Julia Stamper at Nationals

Julia Stamper placed 6th in the heavy's. She was in fantastic condition with a very impressive level of muscularity. It's extremely difficult to compete twice in one year. To make improvements for the final show is really hard, but Julia managed to add muscle and get leaner for this show. Unfortunately, she was overlooked for the first call out, which is a shame. Only the top 5 are allowed to perform their posing routines during the evening, so most people only got a brief look at Julia. I'm confident that she'll move up next time she competes. Julia will be 35 December 30th which means she can compete at Master's Nationals. Funny thing… I did Master's Nationals when I turned 35. It wasn't a pro-qualifier until 2005 when I took the overall. I hope Julia doesn't have to wait that long to turn pro!

I've worked with Julia for two years, but this is the first time we've met. Julia is a class act! She knows that she looked her best ever and is totally satisfied with the outcome here and in Las Vegas at the USA's.

Here are some of my favorite shots of Julia...

2007 NPC Nationals

Trying to catch up on the news...

This year's Nationals was a (mostly) terrific event with the exception of flashbacks - Nationals, 2004 when I competed in Dallas and stayed at the Fairmont. Word from the meeting of the officials was that, yet again, the NPC wants the women bodybuilders to back off from the densely muscled, hard/dry look and to consider shape and overall presentation as the winning factors. The judging fell in step... for the most part. There seemed to be confusion reminiscent of 2004 in two of the classes. It's only lack of consistency from class to class that gets people confused and pissed off.

Congratulations to overall winner Kristy Hawkins, who looked amazing. Britt Miller was equally stunning - I'd hate to be judging that class. I like lightweight winner Beni Lopez who proves that you can cross over from figure quite successfully. I loved Kris Murrell's posing routine. It was one of the best I've seen at the amateur level. I don't think Kris will have to wait much longer to become a pro. It's really great to see so many attractive young women doing well in the sport.

Muscular Development Magazine features ME!

I'm honored to be featured in the December issue of Muscular Development Magazine in Steve Wennerstrom's column Femme Physique. Steve shot these photographs in a gym in Houston, Texas following The John Sherman Classic that I won to qualify for the 2005 Nationals the following weekend. This was a wonderful opportunity to catch up as I hadn't seen Steve in awhile.

Steve is one of the best to shot with. He gives direction well and makes you feel like a goddess. I learned a lot over the years working with him and watching him shoot. Recently, at the NPC Nationals Bodybuilding Contest, Steve received a well deserved award of recognition. It's impossible to imagine the sport of women's bodybuilding without his contribution.

Congratulations Amy, Angie, Julia and Veronica!

All the images on this blog are courtesy of Gene X Hwang and ftvideo.com. Thank you Gene for taking gorgeous pictures and James Cook of ftvideo.com for the best women's bodybuilding contest coverage ever! We are so grateful to have the opportunity to gain exposure and publicity with class and respect.

This summer is quickly passing and two more contests, the Master's Nationals and the USA's, are completed with fantastic results for three of my athletes.

Ohio native, Amy Sibcy placed 2nd in the middleweight class at the 2007 Master's Nationals in her best condition ever. Next up for Amy is the IFBB North American Championships August 31st and September 1st in Cleveland, Ohio. Amy looked fantastic for Master's and I'm thrilled with her progress.



Lafayette, Louisiana resident, Angie (Angelita) McGhee placed 3rd in the light weight division at Master's Nationals. Angie continues to improve even on the cusp of her 50th birthday. I know she had a fantastic time and will probably repeat this wonderful contest next year.







I couldn't be happier for Julia Stamper, who placed 3rd in the heavy weight class at the USA Bodybuilding Championships July 29th in Las Vegas, NV. Only 2 points separated the top 3 in this class. In fact, Julia had seven 2nd place scores. She made a huge impression with excellent conditioning, size and symmetry.

Next up for Julia is the NPC 2007 Nationals in Dallas, TX November 16th and 17th.

Last, but certainly not least, is Lafayette resident, Veronica Miller who placed 6th out of an amazing class of over 30 competitors in the figure division at the USA. Veronica competes in "E" class which is for women over 5'5" and up to 5'6" tall.
Veronica was photographed by Terry Goodlad for a feature in Flex Magazine which should be on the newsstands later in the year. She's also been invited to work at the Weider Nutrition booth at this year's Olympia.

Great job, ladies!!! Next up is Nationals and I'm very excited about a new prospect, who I'll introduce soon. Barry and I will be there and hope y'all can make it!

Lafayette Bodybuilders, cont....

This is Joseph Dupre who looked very impressive for his first time in competition. I've never known anyone who enjoyed competing more and handled the stress better. Outside of hard training and regimented eating for a contest, Joseph has a demanding job with unpredictable hours, a wife, two young daughters and full time graduate work to fill his days. He is as disciplined and determined as they come and I know he will continue to improve and advance in the sport.

Dominique Durand made her competitive debut at the Greater Gulf States June 23rd and went on to win the Louisiana Bodybuilding Championships this past Saturday, July 14th. I've been working with Dominique since November 2006. She has made impressive progress in a short time. I look forward to watching her continuing evolution.

Saturday July 21st, 49 year old Angie McGhee will be competing as a lightweight in the Master's Nationals in Pittsburgh. I've watched Angie prepare for competitions several years, each time (as a natural athlete) loosing a lot of muscle. This year, I pretty much forced her to eat and come down very slowly and I think she's looking better than ever.

Angie is passionate about bodybuilding and I'm sure she'll have the time of her life at this show. Promoter, Gary Udit does an outstanding job and it is a pleasure to compete when you have everything you need to relax and enjoy the rewards of all that hard work.

Up next time, more athletes at national level contests...

Congratulations to My Lafayette Athletes!

I just returned from Chicago where I had three athletes compete in the 2007 Jr. Nationals. Promoter, Pam Betz did a fantastic job as always and had a record number of competitors and a close to sold out crowd.

First up is 22 year old Jeff "Ozzy" Olcsvary, who won the lightweight class in his first national level show. Ozzy has a great attitude and tons of potential and we're planning to have him in super shredded condition for the Nationals on November 17th in Dallas, where he'll be celebrating his 23rd birthday.

You can view Dave Palumbo interviewing Ozzy on the Muscular Development MDTV web site. Dave and Muscular Development has been doing an outstanding job of contest coverage which is making up for the lack of television coverage that used to be on ESPN. The fact that it is up to the minute actually makes it better for fans who aren't able to attend.

Stephen Mattox works as a physical therapy assistant and competed in the light heavyweight class. Stephen placed 12th out of 32 competitors in a very good quality field. His conditioning and presentation were very good and he only needs to improve his symmetry to move up next time around.

Twenty six year old Lafayette resident, Veronica Miller place 2nd in Figure Class E in her first national level competition. I've been working with Veronica since early this year and I'm very happy she placed so well. Veronica decided to continue on to the USA July 27th and 28th in Las Vegas. I expect V to do very well.

Happy New Year!

Just a quick note to wish y'all a Happy New Year and let you take a look of this clip from prejudging at the IFBB Europa Super Show in August of 2006. I hope everyone has a safe and healthy 2007.