Articles The Ruthless Report The Ruthless Report: Sonia’s Surge and Unintended Consequences and More
The Ruthless Report: Sonia’s Surge and Unintended Consequences and More
Time-warp note: Speaking of how our lives travel at the speed of sound,after I turned in this column and before it was posted, the IFBB Pro.jpg)
League took steps to correct the situation discussed in the first item—much more quickly than my source had indicated. So, in case you’re wondering why the Pro League and Olympia promoters just added a points system to their recent rule change for Olympia qualifications…
Sonia’s Surge and Unintended Consequences
Sonia Gonzales might not have signed up to do the MuscleContest Pro Bikini on March 10 if she’d known she was going to win the Bikini International the week before. Having dropped to fifth at the Olympia last fall—and not qualified for 2012 due to the new rules—she sensibly booked some insurance in case she didn’t make top three at the earlier show. The result in Torrance, California, at the MuscleContest was no surprise to anyone: Sonia looked just fine and nailed an easy win. Also no surprise: no one new earned an Olympia invite there.
That’s not a problem unless you’rean Olympia-hungry pro who didn’t get on the list before the rules went into effect. Because of the number of fall contests, at which the top three got the nod, we already had nearly 20 women prequalified in figure and bikini before the ball fell in Times Square on New Year's Eve; so it was not hard to see why AMI and Olympia promoter Robin Chang wanted to change things up. Huge lineups of 28 or so make the most important competition of the season a little less exclusive and a lot harder to manage. Still, it was also not hard to see that the exact rules they picked, in which only the winner at most contests is tapped for the O, might require some tweaking down the line.
So far in 2012, outside of the International, which is an invitational, the lineups have not been long. Six bikini entries in Phoenix in February, a dozen at the Flex Pro Fitness (where several stars competed), 10 at the MuscleContest and 10 so far on the list for the Australia Pro Figure, coming this weekend in Melbourne, where the top two figure athletes in the world, Nicole Wilkins and Erin Stern, will go thigh to thigh again. (Similar numbers are on the lists for the St. Louis Pro Fitness, Bikini and Women’s Physique Championships, also this weekend, but those are clearly not final.)
A number of possible reasons for the smaller rosters: For one thing, figure and bikini gals have more opportunities than ever to compete this year. For another, it’s early in the season. Still, you can’t help wondering if the unlikelihood of earning an invite—due to higher-ranked athletes in the lineups—is discouraging some women from getting onstage.
Now, it’s great for promoters when the stars do their shows—as well as for the fans—and great for the women to compete more than once or twice a year. Chalk it up to conflicting but well-intentioned interests. Rumor has it that some kind of rule change might be in the works, but it’s still in the whispers-in-dark-rooms stage. I’m adding it to my list of things to keep an eye on.
Justine Bounces Back.jpg)
Speaking of the Bikini International, after all the hashing and rehashing of the Arnold Sports Festival weekend in Columbus, Ohio, one question lingered: What had happened to hot Canadian bikini prospect Justine Munro? Word that she had fallen in her hotel room and injured herself made the rounds but were never really substantiated. Then on Saturday she turned up onstage at the MuscleContest Pro looking relatively unscathed, if not in her best condition, and took second to Sonia Gonzales—not too shabby. I caught up with her before the finals and started with the obvious question.
So, what did happen in Columbus?
Basically, the rumors were true, she said. A mishap in her room at the Doubletree Hotel left her unable to compete. “The morning of the show I fell and split open my chin. I actually have 15 stitches, and I also moved my chin four inches to the side.” No one saw her because, she admitted, “I hid in my room from Saturday onward and left on Sunday morning—because I was embarrassed.”
It must have been devastating, I said.
“I balled my eyes out,” she recalled. “I was the only Canadian in my class, so for me back home it was a huge accomplishment, and I was just really, really, looking forward to the show. I hope that next year I have the same opportunity and can come back and show what Canada is made of.”
Munro spent the days between the two contests at the chiropractor’s office, having her chin worked on. She had always planned to do the Southern California competition, but after her injury, everyone warned her not to. “I was like, ‘I’ve got to do this show!’ I had to do it for myself. My chin was swollen at first, and I said, ‘Swollen or not, I’m going to suck it up and do the show.’”
Nothing appeared to be out of alignment now, I told her, and I couldn’t see stitches. "“Jan Tana did a good job,” she replied with a twinkle.
Justine’s next show will be the Toronto Pro on June 1-3—she was third there last year—and she’s looking to improve “everywhere,” she said. “I’m hoping to bring a 10-times-better package [than I had tonight]. After that, we'll see where it goes.”
Erin Talks About the Future
Speaking of Erin Stern, the number-two figure athlete in the world was just a little down in the pump-up room in Columbus, Ohio, after the Figure International on March 2 and understandably so. She’d just come in runner-up to Nicole Wilkins at the third major contest in a row after beating her at the Olympia in 2010. I tried to cheer her up with the old second’s-not-exactly-chopped-liver line, but she shook her head. “I’m an athlete,” she said, and the implication was clear. The drive to win is strong in the 5'8" Floridian, whose roots are in track-and-field, as a high jumper. Maybe it was time to start thinking about what’s next. CrossFit was mentioned, along with the fact that the CrossFit Games are televised on ESPN..jpg)
A week and a half later, as Erin was packing for the Australia Pro Figure, I asked her if she meant it about looking to the future. “I plan on getting into CrossFit after Australia!” she confirmed—but she wasn't leaving figure. “I have been able to run track and compete, so it’s possible to do both.”
The attraction of a track-and-field athlete to a competition based on cross-trainingis not too hard to figure out. “The standard in the high jump this year is 6'4"—much higher than I could hope to jump. I seek to excel at something new.”
What were her thoughts as she headed Down Under for a rematch with Nicole? “To enjoy the experience and do my best! I loved the show and expo last year—and the fans are great.” Regarding her physique prep, she said, “I have tweaked a few things with my diet and look to come into the show a little fuller than I was at the Arnold.”
Speaking of her diet, what was she going to do for her usual precontest snack, buffalo meat, in Australia? “I am bringing some venison with me this time. I can’t wait to go through security—ha, ha, ha!”
And I can’t wait to hear about it.
Subscribe to RxMuscle on Youtube
