Anytime you win a championship at any given sporting event in three successive years, you have to be doing something right. And on May 8th at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York City, Canada's Cathy Lefrancois flexed her way to victory at the New York Pro Championships - a result she had also captured in 2008 and 2009. PHOTO GALLERY
Playing the role of the little engine that could, Lefrancois' win is a triumph for her on several levels. Competing in a field of 13 contestants, she was, as usual, was one of the smaller entrants. But she was also one of the most complete. And she does a lot of things right.
No stranger to pro competitions, Lefrancois has been swinging for the fences since turning pro in 1995. Persistent in her approach to contests, this Quebec native has garnered the experience needed to cope with the challenges of being a major player in the pro ranks. With seven prior invitations to the Ms. International (one of which was a lightweight victory in 2003), and three entries in the Ms. Olympia, Lefrancois has weathered the dieting and contest prep storms in what now totals 27 contests at the pro level.
But today, her third straight victory at the New York Pro Championships puts her in an elite group of women who have managed to win three or more consecutive pro events, and more specifically at this event, the aid of a weight division was not offered.
Throughout her long career which now spans two decades, Lefrancois has banked primarily on her strong overall structural balance and genetically-gifted muscle shapes. Her look, to put it in one word, is ‘pleasing'. Indeed, she's easy on the eyes, as a muscular athletic woman.
On this night, Lefrancois experienced her closest-ever challenge among all her previous triumphs. The margin of victory here was just one point over the impressive Sheila Bleck - a challenger who out weighed Lefrancois by nearly 20 pounds.
To her credit, Lefrancois was in great form considering the difficulties she has endured in her ability to train over the past six months. Before last year's Ms. Olympia (for which she was qualified), Lefrancois suffered a debilitating muscle injury in her arm which kept her from training her upper body with any real efficiency. So, to say she was at 100% at this event would be far from the truth. Nevertheless, she pulled it all together in superb fashion, and now she's qualified once again for the Olympia. No doubt she'll take special care to approach the Fall months injury-free. Lefrancois' cash prize for first place was $3,000.
For runner-up Sheila Bleck this day was magical and, at the same time motivational. For many who follow
women's bodybuilding, Sheila Bleck is immediately recognizable at the NPC National overall champion from 2008. And in many respects it seems strange to realize this was her debut at the pro level - considering that fact that she has been performing pro level posing routines for several years. What many may not realize is that Bleck is far from a newcomer or competitor who ‘just stepped off the bus'. Far from it.
Sheila Bleck's competitive exploits date back to 1993 - 17 years ago when she was a heavyweight runner-up at the Bill Pearl Classic in Oregon. From that point to the current day Bleck has been, to put it in nautical terms, steady as she goes. She's never been in any dramatic rush to reach the top, but her training has been tunnel-focused and rigidly consistent. Like any other competitor she has always maintained a definitive set of goals. What bodybuilder, after all, doesn't want to reach the pro ranks and ultimately the Ms. Olympia? Sheila Bleck did. But the journey has been far from a cake walk.
A decade ago Bleck was an overall winner at both the 2000 NPC Oregon State Championships and NPC Emerald Cup. Nice wins. But ask her about how it felt to finish 16th in the HW class at the 2000 NPC USA. Ask her about finishing 11th at the 2005 NPC Nationals. Ask her about jobs like working the loading dock at a tile factory to make ends meet. It's the stuff of an interesting story, and much of what will make her future competitive journey that much more pleasurable. After 17 years of toiling in the gym and carefully selecting events that she felt would help her learn the ropes of being a fine bodybuilder - it's come full circle. She has made a sterling pro debut in the Big Apple - won a little money - and is headed to a Ms. Olympia stage that will more than welcome her artistically classy brand of muscular display.
For Sheila Bleck the next few months will be about putting a buff and polish on her dynamic chassis. This event uncovered what everyone always new was a breathtaking pair of legs - the difference was that they had never been in this state of stunning detail. In all she made for an eye-catching package and one that pressed Cathy Lefrancois to the finish line with a one point margin between them. Bleck collected $2,000 in her first pro muscle tussle, and presumably, there will be more where that came from.
Third-place finisher Heather Foster served as the hometown favorite at this event and as a seasoned veteran of both the amateur and pro ranks spanning two decades, she matched Sheila Bleck at the amateur level as both women were NPC National overall champions - Foster in 2000, and Bleck in 2008. For Foster, her placing at this contest had to be uplifting considering the fact that she had stepped away from the competitive stage for the past three years. A winner at the 2006 Europa Super Show she competed twice in 2007 before taking a break. Foster has also competed at both the Ms. International and Ms. Olympia over the course of her career, and was a runner-up in the HW class at the 2005 New York Pro show. Here, she once again showed the calling cards of what helped her to past successes - a tiny waistline, billowy thighs, high-peaked biceps, and great stage presence. With her qualification for the upcoming Ms. Olympia, it will be on everyone's mind as to whether she will once again reach the impressive muscular detail she showed in winning that NPC National title a decade ago. If she does succeed in her efforts, she will become a clear and present danger for the entire Olympia field. Foster pocketed $1,000 for her third-place finish.
Finishing fourth was Debbie Bramwell. An enthusiastic entrant at pro events since earning pro status in 2007, Bramwell has Ms. Olympia experience and this year she entered the New York Pro event in anatomy chart-like condition. Her finish here matched the placing she earned at this contest in 2009, but her level of condition was considerably better. Competing since the late 90's, Bramwell is a glowing example of a competitor with a steadfast desire to make steady improvements - and she has. Although as disappointing as it surely must be to miss an Olympia qualification by one place, her resilience and spirit will keep her competitive at whatever contest she selects later in the year.
Every bodybuilder, no matter how experienced or knowledgeable can suffer the dreaded ‘off day'. At this event the unfortunate victim was Canadian Dayana Cadeau. With little argument, Cadeau is the most highly decorated competitor in this field with ten trips to the Ms. Olympia and ten invitations to the Ms. International over the course of her pro career. She was also the LW class winner at each of the aforementioned events. Needless to say, when she's on target she's a superstar, but in this very competitive field her level of conditioning could raise her no higher than fifth. Surfacing at another event later in the year will reveal whether she has enough gas left in the tank to bounce back to the stunning overall look she has displayed for so many years.
Overall the contest brought drew veteran competitors with several familiar names and physiques, and seven countries were represented in the field of 13. What is most interesting is the fact that in last year's field of 24 contestants, only three returned in 2010 - Cathy Lefrancois, Debbie Bramwell, and Nancy Lewis. And going back to 2008, only two women - Lefrancois and Bramwell have competed in each of the past three years.
And a final note as to how accomplished this field was.......Of those competitors who finished between 7th and 10th, each has competed in the Ms. Olympia. Nancy Lewis 7th - seven Ms. O's; Marja Lehtonen 8th - two Ms. O's; Colette Nelson 9th - one Ms. O, and Kristy Hawkins 10th - one Ms. O.
That's pretty fancy company.
