2010 Phoenix Pro Figure Results (Mindi Has Arrived; Amy Comes in at an All-Time Best; Rosa Finally Breaks Glass Ceiling)

When the list was released of competitors for the Phoenix Pro, Felicia Romero was the top favorite for a lot of people. Every bit of that changed the minute Mindi Smith stepped on stage. She walked on stage like she owned the joint, and judging by the perfect score from the judges, she did just that. She had everything perfect: Muscularity, poise, confidence, great suit color, nice tan, hair was in place...you couldn't find one single flaw on her. With this win, Mindi becomes the first overall Figure Nationals winner EVER to win in their pro debut. Yes, not even the legendary Davana Medina pulled that feat off. J.M. Manion mentioned that on Siouxcountry, for those that wondered where I got that bit of info. Oh yeah, she's currently UNDEFEATED in her figure career, and yes, I'm including her NPC figure career in this. Imagine her going into her first Arnold and winning it?! Yes, she's that good, folks. Look for her to make a major impact at the Arnold and Olympia, and anywhere else she might end up competing in between now and then.

Amy O'Neil took runner-up honors in this big contest, with her best package to date. To me, everything was on point for Amy. With a little fine-tuning, she will be a big force to reckon with at the 2010 Figure Olympia.

Rosa Marie Romero finally broke the glass ceiling that's been over her head for some time, as she placed in 3rd. Maybe it's just me, but Rosa might have had the most elegant figure walk of all the figure competitors in Phoenix. Heck, she might just have THE most elegant figure walk of ANY figure competitor since Valerie Waugaman. Rosa has been improving show after show after show, and in 2010, at the Phoenix Pro, all the hard work finally paid off. Her reaction to her receiving her 3rd place award was almost the equivalent of her actually winning the Olympia.

Felicia wasn't at her best, but it was clear that she still made improvements to her physique that will benefit her heading into the Arnold. I really admired her confidence on stage, which is something you develop from several competitions under your belt. Funny thing happened during prejudging. At the one-piece prejudging, Felicia bowed a bit early, thinking the judging was over, which it wasn't. She laughed it off and took it in stride. Yes, despite goddess bodies, figure competitors are people, too. :)

Jodie Minear rounded off the top five with an impressive look as well. She seemed a bit different from when she was in the NPC, but the new look seemed to work, as she cracked the top 5 in her IFBB pro debut. Expect her to make even more noise in the near future.

Other noticeable things from figure:

Linda Fodor looked INCREDIBLE, especially considering that she is competing just a year after giving birth. That is impressive. Sabrina Gibson entered this contest under the guidance and wing of well-renowned trainer Kim Oddo, and it showed as she kicked off her year right with a top 10 finish. Ann Titone continues to make great strides in her physique and will be one to watch in 2010. Debbie Patton entered her first competition as a figure competitor after competing for some time as a bodybuilder, and it showed. She looked great, but was clearly too muscular for today's figure standards, and her placing showed it.

One person that many people were hoping would be in the top five mix but didn't even crack the top ten was Monica Mark-Escalante. I LOVE this woman to death, and despite her showing this weekend, I still say she is among the future of this sport. But she didn't bring it in Phoenix. She's been better..much better. During the Hardbody News Interactive Chat this morning (which I will talk more about later this week), I asked who didn't bring it, and Monica was the clear answer. He mentioned that she was a bit sick, but didn't drop out, which was (to me) very brave of her. Expect her to make her "Mark" at the Arnold, as she will rest up and aim to turn away any possible critics and proved to them why she's among the newest figure stars. For those wondering, I think Monica is gonna wow people at the Arnold. Got a gut feeling about it. :)

Questions, concerns, complains on this report or the placings? Leave a comment below.

FULL RESULTS:

1. Mindi Smith*
2. Amy O'Neil*
3. Rosa Maria Romero*
4. Felicia Romero
5. Jodie Minear
6. Angela Terlesky
7. Listy Allen
8. Linda Fodor
9. Crystal Chiles
10. Sabrina Gibson
11. Taylor Waldrop
12. Mendi Sakamoto
13. Ann Titone
14. Jaime Meade
15. Kathleen Tesori
16. Karen Mullarkey
17. Monica Mark
18. Lynn Cimmino
18. Lydia Haskell
18. Jennifer Herdandez
18. Debbie Patton
18. Chaundra Tanji
18. Tina White

*-Qualified for the 2010 Figure Olympia