NPC Fitness Spotlight for October 2011: Amanda Hatfield

This month's NPC Fitness Spotlight belongs to someon who has returned to the scene after being away from the fitness scene since 2004, Amanda Hatfield!

Photo credit: Fitness Rx

Looking at the picture above, some of you think you might have seen her before. If you were following this sport around 2004-2005, chances are you have. She used to go by the name Amanda Swallow. She was ALL OVER the paysites with her explosive biceps and overall muscularity. She was doing exceptionally well during her first run, then out of nowhere, she disappered, not to be seen until now.

With a new name in Amanda Hatfield, she didn't waste any time in making a name for herself in the fitness division. In her first show back from a five-year hiatus, she won first place at the NPC Julie Palmer Ultimate Showdown this past June in Toledo, Ohio and qualifying to compete in Fitness Nationals at Team Universe, where she claimed fifth in the short class. She recently competed in the North Americans, where she won her class and ALMOST won her pro card that night as well. She did more than just win her class at the NAs, she she restored her status as one of the division’s top contenders, and she's currently on Kriv Studios and HDPhysiques, with her biceps as impressive as ever. Expect more sites to feature her and quite possibly a pro card in the VERY near future. I think I can speak for everyone when I say...WELCOME BACK AMANDA!!!

Photo credit: Fitness Rx

COMPETITION HISTORY (as Amanda Hatfield)

1st Place Short Class-North Americans 2011
5th Place Short Class-Team Universe 2011
1st Place-Julie Palmer Ultimate Showdown

IFBB Fitness Spotlight for October 2011: Kayde Puckett

This month's IFBB Fitness Spotlight belongs to one of the newer competitors in IFBB, Kayde Puckett!

Photo credit: Muscular Development

Kayde is from Northern Virginia, now residing in North Carolina! While her parents wanted her to do dancing and piano, she wanted to do martial arts when she was little. Her parents decided to let her do martial arts, and from there was the beginning of what would be the start of a great fitness career ahead of her. It was during her martial arts days that led her to discover weight training. She began to pick up weights at age 14 ana hasn't looked back since. That and her martial arts training (which she continued through college) paved the way for her to become a fitness competitor.

When she moved to Raleigh, I was unable to find a martial arts school that would fit her needs. It turned out to be a blessing in disquise as she focues more on weight training anf found fitness in the process. When she saw her first fitness show, she was instantly hooked. She began to train for fitness in April 2008, and a year after that, at the NPC Team Universe in 2009, she won the overall fitness title and her pro card, and she's now an IFBB Pro.

Kayde will be making history this month as she will participate in the first-ever Arnold Classic Europe. With her successful track record, the sky's the limit for what she can accomplish in the IFBB fitness division.

Photo credit: Lift Studios/Isaac Hinds

COMPETITION HISTORY:

10th Place - Europa Show of Champions, Orlando, FL (April, 2010)
8th Place - NY Pro Fitness Classic, New York, NY (April, 2010)
14th Place - Fitness International, Columbus, OH (March, 2010) - Pro Debut
7th Place - IFBB World Championships, Como, Italy (October, 2009)
1st Place Tall Class and Overall (Earned IFBB Pro Card) - NPC Team Universe and National Fitness Championships, New York, NY (September 2009)
3rd Place - NPC Jr. Nat's, Chicago, IL (June 2009)
4th Place - NPC Jr. USA's, Charleston, SC (May 2009)
1st Place - Carolina Clash, Kannapolis, NC (Oct 2008)
2nd Place - SC Excalibur, Charleston, SC (Aug 2008)

For more on Kayde, visit her website at http://www.kaydepuckett.com/.

NPC Fitness Spotlight for September 2011: Babette Mulford

The NPC Fitness Spotlight for September 2011 belongs to Babette Mulford!

Photo credit: FitnessRx

Babette is an NPC Fitness Competitor from Iowa. She was, as most competitors were back in their days as a child, and active person, doing water ski, soccer, track, flaggirl, and cheerleading, among other things. Prior to becoming a fitness competitor, she competed in figure and bodybuilding. In fact, she started out as a bodybuilder (as it was the only thing offered for her at the time), then she went into fitness, then did figure for a while (as well as a few marathons) and now she's back home in fitness. Her journey started when she was part of a dance team and danced at an intermission of an area bodybuilding competition. She stayed after the intermission and totally fell in love with the sport. Her love has transformed into a lifestyle that has seen her place very well in several competitions, as she strives to one day become an IFBB Fitness Pro.

Photo credit: FitnessRx

COMPETITION HISTORY
2011 IFBB North American Championships 3rd
2011 NPC Team Universe & National Fitness Championships 6th
2010 NPC Junior USA Championships 1st
2010 NPC Team Universe & National Fitness Championships 4th
2010 NPC Junior National Championships 3rd
2009 NPC Team Universe 6th
2009 IFBB North American Championships 3rd
2009 NPC Junior National Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships 5th
2008 NPC Junior National Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships 5th
2007 NPC National Championships 8th
2007 NPC Junior Nationals Bodybuilding, Fitness And Figure Contest 4th

You can learn more about Babette in an interview she did with Jason Adams of Promoting Real Women at http://promotingwomen.blogspot.com/2010/12/babette-mulford-interview.html.

IFBB Fitness Spotlight for September 2011: Adela Garcia

With the Olympia this month, the IFBB Fitness Spotlight for September 2011 was a no-brainer. This month's IFBB Spotlight goes to one of the most successful IFBB fitness champions in history: Adela Garcia!

Photo credit: Muscular Development

Adela is arguably THE top fitness competitor in the world today, and for good reason. She's competed (AND WON) many titles, including multiple Fitness Internationals and Fitness Olympias.She was born in Cabrera, Dominican Republic and raised in San Juan Puerto Rico along with two older brothers. For those wondering, yes, she was a tomboy. Growing up active, she tried anything and everything you could think of in sports, including volleyball, softball, and basketball. This wasn't a sport, but there was a time that she (along with her brothers) putting forks in electrical outlets to see if they could see their skeletons!! Crazy, huh?! Despite all of that, there was one sport she never officially participated in, and it's the main sport that is credited a lot for fitness competitions: gymnastics.  She wanted to take gymnastics classes, but financial issues kept her from doing so. So what did she do? She tried cartwheels and back-walkovers at home and kept myself busy playing games with my two brothers.

At the age of 17, she was introduced to weight training. In college, she joined the Army’s ROTC program,  After being in the ROTC for a couple of years, she decided to take a trip throughout the states to learn English. While I visited California, I remember a couple of people suggesting that I try to compete in a fitness show. She was a bit skeptical because she did not have any type of dance background to compete. She declined that time and moved back to Puerto Rico in 1995. During that time, she taught aerobics classes and did some personal training at the gym on a military base. It was there where she saw a poster for the NPC Armed Forces Fitness Championships in North Carolina. She entered that contest and ended up placing second and was immediately hooked from that point on. She would compete in more local and nationals shows until 1999, where she took the overall fitness title at th 1999 USA Fitness Championship and earned my IFBB pro card. And the rest, as they say, is history.

There have been many great fitness competitors to come and go, but Adela has proven time and time again that she's among the all-time greats, and she hopes to cement her place in history at the 2001 Olympia, as she will be looking to win her 6th Fitness Olympia title, a feat no other fitness competitor has ever accomplished. When you think of fitness, bottom line, there's no one who solidifies the sport more than Adela Garcia.

Photo credit: Fitness Rx

COMPETITION HISTORY:

2011
Arnold Classic-first place

2010
Fitness Olympia-first place
Arnold Classic-first place

2009
Fitness Olympia-first place
Europa Super Show-third place

2007
Fitness Olympia-first place
Houston Pro Figure-third place
Arnold Classic-third place

2006
Fitness Olympia-first place
Arnold Classic-first place

2005
Sacramento Pro Fitness-first place
Fitness Olympia-third place
Arnold Classic-second place

2004
Fitness Olympia-first place
Arnold Classic-first place

2003
IFBB New York City Pro Fitness-Overall
IFBB Fitness International-second place

2002
IFBB GNC Show Of Strength Fitness-second place
IFBB Fitness Olympia-fourth place
IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Fitness-Overall
IFBB Atlantic States Pro Fitness-Overall
IFBB New York City Pro Fitness-Overall
IFBB Fitness International-fourth place

2001
IFBB Fitness Olympia-fourth place
IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Fitness-third place
IFBB Fitness International-third place

2000
IFBB Jan Tana Classic Pro Fitness-second place
IFBB Fitness Olympia-fifth place
IFBB Pittsburgh Pro Fitness-fifth place
IFBB Atlantic City Pro Fitness-sixth place
IFBB Fitness International-eighth place

1999
NPC USA Fitness Championships-Overall (IFBB Professional Qualifier)

1998
NPC Junior National Fitness Championships-second place short class
IFBB North American Fitness Championships-sixth place short class
NPC National Fitness Championships-eighth place short class
NPC USA Fitness Championships-ninth place short class

1996
NPC Pennsylvania Fitness Championships-fourth place
NPC National Fitness Championships-twelfth place

1995
NPC Europa Sports Fitness Championships-second place

For more on Adela, visit her website at http://www.adelafitness.com.  

NPC Fitness Spotlight for August 2011: Alissa Carpio

This month's NPC Fitness Spotlight belongs to Alissa Carpio!

Photo credit: Fitness Rx

Alissa has been a certified personal trainer since 2002. A year after she became a personal trainer, she decided to enter the world of physique competitions. She has went on to compete in fitness, figure, and bodybuilding. She has placed in the top 5 at five national competitions, including a win at the 2010 Jr. USAs in Fitness. Her main goal is to one day earn her pro card in fitness.

In addition to fitness competitions and personal training, she's also a freelance writer for health, fitness, pregnancy, and babies. You can view some of her work on Bodybuilding.com, MAX Sports & Fitness, Pampers.com, Bodysport.com, Fitness & Physique, and Faith and Fitness.

Photo credit: Fitness Rx

COMPETITION HISTORY:
2011 Team Universe, Fitness 6th Place, Class C
2010 NPC Junior, Fitness Tall Class (2nd)
2008 Junior Nationals, Fitness Class C (4th)
2008 Junior USA, Fitness Class C (1st)
2008 NPC Pittsburgh, Fitness (3rd)
2007 NPC National Fitness Championship, 6th Tall
2007 NPC Maryland Grand Prix, Overall Women's Bodybuilding
2006 NPC Team Universe Championship, 8th - Fitness Tall
2005 NPC National Fitness Championship, 3rd Tall
2005 OCB Battle of Blacksburg, 1st - Women's Novice, 2nd - Open
2005 NPC Junior USA Championship, 1st - Fitness Tall
2005 NPC Pittsburgh Championship, 1st - Fitness Tall
2004 NPC VA/DC State Championship, Overall Fitness
2004 NPC Bethany Howlett Classic, Overall Fitness
2004 NPC Tournament of Champions, 1st - Figure Tall
2004 NPC BodyRock & Monica Brant, Overall Fitness

For more on Alissa, visit her website at http://www.alissa.net/.

IFBB Fitness Spotlight for August 2011: Trish Warren

This month's IFBB Fitness Spotlight goes to one half of the arguably THE top IFBB couple in the game today and a future mother, Trish Warren!

Photo credit: FLEX Online

Trish would describe herself as the "small town country girl with dreams as big as the Texas sky". She was on a cheerleading scholarship, which she did for a couple of year, and then decided to enter fitness competitions. She joined a small gym and hired a trainer and began my journey to being a top fitness star. That gym would be the very place she would met a man named Branch Warren. Little did anyone expect what would go down after that for BOTH Trish and Branch.

Trish would go on to win her very first competition, the Ronnie Coleman Classic in 1999, and from that point on, she was hooked. She would win her pro card in 2002 at NPC Nationals, and from there on she would go on to compete in many events, including the Arnold and Olympia. Along the way, she has refined her routines and her physique to be one of the best in the world. In fact, Trish is currently the number THREE fitness competitor on the planet, right behind Adela Garcia and Tanji Johnson. Her journey to being THE best will have to take a backseat, though, and for VERY good reason. Announced last month (July), Trish and Branch are expecting their first child together!! Congrats to the Warren family! I have no doubt in my mind that when the time's right, Trish will return to the stage and pick up right where she left off; aiming to win the Fitness Olympia and/or Fitness International title and prove to the world that she is the best.

Photo credit: Muscular Development

COMPETITION HISTORY:
1999 Ronnie Coleman Classic 1st
2002 Jr. Nationals 1st and Overall
2002 Nationals Earned Pro Card
2008 NY Pro Fitness 2nd (qualifed for 1st Olympia)
2008 Houston Pro 10th
2008 Fitness Olympia 9th
2009 Arnold Classic Fitness International 7th
2009 NY Pro Fitness 2nd
2009 Fitness Olympia 10th
2010 Arnold Classic Fitness International 4th
2010 New York Pro Fitness 2nd
2010 Fitness Olympia 3rd
2011 Arnold Classic Fitness International 3rd

For more on Trish, visit her website at http://www.trishwarrenfitness.com

NPC Fitness Spotlight for July 2011: Jennifer Bishop-Kernaghan

This month's NPC Fitness Spotlight was chosen from the Facebook fan page, Jennifer Bishop-Kerneghan!

Photo credit: FitnessRx

Jennifer is a NPC figure turned fitness competitor from Mississippi. Sdisplayed a penchant for ambition and She began entering and won quite a bit of beauty pageants near her home in Mississippi. But she wanted to expand her horizons, so she decided to move to Jupiter, Florida. It was then that her life would change forever.

Jennifer went into in the mortgage industry but found out quick that she didn't want to do that for the rest of her life. Out of nowhere, she applied for a position at a gym in Jupiter and quickly realized her passion: health and fitness. She started as an aerobics and spin instructor and quickly moved into full-time personal training.
She began to get attention from the gym-goers there, and after some talks here and there, it was clear that she was destined to compete in physique competitions. She has dabbled in a few figure shows, but most of her career has been in fitness competitions. She has competed in quite a few fitness shows, with her recent show (Jr. Nationals) placed 4th. Each competition moves her one step closer to every National competitors dream: becoming an IFBB Pro.

Photo credit: FitnessRx

COMPETITION HISTORY

2011
Jr. Nationals- 4th Place Class C

2010
Fitness Team Universe - 6th Place
Fitness Jr. Nationals - 9th Place
West Palm Beach Anna Level - 1st Place Fitness Medium and Overall Winner
Diamond Classic - 1st Place Open and 2nd Place Over 30

2007
Sunshine Classic - Fitness Overall Winner and 2nd Place Figure

2006
Sunshine Classic Fitness - Fitness Overall Winner and 2nd Place Figure

2004
Florida State Figure - 5th Place

2003
Gold Cup Figure - 3rd Place

For more on Jennifer, visit her website at http://www.jlfit.com/.

IFBB Fitness Spotlight for July 2011: Myriam Capes

This month's fitness spotlight belongs to the highest ranking fitness competitor in Canada, Myriam "Mimi" Capes!

Photo credit: Flex Online

Myriam is a IFBB Fitness Pro from Canada. She began her fitness career at the tender age of 17. Before becoming a fitness star, she was a gymnast. Mimi would obtained her pro card in 2006. Her first year as a pro, she would qualify to compete in the 2007 Fitness Olympia. She would finish 18th of 19th in the competition. While that's near the bottom of the list, being able to compete in the Olympia in your first year as a pro is an accomplishment in an accomplishment in itself.

In her first year, she brought am impressive physique to the stage, but it was obvious things were gonna have to change a bit in order to make a major impact in IFBB Fitness. The following year, she refined her physique to a more streamlined, judge-pleasing look, and her routines became more and more entertaining. She also went from blonde to jet black hair, which took a lot of people by surprise at the time, but from what I've heard, she made the right choice. In 2009, things began to take shape for her as she returned to the Olympia and placed 6th, a FAR cry from 18th place. She would follow that up with her first Arnold in 2010, placing 8th at the Fitness International. Her 4th place finish at this past Olympia, along with her 5th place finish as this year's Arnold makes her the highest ranking Canadian fitness competitor of all time. Many feel it's only a matter of time before she nabbed her first pro fitness win, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if she becomes a future Fitness Olympia and/or Fitness International champion. She has the routine, physique, personality, and drive to make it happen.

Photo credit: Flex Online

COMPETITION HISTORY

2011 IFBB Toronto Pro Super Show-2nd
2011 IFBB Fitness International-5th
2010 IFBB Olympia-4th
2010 IFBB Europa Super Show-2nd
2010 IFBB Europa Show of Champions-3rd
2010 IFBB Fitness International-8th
2009 IFBB Olympia-6th
2009 IFBB Europa Super Show & Supplement Expo-2nd
2009 IFBB Europa Show of Champions-2nd
2009 IFBB New York Pro Fitness-5th
2008 IFBB Atlantic City Pro-4th
2008 IFBB 15th Annual Sports/Fitness Weekend & Europa IFBB Super Show-7th
2008 IFBB Houston Pro Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Contest-13th
2008 IFBB New York Pro Fitness-9th
2007 IFBB Olympia-18th
2007 IFBB Santa Susanna Bodybuilding And Figure Contest-2nd
2007 IFBB Europa Super Show-NP

To visit her website, check it out at http://www.myriamcapes.ca/.

IFBB Fitness Spotlight for June 2011: Nicole Duncan

This month's IFBB Fitness Spotlight goes to all-around Southern girl Nicole Duncan!

Photo credit: Arnold Sports Festival website

Energetic, amazing, innovative. Those words come to mind when one thinks of Nicole Duncan. Nicole is one of the most energetic fitness competitors on the scene today, and one of the most talented as well. A Georgia girl through and through, she She became the 2006 NPC National Fitness Champion, which catapulted her to the rankings of the IFBB.

Ever since she won her pro card, she has climbed steadily into the top of the IFBB Fitness division. She has a great physique, but what she's best known for is her amazing energy during her routines. In fact, shortly after the passing of Michael Jackson in 2009 (may he Rest in Peace), she decided to incorporate a few of MJ's moves into her routine, and from everyone I've talked to, there were showstoppers.

Earlier this year, I actually had the chance to see Nicole in person during Wrestlemania 27. She was about a week or so out from competing at the New York Pro Fitness at the time. She was very sweet to everyone and yet made sure no one got out of line (hey, wrestling fans aren't the most gentle people on Earth. I should know. I'm one of them. LOL).

Truly one of the leader's in today's women's fitness division, this former Atlanta Falcon cheerleader is doing her best to entertain the crowd through her fitness routines, and it shows. Look for her to continue her path to becoming one of the best in IFBB women's fitness history.

Photo credit: Fitness Rx Magazine

COMPETITIVE HISTORY:

2011 IFBB New York Pro Fitness-8th
2011 IFBB Fitness International-10th
2010 IFBB Fort Lauderdale Pro Fitness-2nd
2010 IFBB Fitness Olympia-9th
2010 IFBB Europa Show of Champions Fitness-8th
2010 IFBB Fitness International-10th
2009 IFBB Ft. Lauderdale Pro Fitness-2nd
2009 IFBB Fitness Olympia-8th
2009 IFBB Atlantic City Fitness-4th
2009 IFBB Europa Super Show Fitness-3rd
2009 IFBB Fitness International-14th
2008 IFBB Fitness Olympia-11th
2008 IFBB Europa IFBB Super Show Fitness-3rd
2008 IFBB Houston Pro Fitness-5th
2008 IFBB New York Pro Fitness-4th
2007 IFBB Palm Beach Pro/Am Fitness-7th
2007 IFBB Europa Super Show Fitness-10th
2007 IFBB New York Pro Fitness-7th

For more on Nicole, visit her website at http://www.fitnicole.com, and follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/FitNicInc.

NPC Fitness Spotlight for April 2011: Meredith Miller

This month's NPC Fitness Spotlight belongs to Meredith Miller!

Photo Credit: Muscular Development

Meredith Miller is a fitness competitor from Ohio. Like many competitors, she works a very active job. She is a competitive gymnastics coach for Integrity Gymnastics in Plain City, Ohio, and also dopes personal training on the side. She loves dogs, in fact she has two dogs by the name of Pudd and Elvis. At times, they would actually sleep on the bed while she would sleep on the couch! No, I'm not making this up!

With her physique, she could have easily done figure, but chose to go the fitness route mainly due to her gymnastic background and her love for performing on stage. She's an international competitive gymnast.

Meredith has consistently placed in the top 3 in her National competitions thus far, with a top five finish at the Arnold Amateur this year. It wouldn't surprise us to see her nail that coveted pro card and compete with the elite ladies of the IFBB.

Photo credit: Fitness Rx Magazine

COMPETITIVE HISTORY

2011 Arnold Amateur, Fitness Tall Class (5th)
2010 IFBB North American Championships, Fitness Class B - Fitness (2nd)
2010 Team Universe, Fitness Tall (3rd)
2010 Jr National Championships, Fitness Class C (3rd)
2009 Arnold Amateur, Fitness Med Class
2007 NPC Ohio State Overall Fitness Champion

For more on Meredith, check out her interview with Physiqueness here.

IFBB Fitness Spotlight for April 2011: Oksana Grishina

This month's IFBB Fitness Spotlight goes to one of the most amazing fitness competitors our there today, Oksana Grishina!

Photo credit: Muscular Development

There are fitness competitors....and there are fitness ARTISTS. When one thinks of Oksana Grishina, you can't help but think of the team "artist". In every fitness competition she's ever entered, she's entered as a fan favorite. People anxiously await her turn to the stage at every competition she's ever entered. Very few competitors can grab the attention of the audience like Oksana. On top of her jaw-dropping routines, she has an incredibly built physique to go along with her routines, making her one of the most complete fitness competitors in the world today.

Oksana is from Kaliningrad, Russia. When her father was assigned to Riga, Latvia, she took gymnastics at an early age by her mother as a way to unleash her energy. It worked and she was hooked on it ever since. Fitness was and is a big part of her life. She went a University in Kaliningrad and earned a degree as a specialist in Physical Training and Sports. During that time, she organized her own ballet entitled “Antares”.  I also worked as a choreographer with children at the Tchaikovsky School of Music and Art in Kaliningrad.

At that time, there were no gyms in Kaliningrad. When the first gym opened in 2002, a friend suggested that she work as a fitness and aerobics instructor. From there, trainers mentioned that she should try fitness. It didn't take long to see that fitness competitions were for her. In 2005 and 2006, Oksana was awarded the title of “Best Non-Olympic Sportswoman of the Year” in the Kaliningrad Region, while winning fitness competitions on the international stage at the European and World Championships, finally earning her IFBB pro card to compete in the 2007 Olympia.

She now lives in the United States for over three years and now live in California. She's still a personal trainer, fitness consultant and fitness model, as well as play the piano and act in her spare time, which has been a big part of her fitness routines. It's only a matter of time before the judges wake up and realize how amazing of a talent they have with Oksana.

 

Photo credit: Fitness Rx Magazine

COMPETITION HISTORY
1993 “Master of Sports of Russia” in Rhythmic Gymnastics
2000 Kaliningrad State University Diploma DVS, Specialist in Physical Training and sports; Teacher
2004 “Master of Sports of Russia” in Bodybuilding
2004 “Master of Sports of Russia of International Class” in Bodybuilding
2004-6 Russian Championship, Overall Fitness Champion
2005-6 Awarded Best Non-Olympic Sportswoman of the Year in the Kaliningrad Region
2005 European Championship, Overall Fitness Champion
2006 World Championship, Overall Fitness Champion
2007 All Star Pro Fitness, 3rd Place
2007 Europa Super Show, Fitness, 16th Place
2007 IFBB Olympia, Fitness, 7th Place
2008 New York Pro Fitness Classic, Fitness, 7th Place
2008 Arnold Classic, Fitness, 10th Place
2009 Arnold Classic, Fitness, 9th Place
2010 Phoenix Pro, Fitness, 4th Place
2010 Arnold Classic, Fitness, 5th Place
2010 IFBB Olympia, Fitness Division, 5th Place
2011 Arhold Classic, Fitness, 8th Place

For more on Oksana, go to her website at http://www.oksanagrishina.com.

IFBB/NPC Fitness Competitor Monthly Spotlights Coming Next Month

On the first Monday of each month, beginning in November, I'll be highlighting a fitness competitor from the IFBB as well as the NPC. They can be competitors from the past or present. I'm hoping to try and highlight as many fitness competitors as I possibly can. This was supposed to have started last month, but didn't happen due to personal reasons, and I apologize for that.

The first IFBB and NPC Fitness Competitor Monthly Spotlights will be revealed on Monday, November 1. If you have any suggestions on who I should spotlight for in the future, please email me at save_fitness@yahoo.com with your recommendations, or leave me a comment below.