Good-Bye 2009, Hello 2010!!!

Well...the year 2009 has come to a close, and the year 2010 is here with infinite possibilities. But if you were to have told me that 2009 would have seen the inauguration of the first-ever black President of the United States, the deaths of many entertainments icons (including the Original Angel Farrah Fawcett and the irreplaceable King of Pop, Michael Jackson), the re-emergence of the Yankees to World Series supremacy (boo..LOL), Kanye West acting like a jackass to a nice person like Taylor Swift WHILE she was accepting her first-ever Moonman, and Chris Brown and Tiger Woods destroying their careers over stupid stuff, I would have thought you were crazy. But, no...that all actually happened this year.

I also would have called you crazy if you were to have told me that there would be a bikini division in the NPC and IFBB, a top IFBB figure champion (Zivile Raudoniene) would be heading to the WWE, the top name of figure since its inception (Jenny Lynn) would retire, IFBB fitness would no longer have the 45-second mandatory moves round and one-piece swimsuit round, and a 25-year old female by the name of Nicole Wilkins-Lee would be the 2009 Figure Olympia champion. But guess what? That all happened in 2009.

And that's not even mentioning what the FitGems Nation did in 2009:

Over the course of the past year, this site has grown through leaps and bounds in ways I never expected, over 300 members strong, including IFBB Pros and top members of the industry (including Siouxcountry, HDPhysiques, and Kriv Studios). This site gave hosted a special Mother's Day contest where this site gave money to a deserving mother in the industry, this site helped in providing a little money for two sponsorships, and this site now has a sponsorship of its own. FitChat also began here and enjoyed pretty good success. FitGems got the chance to interview top stars in the industry. Heck, this site even was featured on a top ten list and on an online newspaper!! Above all else, FitGems became something that female competitors and their fans could be a part of. It's not the first, and it's FAR from the best (and man, have there been some emotional times in 09 where I thought this site just wasn't worth it) but it's something that I'm proud to say that it exists, and I'm happy that the female competitors appreciate what this site is trying to do.

To the moderators, the members, the female competitors, and even those that just stop by for a brief visit...thank you for everything you've done for this site. I couldn't have done this without all of your support and knowledge.

2009 was one heck of a year, and I'm hoping 2010 will bring great things to each and everyone of you reading this. May God be with you all as you make your journeys, and may the FitGems Nation continue to be a positive and encouraging place for female competitors all over the world and their fans to come and be a part of. The fun has just begun!!! :)