some of the sleek aesthetics that you see in Toni and Toni can work on developing more of the kind of muscle you see in Kim's physique they are both going to be even more formidable in the future.
 |
 |
 |