Results for 2008 NY Figure Pro

[*Bunny*]

Top 6

Figure
1. Ziville Raudoniene
2. Julie Kulla
3. Jelena Abbou
4. Huong Arcinas
5. Candice John
6. Natalie Benson

[NubianBeauty]

OK! I get it now! They're definitely going in a new direction... 'softer' look. #4 Huong was more ripped @ Jr Nats last year... here she is here:




Here is how Natalie usually looks.

[Florencia]

Yikes...I may sound ridiculous...too soft? I would expect hammies to show more...not equal leanness...symetrical?

[T-Cake]

Originally Posted by Florencia

Yikes...I may sound ridiculous...too soft? I would expect hammies to show more...not equal leanness...symetrical?

Per the new rules in January, hammies and quads can't pop as much anymore. It's a sign of being too dry, I think, which equates to BBers.

Here's what I see in the rankings and why each person is where they are:
1st (plat blonde) won because of her
- very dry back
- lifted rear, including space between upper thigh
- no visible crease at all in glute-ham split
- flat abs but not cut abs
- toned quads with minimal visible cuts (but not too cut)
- bottom does not overpower top Note: That's the last thing I noticed...

2nd (to the left of the blonde) had
- similar dryness in her back to 1st place, though not as dry as 3rd and 4th place finishers
- overall symmetry
- same glute-ham features, but not as tight in appearance there as 1st was

3rd place (on the far right) had
- overall symmetry top to bottom
- cuts in her abs and legs that were more visible than 1st and 2nd place
- my guess is her symmetry was right-on but she was too dry for the new rules

4th place (who NB talked about above) had
- the same thing as 3rd place (but her shoulders overpower her biceps) in terms of cuts/dryness
- significantly larger calves than the other girls, which included cuts in them

5th place (2nd from the left in the lineup) had
- some dryness in the upper back (which I think helped her place), though not as much as 1st-4th place
- less of a lift in her glutes than the other top 4 placements

6th place (Benson, far left) had
- overall symmetry but went too soft in order to try and fit the new rules
- NB's pic she posted is wayyyy more like the way Benson usually steps on stage, but I think she refrained from that because of all the cuts she normally has and knew it'd be frowned upon
- Her glute-ham split has a crease

Bottom line:
* Looks like as Figure girls lean out from head to toe (as most of them literally do... we all know the legs/butt are last to go), they are learning just how close to fully dried-out they need to stop. Some of these women went too far and were too dry... some stopped too early, drying out their top half but not doing enough with the bottom yet. And 1st and 2nd seemed to hit it on the head.

[*Bunny*]

NB I KNEW you'd be right on with Nat B.

Look at Krissy Chins pics for the last year.

[*Bunny*]

Julie Kulla is the girl that just won the show tweak went to, got her pro card, and placed 2nd at her 1st pro figure show.

Impressed , esp since her physique is not bad at all.


I prefer a more lean look and soft ab separation like below.

I liked Z's figure at the O, she placed 12th , and it was rumored she would be top 5.

[SBT]

Yeah the judging at Team U which was in conjunction with that was CRAZY though... top 5 in half the height classes didn't even match up so who knows what they're looking for really.

[NubianBeauty]

If I were a pro right now I'd be pissed! Now they have to completely change their prep... hell who needs a prep coach anymore the way things are headed. This looks like 2 different shows... the 3 in the middle look like amateurs and the other 3 like pros... having a dry back should not catapult you to the top of the lineup... it's about OVERALL 'look', symmetry, balance, etc... #1 does not have it IMO.

[SBT]

Originally Posted by NubianBeauty

If I were a pro right now I'd be pissed! Now they have to completely change their prep... hell who needs a prep coach anymore the way things are headed. This looks like 2 different shows... the 3 in the middle look like amateurs and the other 3 like pros... having a dry back should not catapult you to the top of the lineup... it's about OVERALL 'look', symmetry, balance... #1 does not have it IMO.

^^^Well go look at some of the winners from Team U since the top two in EACH class get their card, and that would explain that one right there

[*Bunny*]

The NPC needs to add a bikini class.

[SBT]

Originally Posted by *Bunny*

The NPC needs to add a bikini class.

There has been talk of that all year and it more then likely will happen.

[GTLifter]

Originally Posted by *Bunny*

The NPC needs to add a bikini class.

looks like they did and called it "figure"


I think it's dumb.

[Beverly McD.]

Originally Posted by NubianBeauty

If I were a pro right now I'd be pissed! Now they have to completely change their prep... hell who needs a prep coach anymore the way things are headed. This looks like 2 different shows... the 3 in the middle look like amateurs and the other 3 like pros... having a dry back should not catapult you to the top of the lineup... it's about OVERALL 'look', symmetry, balance, etc... #1 does not have it IMO.

Ditto NB.

[Ulter]

Maybe it's just me but I don't see any consistency from one top level show to the next. I does look like they are going softer. On that they are consistent with what they did last year. What's horrible is that competitors aren't in on it before their shows. They did this 4 years ago in bbing. They change the judging criteria without letting the competitors know about it.

Based on those pics though, Tweak is going to clean up.