NPC Nationals 2015 - The Take-away | Some Random & Personal Observations
2015 Nationals: The Take-away
Some Random & Personal Observations
The 2015 NPC Nationals staged in Miami last weekend, November 20th and 21st, played host to an impressive 960 competitors (impressive but somewhat short of Charlie Sheen’s scoring record). The following are some personal observations (mostly of the men’s bodybuilding variety) and we welcome you own observations and comments on this event that bestowed pro cards to the top two in the men’s bodybuilding divisions.
SON OF THE MYTH A HIT
Sergio Olivia Jnr, following in the competitive footsteps of his Mythical father, came away from, Miami with the superheavyweight and overall titles at the event. His fullness, roundness, dryness and condition earned him that distinction.
STOOPING TO CONQUER
Lightweight champion Ron Paramore dropped from the lightweights to clinch the bantamweight title and looked great doing it.
I’D LIKE TO REPORT A MISSING SKIN
Lightweight champ Jose Fortuna was probably the most ripped guy of the weekend. Like Paramore he dropped a division, as he was formerly a welterweight.
TAKE A BOW MR. ATKINS
Welterweight champion Theodore Atkins Jr really lit the house up with a classy and balanced physique, plus a showstopper of a routine in the evening. Promoters looking for an exciting guest poser: Call Mr. Atkins.
HERE’S TO YOU MR. ROBINSON
Middleweight Champ David Robinson was one of the standout athletes of the weekend. He has everything, shape, definition, proportions, the lot. Would be interesting to see where he placed in the overall champ calculations.
NICK NAMED CHAMP
Light heavyweight champ Nick Medici impressively won this division but was pushed hard by runner-up Jermaine Todd.
THW NEW HOPER
Exhibiting shape, size, and condition Charles Griffen from New Hope, Minnesota, nailed down heavyweight honors
A SWEEP THAT ALMOST CLEANED UP
John Durante, welterweight runner up, exhibited the freakiest sweep this side of Ben Pakulski.
WATCH THIS SPACE: THE BURGEONING BURGESS
Heavyweight runner-up Devin Burgess distributed 217 classy pounds on a 6'1" frame. When he fills out that frame, look out.
WAS RONNIE COLEMAN IN THE HOUSE?
During Friday’s judging of the Light heavyweight it was “lights out” time as the stage lights failed. To his credit head judge Steve Weinberger ordered that the division be totally re-judged Saturday night.
FAST EDDIE
Heavyweight runner-up and pro card winner Eddie Bracamontes obviously nailed his diet (fasting), dialed it in and came in hard ripped, and dry. A worthy pro he pushed Sergio Olive Jnr all the way
CARRIED MORE WATER THAN AN EVIAN TRUCK
When Rasheed Oldacre was announced fifth Super heavyweight on Saturday night the audience broke into vociferous booing. What the Saturday night crowd didn't say see was 274-pound Rasheed flexing at Friday's prejudging. Although he had every bodypart, is a monster, he was holding water and was way off. Then on Saturday he remarkably came in so much sharper and with that look would have been battling Oliva for top spot. Unfortunately the prejudging in most cases determines the placings. He put the dramatic change down to shedding a load of water – come to think of it we had heavy rain in Miami on Saturday. An in-shape Rasheed will win a pro card pretty soon.
A POINT AWAY
Third placed light heavyweight, Tyler Mike, was the hardest guy in that division. He missed out a pro card by just one point to runner-up Jermaine Todd.
LIKE A FINE WINE
The physique of 52 years old Nhon Ly belied his age in taking fifth in the welterweight division.
WATCH POE GO
In last year's Nationals, Ronald Poe finished seventh in the lightweight division. This year, much improved, he moved up to third and was denied a pro card by impressive runner-up Rafael Gonzalez. Interesting to see how Ronald fares next time out.
GO FIGURE – BODYBUILDING, PHYSIQUES, FIGURE
To these peepers it seems to be the lines are being blurred in the three women’s divisions listed above. Some competitors from each class could be swapped in and out and we might not even know the difference.
ONE FOR THE AGES
Tischa Thomas, women’s bodybuilding heavyweight champ, is 45 and has three children and five grandchildren. How’d you like to have a 170-pound grandmother?
THE HOLLY & THE HEAVY: NO PROBLEM
In winning the overall women's bodybuilding title lightweight Holly Pisarcik made history. Standing five feet she weighed 108 pounds and so becomes the lightest women's overall champion in the contest’s thirty-four renditions.
MEN’S PHYSIQUE: THE BIG QUESTION?
Are we getting to the point where a lot of the men's physique guys are straying into bodybuilding territory? Don't get me wrong I like the look of a lot of these guys (which maybe answers the previous question) but many of them are now heavier than quite a few of the previous Mr. Olympias.
THE MIGHT-SHE QUINN
In class C of the women's physique division Lauren Quinn caught the eye in third. Look for her to go higher next time out.
THE SYMMETRY OF THE OLIVAS
1) Twenty-two year old Sergio Oliva, while representing Cuba as a weightlifter at the 1962 Central American and Caribbean Games in Kingston Jamaica, defected from his home country and arrived in Miami, Florida, in April 1962 to fulfill a dream. A year later he moved to Chicago and a new life as a pro bodybuilder beckoned. Thirty-one year old Sergio Oliva Jnt arrived in Miami, Florida, on November 17, 2015 to fulfill a dream. A few days later he left Miami, returned to Chicago and a new life as a pro bodybuilder beckoned. Thus for both Sergios, Miami was the gateway to a new life.
2) Sergio Snr’s final contest was the 1985 Mr. Olympia staged in Brussels, Belgium, on October 26 that year. Sergio Jnr’s last amateur contest was November 21, 2015. Therefore he joined the pro ranks 30 years and 26 days after his father effectively left it. In the above pic Sergio Snr holds 2-week old Sergio Jnr aloft at the 1984 Olympia and declares, “I hold in my arms the next Myth”. Sergio Jnr is the youngest ever to be on the Olympia stage (unless a Ms. Olympia competitor was pregnant) and he looks forward to returning to that stage in a flexing capacity.
KUDOS
1) To promoter Steve Karel, Pam Betz and their staff for organizing a well-run show, and NPC President, Jim Manion and NPC officials who worked long and hard to get the job done.
2) Lonnie Teper for the excellent execution of his emcee duties, processing 960 competitors.
3) To MD publisher Steve Blechman whose funding enabled Team MD to work tirelessly, on site and off site, to bring you unrivaled coverage of the 2015 NPC Nationals. Which we aim to do at each and every contest we cover.
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