Scarpetta Stunner At Toronto Supershow!
By Steve Wennerstrom, IFBB Women's Historian
Well, much can be said about the women's bodybuilding division at this year's Toronto Supershow held at the John Bassett Theatre in the Toronto Metro Convention Centre on June 1st, but one thing is certain, it won't soon be forgotten. Serving as the first Olympia qualifier of the year for women's bodybuilding, it was understandable that the 15 contestants who ventured to Toronto for this event would be 'bringing it'. And they did. Boy did they.
From the opening round of prejudging, this was to be a contest about muscle. And to the final tallies on the judging score sheets at the end of the event, questions were raised as to what the judges would do with a field inhabited by so many muscular physiques.
In short order, a pair of South Americans – Maria Rita Bello from Argentina, and Anne Freitas from Brazil had the crowd buzzing. These two were were dynamic in their respective abilities to show off physiques that were otherworldly in the visible detail of each muscle group. But that would only be part of the story.
While virtually everyone in the theatre assumed either Bello or Freitas was a pretty solid 
choice for the victory, the final result proved otherwise. And only the official score sheets would provide an insight into how neither of these competitors ended up in the winner's circle.
As for Maria Rita Bello, she was a walking, talking, living, breathing anatomy chart. Many in the audience – and when photos appeared on the internet during the prejudging – mentioned that they had never seen a more detailed level of muscularity on a female bodybuilder. That was an observation that would have been difficult to argue. At 5-3, and weighing in the vicinity of 135-138 pounds , Bello has had a long history of bringing this look to the stage. A veteran competitor who was a LW Argentinian champion in 1991, she had won many major amateur events in South America over the years. She has competed at the IFBB World Amateur Championships on multiple occasions and as recently as 2008 she was the HW and overall IFBB South American champion. In 2010 she again repeated as the overall South American champion, but in the same year she also added a HW and overall victory at the Armold Classic Amateur in Columbus where many more fans first got a closer look at her phenomenal level of conditioning.
Upon entering the pro ranks Bello debuted at the 2011 PBW Tampa Pro where she placed fourth, then a last year with an invite to the Ms. International she landed eighth behind many of the sport's biggest stars. But at this event she had gone the extra mile on her preparation and was, as one observer put it, looking like her skin had been completely removed. Her level of conditioning had, as has happened in the past with competitors who find a way to distance themselves from the rest of the pack, raised the question of what becomes an acceptable level in the ongoing efforts to be as muscular as is humanly possible. With little question, alarm buttons went off at the judging tables. What to do?
Meanwhile Brazil's colorful Anne Freitas, who created the same type of sensation at the 2012 Wings of Strength contest in Chicago, where she made her debut a memorable one by winning the event unanimously, was shadowing Bello here. Freitas was slightly off her usual high level of muscular detail but still maintaining her impressive muscular volume. Freitas, who, by winning the Wings event, quali
fied for the Ms. Olympia. To her credit, she followed up with an eighth-place finish at the Ms. O - a very respectable effort considering her rookie standing and the caliber of the field overall. Perhaps more disappointing for Freitas was that she was inexplicably overlooked for an invitation to this year's Ms. International after those two noteworthy contest efforts in 2012 to begin her pro career.
So, for the South American duo this event was the first time at the pro level the two had met head-to-head and they didn't disappoint the crowd with their mindboggling muscularity. Even with a field of 15 where there was no lack of heavy duty muscle in the lineup, it was left to guess which of these two would win out. Little did they realize.
With the announcement of the top three, Maria Rita Bello's name got the call for third with a mixed reaction from the crowd. Next came the call for Anne Freitas in second which created even more confusion. Then with the announcement of first place, Jennifer Scarpetta became the newest Toronto Supershow winner.
How did it happen? What catapulted Jennifer Scarpetta into the top spot? It is really pretty easily explained with a quick look at the official score sheets, and this same type of situation has happened in the past.
In the first round (prejudging), Anne Freitas was given a unanimous vote of confidence with five points, while Bello was bumped not only to second, but to fourth behind Melody Spetko. Meanwhile, Scarpetta was locked into second 
(also unanimously). So right out of the gate, Bello would be playing a game of catch-up that was never going to happen.
In the final round of scoring in the evening, judges turned around and gave Bello the unanimous pick with five points. So her final total would be 24 points. As for Freitas who was leading after the first round, she was extinguished from the race by her total of 17 points which was the same total as Melody Spetko and seven points off the pace of Scarpetta (who was once again locked into second) with ten points. Presto. Freitas ends up with a total of 22 points, while Scarpetta with two rounds of finishing second finds herself beating both of them. What would cause such wild fluctuations in the judging over two rounds? Only the collective judges could answer that question. One thing is certain, it would be difficult to find another example of an eventual winner of a contest taking home the victory without winning at least one of the rounds of judging.
So what about Jennifer Scarpetta? Is there an explanation as to how she pulled off this stunning upset? Yes, there is.
First of all, she's a damn good bodybuilder. And for those who point out that she was flying under the radar at this event, she certainly wasn't doing it by design. In fact none of the competitors were privy to what was going on with point totals as the contest progressed. On the other hand, it could be said that Scarpetta is used to standing just clear of the spotlight. She joined the ranks of 'being part of the group' by virtue of her early beginnings as a figure competitor....like when she finished 20th in her Figure class at the 2008 NPC Junior Nationals. It would be tough to be more 'part of the group' than that. So she stepped aside from competition in 2009 and when she returned in 2010 she won the heavyweight class of that same Junior Nationals. At that event, at least, she was no longer flying under the radar. In just a matter of weeks after her Jr .Nationals win, she peeled of a few pounds and dropped down to the light-heavyweight class to win at the NPC USA in that weight class. Sarah Hayes won the heavyweight and overall at the USA and got all the accolades at that event, so Scarpetta went quietly back under the radar, but no
t before judges recognized her potential qualities in the USA posedown and awarded her a pro card to join Hayes in the pro ranks. That was it until the Toronto Supershow – a event that would serve as her pro debut.
So what did the judges see? All the things they have said all along with endless consistency, and as a continuing reminder....... balanced structure, proportionate musculature throughout the physique, pleasing muscle shapes, good muscle separation, nothing to the extreme, and of course all the 'little things' that put the finishing touches on a pro look........special attention to hair, skintone, makeup, stage persona, and a spirited countenance. Scarpetta showed all that. And while the muscular marvels of Bello and Freitas – breathtaking in their own ways - beat each other's brains out, Jennifer Scarpetta with her consistently solid scores came out smelling like the proverbial rose. Past happenstances such as this have been part of the history of women's bodybuilding. There have been many examples over the years and they will likely be part of the future. This decision – that will forever be considered controversial - will produce the most recent group of haters as well as well-wishers. It will create endless arguments about the pros and cons of what constitutes “too much” in a given physique, and on and on. Who will ever forget how Bev Francis rocked the world of female bodybuilding when she first arrived on the scene? Her presence created a sense of awe in so many of those who saw her compete. But therein lies the uniqueness of women's bodybuilding. With all due respect to the current locust swarm of bikini competitors, how many of them will be remembered two years from now? On the other hand, Maria Rita Bello, Anne Freitas and Jennifer Scarpetta will all be remembered many years from now just because of their presence at this very contest. Their physical presence – unique to each one of the trio - becomes permanently ingrained in our collective memories. And whether that's considered a positive or negative reality - it simply is. Women's bodybuilding has always been about very special, resolutely unique females, each as a one-of-a-kind physical gem in time. Take your pick.
And they say they want to do away with women's bodybuilding. What a loss that would be.
The prize money for the top three was $2,
000 for 1st, $1,000 for 2nd and $500 for 3rd. Somehow it just doesn't seem like enough for the entertainment these women provided.
Outside the Top Three:
4- Melody Spetko, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 33
5- Michelle Cummings, Rotterdam, New York 50
6- Athena Siganakis, Vancouver, BC, Canada 65
7- Marina Lopez, Aurora, Colorado 65
8- Rene Marven, Carmel, New York 82
9- MaryseManios, Lille Nord, France 91
10- Sharon Mould, Ontario, Canada 97
11- Christine Envall, Queensland, Australia 135
12- Michelle Brent, Newington, Connecticut 142
13- JaneenLankowski, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada 143
14- Gillian Kovack, Alberta, Canada. 152
15- Laura Davies, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada 153
16- Guisy Caputo, Italy 160
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