BNBF Northern 2010 Report
BNBF Northern Championships 2010
Sponsored by CNP Professional
The Royal Northern College of Music was the new location for the Northern qualifier and looks promising for becoming the new venue for this show. With lots of room outside the auditorium for people to gather and sit in comfort, the atmosphere before the show was buzzing. This was to be the final qualifier for this year so there were a few familiar faces from previous qualifiers hoping for a last chance to grab a place in the finals.
Judges for the show : Kerry Napier (Head Judge), Daz Cooper, Nigel Davis, Eric Dowey, Ann Gardner, Rachel Hayes, David Iroegbu, David Kaye. Report by Dawn Roberts.
Novice (sponsored by Creative Fitness Marketing)
The show kicked off with the novice class. The line up of 17 competitors was the biggest group of the day with some physiques that immediately stood out as they walked onto the stage. I have made notes on all competitors but for simplicity have reported on the main contenders for the top spots. If anyone not commented upon wishes for feedback then please contact either myself or one of the judges from the show. The line up had a few decent physiques to choose from and resulted in the top 4 being invited to the British finals.
Stuart Pelling immediately stood out as a serious contender for the top spot. His posing was excellent, his condition nice and tight everywhere and a set of freaky hamstrings that he posed with perfection! He has excellent symmetry and full muscularity which is no doubt partly to do with his powerlifting days. He is certainly one to look out for in the finals. In the evening show his routine was flowing and pleasing to watch and he showed great stage presence finished off with a nice smile! Without doubt Stuart was the winner of the class and was rewarded with the first place trophy.
Will Elliot was the next stand out contestant and came away with 2nd place. He sported a pleasing symmetry and nice quad details but had a tendency to drop his shoulders which on the odd occasion lost him some width to his lat poses. He was still a little soft in the abs and glutes but tightened up a little more by the evening show. He has a good tricep pose but needs to learn to bring out the chest more.
Matt Buck was the first out in the line up and with a nice tidy structure and stood out as a contender for one of the top spots almost immediately. He has a nice proportional symmetry and pleasing condition to show his level of muscularity with a tight mid section. Matt took 3rd place but needs to tidy up his posing for the finals particularly his lat spread and learn to twist his body better to show more shape on the quarter turn side poses.
Mark Ford had great condition and had he posed better in the compulsories he may have ranked higher. He had the symmetry but failed to bring it out in both lat width and showing the depth of his chest in the side stances. Further work is needed on leg condition and tighter detail in the glutes and hamstrings for the finals. There was something about this young man that reminded me of our Master champ Roger Waters when he did his most muscular pose!! Had Mark been able to pose better in general he may have placed higher than his rewarded 4th but he now has a second chance to get it right at the finals.
Missing out on a placing in the final four was Andrew Fisher who had a lovely stage presence but I feel he was one of many on the day let down by their posing style. It’s frustrating to see someone with a great physique who is not able to show it to its full potential. In Andrews case it was the width in his lats that he failed to show and a tighter condition is required in the legs. He seemed tighter at night and did a pleasing routine.
Dean Smethurst was another competitor who was knocking on the top 4 places and posed well in the compulsories, he had good hamstrings but like many others lacks in the calf region. His physique was tidy and compact showing that you don’t have to be the biggest to look one of the best. His condition may have been his downfall in the prejudging as he did appear tighter at the evening show where he did a nice smooth routine.
Teens (sponsored by CNP)
Just 4 competitors in our youngest line up of the day and the top 2 invited to the finals.
In a well deserved top spot was Tom Hoesli with by far the best condition in the line up. He has excellent rear biceps but his back shots were let down a little by his hamstrings which he needs to learn to pose better for the finals. He appeared to have tightened up at night but a smile won’t go amiss in place of that frown. I would suggest working a little more on the back depth for more detail when posing a rear double biceps and perhaps better skin preparation for the tan as it did look a little green. No doubt Tom will be a major threat in the finals.
Alex Fodor took2nd place and posed beautifully finished off with a nice pleasing smile. His condition was good but needs to be tighter to be a threat in the finals. His mid section was compact but by leaning back in his front lat spread, his symmetry was lost to the judges. He needs to learn how to get his hamstrings out better on the rear poses.
In 3rd place was Adam Matyazewski. Adam is one of those typical natural bodybuilders whose muscle doesn’t appear until he poses and then they explode out of nowhere! His condition improved with posing so maybe for future competitions he needs to pump up more backstage to have an immediate impact. His posing needs to be improved to show his physique off better but this could have been due to nerves as he did pose much better in the evening show where he did a good routine. Adam lacked width of his upper body in comparison to Alex and Tom even though he has a nice tight midsection and needs to tighten up in general condition.
Taking 4th placing with a good pair of shoulders was Kyle Dalton. From the moment he walked on stage, Kyle looked uncomfortable and lacking in confidence. He was unfortunate to be amongst 3 outstanding competitors but with improved mass and condition he will be a serious contender in years to come. Keep going Kyle!
Juniors (sponsored by Olympic Gym, Eccles)
This was one class I sat back and decided I was pleased I had volunteered to write this report. As at the other qualifiers this year, the junior class was of excellent standard and possibly the best line up of the day. First and second places invited to the finals.
Taking the top spot was Rob Wardley with good condition and pleasing symmetry. He is another competitor whose muscle is not apparent until he poses and he got better as the comparisons went on. His leg detail in the side chest shots was good but he needs to learn to bring the chest out more. A little more sweep on the legs to match the fabulous conditioning and more cap on his shoulders and his symmetry will be even better. His evening routine was very pleasing and again, lovely stage presence.
Stephen Burke has come a long way since he first appeared on stage in Manchester a couple of years ago. I saw the despondent way he left the stage on Sunday with his 2nd place trophy but with improved posing and a little tightening on his condition and he could definitely turn the results around for the finals. He was a little too soft in the quads and failed to pose his hamstrings well particularly at night but his leg detail showed well in his side chest shots. His posing was certainly not the worst of the day but with a little more tuition and practice I’m sure he can show his physique off much better.
3rd place went to Richard Bath who had pleasing symmetry. He came across as a little soft in the abdominals but that could have been down to his posing. He certainly had the mass on his quads but again failed to pose them well. With better condition I’m sure his glute/hamstring detail will also be much better.
Tony Mowbray with his good condition placed 4th. He needs to work on his upper body width to do better in the symmetry rounds as well as a better sweep to his quads. Tonys condition improved with posing and was even better in the evening show. He had a good rear double bicep shot.
Chasing Tonys tail for 4th place was James Patterson in fact so close was this that they scored equal marks but on countback James fell into 5th place. If James had posed better on the day he might have been taking home a trophy. He had nice wide shoulders which gave him a great upper body width but he needs to bring up the sweep in his quads to even out his symmetry. Tighter conditioning would have helped reveal more abdominal detail and he needs to pay attention to his right shoulder which dipped on occasion when he did a front lat spread.
Anthony Hague gave us a very entertaining acrobatic display for his routine but unfortunately the scores for this are only part of the whole package. He lacked general condition and mass to be competitive in this class although he did sport a good pair of arms. Learning to pose better to show off his physique would also be a good idea before his next appearance.
Masters O/50s (sponsored by Evolution Gym Sheffield)
Top 2 invited to the finals
Kevin Powell led the more mature guys of the day onto the stage and was immediately in standout condition and was no doubt the one who would eventually take the 1st place trophy. Kevin seemed more full than previous appearances but not to the detriment of his condition and he was even tighter for the evening show. His posing routine was a little jerky to the point that he wasn’t holding his poses for very long in order to show off his physique to the maximum. Being a little more graceful would work better for this pocket of dynamite. There also seemed to be a little imbalance between right and left shoulder/bicep.
Peter Middleton took 2nd place. I feel with better conditioning and improved posing Peter will fare much better in the finals. A simple twist of the wrist to show the biceps better and learning how to spread the lats in the front relaxed pose were the two main issues that stood out to me. Work on a better sweep on the hamstrings to show more shape on side poses.
John Bullock placed 3rd. He had a nice tight mid section but needs more mass in general, particularly in width to his back. His posing needs to be worked on particularly the quarter turns.
Andrew Wall has some good mass but unfortunately lacked the condition to place higher. He had decent biceps which showed well from the rear but he really needs to tighten up to make any mark. Again, learning to pose better would help in future shows.
Guest Spot
Daz Cooper, last year’s British overall winner and now a pro treated us to his artist routine once again. He put on a wonderful presentation and showed even more improvement from his previous guest spot at the Welsh show indicating how good he is going to look in a few more weeks at the first BNBF Pro show to be held on the same day as the finals. However, we were then treated to a 3 way pose down with two more pros, Chris Nsbuga and David Iroegbu as they jumped on stage to show their fabulous physiques. What a fabulous taster for the Pro show.....get your tickets soon so you don’t miss out on this one!
Masters (sponsored by Fighting Fit Bradford)
Top 2 invited to the finals
A well known face to the BNBF stage Peter Sampson once again delighted us with his presence and on first impression had obviously taken on board comments from previous shows and improved on his previous weaker areas and was without doubt the winner in this class. His condition was excellent and as usual we were entertained in the evening with his face obscured by a mask. His legs have improved since I first saw him compete and he posed his hamstrings well and his quads had good definition. However, a little more sweep to his hamstring to show more depth/detail in his side poses could add to his ever changing physique. Continue to build on the quad sweep and shoulder cap/lat width to bring out the symmetry even more and depth to the back to fill out the detail in rear poses.
2nd place was James Blyth who had good condition but could do with being a little sharper for the finals. His hamstrings and glutes appeared to be soft until he posed them correctly. He posed better in the evening show and had tightened up slightly from the afternoon.
Mike Dancer was 3rd with good shoulder definition in rear poses. He looked uncomfortable doing his evening routine. He needs to learn to pose his quads better and improve on condition to bring through the hamstring/glute region better. Working on upper back width and shoulder cap will help improve his scores in the symmetry rounds.
A second well known face to the natural bodybuilding scene Felix McAlinden on his second appearance this year unfortunately was out massed to be able to place any higher than 4th. He did look in much better condition than his previous outing earlier in the year.
Snapping at Felix's heels were David Whatley who showed decent mass but sadly lacked decent condition to push Felix out of his position and also Kevin Barr who needs more general mass and better condition.
Miss Physique (sponsored by Olympic Gym, Eccles)
Top 3 invited to the finals
Once again we enjoyed the stunning symmetry of Helen Thwaites and a graceful routine in the evening. No doubt she was a favourite for top place. Helen has a very full side chest pose and the detail is clear to see, her back and shoulders are also amongst her strong points. Helen took 1st place and is no doubt one of the favourites for the pro card this year but she needs to work on her condition particularly in the legs and abs to be a serious contender for the ultimate accolade.
Closely behind Helen was Cat Hampshire. Cat had nice caps to her shoulders and a lovely sweep to her quads but her symmetry was not quite as grand as Helens and she was therefore pushed into 2nd place. She needs to keep her midsection tight when in other poses. Her evening routine was very good and she posed with grace and elegance. A little more back work to widen the lats and add more depth to the back in general and more definition in the triceps and delts when in rear bicep pose would help perfect an otherwise lovely physique. A sharper condition would be recommended for the finals.
Frances Heywood had done two qualifiers already as a Miss Figure contender and decided to try her luck in this class and managed to grab 3rd place. As soon as she walked on the stage, it was clear this would be the class for her. She easily had the best condition out of the line up and had the tidiest abdominal section but her legs still need to be a little tighter for the finals. To be more competitive in this class she needs to add on general mass particularly to bring out her symmetry even more.
Taking the 4th place trophy was Eve Day, giving it her final shot for the finals. She had clearly improved from her last outing and even displayed her evening routine better but unfortunately not enough to grab a place in the finals. Eve needs to work on her lat width to help improve her symmetry and some improved posing could help show her physique better.
Ann McNally was the final competitor in this class and was too soft to demonstrate her muscularity to its fullest although it was clear she has nice arms and shoulders.
Lightweight (sponsored by Udos Choice Blended Oil)
Top 2 invited to the finals
Steve Morris was the last on stage in this line up and immediately caught the judges’ eyes. His condition was certainly one of the best of the day showing his muscularity to its fullest and a pleasing symmetry. He had a pleasing routine in the evening show and was the clear winner. Improving his quarter turns and learning to pose the glutes better to show the glute/ham tie in would help him improve his chances for the finals.
John Farell in 2nd place had good condition and symmetry but not quite enough muscle to push Steve out of the top position. He was tighter at night with a pleasing routine but needs to work on ab and glute detail and add a little more mass to his chest.
Steve Joyner took 3rd trying his second qualifier and looked in better condition than previously but needed to be tighter to place higher. With a thick midsection he needs to try and bring more width to his lats and sweep to his quads to fill out his symmetry better. He needs to hold the poses for longer particularly in the legs as he had a tendency to relax them after a few second.
4th place went to Iqbal Hussain. Iqbal had a very pleasing symmetry but needs to add on more mass and tighten up his condition to do better in this class. His side relaxed pose was good. He appeared tighter in the evening and showed good shoulders from the rear poses but he lacks hamstring and abdominal detail. A very pleasing poser.
There were only 2 more competitors in this line up. Damon Eaton, needs more general mass and to improve his posing. He was tighter at night and seemed to have tightened up in his midsection but his legs need more attention. Chris Flannagan was on his third stage showing this year and although he has improved from the Welsh qualifier he still has work to do to improve his chances in the future.
Middleweights (sponsored by The Body Academy)
Only 2 competitors in this class and to quote an old cliché, quality not quantity, both were invited to the finals.
Taking a close fought first place trophy was Paul Bamber who has done really well considering he was going to take this year out after his success in the novice class last year. He has a good side chest pose and knows how to show his quads but overall needs to pose better to show his hamstring detail as well as bringing out the full width of his lat spread. A better sweep on his detailed quads would help him fare better in this class.
Richelieu Quot had a few disappointed supporters when he was announced in 2nd place. Although he had an excellent physique and good symmetry, the condition in his legs did not allow their detail to show giving the impression of imbalance. He had good shoulders, a fabulous lat spread when he posed it right but he had a tendency to hunch over when doing a rear double biceps. His front relaxed pose gave me the impression he was getting ready to punch someone. If he works on poses and brings the condition out in his legs, he could easily switch places with Paul and be a threat in the finals.
Heavyweight (sponsored by Evolution Physical Excellence Rochdale)
Top 2 invited to the finals
In 1st place was Jerome Pithers who weighed in too heavy for his middleweight entry so was moved up a rank. He clearly had the best condition in this class but needs to be a little sharper for the finals. His tan would benefit from being a little darker too. His routine was nice and smooth and he appeared tighter at night.
Chris Bolger 2nd had the nicest tans of the day and a very pleasing symmetry but again needs to work on his condition for the finals to show his true package. He posed very elegantly for one of the bigger guys and gave a pleasing evening routine.
In 3rd was Mike Bell who was too soft to place higher. He had a good upper width and good quad sweep which gave him a pleasing symmetry but without the condition required it was difficult to see the detail he no doubt has in the muscularity rounds.
Daniel Awolola in 4th had good mass but his legs were too big for his upper body thus throwing off his symmetry. His condition needs to be tighter.
Finally, Paul Roberts who was without doubt the biggest guy of the day was far too soft to place higher. With good condition this guy could be a serious threat.
Miss Figure (sponsored by Body in Design)
Top 3 invited to the finals
Elsa Gotteberg who wowed the audience in 2009 with her beautiful stage presence and grace was the outright winner as soon as she confidently walked on stage with equally stunning stage presence. She poses well with lovely symmetry and clean cut abdominals. Her t-walk was excellent and helped earn her the best female presentation award. However, for the finals she really needs to bring the same condition she holds in her upper body to her legs particularly in the rear poses.
Kelly Rennie was 2nd and posed well in the quarter turns. Her poses within the t-walk were very graceful but she needs to practise the actual walking for the finals. Her quads showed a nice level of detail without being too hard, but her abdominals need to be posed better to show their detail. She did pose them better in the evening. A little more cap on the shoulders will help with better symmetry and a slightly tighter condition for the finals and she could be a top contender.
Giving it one final shot for a place in the finals was Roma Rudewicz and placing 3rd meant she achieved her goal. She has a lovely midsection, and a very pleasing stage presence with graceful poses. Her walk is excellent but she needs to learn to pose the abs better for the finals and bring a little more detail into her quads.
4th place went to Lesley Ann Armstrong. Lesley appeared very nervous and had chosen music that was too fast for her to walk comfortably in time with and therefore appeared rushed. This meant she had to gain her composure before she could hit any poses. She has nice width to her back but on occasion failed to get her lats out to their full width. With improved condition, a more relaxed manner, tighter abs and better posing she should do well in this class but nevertheless a good first appearance.
Heidi Droger posed well but her bikini in the prejudging did not flatter her shape to the fullest. She needs to bring out her back more for symmetry and better condition will see her improve in the abs, quads and glute areas.
Sharon Magee on her second appearance on the BNBF stage this year was determined to do herself proud. She has improved from her last show but still needs to be in better condition particularly in her lower body to make any progress in this class. A wider back will help in the symmetry rounds especially if capped off with better shoulder width. She needs to work on her posing and practise walking better in the heels to look less uncomfortable.
Overall Mr Posedown
This was looking like a tough one to judge but after many rounds of compulsories the award eventually went to the lightweight winner Steve Morris. His condition was excellent and improved with each pose and he sported the best symmetry of the line up. Having already won best wheels, he was an obvious favourite for the overall. Stuart Pelling seemed to have smoothed out since winning the novice class at the start of the show otherwise he may have been a more serious threat to Steve. Peter Sampson, unfortunately was out massed but his condition certainly made him one of the contenders. Kevin Powell, the over 50s winner stood his ground with his condition but his quad detail had smoothed out from his earlier appearance. Jerome Pithers had also lost some of his condition particularly in his mid section as had Paul Bamber the middleweight winner. Tom from the teens and Rob from the juniors thoroughly deserved to be up there with the best of the show but as often happens with the younger competitors in the same position, the more mature muscle tends to win the day but both guys show great potential to be overall winners in the near future.
Other Awards
Best female presentation : Elsa Gotteberg
Best male presentation : Richelieu Quot
Best wheels : Steve Morris
So that concludes the qualifiers for the 2010 BNBF shows. It’s been an excellent year in competitor numbers and over 100 competitors have been invited to the finals to be held at the SECC in Glasgow on 19th September.
