Christine Pomponio-Pate: A Figure "First Lady"

Each division has something for everyone (women's bodybuilding, fitness, fitness, figure, bikini). We have said over and over that the figure divsion is the comic-book division, where the women look like they are ripped straight out of a comic book or modeled just like an action figure. When the figure division began in 2003, it gae women who had "fitness-division like" muscle yet not the fitness/gymnastic background a platform to showcase their physiques and not having to do a routine. While something thought it wouldn't last due to the lack of posing involved, it has continued to be a top division for the IFBB and NPC with big numbers turning in, with bikini being the only division with higher numbers. While most successful competitors range from 5"6 to about 5"10, there have been those who repsthe "shorties" and let their physique stand tall about others who had the height advantage. One such competitor was Christine Pomponio-Pate.

Standing at 5 foot one and one of the founding ladies of the figure division, Christine had quite the journey of coming to the IFBB. She competed in soccer for 10 years and began working out with weights during her days in high school. in 1994, and worked in a gym, when an near-tragic accident could have ended everything for her. Here are details of the incident from the Denver Post (https://www.denverpost.com/2006/09/16/willpower-can-get-you-big-results/):

The former soccer player passed out due to low blood sugar. Her car crossed the median and hit a truck head-on. Mechanical failure kept her seatbelt from being fastened, leaving nothing to prevent her from exiting through the windshield. She hit the steering wheel with her face, causing severe oral damage on the way out. She was semi-conscious the next two days. Six years of difficult recovery followed. 

Within those six years, she had 11 surguries to fix everything. Looking at her during her competitions days and now, you wouldn't think she has been through hell, but believe me, she has. And the fact that she has been able to accomplish so much since then has made her so grateful for everything she has in her life and why we are grateful, honored, and humbled to celebrate #CPPWEEK this past week.

Christine began back weight training as part of rehab. One thing let to another and she ended up competing at the Colorado State Fitness Championships, winning the overall fitness title right off the bat. The next step was competing at the National stage, competing at the NPC USAs in 1999 and NPC Nationals in 2000 before winning her IFBB Pro card in 2001 by winning her class at the NPC Team Universe. Christine saw herself as a backyard gymnast, meaning having strong mandatories but that's about it. She has entertaining routines yet they were basic at best. The IFBB Pro Figure division came in 2003 and Christine knew that was more for her. While she has struggles in the inargual year, faith came a-calling in 2004 where she placed 6th at the Califronia Pro with a completely revamped and jaw-dropping physique. It ended up not being a case of sheer luck as was runner-up to Davana Medina at the New York Pro and placed 6th in her first Figure Olympia. She would only get better going foward, including placing in the top six at her Figure International competitions (4th in 2005 and 6th in 2006) and winning the 2005 Tournament of Champions and 2006 Califonia Pro. Christine's career would end at the 2006 Figure Olympia with an amazing 4th place finish, even betting out then-Figure International Champion Mary Lado. During her time as a competitor, she graced several magazines, including FLEX, Muscle and Fitness, and IRONMAN, in addition to a few local publications. In addiiton to competiting, she did commercials for local businesses such as American Warehouse and Granite Depot. She still does local commercials for the Denver area.

2004 Figure Olympia...when the one-piece suit was still a thing, LOL.

While she did qualify for the 2007 Figure Olympia...life came a-calling again...a life inside of her. She gave birth to her first child Riley in December 27, 2007 and then to twins Brax Disel and Colt Sterling on October 27, 2014. After giving birth to Riley, withing MONTHS she looked like she didn't even had a child. She shot with Marc Thyssen for a couple of awesome photo gatherings: FitHeat 2010 and Fitness Supermodel Weekend 2011. Both times, if she were to have entered the Olympia, she would have easily been a top-three contender. That's how good she looked. She did a shoot with PictureGroove seven months after the birth of the twins, and wowed people again.

Don't take out word for how amazing of a woman Christine is, here are what some have said about Christine:

dallas3, FitGems Contributer: "Christine is the ultimate professional and would define class. Whether on stage with her grace and poise or doing commercials, Christine has always been a positive representative of the fitness industry"

Michael Buso, fan: "I’ve never met her (in person). But when she competed, she had a beautiful physique."

Alissa Carpio, IFBB Fitness Pro : "Always loved her!"

2006 Figure Olympia. Her last show...for now, anyways.

Despite not stepping on a competiion stage since 2006, she has entertained the idea of maybe doing another show once the time is right. And the way she looks these days, it wouldn't surprise us if one day she decides to one day step back on stage to show this generation of figure competitors how it's done. But no matter what, we feel she is one of the best figure competitors in IFBB history and a champion for the "short girls" who feel they can't hang with the taller competitors. Christine is proof-positive that whether on the stage, modeling, commercial acting, motherhood, and life in general, size DOES matter...on the inside.

For more on Christine, check out her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/christinepomponio. 

IFBB Pro's Unique Charity Game

It's always a great thing to see people think of others besides themselves. We didn't come into this world alone, so why should we have to ignore others who are struggling just to make it? Seeing people give back in the form of charities shows the world that that there are still good people left in the world. While people and celebrities give stuff away to specific charities, one of our own is doing things a bit different.

Credit to original poster

IFBB Pro Christine Pomponio-Pate loves to give back to others, but rather than choose a specific charity, she gives her fans the opportunity the choose the charity they want her to help. She dubs it a game called "Choose Your Charity". How does it work? You buy an item (any item) off of Christine's website (http://www.christinepomponio.com). That automatically puts you in the running for "Choose Your Chairty". Each month, a winner is chosen out of those who purchase from her website. Christine donates a portion of her earnings from her website to the charity of your choice! Those that have benefitted from this cool game include The Scleroderma Foundation, The Breast Cancer Foundation,Liguori Publications, The American Stroke Association, Prevent Child Abuse of America, DAV, Hearts United for Animals, and Childhood Disease Research Foundation. This is a win-win for everyone because you are helping others out in need, and all you have to do it buy an item from an IFBB legend (BTW, I heard she has a hot calendar out that I would recommend you take a look at. Just saying...).

For more on Christine and to visit her online shop, visit her website at http://www.christinepomponio.com and "like" her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ChristinePomponio.

A Meeting Seven Years in the Making

As far as I know, everyone has that one person they look up to, that one idol that makes them strive to be better and go that extra mile in their lives. Well, this past weekend, I got to meet my idol, someone who've I've been a fan of for years. I planned the very first fitness festival at my university, and I wanted to pick someone special to be the guest speaker; someone I felt would be a great inspiration to her audience as she was to me. Without hesitation, I contacted Christine Pomponio-Pate, and she gladly accepted my invitation.

Seven years....well worth the wait. Thank you Christine!!!

For those that are unfamiliar with her, let me give you a background history on Christine. She's a IFBB Athlete (formerly competed in figure) from Denver, Colorado. She's competed in various Arnolds and Olympia in figure, placing in the top 6 each time, being as high at 4th place in both. At one time, she was the top-ranked figure competitor in the world. In 2007, she semi-retired from competition to have a baby boy named Riley. The baby weight came off of Christine like nothing, and many people say that she could return to stage if she wanted to. There might come a day where she will step on stage once again, but time will tell.

Her journey to getting to the festival was, to put it mildly, nuts. Her and her family (husband Jim and son Riley) left early in the morning as her husband needed to get some work done somewhere close to the festival anyways. Everything was hunky-dory for a bit. It was looking like they were going to come to town and spend the night, then wake up and head to the festival and kick it off. Didn't work out the way any of us intended. I checked the morning of the festival to see if they had checked in, but they never came. There was a reason; car trouble. To make a long story short, they were one state away from the festival and had to wait a bit until they could get a rental car. This was going to call to change the festival plans a bit. So we changed the festival a bit and it worked itself out. Oh, did I mentioned that it was storming as well? Exactly, as if things couldn't get any more crazy.

We decided to contact the Pate family to see about their whereabouts. Personally, I suck at directions, but from what they told me when I called them, they were close. In fact, they were better than close; they had arrived. They were in the same town as the festival. As we were trying to get directions straightened out...my phone died on me. To quote the Miz "REALLY?!?!" Of all the times my phone could have died, it chose that one. -____- Good thing I saved the number and gave it to our organization's president. She took care of the rest, and from that point on, it was making sure everything was set inside.

Christine's husband came in first, and we introduced ourselves. He's a great guy to be around and just a very cool person. We talked a bit, got stuff situated, and went to get Christine and Riley while our group finished setting up. Set-up was just about done, then they they all walked in. I saw it for my own eyes, but couldn't believe it. The woman who's career I've followed and supported for seven years was at my university. But more importantly than that, this was the first time we've seen each other face to face. I couldn't believe it. I was composed on the outside; but inside...inside was an entirely different story. Couldn't believe how composed on the outside I was, to be honest with you. Obviously, I thanked her for being at the festival and whatnot. We got the final touches together and Presto! It was time for Christine to speak at the festival.

I won't go over all the details, but I'll cover a few things of interests: She mentioned a new exercise technique I never heard of before called Tabata exercises, which is periods of 20 seconds of high intensity training and 10 seconds of rest. It goes 20-10-20-10-20-10-20-10, etc. Three guys tried it and did better then expected. Another activity took place by having three volunteers attempt to throw a small ball in a small trashcan...blindfolded. She also spoke on her career as an IFBB athlete, her journey to living healthier and being closer to God, how her son has been part of her workout routines, and how life starts today rather then putting it off. That and how at one point she devoured 18 creme-filled donuts from Krispy Kreme in ONE SETTING after a contest. Sure enough, that shocked the heck out of everyone. 18 donuts...filled with creme even?! That shook the football players in attendance, and those boys can EAT! Overall, it was a great speech, and I think everyone took something away from it. Whenever I can get the camcorder working, I'll be posting the video for people to see. It's a bit lengthy (almost an hour), but well worth the time to watch it.

All in all, despite everything I typed here, words can't express how much her appearance meant to those that attended the festival and how it meant to me. Christine, I can't thank you enough for not just being a part of the festival, but for supporting me and FitGems. You have my undying support for whatever happens next in your life.THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, CHRISTINE!!!


For those wanting to view more pics of the festival itself, click here.

Pics of Christine in Times Square and Vegas Strip

Apparently Milverstead Publishing is wasting little time in making sure the whole world knows about their newest acquisition. Here's a couple of photos from the campaign.

(Photo Credit: Milverstead Publishing's Facebook Fan Page)

To view more pics from Times Square and the Vegas Strip, as well as more info on Christine's partnership with Milverstead Publishing, click here.

Christine's Making Strides in the World

Earlier last week, I talked about Christine's partnership with Milverstead Publishing. Come find out, there's more to it than just writing a couple of books and being a part-owner. She's part of something special, and Milverstead Publishing knows it. They have begin a worldwide press release on the signing of Christine, as she has been featured in several websites, including CNBC, Fox Business, Forbes, and Yahoo Finance. I mean, that's big stuff right there, folks. How many competitors (male OR female) can claim to have a mainstream push like that, and NOT having to do with steroid use? You can count them on the palm of your hand. She will also be featured on a Time Square billboard and on the Vegas strip for the company.

Christine Pomponio-Pate...Coming to a bookstore near you. (Photo credit: Milverstead Publishing)

Very few could have predicted that Christine would be getting the opportunity she's been given. It's awesome to see one of our own getting a mainstream opportunity like this. When her books come out, support her by buying them. Heck, support her NOW by buying books from Milverstead Publishing! You're not only supporting Christine by doing this, you are supporting the company and their charities, including the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. Contact your local bookseller, or contact them directly.

In addition to all of that, her website has returned with a MAJOR upgrade and lots of material on the site, with more to be added in the coming weeks and months (http://www.christinepomponio.com), she has now opened a Facebook Fan Page where you will be able to communicate with Christine, view photos, video updates, and news on her whereabouts, and she has now joined the Twitter universe as well. And of course, I'll be keeping up with the latest on Christine via her fan club on Yahoo (http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/christine_pp/). So yeah, expect to hear quite a bit on Christine in the coming year, and FitGems Nation will be there every step of the way to keep you all informed.

To Christine:
On behalf of FitGems Nation and the entire female muscle industry, words can't express how proud we are of you taking this major step in your life. We wish you nothing but great success in your new venture!!! :-)

Christine Pomponio-Pate's Latest Project

Around the early days of women's figure, you might recognize the name Christine Pomponio-Pate. She competed in the IFBB Figure division for three years, from 2004 to 2006, winning a couple of figure titles, placing in the top six at both the Arnold and Olympia every time she competed in those events, and gain the respect and admiration of many, including yours truly. She gave birth to her first child, Riley, around Christmas of 2007. She took all her baby weight (which was MUCH less that most), within months, and these days, she looks like she could step on stage again anytime she pleases.

There's no telling if she will eve return to the IFBB stage, but there's one major thing she's now a part of, and something very few competitors can claim. She's now part-owner of a publishing company called Milverstead Publishing. She's going to be publishing a couple of books in the near future. One of then will be an autobiography, and the other will be a book about fitness. To say that I'm extremely happy for Christine would be an understatement. From all of us at FitGems Nation, we are very proud of you, Christine! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!! :)

For more on her latest venture, click here to view Hollywood Weekly (with new photos of the new publishing co-owner) and here to view a blog written by Christopher Finlan, the president of Milverstead Publishing.

Christine P-P can now add co-owner and author to her incredible accomplishments
Photo courtesy of Bill Dobbins (from Olympia 2005)