The Ruthless Report 5: Candy Is Dandy…and More
Some competitors get their pro card, jump into a show and make the top five, if not the winner’s circle, right away. Others jump into a show and then take a while before suddenly popping into the spotlight. That's the story on Candice Lewis, who jumped to the top of the lineup at the Omaha Pro Figure on June 8, almost a year to the day after her sensational overall victory at the ’11 NPC Junior Nationals. Seventh at the ’11 Fort Lauderdale Pro last fall, sixth at the ’11 Border States and again at the ’11 Kentucky Pro Muscle, seventh at the ’12 Pittsburgh Pro in May. If only the 5'7" pharmaceutical customer care professional from Chandler, Arizona, could acquire a little more conditioning in her lower body to go along with her teeny-tiny waist. Sure enough, Candice tightened it up in Omaha and the panel responded—with a unanimous decision.
I've been a fan of Candy's p
hysique since I saw the Junior Nat's photos last year. Shapely bodyparts arranged around that amazing V-taper and a beautiful girl to boot. I was a little surprised when she didn't prove to be a make-the-top-five-right-away type. She had won every amateur show she'd entered, after all. Still, it's possible that I was gloomier about it than she was.
“My main focus going into my pro debut was working on my poses and stage presence,” she said after her win. “Since it was my first show, I didn't have a starting point, so I was happy with my placing. After the show I realized I was going to have to work much harder if I wanted to break into the top five.”
And work she did, but after her fourth show, the Pittsburgh, she still had no Olympia qualifying points. Rather than hop right into another contest, she decided to take a few weeks and do something about her legs, which were still overpowering her upper body, as well as her conditioning.
What did the trick? “I had to completely stop lifting legs,” she said. “I do more plyometric training, with a combination of intervals sprints on the treadmill. A few days per week I do 1 to 1 1/2 minutes of sprints, with 15 to 30 seconds' rest in between intervals.
“I wasn't very thrilled to be changing up my workout nor was I in shape to be running sprints," she admitted. "When I first started, couldn't sprint for more than 30 seconds, so it was very tough. I also changed my diet and started carb cycling. The changes were tough, but the results are well worth it.”
Since her win, she said, “My life is pretty much the same; it's just that God has given me an even bigger thought to smile about—going to the Olympia. It's a dream come true.”
As it's new-pro season again, I asked if she had any advice for the gals who are just getting their cards.
“Allow change to happen. Don't be afraid to try different training styles and techniques. As your body develops, so should your diet and workouts. Get feedback from the judges and continue to make improvements.”
Speaking of Nice Things Happening to Nice People
Meriza DeGuzman-Ciccone—there’s name that rolls off your tongue—was one happy camper after her fourth-place finish at the California Pro Figure on May 26. It was her best showing since the ’10 Cal, where she also took the fourth spot. What h
ad the the petite San Diego trainer been up to since her last contest last fall? “Just shedding muscle,” she said with a smile.
Meriza was in fact tied with Kristi Tauti until the tie-breaker scores were added in to drop Kristi to fifth spot. It was her only second show back after a busy break—for the opening of her new I-Physique gym in her hometown of Portland and the birth of her now-eight-month-old son, Levai, the latter in conjunction with her husband, Pati Tauti, of course. Having come in sixth at the Optimum Pro a couple of weeks earlier, she promised to do even better her next time out.
Collectibles
There's a collector’s item in the accompanying photo of yours truly and NPC and IFBB Pro League leader Jim Manion taken at the Pittsburgh Championships in May, and, no, it isn’t me or Mr. Manion. Once upon a time there really was a Manion's Gym in my hometown, though it was long gone when he gave me this memento more than a few years back. Now the iconic T-shirts are long gone too, except for this one. Too bad ’cause it's one of my favorites, and I was kind of hoping there were a few more tucked away somewhere for when this puppy finally wears out. Thanks to all the Pittsburgh crew, especially Johnny Albert and Pat Malizio, for getting such a kick out of my blast from the past. Photo courtesy of J.M. Manion.
On Another Note Entirely—Iris Emerges
I am getting the biggest kick out of watching Iris Kyle's career take off—and I don't mean on the Olympia stage. Now, I've known Ms. Kyle a few years, and I can remember when she was not the ebullient and gregarious Body by Vi enthusiast I keep running into at Southern California shows. Granted, I didn't know her all that well back in the early years of her Ms. Olympia reign, but after eight post-victory interviews and a few at the Ms. International, it's fair to say I've seen her become more outgoing just as I’ve watched her confidence grow in her onstage posing.
Last Saturday night, June 23, at Lonnie Teper’s NPC West Coast Classic in Rosemead, California, she had set up shop and was warmly sharing with everyone in sight the benefits of “the number-one health challenge"”—a multilevel marketing plan that promotes transformations, changed lives, lucrative rewards and bringing more people into the fold. Even more impressive, she was signing ’em up, and she was closing in on the six-figure income the program advertises.
“Taste that.” She poured some shake into a little paper cup and handed it to me. I drained it.
“Delicious,” I declared, and then I realize that she had her sights set on me joining the challenge. It was time to change the subject.
“There's a rumor around that you're going to compete again before the Olympia. Any truth?”
She laughed. “Why would I do that?”
"I didn't think you would,” I told her, “but I had to ask.” We both laughed at that one.
At a previous encounter, a month or so before, we talked about the injury that kept her from defending her Ms. International title in March, a bad strain in her knee that wasn't going to be h
ealed in time for her to be 100 percent. Even then the rumors were flying that it had to be something more than that, especially when she passed on going to Columbus, Ohio, for the Arnold Sports Festival altogether.
Why did she skip the Columbus festivities? “When I realized I wasn’t doing the show, I felt like I lost my best friend—or a rib. I wasn't in the best state of mind to tell every Tom, Dick and Harry what was going on. So allowing it to circulate and calm down was my best interest.”
Regarding the Olympia, she said, “I am so freaking ready to get ready for a show all over again. I think at the Olympia I'm going to be a whole new person. I'm not changing anything, but I'm so driven, it's almost like it's going to be my first time onstage, trying to create [the right image] to make the judges take a look at me. ’Cause normally, when you're new, you're just one of the numbers. So I'm taking that perspective in my prep.”
Regarding her longtime onstage adversary Yaxeni Oriquen-Garcia and the rest her Ms. O competition, her comment was the same on Saturday as it had been at the previous conversation: “They need to kick rocks 'cause Iris is coming to take over.” For everyone else the message is: “What's your 90-day weight-loss or fitness goal? Take the Challenge with me for your chance to win part of $25,000,000 in free products, prizes and vacations.…”
I'm thinking about it, Iris. I'm thinking about it.
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