Competitors Edge by Vanessa Prebyl

A Weekly Blog By Nationally Ranked Bikini Competitor Vanessa Prebyl

Hello to all!!! As I promised I am dedicating this week's blog to what I learned at the first Pro-Bikini Show in the U.S.. I was fortunate enough to be able to go and watch all of the lovely ladies strut their stuff. I watched both pre-judging and finals, and both shows were AMAZING. I really have to hand it to the women, they really brought i. I did take notes on certain aspects of the show in order to help improve myself as a bikini competitor and my devoted readers which are as follows:

1. Body Composition/Balance: It is all in the bootay!!! All of the ladies were fit with nice curves and not overly muscular.
2. Presentation/Poise
A. Walk: All of the ladies walked flawlessly in their heels and looked very comfortable in them. Tip: to look comfortable in those 5" crystal-clear heels then makes sure to practice, practice, practice.
B. Poses: Many of the women hit their pose and held it. They did not fidget or move around too much.
C. Turns: All of the girls turned beautifully keeping their eyes on the judges as much as possible.
D. Hand Placement: I did notice that each girl had different placements of their hand and pose. Tip: Find what works for YOUR body. Try them and make sure to ask others what they think as well.
3. Suit Selection: There was an array of different Bikinis from Dianna Dahlgren's glittery zebra striped bikini to Sonia Gonzales's circle pattern to Amanda Latona's solid royal blue color. The one thing that was consistent was that all of the bikinis FIT their bodies. The top of the bikinis were not too small and the bottoms did not cut into their sides or were loose in the caboose. All of the bikinis flattered and showcased how hard the women have worked for their bodies.
4. Tan: All of the girls had great color.
5. Accessories: Sparkly Bangles are all-the-rave. Tip: Bling up that wrist and ear lobe, just make sure it helps and nnot distracts from your overall look.
6. Hair: Bigger is better! Volume is KEY when you are on stage. Tip: Think Victoria Secret hair.
7. Make-up: All of the ladies had consitent body to face skin tone and did not over do their make-up.
8. Personality: Many may feel this should be udner the heading Presentation; however, I noticed that the women that really thrived on stage had a great personality that you were able to see above their stage presence. Competitors such as Monique Minton light-up-the-stage with her AMAZING smile even when she was waiting on the side of teh stage for her turn to pose. Another competitor to mention is AManda Latona with her very related and confident demeaner on stage. My eyes kept going back to these girls. Tip: Learn from these ladies presentation any way you can :-)

BIkini Pro placings are as follows:
1. Sonia Gonzales (Overall winner)
2. Monique Minton
3. Amanda Latona
4. Stacy Thompson
5. Natalie Pennington
6. Alea Suarez
7. Dianna Dahlgren
8. Michelle Gullett
9. Sherlyn Roy
10. Leigh Lingham
11. Jennifer Dietrick
12. Zhanna Rotar
13. Michele D'Angona
14. Carol E. King
15. Christie Marquez

I would also love to let you know what exactly judges are looking for; However I am still unsure of that myself. One of the Bikini Pros that was ncie enough to asnwer some of my questions on this subject was Jennifer Dietrick who said "If you are a strawberry, BE a strawberry. Don't try to be a pineapple." At first you might think "what the heck does fruit ahve to do with bikini competing?" This is how I interpreted it. This is a new sport and even though there are some determinable factors wich as being in shape, the overall package should be your own. I saw all shapes and sizes of women on the stage, from soft to more muscular and from tall to short. BE THE BEST YOU. There is no reason to try to strive for anything else but the best of YOU. Who knows, the judges may be looking for exactly your type.

Above all remember that you are representing the sport of Bodybuilding whe you are competing so do it with pride. Not many people can do what we do and we should be very proud to be able to compete. Thank you NPC and IFBB for making a Bikini Division. GO BIKINI!!!!!

IF you ahve any questions feel free to elave a comment on this post. If you ahve any questions and don't want to ask them in a blog setting feel free to email me at vanessaprebyl2000@yahoomail.com. I hope this information helps you as much as it has helped me.

Quote of the Week:

"they expect to see a professional presentation, so the expect to see a "professional". Dress appropraitely for the occassion, but don't be one of the crowd"
-Wess Roberts

Much Love,
Vanessa