Steel Divas: New Show on Lifetime

It's always good to pay attention to your Twitter (if you have one). The most shocking news can happen when you least expect it (I believe we've ALL experienced that over the past few days, but that's for another story). This news I'm about to post here came to light due to a tweet from someone I follow on Twitter, MsPersianDoll (http://twitter.com/MsPersianDoll). She mentioned that Felicia Romero was on "Steel Divas". I went, "Huh?! What the heck is Steel Divas?" So I asked her was it a local or national show? She replied back that it was a National show. She would post more tweets mentioning that it was on Lifetime. "DAAANNNGGG" was my first reaction. Immediately I searched to get more info about it...so here's what I've found out about the show.

Steel Divas is a reality show focusing on female competitors getting ready for competitions, with the main focus on figure. I believe the show is based from Arizona from what information I've gathered. Gym owners Roxanna Wood and IFBB Figure Pro Felecia Romero are featured in this series, as well as others. According to a quote from Roxanna (http://www.dailypress.com/health/dp-nws-steel-diva-20110503,0,5156473.story), "It's housewives meet pumping iron."

This aired Tuesday night at 11PM Eastern/10PM Central on Lifetime television. I have not seen any replay times for this episode, but I can tell you that I'm stoked to see what happens with this show going forward. I will do everything in my power to let you all know when the next show will be on ahead of time so we can all watch, get this trending on Twitter, post this like crazy on Facebook and the message boards, etc. This show looks like a great opportunity to showcase a different side of this industry, as most mainstream people only have knowledge of female bodybuilders.  Steel Divas could change that a bit, even if by a little. Hey, every bit helps. Let's do our part on the next show by watching it live or setting your DVRs. Either way, let's show the ladies we got their backs.

2011 FitGems Sponsorship

FitGems is proud and happy to announce that we will be sponsoring someone for the 2011 season! Before we do that, we would like to recognize and congratulate Victoria Larvie on her sponsorship last year. Thanks to the sponsorship, she was able to take it and help out with her finances for 2010. She is planning to compete this year and will needing your help. Details here if you are interested. We will be helping her out as well. Good luck Victoria!!! :)

Now going back to THIS YEAR'S sponsorship...Competition requires a LOT more than just going to the gym for weeks and weeks (possibly months, depending on who you are). There are things to consider such as the purchasing of suits, tickets, hotel rooms, etc. You have to take care of your business PRIOR to getting to the stage in addition you take care of business ON the stage.

Like last year, this sponsorship will take care of some of your expenses for the contest of your choice (the more money/services/products is raised, the more expenses we'll be able to cover for the winner) Depending on how big the fund gets, more than one sponsorship award may be given away. The FitGems sponsorship will be awarded during Arnold Weekend 2011 to a deserving individual chosen by a secret panel. To be fair, I will NOT be on the panel.

Rules:
1. Participants must be a member of the site OR fan page by no later than February 28, 2011 to be eligible for the sponsorship. If you join the site, either send me a PM (private message) or leave a comment on my page saying that you are submitting your name into the competition. If you are a member of the fan page, email me at admin@fitgemsnation.net, letting me know that you are submitting your name to the competition. When you get a reply from me, you are officially entered into the contest.
2. The competition the participants are competing in must take place sometime within the 2011 season after the Arnold 2011.
3. Participants can be either pro or amateur competitors, and they can compete in any division, as well as any federation.
4. Participants must write three blogs:

1. An mini-autobiography about yourself (one page)
2. One journal entry talking about your journey to the particular contest of your choosing.
3. Your personal lists of do's/don'ts in being a competitor.

(If you are part of the main site, you can post them yourself. If you are just part of the fan page, email me your blogs at admin@fitgemsnation.net, and they will be posted on the main site)

5. The winner will be awarded their via PayPal. If there are other parts to the sponsorship that need to be awarded to the winner, it will be mailed on Arnold Weekend, and the winner should receive their other winnings (hopefully) no later then 4-6 weeks after the contest has ended.

The fund starts at $200 USD (United States Dollars), begun by Jason Adams and myself  If you would like to contribute to the FitGems Sponsorship Fund, click on the donate button below. If you have any questions about the sponsorship and how your company/organization can get involved, email me at admin@fitgemsnation.net and put FitGems Sponsorship on the subject line of your email. Donations (money, photoshoots, products, etc.) will be accepted until February 28, 2011.

Good luck to all participants!!!

Fight for Leslie

For those that don't know, IFBB Pro Zoa Linsey's sister, Leslie, has recently been diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer. She's a mother of 10 who also just recently got out of an abusive marriage. Tomorrow, she will be going though surgery to help eradicate this cancer.

A website and Facebook fan page has been created in her honor and to help Leslie fight arguably the biggest fight of her life. We at FitGems Nation are encouraging you to help out the family of Leslie and donate to help cover cost of surgery, and to make sure her family is taken care of. I personally will be donating my own money in the coming weeks ahead, and to show our support, for every sale that is made on the FitGems Online Store (http://www.cafepress.com/FitGemsNation) from now until the end of February, proceeds will go toward Fight for Leslie. It's our way of giving back to a family that needs all the help they can get right now.

For more information on Fight for Leslie, visit their website at http://www.fightforleslie.com and "like" their Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fight-for-Leslie/193032177380328.

Please Pray for Sue Upson

Today, one of the newest IFBB pros, Sue Upson, is having surgery to remove a tumor in her brain. The surgery will be a 6hr surgery, and recovery time will be 6-8 weeks. She shared her discovery first on Siouxcountry.


(Picture from North Carolina Official NPC Site)

From The FitGems Nation, and beyond, we with you a safe surgery and recovery, Sue!

WOMEN'S BODYBUILDING LIIIIIIIIIIVVVES!!!

You doubt the power of the fans? You doubt female bodybuilding exist? You think it's dying? How about you tell the folks at Siouxcountry and Unreal Muscle that? Both sites (as well as its members) went above and beyond the call of duty to not only make sure that Tampa would have female bodybuilding in 2010, but in the process, they were able to help bring it back for this year as well. Here's the official statement from Tim Gardner, the promoter of the Tampa show:

2009 REINSTATEMENT CONFIRMED

It was quite the painful dilema on March 17th to publically announce that I would have to cancel the IFBB female bodybuilding division from the 2009 IFBB Tampa Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships' schedule. After the announcement reached the bodybuilding community, a few individuals reached out to me and asked what could be done to bring female bodybuilding back to Tampa in 2010. I simply replied that just that particular division alone budgets out to $12,000 which does not include any costs of the venue, judges, stage set, hotel, advertising, transportation, trophies, etc. and that I would require it by December of 2009 to inform the IFBB office of my 2010 intentions.

Two weeks later, we fast forward to what has miraculously transpired to only a short ten days of effort to raise, collect and dedicate not $12,000 but $17,000 to the IFBB female bodybuilding sponsorship of our Tampa production.

I know what you are thinking, April's Fools, right? As surreal as this seems, this is 100% fact. With IFBB Pro Debbie Bramwell at the helm, siouxcountry.com, photographer John Hawley and approximately twelve individuals plus Ed and Betty Pariso as its supporting cast shot out of the gates by way of paypal to pledge $3,400. Great pace for a December '09 target date! Lo and behold, I wake up on Saturday the 28th to an anonymous email stating that his website community, unrealmuscle.com would contribute the balance of $8,600 and asked would that solidify a 2010 Tampa event? I replied that I would inform Mr. Manion of our intentions and start planning for 2010. Later in the day a second email appears asking if the 2009 female portion could be reinstated since the sponsorship budget was covered so early and also if additional funds were raised if it were possible to be added to the female bodybuilders' prize money? Again, another reply of I will inform Mr. Manion and we will also have to confirm the sponsorship deposits before making a public announcement of that magnitude.

Ladies and gentlemen of our vast and prestigious IFBB and NPC family, I am so honored to report today that the 2009 IFBB Tampa Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships will be intact just as its inaugural season with IFBB open men, IFBB 202 lb. men and IFBB open women bodybuilding in conjunction with the NPC Tim Gardner Extravaganza Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure & Bikini Championships.

After careful discussion with Mr. Manion, his vote of confidence and the strong support from siouxcountry.com and unrealmuscle.com, I decided to reinstate the female portion and bring it back stronger for the athletes and fans alike. We have increased the prize money and added two more places to our contest as such:

1st - $5,000 *
2nd - $3,000 *
3rd - $1,500 *
4th - $1,000
5th - $500
* Olympia qualification

There will also be a best poser award of $500.

This is a true testament to our bodybuilding community supporting its sport of passion without segregation of its forms of disciplines. This is short of being unbelievable, especially in spite of our current economic environment. I cannot speak highly enough of the positive impact that siouxcountry.com & unrealmuscle.com have placed on our entire sport and not just for the love of female bodybuilding but the love of our organization(s). This will set a new precedence of enthusiasm and pride that will hopefully be contagious for all of our IFBB shows, the platform for our champion athletes.

Thank you.
Tim Gardner
www.ifbbtampapro.com

This alone should show you that as long as there are fans out there, then this sport will continue to live. Yes, it's just one event, but usually it's one event that sparks something bigger and better. Who knows what this will lead to in the future? Hopefully better things.

I'm a member of both of these sites, and I can't honestly be more proud and honored to be a member at both Siouxcountry and Unreal Muscle. To me, they did more than saved a show, they helped save a sport.

Yes We Can?! No..no..no.

YES WE DID!