Review of the 1998 WSE By PJ Well here it is . My review of the WSE. Beter late than never. I will basically talk about my thoughts as I was watching the show and talking to people out in the lobby. I would ask each of the women I phtographed their stats , lifts and peoples reactions towards them, or for a little anecdote. Overall I think the show was great. My single observation to sum up the show is "younger and Bigger" It may be that I am getting old(30) but I have gone to all the WSE's except last years and this was probably the best one. The girls seem to be getting younger all the time and stronger as well. I think the fact that everyone from the site got together in some form or another made the show a lot of fun. I have to say everyone from the site was great. The weekendreally started for me on Friday the day before. I met HBP;FM;T9 and Sheila for diner. They wer all very nice an we talked about training during the meal. Afterwards they were all going out in NYC . So we went back to the hotel and I hung out with Sheila while everyone got ready. We basically talked and looked at some of my photos of other contests. Sheila is a first Class person , and we actually armwrestled for fun. I wouldnt tell you who won but I will tell you I am still undefeated.....heee heee sorry Sheila! I knew it wouldnt be a competitive match since my arms are so long and I have experience at it, Sheila graciously conceeded. Now dont think this is some kind of big victory here, she can still bench press more than I can so keep that in mind. Anyway everyone else was ready to goo, and I left to go home and Said I would meet everyone at the show tomorrow. Today is the day. I got there at 11am and I pulled into the parking lot and read my paper and finnished my coffee. A car pulls upp next to me parks and out walks Amelia Hernandez in a tight dress. I said " this is going to be a good day". Then 2 girls pulled up and got out of the car and it was a Large girl with a lot of big black hair and a short girl with a bulky gymnast type of body. they were both young and the I thought the bigger girl was surely competiting in the strength show, but it turns out it was Michelle Bonugli and her friend, they were spectatorsfor the prejudging ( more on them later). I finally went into the lobby and it was basically empty, except for Sheila setting up the DTV booth, we talked abit and then I entered the auditorium and sat down in the 2nd row. The Pre judging was starting and the auditorium had about 100 people in it , probably half competitors and their supporters. HBP, FM and T( walked in and we all moved up to the front row. The competitors were introduced and I was impressed by quite a number of them. In the amateur fitness contest, Shanon Martins really stood out. She is only 18 years old, but she has a big future. I remember reading some strength stats on her in a WPW issue a while ago. I think she benched 150lbs at the time. Another fitness competitior that I was amazed with was SHeena Bocciolone. Her legs were tghe biggest and shapliest I have ever seen on a fitness Comp. as well as a bodybuilder. They looked totally unreal. In general many of the fitness girls could easily win some bb shows. The bb contestants were few, but one that stuck out was Signa. I knew she would win the show from first sight, more on her later. Next came the strength show introductions. The most impressive being Tazzie , who was huge at 180lbs. Tazzie is awsome. Trish swander weighing 155lbs also looked impressive. Toni Norman looked to be the lightest. Then Annie R was introduced. A girl came and sat right next to me and started cheering loudly. i looked over and saw a young girl with big bulky arms sticking out of a tight red short sleeve shirt. i later found out it was Heather Moore,( one of Annies training partners from GA) We all then watched the fitness routines and a couple of strength events. Highlights being Tazzies 24 reps in the Bench with 180lbs and Trishas 55 reps in the squat at 230lbs ....try that guys! During a break in the action I looked back and saw a huge woman with blond hair walking down the aisle. She came and sat right behind me. It was non other than Annie K. fromt eh site, I introduced myself and we started chatting. Let me tell you guys, she was in off-season coondition and was HUGE! We chatted for aabout a half hour and then went to take a couple of pictures and video. Well here are the stats: Annie is 5'9" and 190lbs presently. She has been training for 4 years , threee of them hardcore. She told me last year her thighs measured 28", but they are bigger now. Her arms were her biggest ever, a tad over 17 inches! Her arms were not cut, but they were bulky. The heaviest she has weighed is 210lbs. She told me she has squatted 405 for 3 reps. ( I said "gulp") and uses 18 plates on the leg press for reps as well. She uses 60lb dumbells for curls for reps. When she first started lifting she was 165lbs and squatted 205lbs and benched 120lbs for one rep. Now at 190lbs she does 225lbs in the bench and 405 in the squat! her last show she competed at 147lbs and she plans on competing in her next show at a harder 155lbs. Annie was as sweet as can be, and shortley after our meeting she left the show and never returned. I later found out she had the opportunity to meet with a top trainerr that she could not pass up. While Annie K was there with me she was even impressed with the size and condition of tsome of the younger girls, even in their off season shape. She promises to be bigger and harder at her next show. I know she will do it She is a great person, very attractive as well. By now there were several booths set up and many FBB's walking around. I then met Inna Uit. I took a bout 5 minutes of video with her on the side of the lobby. My first impression of her was how small she was. She also seemed very soft as well. She was very nice and spoke pretty good english. She told me that she is 5ft 3in. and currently 160lbs. I would have guessed she was 130lbs, but 160 is what she told me. I think Inna is a fbb that has to get bigger for shows rather than diet down from a big off-season condition. she told me she trained mostly with guys in Estonia, since there were almost no Fbb's there. She doesnt measure her arms she goes by how she looks in the mirror. She does use 75lb dumbells for incline presses for 10 reps and uses 275lbs on her squats. She is attractive and nice in person, but I think she is to small to ever win a pro show. toni Norman was talking to a group in the corner as well as posing. She was in the strength show and weighed a tight140lbs. i was impressed with her 52 reps in the squat with 210lbs. She looked awsome, she is very attractive and glowing. She told me in a really cute voice that she out trains all the guys in her troop in the armed forces. I then saw Rowena at a booth selling photos. i didnt manage to interview her but she did let me take a few photos. She is very attractive and on the verge of being inbetween fitness and bodybuilding in terms of muscle. She is very sexy. Next to Rowena's booth was one of my favorite FBB's at the show......BIG VONDA KLINE! Vonda looked to me to be one of the biggest girls there. I thought she was one of the prettiest as well. She had a certain something about her smile that just dazzles you. She spoke with such a cute voice and told me she is only 25 years old and training for the past 4 years. She is BIG! She is 5ft 7 in. and a huge 180lbs, a far cry from her 145lbs before she started training at age 20. She competes at a hard 155lbs in contest shape, and hails from the Philly. area. She benches 225lbs for 4 reps and does squats with 250lbs for 12 reps with those huge legs of hers. Later on Tre measured Vondas arms at a tad over 16 inches and her thighs at 26.5 inches as well. I think out of all the FBB's there she photographed the best. Definetly one of my favorites in attendance! Just when you think it cant get any better in walks Bethany Howlett in pink stretch pants with a jacket on. She starts to set up her booth area as people gathered around. I knew exactly who she was, but most didnt.....but they soon would. She finally managed to get behind her table and then proceeded to take off her jacket. WOW! Everyone kind of took a step back and took a double take. Bethany was BIG and hard. She was in a pink sleeveless bodysuit with a plunging neckline. Someone from the group asked her how old she was and she replied back; "20". The jaws of the crowd dropped in disbelief. She was amazing. I talked to her for a few minutes and then conducted an interview for fistmans video down the hall with Bethany ; FM;Tre and BA. Well here it is guys, dont any of you cry now. Bethany is 20 yrs old 5 ft 6in. and 183lbs of pure muscle. She had 6 inch platform heels on so she was walking around the show in bigger than life fashion at about 6ft tall! She competes at 162lbs and plans to be bigger and harderat the USA's. She was a gymnast for 13 years, speaks many languages, sings opra, and is a pre med student as well. This girl is one smart, tough cookie! Now these stats are going to astound you. She uses 285lbs for incline barbell bencpresses for 2-3 reps. She squats a max of 465lbs. Does 185lb barbell curls and uses 18plates per side in the leg press. She said she has never seen anyone use as much as herself in this , including male bb's. She also does 80-100lbs on the incline dumbell benh press for 6-10 reps. Her calves are 19 inches and her arms measured in at a big 15inches.....measured by Tre! She said she made great gains when she started training at age 17/ She was only 105lbs then and benched 90lbs. She used a personal trainer right from the start and thats what she attributes her great gains to. She initially went to a conservative college when she started training and people were taken a back by her physique, she has since transefered to a more liberal school. Well after the video footage was taken we all went to lunch. Bethany; Tre; Ba; FM and myself had a nice lunch across the street. During lunch Bethany told us many stories about her experiences. One that comes to mind is that her father was a pro football player whose career was ended at the hands of Dick Butkus ( a famous linebacker). She joked that she is stronger now at 20 yrs old than he ever was and she'd kick his butt ! Pretty Funny! We were then leaving and HBP, T9, and Sheila and Jabber were walking in, so we joined them for dessert as they ate. Bethany and I shared a fudge brownie, it was dlicious and we all had a good time. Sheila semed to be very impressed with Bethay esbpecially the fact that she was 20 yrs old. Bethany told me Sheila was awsome as well. By the time we left , the lobby of the restaurant was full. Boy what a commotion Bethany and Sheila caused among the people waiting. Peoples jaws were dropping. It was funny to see some of the peoples reactions. Back to the night show. The lobby was filled with FBB's in evening dresses and mini skirts. it was a great crowd. I first ran into Jessie Bixler. She had on a tight red dress and Sandy blond hair. She said she just won the Keystone fitness championships. She is 21 years old and 5ft 6in and 145lbs. She started training at 18 and basically lifted as heavy as she could and by the time she was 19 yrs oldd she was up to 165 lbs with "huge muscular legs" she said " I got too big and decided to go more towards fitness " she said. She now uses 40lb dumbells for incline presses for 12 reps....try that guys! remember my initial statement...." Bigger and younger" Well here is anothe 21 year old to add to the list! I then met Lynn Mcrossin. She was an audiance member. She was in her late 30's and looked great. She wore tight green pants. She was in hard off-season shape at 126lbs and competes at 118. She had great thigh sweep on her tiny frame. She was about 5ft 2in tall. Next up was the very spunky Terri Mooney ( Tre's favorite) she was 132lbs at 5ft 4 in. She competes in fitness shows at 122lbs. She is 24yrs old and has pretty befy arms. She comes from a gymnastics background and has been training for a little over a year. She was probably the freindliest person at the show. I dont want to forget Sheila B. She was the most popular FBB at the show( Bethany a close second). She was at her booth the whole night. she was mobbed the entire time. Sheila had one of the best overall physiquess at the show. She was around 150lbs of solid muscle. She has small joints so she looks great with all that muscle. Sheila is 1st class all the way. She made a great impression on everyone, and is a sweetheart. In the side hall I ran into Danay Seely. She was a competitor in the strength show. she is 34 yrs old and 140lbs. She did 51 reps in the squat with 210lbs! She competes at 116lbs and was featured in WPW magazine about 10 years ago. She didnt remember the issue. but she has beeen in Flex maagazine as well in 1992 in 1994.She last competed in the USA's this past July as a lightweight. I then met a woman named Celeste. She is 39 yrs old and Tre and I could not believe it. She was 140lbs and gets up to 150lbs at times in the off season. She won the Virginia St. Drug Free championships. She looked incredible in her sleeveless black velvet pants suit. I was then milling about when Tammie Fraizer and Jasmine Johnson walked in. They can really turn some heads. Tami is about 5'10" and lanky with blond hair and great bicep peaks. She is not as big as she used to be, and sports a very toned body. Jasmine on the other hand would make most men cry and wish they had her size. She is MASSSIVE! She wore a black mini skirt and black leather vest with long black hair. Her muscles were huge and fully shaped. When I asked her how big her arms were she replied in a sultry voice " Very Big", she later told me they were 17 inches right now. She is 5ft 9 in. and weighed 185lbs. She has been as high as 210 in the off-=season. She said she routinely benches 315 and squats 400lbs for reps. She is one of the largest FBB's around. Michelle Bonugli then walked by with her friend from the parking lot. We chated for a bit and she said she is from MASS. which is obvious from her accent. She is 5'5" and 170lbs and wore a yellow sweat top and tight black [pants that covered her thick legs. She competes at 150lbs and is in her early 20's. Her strength is impressive, she does 225lbs in the bench for 3 reps and curls 40lb d-bells for 10 reps. She was recently featured in Flex magazine in their Flex-n-Femme section. Michellles friend is Heid Fletcher, she is a 24 yr old natural bb. She is 120lbs and 4ft 11 in. and competes at 102lbs. She had on a tight white leotard and had beefy arms with great potential. She plans on getting stronger but remaining natural. I then met up with Signa. She was incredible. She had slender hips with ripped legs and some of the best abs I have ever seen. her arms were big and ripped, with seperation and her lats flared out impressively. She looked like a track athlete that had switched to BB. She was 5'7" tall and competed at 141lbs. Ahe gets as big as 160lbs in the off-season and benches 225lbs and squats 450lbs!! and deadlifts 500lbs. She said the heaviest she has gotten is 180lbs and she said" I was Huge" I would have loved to see that! I then spoke with Lindsay Mullinazin. She is a 28 yr old fitness competitiorwho used to be into BB. She is of irish and scandinavian decent and weighed 132lbs. She has been as high as 142lbs when BB.She said she was strong but didnt give me any of her lifts. I think Tre witnessed some of her lifts the next day at the gym. Any comments Tre? in any case she had a powerful set of guns on her and legs that looked strong as heck. Well that young girl with the beefy intimidating looking arms that was rooting for Annie R in the afternoon, showed up for the night show. Except this time she was wearing a v- neck gold sleeveless dress with her hair and makeup all done up. She was beautiful. It was Heather Moore. She is 5ft 3in tall and 150lbs and can be found on the Ironbelles site. She is 28 and competes at 132lbs. She is sthe Southern classic Hvwt champ and has only been training seriously for 2 years. She is also into boxing and soccer. This beautiful sexy girl benches 235lbs; squats 325 for 5 reps and dumbell curls 40lbs for reps. she has 15 inch arms. She told me some of her guy friendss get embarassed when they go to the gym with her and she does heavier weights than they do! Another girl working a booth was Simone. She is the sister of Santa Monica Souza. She is 5ft 5in. and 140lbs. Kind of inbetween BB and fitness. I see simon at the gym occassionally and I followed her leg workout once and I barely survived using the same weights and reps as her. Her sister Santa Monica was up to 160lbs at one point but is now similar to Simone and more into fitness now. Halfway through the show in walked Debbie Krukk; Barbara Moran and Michelle Falsetta. Debbie looked incredible she was as hard and as big as I have seen her. She actually looked bigger and harder than Inna Uit when they were flexing together. Debbie is so nice and great with the fans. Barbar Moran is flat out GORGEOUS! PERIOD! She was beefier than I have seen her in a whil. She went from BB to fitness and now back to BB. She had to be around 150 chunky pounds . Her arms were bulky but not defined. She is awsome. Michelle F was impressive at 160lbs. She looked much larger as she bulged out of her tight shirt and leotards. She competes at 145lbs and is very attractive. Her arms were at least 15 inches. I then turned down the hall and ran across Bethanys training partner.....Theresa Bostick. Theresa looks exactly like she does on her site....UNREAL! She is thickk as a brick and one of the hardest looking bodys I have ever seen. Her arms were incredible. The contest was over and I managed to get a couple of photos of Tazzie and Lena Johannson. I then met Sheena Bocciolone! The muscular fitness contestant with the HUGE legs. Her legs were covered in sweats but she had a tight tank top on and posed for some pictures. She is 5'1" and 125lbs and gets up to 135lbs in the off-season. She says her quads are genetic and only squats 205lbs for reps to train them. She benches 200lbs for 3 reps. She has only been training for BB for 1year, and comes from a gymnastics background. She is doing a BB show next . She is well endowed and very attractive and has the most incredible quads since Jacque Till. The show wound down shortley after and I hung out with Bethany for a while, she invited me down to train with her next time I am in DC. Other people in attendance that I took some photos of were Jazzmon, Maria Calo( HUGE to say the least) I hope this gave you a feel of the show through my eyes. If there are anmy questions please post them to the WSE board. I will have Photos in the Gallery ( about 80) of all the people I described in my review. If ID's need to be made put up a post and I will tell you who it is. Any Comments PJ