1999 NPC Nationals (Fitness)
By -jabber



Just like the Fitness review for the WSE was short and abbreviated, so will
this one.  Mr. Promoter, Steve Karel, the best level tickets were $106 for
this event, just HOW expensive will the tickets need to be for you to
provide a typed roster at the evening show listing the names of all the
competitors???  $206 maybe?

At Texas shows that are $30 or $35 a piece, they go through that luxury.
Since there WAS no roster of the ladies names, although I DID have access to
the scorecards the next day at the host hotel, I wouldn't have a clue as to
who was whom at this fitness show.

Basically I like the fitness because there are attractive women with
phenomenal abs standing on stage.  That's more than enough.  The sometimes
flamboyant routines and costumes run together and aren't that big of a deal
with me.  What I do like, however, is sometimes the loud and peppy music
many of the women choose.  With that said, I have only three comments to
make:

In the short class, Melanie Webb won that and the overall.  This will teach
me to hang around the lobby and get "lobby" shots - as many folks have asked
for.  By being in the lobby, I missed out on the placings, when the women
were called out, and the "posedown".  I learned this after the fact.  From
the man who coined the term, stand-around-down (for the fitness women's lack
of doing anything during their posedown), he kept me apprised that they
actually DID posedown, with Melanie Webb starting to hit flexing shots.
Sheesh!  I missed this!  Never again will the -jabber be in the lobby when
femuscle is on stage - uh-uh...

In the middle class (I jokingly said the short class was under 5'3 1/4", the
middle class was 5'3 1/4" to 5'3 3/4", and the tall class was over 5'3 3/4"
- ha!  they are close but not that close), there was a woman named Kathryn
Crane who I mistakenly thought was Darlena Kirzoncic.  One femuscle admirer
rudely told me how STUPID I was since Darlena became Pro at some show I
didn't see held somewhere in the Heart of fbb-land, within 300 miles of that
hotbed of bodybuilding, Columbus, OH.  Pardon me for not having this info on
the tip of my tongue - hmmph!  Turns out, when I pointed out Kathryn to this
admirer, he admitted to the uncanny resemblance and wondered if we'd ever
see both Kathryn and Darlena in the same room at the same time. :-)

In the tall class, I don't know how she finished but one competitor, the
almost too perfect looking Elizabeth Streiter, stood out.  The next day, one
reason I checked out later than planned is I saw a photoshoot trying to be
orchestrated poolside (the weather was barely cooperating - very overcast
and gloomy - kind of like L.A. - ha!) with Ms. Streiter the star.  It was
amusing seeing "regular" folks looking at Ms. Streiter, who's body was so
much more attractive than the standard fare around a pool that it looked
like she was from another planet.  Statuesque, tan, and with more than a
dopple of muscle around her broad shoulders and upper back (remember I was
up on the 5th floor looking down), Ms. Streiter looked to be a good subject,
indeed.