3rd Annual FitGems Awards-NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITES!

The 3rd annual FitGems Awards are right around the corner, and we hope to make it in the words of WWE' 12,"Bigger. Badder. Better" than ever before! The categories have changed a bit with new categories entering the fray:

Nominate UP TO FIVE people for the following categories, with the top 6 names for each category to be put on the ballot: 

COMPETITOR CATEGORIES

Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year

Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year

Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year
Amateur Physique Competitor of the Year NEW
International Female Bodybuilder of the Year (Pro or Amateur)
International Fitness Competitor of the Year (Pro or Amateur)
International Figure Competitor of the Year (Pro or Amateur)
International Bikini Competitor of the Year (Pro or Amateur)
Breakout Pro Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Breakout Pro Figure Competitor of the Year
Breakout Pro Fitness Competitor of the Year
Breakout Pro Bikini Competitor of the Year
Breakout Amateur Female Bodybuilder of the Year
Breakout Amateur Figure Competitor of the Year
Breakout Amateur Fitness Competitor of the Year
Breakout Amateur Bikini Competitor of the Year

Breakout Amateur Physique Competitor of the Year NEW
Rookie Competitor of the Year (any division; must have competed starting THIS YEAR) NEW

Inspirational Competitor of the Year NEW

Comeback of the Year NEW
Competitor Who You Would Love to See Return To the Stage in 2012
Fitness Personality of the Year (Model/Trainer/Spokesperson) (formerly named Fitness Entrepreneur of the Year)
Moment of the Year (when certain people win a competition, return to the stage, retire, etc. This is for any federation and can be about any of the divisions)

MISC. Categories

NPC Show of the Year
IFBB Show of the Year
WBFF Show of the Year NEW

Promoter of the Year NEW
Organization of the Year NEW
Female Physique Site of the Year (non-competitor) (NOTE: FitGems is NOT eligible due the fact that FitGems is running the contest)
Female Competitor Blog of the Year
Facebook Fan Page of the Year (Competitor/Fitness Personality) NEW
Photographer of the Year
Blogger of the Year
Industry Blog of the Year (by a fan, industry member, company, etc.)
Industry Facebook Fan Page of the Year NEW
Female Celebrity Muscle of the Year NEW
Physique Paysite of the Year
Male Supporter of the Year (through shows, message boards, donations to competitors, etc.)
Female Competitor Site of the Year
Supplement Company of the Year
Team of the Year NEW

Trainer of the Year NEW

Voting for the Ones to Watch will be a bit different from previous years. You can nominate up to three people from now until the end of the year, and during the FitGems Awards Ceremony, we'll announced the top five names of those to watch in the coming year in each category below:

Pro Figure Competitors
Pro Fitness Competitors
Pro Bikini Competitors
Pro Women's Physique Competitors
Amateur Female Bodybuilders
Amateur Figure Competitors
Amateur Fitness Competitors
Amateur Bikini Competitors
Amateur Women's Physique Competitors
Fitness Personality (Model/Trainer/Spokesperson) (formerly Fitness Entrepreneur)


You can send your nominations through Twitter (http://twitter.com/fitgemsnation) using hashtag #FitGemsAwards2011, email your nominations (admin@fitgemsnation.net), or leave a comment on this post on our Facebook fan page (http://www.facebook.com/fitgemsnation). I'll also take your nominations through private messages (PMs) through the following message boards:

Siouxcountry (under cray17)
RxMuscle (under FitGems)
FTVideo (under cray2005)
Unreal Muscle (under FitGems)
Muscular Development (under cray17)

You can nominate between now and Wednesday, November 30th. On December 2nd, check back on the blog for the official list of nominees. After that, voting will begin that same day and will last through the rest of December, with the winners announced sometime in mid-January (Exact date and format of the announcement of nominees to be determined on a later date).

Good luck to everyone! :)

Mindi O'Brien Retires from Fitness

Fitness lost one of its top competitors today, as Mindi O'Brien announced via Youtube today that she is retiring from fitness competition. It sucks to leave a sport or anything you love for so long due to an injury. She's had a great career spanning 14 years, with great routines and what some people call one of the best physiques in fitness history, capped off by her trademark arms that would give any female bodybuilder a run for their money. Some of her highlights include competing in 6 straight Fitness Olympias (although she was qualified for 7, but skipped out of this year's show due to injury) and 5 straight Arnold Classics. She would finish her career at the first-ever Arnold Classic Europe, placing 6th.

Photo credit: RxMuscle.com

Here's a video of Mindi during her trip to Spain (including her fitness routine and posing round) and announcing her retirement from fitness:

What does the future hold for her? We're unsure, but we think she will stick around in the fitness industry in some form or capacity. We at FitGems Nation congratulate Mindi on an incredible journey, and we wish her the best of luck in the next chapter of her life!

Tanji Johnson Wins Arnold Classic Europe Fitness

Photo credit: Rx Muscle

History was made this weekend at the first-ever Arnold Classic Europe took place. Tanji Johnson, one of the top competitors in fitness and according to many a future Fitness Olympia and/or Fitness International champion, will forever be in the history books as the first-ever Arnold Classic Europe Fitness champion. Bethany Cisternino took 2nd, Regiane DeSilva took 3rd place. Here are the full results as well as scorecard for this historic event:

1. Tanji Johnson
2. Bethany Cisternino
3. Regiane DeSilva
4. Myriam Capes
5. Tina Durkin
6. Mindi O'Brien
7. Diana Monteiro
8. Kayde Puckett

Photo cradit: IFBBPro.com

Congrats to Tanji on the win, and to everyone that competed at the Arnold Classic Europe! You all made history this weekend!

IFBB Advisory Rule about Competition Contracts and No-Show at Finals

This was released last week, from the IFBB:

Credit: IFBBPro.com

Let's start with the athlete competition contract ruling. There are those that take their time and want to see who else is competing and maybe they will wait until the very last minute to send in a contract. With this new ruling, that will be reduced dramatically as competitors MUST submit their contracts no later than a month (30 days) before the competition they plan to enter. And if they DO wait, they gotta pay up to the tune of 200 dollars. So make up your mind early, folks, and go ahead and submit those contracts.

As far as the no-show at finals are concerned, good ruling on that as well. If you make it, don't bail out unless you have a legitimate excuse. If you're literally feeling like you're gonna pass out, then you clearly excused from the finals. Your health is more important than a trophy and a spot at the Olympia. But if you're skipping to be skipping, you better hope it's a VERY GOOD excuse, because it's gonna cost ya $1,000. And until it's paid off, you will be kept from competing elsewhere.

While I personally love these rulings, some of you might not. What are YOUR thoughts on the new IFBB rulings? Post them below.

New Olympia Qualifications for 2012 and Beyond

For those unaware, the 2012 Olympia is aiming to be more elite with some new changes. Here's the official IFBB Advisory Notice on Olympia qualifications, beginning next year:

Photo credit: IFBB Pro

When you stop to think about it, it's a great way to make the Olympia more special then it already is. Yes, this does mean there will be LESS competitors on the Olympia stage from this point forward, but the Olympia is supposed to represent the absolute BEST of this industry, right? I have no problem with it. Besides, For those divisions that might lack a few competitors, invites could be issued. So placing in the top 3 in ANY competition is still important, as it can do a long way in possibly seeing yourself on the Olympia stage beginning next year and the years to come. Also, there's men's and women's physique that's going to be part of the Olympia soon. The rest of this year's shows are NOT affected by this rule. This will take place at the start of the 2012 season.

What are YOUR thoughts on the new Olympia qualifications? Post your responses below or send us a tweet to our Twitter at FitGemsNation.

2011 Olympia Webcast Details

The good folks at Bodybuilding.com will once again be providing a free webcast of the Olympia, taking place this weekend. Here's the direct link to the Olympia webcast:

http://streaming.bodybuilding.com/2011-olympia-webcast/

Mr Olympia prejudging, Ms Olympia Finals, Fitness Olympia Finals & Bikini Olympia Finals will take place on Friday evening. with the finals of Mr Olympia & Figure Olympia taking place on Saturday evening.Women's prejudging will not be live via Webcast, however the prejudging is usually taped by Bodybuilding.com, so they will probably post the video a few days after the Olympia has concluded.

Current WWE Diva To Return to Her Roots

For weeks and weeks, Gaspari Nutrition  has been promoting their first-ever live broadcast from the 2011 Olympia, and with good reason. It's a big event in itself because Gaspari Nurtition is among the biggest supplement companies on the planet (and a former FitGems award winner, FYI). But it's also a major big deal because of who's hosting the event...Current WWE Diva Kaitlyn!

Photo credit: WWE.com

Kaitlyn, a former NPC Figure competitor, will be returning to her fitness roots as she will be interviewing some of the biggest names in the fitness industry, including Felicia Romero, Ava Cowan, Krissy Chin, Jaime Baird, Justine Munro, Marzia Prince, Laura Prestin, and others. We at FitGems Nation are stoked to see Kaitlyn tearing it up and joking it out (and being part of the coolest Diva tag team EVER, the Chickbusters, with AJ) on Friday Night Smackdown, so we are excited to see her give back to the industry that made her a star in the first place.

The interviews can be viewed from anywhere in the world that has Internet connection. The live feed will take place from 10AM to 5PM Pacific Time on both Friday and Saturday on the company's Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/GaspariNutrition. No doubt the Gaspari booth will be among the most popular attractions of the Olympia weekend, especially with one of the top rising stars in WWE as part of their team.

Sharing a TenSpot with...Diane Whetstone

Diane was among the many competitors who competed at the Masters Nationals in figure a few weeks back, and she was among the oldest in the competition (at age 60!!). That didn't matter though, as she placed very well in her class. This interview took place after the Masters Nationals competition.

This photo was provided by Diane herself from a gym shoot, taken by photographer Mark Mason. You can view more of his work at http://www.markmasonmedia.com.

FitGems Nation: Let’s kick this off by telling us a bit about yourself.
Diane Whetstone: I am a Washington State girl born in the tiny town of Sunnyside. It was a farm town 1 mile square and only 3000 people with quite a few being my family members. I lived there until age 14 my family moved to Kennewick where I graduated high school. I moved to Los Angeles for 8 years but moved back home to Kennewick. I now live near Olympia and work for the State of Washington as a Data Warehouse Administrator and supervisor. I have three passions, fitness, computer technology and my husband. I feel lucky to be able to be involved with the things I love.

FitGems: When did you first start competing?
Diane: I have been competing in muscle sports since 1994 with bodybuilding competitions. In 1999 I switched to power lifting. I was able to achieve a few state and world records. When NPC created a new division called Figure I knew this was something I would want to try. In 2004 I placed 3rd at age 54 at the Washington State Championships in the Over 35 division. In 2005 I had knee surgery so I had to take some time off from training. After a few years and a lot of hard work I’m now back competing. This has been my passion for a long time and I hope to be able to do this for many more years.

FitGems: What is your strategy when you head to the gym? Is it mostly weight-training, mostly cardio, a balanced mixture of the two, or something else?
Diane: I would probably call it a balanced mixture but I really prefer weight-training. My strategy is to do whatever my trainer and husband instructs me to do. At the gym is probably the only place I will let him tell me what to do so I think he takes advantage of it. But seriously, he is a good trainer and he knows his stuff. That is how we met because I hired him as my personal trainer in 1993 to help me loose 40 lbs. He is the one of the best trainers around and the one who introduced me to bodybuilding and competing.

FitGems: At first glance, has anyone mistaken you for being in something OTHER than physique competitions (MMA fighter, boxer, pro wrestler, track and field runner, etc?)
Diane: Not really. I just get mistaken for someone younger than I am. I love it!!!

FitGems: With women’s physique and bikini now part of the NPC and IFBB, do you feel that there’s now a division for every female who wants to compete?
Diane: I love the fact that they added physique. With the extremes that female bodybuilding has taken, it is nice to have a venue for those who don’t wish to take it to that level. Please don’t get me wrong. I love the bodybuilding/strong woman look but it is not for everyone and not everyone can achieve it.
At the other end of the spectrum is bikini. It is great of the young women who don’t want to get that hard lean look. But I have some personal issues with it. They now have a Masters Over 35 division. Please don’t have an Over 50 division! You won’t see me in it. Come on, do you really want to see your grandmother doing those poses?

FitGems: You recently competed in the Masters Nationals and placed 6th in the Over 55 class. How did it feel to be the oldest competitor on the show and do so well in it?
Diane: At the contest I thought I might be the oldest but after some checking around I found that Kay Friend, my fellow Washington State competitor was actually older than myself. She placed 5th ahead of me.
In April of this year I competed in the 2011 Emerald Cup and also placed 6th out of 13 Over 50 competitors. There were 3 of us who were over 60.
Still, being one of the few competitors over 60 I feel is an achievement in itself. Next my goal is to break the 6th place barrier! Top 5 here I come!!!

FitGems: If you weren’t a part of the female physique world whatsoever, what would you be doing right now as your profession?
Diane: As I answered to a previous question I love working with computers. I’ve been in the IT field since 1970. I’ve been a keypunch operator, computer operator, computer programmer, web designer, security analyst, database administrator and now a data warehouse administrator. I love learning new languages, software and hardware. When I’m not working at my job or getting ready for a contest, I’m maintaining the websites for our health club company. My husband is a co-owner of the FitStop24 in Olympia and Yelm, Washington. I also maintain the website for the NPC Northwest Championships the FitStop24 promotes each November.

FitGems: What (if anything) would you change about any of the IFBB female divisions?
Diane: Of course I would like to see more Masters divisions. According to the 2010 census the largest population group was female between the ages of 45 and 65. This comprised 26% of the USA population. Soon this baby-boomer generation will be 55 to 75. I think both the IFBB and the NPC need to recognize this and understand there is whole generation they are ignoring.

FitGems: Which competitor (past or present) you look up to the most for your inspiration?
Diane: There are many. My first idol was Diana Dennis because of her beautiful posing routines. Now my idols are Ernestine Shepard, world’s oldest bodybuilder and Dee Lazard who competed in the Masters Nationals placing 1st place in the Over 60 bodybuilding division. They are both actively working as personal trainers. They look amazing. I just hope I can do for Masters Figure competition what they have done for Masters Female Bodybuilding.

FitGems: What advice do you have for anyone who wants to compete?
Diane: • First, go watch a show and learn about the sport. It’s not as easy as it looks.
• Start by entering a small local show. It will save you money on hotel and travel costs and you might even bring home a trophy!
• Find someone to coach you. You can easily get lost in the details of contest prep.
I formed a team for our gym’s competitors. We are here for each other. The experienced competitors are teaching the newbies. We have posing classes and after contest parties! We have tons of fun.




For more on Diane, visit her Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/dianewhetstone, her Bodybuilding.com site (where you can view her contest prep pictures at) at http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/damedi, and you can email her via Facebook at damediane@facebook.com. 


Once again, thank you Diane for conducting this interview with us!

2011 Europa Supershow to be Webcasted!

One of the biggest shows of the year NOT named the Olympia or Arnold is taking place tomorrow as the Europa SuperShow will take place in Dallas. Tomorrow and Saturday, the event will be broadcasted via web on Muscular Development's site. It's great to see more shows being webcasted for those unable to attend. The webcast feed will run at 3PM Central.

To view the webcast, go to http://www.musculardevelopment.com/live/2011-europa-super-show.html. Go ahead and bookmark this link.

Good luck to everyone competing!

Interview with Photographer Marc Thyssen

Photographers are a major part of this industry. Being a part of magazines and paysites are some of the ways of creating your own brand. Just training and competing isn't enough to be a top name in this industry. The photographers can make a major difference in how your career pans out.

Marc Thyssen is quickly becoming one of the top photographers in the business today. His huge FitHeat project during last year's Olympia was unbelievable in nay aspects. Next weekend, during the NPC USAs, he plans to take it up a notch with Fitness Supermodel Weekend at the Moorea Beach Pool at Mandalay Bay. It's a two-day event (Saturday July 30th and Saturday July 31th) with some of the biggest names in the business, including Adela Garcia, Nicole Wilkins, Felicia Romero, and Christine Pomponio-Pate, among others (Talent subject to change, of course). Marc was gracious enough to take time out of his busy prep for this event to conduct an interview with FitGems.

Marc Thyssen himself
Photo credit: Steve Beyer Productions

FitGems Nation: May you begin by telling us a little bit about yourself?
Marc Thyssen: I love travel and have been to 37 countries, visited the majority on my own too. Exotic places, people, food and culture inspire me. As does embracing diversity in every form, which comes from my parents as my mother was born in Madras, India & my father in the South of Holland. Music has been very important to me as my work as a DJ has enabled me to live & travel around the world. Photography also is now playing an important role for me especially in the USA.

FitGems: You’re from Austraila. How did you you find your way to the United States?
Marc: Had visited a few times for holidays but only in 2007 did I take on the challenge to move over to Vegas and try my hand at making a business and life here. With no work organized, no family here or friends it wasn’t easy. But I’m not someone who gives up easily & I think the USA is the place to make your mark in this world in many fields especially mine. America is such an inspiring place.

FitGems: How did you get into photography in the first place?
Marc: My love for travel first inspired me to take photos since my first trip to Europe at 19. My Dutch born father’s love for travel inspired me wanting to travel from a early age. With time I had the confidence and courage to change focus from landscape to focus on people as subjects.

FitGems: How did you get interested in FITNESS photography?
Marc: I had my first Fitness photo shoots with a couple of models, Christina Lindley & Elaine Seth in Miami back in 2003. From my work and the models compliments on it, I knew that it was an area I had a talent for. I remember shooting film back then and using a totally manual camera too.

FitGems: How long have you been in photography?
Marc: Professionally I’ve been shooting since those first shoots in Miami in 2003, so 8 years. But shooting in total for over 15 years. I’ve only been living in the USA since 2007, so 4 years in the USA.

FitGems: In your honest opinion, what’s the most satisfying thing about being a photographer?
Marc: Making people smile. Creating a work of art with a bare minimum of computer manipulation. Too many photographers go to far these days and their subjects look little like the models they shot. That’s not my style, I look to Master Photographers for inspiration and even a guy like David LaChapelle who used to heavily edit his images & has used much less Photoshop in recent years. Australian Photographer Russell James is an inspiring guy, for his work, style and more.

FitGems: Last year during the 2010 Olympia weekend, you hosted a Superstar event of epic proportions with some of the biggest names in the industry (Monica Brant, Christine Pomponio-Pate, Heather Mae French, Myriam Capes, Mindi O’Brien, Krissy Chin, only to name a few) called FitHeat. How in the world were you able to pull off such a major event, and what inspired you to create FitHeat?
Marc: It wasn’t easy. But I know that Vegas is the place to provide a crossover market for the Fitness arena. Here in Vegas people, regular people live in the gym to look great at a pool. So why not capitalize on that and show them athletes at a pool, who are at the top of the sport in the World! Athletes that can inspire all of us.

FitGems: With the success of FitHeat 2010, will we see a repeat of FitHeat during this year’s Olympia?
Marc: Yes, Planet Muscle will again be partner on it too.

Christine Pomponio-Pate (left) and Monica Brant (right) at 2010 FitHeat event. Christine is scheduled to be part of next weekend's Fitness Supermodel Weekend (Photo credit: GUIDENG)

FitGems: Next weekend (during the NPC USAs in Las Vegas), you are hosting a Fitness Supermodel WEEKEND, with a major line-up that includes NINE competitors from past/present Olympias! For those attending, what can people expect from this event?
Marc: It will be again be at Moorea beach, like last years FitHeat, however the pace will be more relaxed with shooting over two days. Expect more interaction between the athletes and the crowd, giveaways and autograph signings. This event will also be filmed for DVD and it will be a surprise where the photos will be featured. Cant reveal that yet! Last years FitHeat was too hectic for me, I was too busy to really enjoy it!

FitGems: From everyone you’ve photographed, who has been your absolute favorite competitor/model to shoot with thus far in your career?
Marc: Hard for me to pick an absolute favorite but shooting Christine Pomponio, at FitHeat last year then again later in the evening one on one was a lot of fun & something I had been looking forward to for a long time. And that Christine drove all the way down just for it & didn’t compete in 2010 but looked like she should’ve been on the Olympia stage when we shot is a credit to her.

FitGems: How important do you feel is social media in the fitness industry, from a photographer’s standpoint?
Marc: Very important, unless you are already a Master Photographer like Annie Leibovitz and have a job shooting for Vanity fair, Nat Geo, SI and the like. For us mere mortals it’s a great way to get out there and get our work seen by many people. I always dreamed of shooting for Nat Geo but then again I am my own boss and I shoot the most beautiful women in the World. Not so bad hey?

FitGems: In addition to photography, you also have a knack for being a DJ. How did that come up?
Marc: Was my first part time job in High school and something I stuck with through completing college and studying abroad in London when I was 24. Not many 24 year olds are blessed enough to study in London whilst DJing to support themselves after already DJing Spain for 2 months the same year. Little wonder I kept to DJing for years afterwards and then onto running nightclubs in Melbourne, Australia after completing my Business degree. But when I hit 30 I knew I wanted something else to be my primary focus, and voila, Photography. And now, event planning also :)

FitGems: What advice would you give to others that would like to do photography one day?
Marc: Practice, shoot nature & still life until you are confident with your camera in manual mode, Then find your niche, network and strive for what you dream and believe will make you most happy in Photography.

FitGems: How can people contact you for more about your work (Twitter, email, website, Facebook, etc.)?
Marc: www.marcthyssen.com (Official Website)
http://twitter.com/marc_thyssen (Twitter)
http://www.facebook.com/MarcThyssenPhotography (Facebook)

For more about Marc's Fitness Supermodel Weekend, you can check out this link on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120789771346244. Again, thank you Marc for taking the time to do an interview with us!