2007 Atlantic City Pro-Am Review by Juan Carlos Lopez
The last of the pro shows before the Olympia could be the final vengeance for some competitors who had not qualified for the big O. For others it was just another pro event they had targeted in the beginning of the year and thus were not worried about the result but with a tiny chance to creep up into the Olympia. Being a small city and small airport getting a flight there was a challenge and then again the other challenge was the event's organization. The website itself did not have much info and even competitors were confused about the scheduled meeting and other details regarding the order in which they competed.
The show was at the Taj Mahal hotel and this was also the official host hotel. The Trump Plaza hotel was the other host hotel which was about 10 blocks away from the Taj Mahal. IFBB Figure now sported many more competitors than IFBB Fitness. We saw a few familiar faces while others were doing their first pro show ever. In the IFBB Pro Figure division Andrea Dumon took the show; most competitors at this point of the year have shown due the lengthy diets a softer physique. Heather Green with her stunning lower body and presence took second and Chastity took third. In 4th place came in Michelle Adams who was just so close to getting the qualification for the Olympia. Hazal Nelson a new pro took 5th place over many more experience names. From the other competitors it was clear that Alti Bautista was the best conditioned and in general impressive but it seems they are not looking for this anymore. Competitors like Lisa Morton, Claire Parmley and Shelly Taucher always look good but judges didn't seem to reward them at this show. Noteworthy (the other JC) Jen Cook made her comeback and was a pleasant surprise and it seems that judges like her look.
Now in Fitness Tracey Greenwood took this show, with a spider-woman routine where at some point she tangled the MC in her web. Bethany Gainey took second and her second trip to the Olympia. Always bringing good conditioning and her abs always show that. In third place Julie Lohre performed her lively football routine in which she throws a football to the audience. Julie is always energetic and showing a great physique, all this in combination with her work ethic and also looks could get her to high places in this sport. Brenda Santiago who took 4th was also a nice surprise, competing at the Europa show its seems that judges like her look, physique and her routine is very competitive too. Stacy Simons a veteran stepped up and took 5th place getting up in the placings and this being a warm up for the Olympia. From the other competitors Erin Riley was softer (on purpose) but rocked the house with her Metallica routine. It was good to see Lea Waide back as she adds great moves to her routine.
The Pro bodybuilding portion was split into two divisions and each one of them carried a good number of bodybuilders from different countries. In the lightweights Nicole Ball took 1st with her sharp conditioning and good looks. Klaudia Larson took second, bringing a solid package and perhaps looking her best. Angela Debatin took 3rd who always presents a good shape. Joanna Thomas made a comeback and was looking pretty good but judges awarded her 4th. Debbie Bramwell who was just a tad softer than her impressive Europa appearance took 5th. Notable was Carla Salotti who besides being one of the lightest competitors took 6th and looked her best. Claudia Partenza was asked to come in softer and hence didn't looks her best as she did at the Europa Super show.
The Heavyweight were for Lisa Aukland who won the overall as well. Lisa has a balanced package and great definition, it was easy to award her the overall. Betty Viana took second and was a bit smaller than previous years but still looked impressive. Debi Laszewski another impressive physique took 3rd and always looks great. Its just a matter of time so she can hit the Olympia stage. Big Lora Ottenad took 4th and Heather Foster a fan favorite took 5th. From the lineup we saw the debut of Irina Veselova as a female bodybuilder. Her transition from figure pro to bodybuilding was quick. Her trainer Robert Samborsky (rxfitness.net) after the NYC Pro show took about 1.5 months and transformed her into a different body. Now the offseason will prove to be a good one for her and next year she will probably look amazing.
The amateur figure portion was only 6 competitors and which was won by Robin Infante. It seems odd to have such a small portion given that the NJ area can bring lots of competitors.
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