2011 Jr. Nationals Figure...We Are All Witnesses

A truly historic moment in our sport. (Photo credit: RxMuscle)

Date: Saturday June 18, 2011
Place: Chicago, Illinois

The title said it all, we are all witnesses. On this night in the Windy City, the unheard-of took place at the Jr. Nationals, six women won their figure classes and four of them became pros. Although that was a great moment in itself (winning your class and joining the pro ranks), it's WHO won them that made it special. All six figure winners were of African-American decent. NEVER in the history of this sport have anything like this took place. SIX black women out-shined every other competitor to win their classes, and four of them would become IFBB Pros.  Those six women are Gloria Keplinger (Class A), Vicki Counts (Class B), Tambra Johnson (Class C), Candice Lewis (Class D and overall champion), Chaya Boone (Class E) and Tiffany Archer (Class F)! They will forever be known as the First Black Ladies Class of NPC/IFBB. And isn't it a bit ironic that this took place at the hometown of the current United States President (who is also a man of color, the first in U.S. history to hold the office)?

I witnessed this historic moment of the figure ladies being crowned on Siouxcountry, and the reaction blew me away. The positive vibes and overjoy of many members was truly unbelievable. And reading the comments and even typing this blog post, as a man of color himself, I couldn't help but shed tears over this amazing news. We as a people have come a long way, and the Jr. Nationals was a prime example of that.

If you were to have told me that this would happen, you would have been called crazy by yours truly.I'm no history buff and I'm no racist person by any means, but it seems like one group of individuals seem to get everything and it makes it hard on everyone else. If we were all meant to be the same, God would have made us all the same. But did he? NO! He made us all different, and I'm glad He did. Besides if everyone was exactly the same, life would be a bit boring, don't ya think?

These wins the ladies earned this past weekend are bigger than most realized, because it's showing that diversity is a GOOD thing. I wish we were at the point where race didn't matter, but sadly, we're far away from that. I'll admit, things have gotten a bit better over time, but we're far from that point, but we're getting closer and closer to that promise land. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by their character." While there are still those that judged from the outside rather than the inside (that's in life in general), it was evident that the figure winners at the Jr. Nationals were judged based on the outside AND inside.  Here's hoping their careers in the IFBB will go far.


Make no mistake, this was not a victory for ONLY black competitors, nor was it a just a historic moment for figure in general, or just an historic moment for the NPC and IFBB, but it was an important moment in American history, showing the aspiring competitors that you CAN accomplish your dreams despite the obstacles society throws at you. Throw it back at them with success. These six ladies did it, and this will hopefully inspire others who have doubted themselves (regardless of color) to take adversity head-on and thrive. On behalf of FitGems Nation and every single competitor that's ever stepped on stage, you gave a lot of us reason to believe again. Thanks for just stepping on stage and proving that you CAN make a difference. All you gotta go is make that first step, and the rest will follow. Gloria, Vicki, Tiffany, and Candice Lewis, welcome to the IFBB, ladies! You've earned it. Tambra and Chaya, your time is coming! Grab that pro card!.

To ALL six of you, and everyone reading this blog, keep on reaching for the stars. Move all obstacles out of your way, and shatter any glass ceilings you come across. I'll leave you with this quote from Arthur C.Clarke, "He only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."

Physique judges are people, too...

I’m about to piss some people off and become a wanted man among some fans and schmoes (and maybe some competitors) for saying this…but at times, I feel bad for the judges of this sport; I really do. Now, I know what you’re thinking…why would you feel sorry for these morons? First and foremost, they are not morons. They are just like you and me. They have to make hard decisions. And for them, they have guidelines they have to follow. To the best of my knowledge, there are people above them that decided the guidelines of the physiques in their federations, and all the judges can do is judge from what they see right in front of them on that day.

I'm not being a kiss-ass to them; I'm just stating the obvious. Am I saying that all judges are fair? ABSOLUTELY NOT! In life, you’re gonna have those corrupt people in everything, but there’s not as many as one might think. But in all things, it’s the bad that overshadows the good in any sport, event, or job in the eyes of the average person. And judges are not immune to this. I don’t know how they are individually, but when you talk about judges as a whole, at times they are like Rodney Dangerfield; they get no respect, and that’s just wrong.

To the competitors out there who are blaming the judges for their placements, could you think that you might be doing something wrong? Take your loss as a learning tool and learn from it. If you didn't place where you wanted to, go to them and ask them face to face what the problems was. Trust me, I’ve had to deal with some trial and error trying to get my FitGems Nation site up and running (still learning). To those that think the judges just don’t like your favorite competitor(s) and are only picking who they like personally, I’ve got some words for you…GROW THE HECK UP! Last time I checked, the world didn’t revolve around just you. Your favorite competitor just didn't have the right package to get that certain placing you felt like they deserved. I'm not going to claim that I've never thought bad about judges. I was one of those people that thought that they are only awarding certain people based on sponsor or their name, or blah, blah, bla-dey blah. However, I realized that I was just being selfish and stupid, and realize that the judges aren't to blame.

I’m gonna tell you right now, I don’t think I could be a judge. I don’t have what it takes to make a major decision on hand like the physique judges. My hat is off to all of them. Bottom line, if you don't like what is being judged, contact the federation and let them know about your displeasure. Don't take it out on the judges; they are just doing their jobs. Judges, keep doing your thing and remember why you are in that position in the first place. You have my respect.

There you go...my honest take on the judges, and why they should be respected by all members of the industry (especially fans) rather then ridiculed. You may now leave all complaints, hate messages, and wedgie threats below. Thank you.

My Ideal Arnold Amateur Physique list

Earlier, I gave my take on the pros that I would choose to be in the Arnold Classic Physique competiton. Click here to see the pro list I created. Now here are the amateurs I would choose if there were to be an Arnold Amateur Physique contest (all photos are free and belong to their respective original placements):

Tracy Bodner

Sherrie Carnicle

Lindsay Cope

Diana Tinnelle

Ann Titone

Angela Kirkland

Vanessa Adams

Lori Steele

Amanda Swallow

Rachelle Cannon

Nikki Warner

Mavi Gioia

Natalie Ariel

Andrea Swanson

Holly Nicholson

Melissa Detwiller

Ali Huston

Ann Caliri

Grace Rivera


Danielle Rouleau

Jenn Jackson

Barbara Fletcher

Jennifer DeJoya

Jodi Miller

Jamie Reed

Just like the pros, this was not an easy task to pick 25 people. So, if you have anymore to add, please do so under the comments. Who knows? Maybe there will be a physique division in the future? This post, along with the other two post about a physique division are just thoughts, and not reality...yet.