2012 Bodybuilding - Fitness - Figure Review

The 2012 Washington Ironman Championships
Saturday October 6th, Snoqualmie Casino, Snoqualmie, WA

By Joe Bonomoman

The 2012 Washington Ironman Championships hosted by Brad & Elaine Craig and Craig Productions LLC took place at the Snoqualmie Casino, on a beautiful October day. The Washington Ironman is an NPC drug-tested event that featured 143 natural athletes competing in the various divisions. The event was inspiring as always but there were also many sub-plots among the competitors and guest posers. There was life and death, good versus evil, dedication, perseverance, brawn, beauty, etc. More on that later! The Judging began at 10:00 AM with the judging for Fitness, Mixed Pairs, Novice Men’s Bodybuilding, Masters Bodybuilding, Figure, Masters Figure, Women’s Physique and then into Open Men’s Bodybuilding. For the first time in the twenty-two years this event has been held there were no Women Bodybuilders! This is a drug tested show and in Natural shows Women’s Bodybuilding and Women’s Physique are very much the same thing, so that could explain it.

Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships Finals

The evening show started right at 6:00 PM with the National Anthem by Marisa Carew and her brother and sister. After that Pastor Ken Ralston who was competing in the Open Men Heavyweight division said a brief prayer blessing the competitors, the country and our service men. I can’t say that I have been to another Bodybuilding contest around the country that began a show like that. It was very nice. The emcee for the show was Longshoreman turned emcee, Kim Farrison. I have been to shows all around the country and can honestly say that he is the best emcee I have ever seen. He is very dynamic and brings a sense of humor, style and excitement to the show. I was very impressed with the judging panel for this show. Most of the judges were not only NPC Judges but also IFBB Professional athletes. Even more impressive was that they were from all over the country and not all local judges that you see in so many shows. The head Judge Rick Kasten was from Colorado and is an NPC National Judge and IFBB Pro Judge. Shawn Clapp is from Eagle River Alaska, Dave Goodin and Diane Hurley from Austin Texas, Paula Gulman from Hayden Lake, Idaho, Janet and Gene Kaufman from Idaho, Michele Mayberry from Federal Way, Washington and finally Chris Algeo from Tacoma, Washington. You can’t say you were judged unfairly by local judges with this panel. Dave Goodin was also scheduled to guest pose tonight but he tore his shoulder and has surgery scheduled for Monday after the show. He and Diane seemed to be having a good time judging and being at the show, in spite of his injury.

The Ironman opened up with the Fitness routines. This year there were only two competitors in the Fitness Division, Alisha Lininger of Lacey and Kristine Duba of Mukilteo. Both competitors represented Save Fitness. Alisha Lininger placed first in the 2012 Empire Classic and Kristine Duba placed first in the 2012 Washington State Open. Both had entertaining routines.

Following the Fitness round, it was on to the Novice Men’s Bodybuilding light weight class. Warren Williams, a registered nurse from Lake Stevens, Washington was a clear winner in this class earning all five first place votes. Shakil Akhter of Gold’s Gym in Bothell, Washington was a solid second place in this class. It appeared Akhter gave up too much size and is a natural bantam weight. Justin Russon, a twenty year old from 24 Hour Fitness in Auburn, Washington placed third. Josh Edick a twenty-one year old from Central Washington University placed fourth and Ryan Botham, a UW student placed fifth. Although Botham placed fifth, he possesses a tremendous amount of muscle and with the proper preparation and presentation could have placed much higher.

Novice Men Light – Ryan Botham, Justin Russo, Warren Williams, Shakil Akhter and Josh Edick

The Novice men Heavy class was next. This class was won by Barry Johnson of 24 Hour Fitness in West Seattle. In solid second place was Ken Brager of Arlington, Washington. Kyle Monyoya of Arlington was third, Jeff Richardson was fourth and Dillon Sapp from Orting was in fifth place.

Novice Heavy – Dillon Sapp, Kyle Montoya, Barry Johnson, Ken Brager and Jeff Richardson

The Overall competition between Light Weight Champion Warren Williams and Heavy Weight Champion Barry Johnson was won unanimously by Warren Williams. Williams was awarded the first coveted Excalibur sword of the evening as the Overall Champion.

Warren Williams, Overall Novice Champion

In the Mixed Pairs this year there was only one couple, consisting of Brenda Hernandez and Abraham Aceves from Fusion Fitness in Bend, Oregon. They performed a very entertaining Cop and Robber routine, with Brenda playing the police officer. The routine was a lot of fun and it is too bad they didn’t have any competition this year.

Abraham Aceves and Brenda Hernandez

The Masters Men Over 60 was an inspirational group. 64 year old Terry Roberts of Mill Creek was able to fend off Dick Eilertson of Walla Walla, Washington and 72 year old Herb Gette for the first place award. Herb and Dick were tied for second place and Dick won the tie breaker with more low scores. 60 year old Bennie Simon of LA Fitness in Tacoma was in fourth and the Grand Master of the group 76 year old attorney Robert Mussehl placed fifth. Champion Terry Roberts told of a traumatic experience he had right before the Ironman. Terry was in his car the day before the contest, stopped at a stoplight. Terry said he was watching a man cross the street with a bouquet of flowers and noticed him because he had a big smile on his face and seemed so happy. Terry thought he must be going to see his wife or girlfriend. Just then a large truck turned the corner and ran the man over, killing him instantly. Terry was hardly able to finish the story as he choked up. What a reminder of how precious and fleeting life is! We are all just passing through this world and should make each day count. Terry made this day count while celebrating life and his victory at the Ironman!

Over 60 Men – Bob Mussehl, Herb Gette, Terry Roberts, Dick Eilertson & Bennie Simon

The Masters Men Over 50 was a lot smaller this year but there were some good competitors there. The perennial Ironman competitor Jerome Williams of Bremerton took first place with a well-balanced physique. Frankie Rongo of Seattle was a solid second place with a very pleasing esthetic physique and attorney John Clynch of Seattle placed third with a very muscular conditioned physique.

Over 50 Men – John Clynch, Jerome Williams and Frankie Rongo

The Masters Men Over 40 also only had three competitors this year but again they were good ones. Glenn Citerony, a sales manager from Ironworks Gym in Bellevue, bested second place finisher Selves Smith from Poulsbo Washington. In third place was 46 year old Eric Blaser of Mountlake Terrace. All three competitors were very well conditioned and looked great!

Masters Men Over 40 – Eric Blaser, Glenn Citerony and Selves Smith

*Over 40 Champion Glenn Citerony won the Overall Masters Sword

The first guest performer of the night was the wonderful Tanji Johnson. She was in fantastic shape from the Fitness Olympia the week before and was preparing for an upcoming Arnold Pro Fitness in Spain. Tanji’s routine was incredible as always and what a great spokesperson for the sport of Fitness. I can’t say enough good things about her and the crowd loved her as much as I did!

Tanji Johnson performing at the Ironman

After Tanji performed the Figure competitors went on parade throughout the auditorium. When the dust settled we moved on to the Figure Over 35. There were seven very good competitors in this class ranging from 42 to 50 years of age. Amazing! The top three was very close with three competitors getting first place votes. Rebecca Wyman a mom of three daughters from Fircrest, Washington took first place with four first place scores. Joan Smith a personal trainer from Battleground, Washington placed second with Trixi Wright of Seattle a close third. In fourth place was Pamela McHugh of Fitstop in Olympia, Washington and Kim Haynes of the Fitness Factory in Bremerton was in fifth place. All competitors were in great shape and looked fantastic!

Figure Over 35 – Kim Haynes, Trixi Wright, Rebecca Wyman, Joan Smith & Pamela McHugh

In the Figure A Division, Amanda Wheeler a personal trainer at Battle Ground Fitness in Brush Prairie, Washington placed a solid first to take the class. Pharmacist Michele Lin, of All Done Fitness in Seattle was the runner-up with Anna Yamada of Construction Zone in third. Stacey Morris of Mountain Home Idaho placed fourth and mother of seven, Nancy Diaz placed fifth.

Figure A – Nancy Diaz, Anna Yamada, Amanda Wheeler, Michele Lin and Stacey Morris

Kristine Duba of Mukilteo representing Save Fitness, placed first in the Figure B Division. Kristine won the Overall Fitness and Figure Championships at the Washington State this year. In second was Nikki Hurliman of JMS Fitness, who is a mother of three small children, in Battleground, Washington. Samantha Rickey of Spokane, Washington who placed second at the 2011 Washington Ironman was in third place and Brenda Hernandez of Fusion Fitness in Bend Oregon was fourth.

Figure B – Samantha Rickey, Kristine Duba, Nikki Hurliman & Brenda Hernandez

Figure C was a hard fought battle won by emergency room nurse Angelina Christiano of RAB Fitness in Kennewick, Washington. In second place and just one point behind the eventual overall winner was Darcy Defrees of Tacoma, Washington. In third was Kristan Schlatter of Seattle, with Jamie Neussendorfer of Figure Champions in Mountain Home Idaho in fourth and combat veteran Vanessa Toolson of Flex Fitness in Jerome Idaho in fifth place.

C – Vanessa Toolson, Kristan Schlatter, Angelina Christiano, Darcy Defrees & Jamie Neussendorfer

Figure D was won by Aimee Hittinger of Team Excellence in Mill Creek, Washington. In a close second representing Nivens P.T. was Crislyn Chewning, of Willamina, Oregon. Third place went to Julie Michaelson, the owner of JMT of Woodinville, Washington. Kim Delgado of Team Advocare, Seattle, Washington, placed fourth and Paige Roberts of David Barton Gym and Fuerte Fitness in Seattle, placed fifth.

Figure D – Paige Roberts, Julie Michaelson, Aimee Hittinger, Crislyn Chewning & Kim Delgado

The Figure Overall included the class winners from A, B, C, D and the Over 35 Figure divisions, who all looked great! Figure B Champion Kristine Duba and Figure C Champion Angelina Christiano each were awarded first place votes but the Overall Crown belonged to the registered nurse from Kennewick, Washington, Angelina Christiano. Presenting the award was Fitness Pro Tanji Johnson.

Overall Figure Champion Angelina Christiano

Following the Figure Overall, the audience was treated to a guest performance by IFBB Pro, Erik Fankhouser, courtesy of Weider Publications. Erik was in fantastic condition as he was preparing for the British Grand Prix, two weeks later. Erik possesses probably the largest calves in professional bodybuilding and was very gracious to all who stopped by his booth to compare calves.

Erik “The House” Fankhouser, guest posing at the Ironman

Next up was the new Women’s Physique Division. This is a new event for the Washington Ironman and first up was the Over 35 Division. There was only one competitor this year and accountant and personal trainer Wendy Feth of Fabulous Fitness in Helena Montana took that title. The Open Women’s Physique was next with Tammy Wyatt of Team Christafaro in Bothell placing first and overall. In a close second was personal trainer Susan Pavel of Sand Kam Fitness in Eugene, Oregon. In third place was Charlene SanJenko, from Gibsons, BC. SanJenko also hosts fitness retreats on the Sunshine Coast, where she lives. In fourth place was police officer Erin Blodgett of Gold’s Gym in Bothell in her first contest and Anna Yamada of Construction Zone in Issaquah placed fifth. Handing out the awards was last year’s Washington Ironman Overall Bodybuilding Champion Anne-Marie Kam.

Over 35 – Wendy Feth / Open Physique – Yamada, SanJenko, Wyatt, Pavel and Blodgett

Next up was the Open Men’s Division, beginning with the Bantam Weight Class. 44 year old Castor Guzman, a veteran competitor from Silverdale, Washington, placed first. In second was another veteran competitor, Dale Morshige of Gresham, Oregon. In third place was the owner of Starkt Health in Mt. Vernon, Washington, Drew Anderson. In fourth was Tuan Dang of 24 Hour Fitness in Seattle.

Bantam – Drew Anderson, Castor Guzman, Dale Morshige and Tuan Dang

The competitive Lightweight Class was won by perennial natural competitor, Tony Ruggiero, who came with an extremely shredded physique. Ruggiero also won the Best Poser Award for his routine as the devil. Ruggiero beat second place finisher Henry Jung, for the first time in many meetings between the two. Jung has a very mature, balanced physique with no discernible flaws. The conditioning of Ruggiero was the deciding factor, or maybe, it was the devil? Tied for third place were the muscular personal trainer Rusty Guico of Ultimate Fitness in Lacey and former Ironman champion Mike Clarke who was competing at fifty years of age, after an eight year hiatus. Mike still possesses a muscular symmetrical physique but the tie-breaker went to Rusty Guico. This was a very close class with four great but different physiques!

Best Poser – Ruggiero / Light Weight – Rusty Guico, Tony Ruggiero, Henry Jung & Mike Clarke

There were three competitors in the Middle weights this year with a very muscular “Hulk” Dustin Jensen of Eastside Gym in Redmond taking the class. Jensen performed a Hulk posing routine that was entertaining. Abraham Aceves of Fusion Fitness in Bend, Oregon was second with a pleasing physique. Darren Downs of 24 Hour Fitness in Olympia placed third, carrying a lot of muscle.

Middle – Darren Downs, Dustin Jensen and Abraham Aceves

The Light-Heavy Men was won decisively by Marine veteran Aaron Orton of Eugene, Oregon. Aaron is the owner of Genuine Fitness LLC and a personal trainer. In second place was the very muscular Emmanuel Hearne of Team Fitevo in Seattle. Pedro Ayala of Walla Walla placed third with a balanced esthetic physique. The most muscular dueling Piano Player ever, Terrence Ellison of Bremerton placed fourth with Central Washington Student Cesar Rodriguez rounding out the top five.

Light-Heavy – Cesar Rodriguez, Pedro Ayala, Aaron Orton, Emmanuel Hearne and Terrance Ellison.

This year’s Heavy Weight class only had two competitors but they were both very good. Shredded Pastor Ken Ralston of Arlington walked away with first place. Ken was in a serious accident earlier this year and through sheer determination (and God’s grace) regained his health, size and the conditioning needed to compete. Former Ironman Novice Overall Champion and runner-up 2011 Ironman Heavy weight champion, Daniel Rios settled for the runner-up position again this year. Rios carries lots of muscle and just needed to be a little bit sharper to battle Ralston for the title.

Heavy Weights – Pastor Ken Ralston and Daniel Rios

The highlight of the show to me is the overall men’s award. Who will it be? The lean taller Castor Guzman, the Bantam Champion? The ripped Light Weight Champion, the Devil, Tony Ruggiero? Middle Weight Champion Dustin “The Hulk” Jensen? The Marine from Eugene, Aaron Orton, the Light-Heavy Champion? Or Pastor Ken Ralston, the Heavy Weight Champion? Could this be a battle of good versus evil with the ripped Devil and the Pastor battling it out for the title? The devil did get a first place vote but the real battle was between Pastor Ken and the Hulk Jensen. Both physiques are completely different, as were all of the class champions. Ken Ralston bested “the Hulk” Dustin Jensen by one point, with “the Devil” Ruggiero a close third in the overall scoring. Good triumphs over evil! What a great, inspiring event this was with the outstanding athletes, first class awards, phenomenal emcee and top notch guest performers! The expeditors ran the show like clockwork and hats off to Elaine and Brad Craig and the Craig Productions crew for a very enjoyable evening! I hope to be back next year to cover this fantastic show again.