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If you like to make predictions, the 2008 Ms. International
at the Veterans Auditorium in Columbus,
Ohio, last night made suckers out
of virtually everyone. This was a
contest that was a poster child for throwing the entire concept of contest
predictions right out the third story window.
With all the twists
and turns of an Agatha Christie novel read on a cold wintry night, this year's
contest threw the proverbial box of assorted fruits and nuts at the huge ‘women's
night' audience.
By the morning
prejudging it was clear the field of 16 was in a collective state of notable
physical readiness. A large majority of contestants in this sweet 16 had taken
their contest prep very seriously and judges were faced with a task that
presented more decisions than usual to arrive at a final outcome.
The First Volley
With a first callout that included Iris Kyle, Yaxeni
Oriquen, Dayana Cadeau, Lisa Aukland, and Brenda Raganot, it was clear judges
wanted plenty of cultivated muscle shapes in harmony with structural strengths
that were unmistakably top drawer. A
second callout brought Raganot back with the addition of Cathy Lefrancois,
Betty Pariso, Betty Viana and Tazzie Colomb. This second group possessed the
same qualities as the first, and with the exception of Lefrancois (who was the
only true ‘lightweight' in the field), also carried sizeable muscle on their
frames.
So, with these
initial groupings setting the table and the several callouts that would follow,
the stage was set for a final placement that contained a bazaar combination of
raised eyebrows, shock waves and rave reviews all during the course of the
announcements of the top six.
Quatro Por Senorita Yaxeni
In more ways than one Yaxeni Oriquen stands alone as the
queen of the Ms. International. Not only
has she entered this event on 11 straight occasions, her victory here combines
nicely with three additional Ms. International wins in 2002, 2003 and
2005. Her four victories make her the
most successful Ms. International champion in the history of the event. As a side dish, she also tied Flex Wheeler
who has won four Arnold Classic events of his own. In a long career that has spanned 38 IFBB pro
events Oriquen put the pedal to the metal this year with the same conditioning
level that brought her the Ms. Olympia crown in 2005. That, together with an
emotionally gripping posing routine, put her in a position to outpoint all
challengers. Now in her 15th year as a pro Oriquen is putting up
victory numbers that will be secure for many years to come.
Several observers
at the athlete's meeting on Thursday had commented on the arms and shoulders
hidden under Oriquen's impossibly tight sweater. Her only reply as to how she
looked, was a simple "I am ready. No nonsense this time." Boy, she had that right!
With all that going
for her, however, she was still pressed mightily by the ever-present Dayana
Cadeau. Over the past few years, Cadeau
(who goes after her closest competitors like a schnauzer on a pantleg), has
been consistently close on the heels of either Oriquen or Iris Kyle. This time,
she flexed her way to the runner-up spot falling agonizingly close by a two
point margin - 30 to 32.
In Cadeau's case, it
was an overall look that suited her so beautifully. She has appeared harder in past events, but
she has never shown a better level of muscular volume and muscle definition in
tandem as she did on this night. Cadeau is quickly becoming the current-day
version of Laura Creavalle - who everyone who followed women's bodybuilding in
the 80 and 90's remembers as the uncrowned Ms. Olympia. In Cadeau's case, she
would desperately love to capture either the Olympia or International title outright
(considering she has won the Ms. International as a lightweight in 2001 and
2004. Ever patient, her time may still come as she continues to improve. An
additional silver lining came when considering the fact that last year Cadeau
had finished sixth in this event. The tough nut to swallow was the reality that
the two-point distance in her score to Oriquen's was a $12,000 difference in
paychecks as Oriquen pocketed $25,000, with Cadeau graciously accepting
$13,000.
Finishing third was
another consistent improver - Lisa Aukland.
In her sixth invite to this event Aukland captured her highest-ever
placing after landing fourth in both 2005 and 2007. On this night, she was in
top form. Literally her best shape ever, with a combination of muscle size and
shrink-wrapped definition that brought universal approval in her overall
look. And when it comes to otherworldly
calves, forget about, she has no equal in the pro division. For her efforts,
Aukland happily pocketed $8,000.
A veteran among
veterans at this event, fourth-placer Betty Pariso also brought her best-ever
physical package while weighing a well-balanced 170 pounds. And that's saying something considering her
long competitive career, 11 straight invites to the Ms. I, and the fact that
she is now 52 years young. As was the case with Dayana Cadeau and Lisa Aukland,
each of these competitor's had added notable muscle volume of which carried
with it a distinctively pleasing shape The Texan's fourth-place spot was her highest
finish at the Ms. International where weight classes were not contested, and it
came with a tidy check for $5,000.
Fifth went to
Brenda Raganot - a fan favorite for all those who covet the highest levels of
aesthetically pleasing structural lines. In the decade since Raganot won the
overall NPC National crown in 1998, she has proven herself a major player when
she decides to take her contest preparation the last mile. A two-time
lightweight Ms. International winner in 2000 and 2005, Raganot surfaces every
so often to remind us she is one of the rare jewels whose physical beauty is
timeless. A lightweight runner-up at the 2000 Ms. Olympia, Raganot appeared here in commendable
shape - not her best ever - but plenty good enough for a deserving top-five
finish. Judges can't help but like her
physique when she's firing on all cylinders, and they like her here enough to
award her a $4,000 check for fifth. The
finish also qualified her (as well as those finished in front of her) for the
Ms. Olympia later in the year.
Rounding out the
top six was feisty Canadian Cathy Lefrancois. At just 5-2 and weighing near the
130-pound mark, Lefrancois fared well against a field where virtually everyone
outweighed her. In fact, if there had been weight classes, Lefrancois would
have been a strong contender for a top placing. Coming off a tenth-place finish at this
contest in 2007, she easily qualified as the unofficial ‘most improved'
contestant. There were also many
observers who felt she was the most underrated.
Showing a chiseled level of conditioning to go with a beautifully
balanced muscular look that she had all but stripped away while entering figure
contests in 2005, Lefrancois left little doubt she "was back" as a certifiably
top-flight bodybuilder. For sixth,
Lefrancois picked up a check for $2,000 along with the satisfaction that she
had reached the finest level of contest condition since she turned pro in 1995
- and that includes her lightweight victory at the 2003 Ms. International.
What about Iris?
For the past two
years Iris Kyle has pretty much had her own way at the Ms. International
scoring convincing victories each year. And along with Yaxeni Oriquen, Kyle had
previously won three Ms. I crowns going into this year's event. So when the top six were brought out for a
final posedown and Kyle was no where to be found, there was an audible buzz
throughout the big Columbus
crowd.
What about
Iris?
Well, she finished
seventh. Why? At press time an explanation from judges had
not been forthcoming. And of course
conjecture and second-guessing was running rampant. Was the judging panel
unhappy with her look? Was it something
specific? Were the rumors about a
multiple rib injury that had hampered her training true? Was she that far off the mark that she fell
from placing grace?
Interestingly, a
fall from first to seventh at an event of this caliber is not
unprecedented. In fact, it happened to
this year's Ms. I champion - Yaxeni Oriquen - in 2006 when she plummeted to
seventh-place after winning the Ms. Olympia in 2005. That year Oriquen missed the mark in her
contest preparation and was lifeless in her stage presence and posing
routine. The results for Oriquen were
sobering. And she has since bounced back
very well.
Will Kyle bounce
back with the same dogged determination as Oriquen? Only time will tell. But for the next several weeks the forums,
chatrooms, and message boards will be blazing until the specifics of Kyle's
tumble are told.
The Best of the Rest
As if the ‘Kyle Incident' wasn't enough to pique everyone's
interest, her point total of 109 tied that of Venezuelan Betty
Viana-Adkins. So officially Kyle was
tied with Viana-Adkins. A muscular
marvel who is the favorite of many who revere her remarkable muscle shapes,
Viana-Adkins once again finished in an also-ran position with only the need to
tighten up her total package to seriously pressure the top five. Along with
Brenda Raganot and Dayana Cadeau, Viana-Adkins is blessed with a level of
genetics that can only come from picking parents very carefully. She is truly a
physical wonder - but tied for seventh in a group who showed more muscular
definition. Nevertheless, she had muscle volume to burn.
Ninth went to
another fan favorite - Annie Rivieccio. After toiling 15 years in the amateur
ranks, Rivieccio has been an exemplary pro with a heavyweight victory at the
2005 New York Pro Championships to go with her huge third-place finish at the
2006 Ms. Olympia. Always close to
top-level shape, Rivieccio is celebrating her 20th year in
competitive bodybuilding as the Arnold Classic celebrates its own 20th
anniversary. In the past two years at the Ms. International, Rivieccio has
finished seventh, but slipped to ninth this year. Muscular thickness? Yes.
Muscular volume? Big time.
If maximal muscular
density is your idea of the bodybuilding ideal, tenth-placed Rosemary Jennings
has to be a favorite. Packing 140 pounds
on her 5-2 frame, Jennings
is impressive from head-to-toe. With
formidable forearms (a la Lee Priest), and back thickness that few women at the
pro level possess, Jennings
simply seems to get lost in fields of competitors who are considerably
taller. On the other hand, she hasn't
always been overlooked with a pair of top-ten finishes at the Ms. Olympia in
2003 and 2005, to go with her overall victory at the 2005 New York Pro
Championships. What's left to say? Major muscular volume. ` ` `
And............
Tazzie Colomb
11th
Debi Laszewski
12th
Antoinette Thompson
13th
Kristy Hawkins
14th
Colette Nelson
15th
Tracy Beckham
16th
FULL WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING PHOTO GALLERY
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