Tucson Body Building March 2003Date: 15.06.2003
Posted by: Anabolic Info Team United States
As the producer of many Tucson fitness and bodybuilding events, I would have to say that this year's 2003 Ultimate 10 Week Challenge and Mr. and Ms Natural Arizona. Held March 29, at Flowing Wells High School in Tucson, it was probably the best in numbers and quality of contestants that I've seen in the Old Pueblo for a decade.
The Ultimate 10 Week Challenge was dedicated to the late Shannon Russell, 43. He was a bodybuilder and trainer who competed in the Tucson event last year. He was training his sister-in-law for the Challenge when he passed away suddenly of a brain aneurysm. She continued in his honor.
At the beginning of the challenge, 25 contestants threw their hats in the ring, but only 17 endured to walk out on the stage. Paul Pittman took the trophy in the male division of the Challenge and Elizabeth Hammonds earned first for the women. Before images projected on stage of these amazing transformations allowed the audience to see the incredible changes these two made in just 10 weeks.
It was a tough decision, but based on the amount of change, Hammonds walked away with the 5-foot, overall trophy.
In the drug-tested bodybuilding competition, more than 40 athletes strutted their stuff. This competition is rare in that all athletes are given a polygraph and there are also randomly targeted urine tests of at least five competitors. Roach said that she has even been known to hair test a competitor who passed the polygraph and urine test because she was so suspicious that the illegal enhancement drugs were used.
Josh Minor and Blair Scarbrough duked it out in the male teen division, with Josh Minor taking first with his size and cuts. Novice women's winner Linda Simmons, with great symmetry and definition and a great stage presence, edged out Giulia Gould from Sierra Vista.
In the men's novice division, a ripped Steve Reeves, who is battling Crohn's disease, took second only to Mark Mayate.
From a large field of competitors in the master women's class, Deborah Day battled for her first-place trophy from amazingly symmetrical Michelle Vlastnik from Phoenix.
Perhaps one of the most inspirational classes of the evening was the Grandmaster division where Jim Zielke graced the stage with a body that looked half his age. Jim Scordato, 80, took second.
The women's short class ended in a rare tie between Jan Froeshchle and Michelle Vlastnik. Deborah Day took the women's tall for the second year-in-a-row but was significantly challenged by Terry Heater who lost 112 pounds in 1.5 years.
The next Challenge is the last Saturday in March of 2004. Get more info at Apex Hardbody Nutrients, 520-740-0050 (ask for Doug).
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