Hope everyone packed an umbrella, it looks like a decidedly soggy start to the Junior Nationals at check-in today. Warm but wet has been a running theme this week in Chicago — on Tuesday night, heavy rain even washed out the first game of the Cubs-White Sox series at Wrigley Field — and according to the latest forecasts, we may not see any sunshine until Saturday.
Fortunately, inside will be a storm of an entirely different sort beginning tomorrow. Well over two hundred contest-shape hopefuls from all divisions will flood the Hyatt Regency O’Hare for this annual NPC blockbuster.
Figure is not surprisingly the most heavily represented category, with the new bikini fleet a distant second. Fitness comes in as perhaps the most intriguing of the disciplines, with just over twenty competitors ready to bring their fast and flashy routines to the stage in hopes of snatching one of three pro cards up for grabs.
Teen Dreams: Victoria has a great chance to become the youngest fitness pro in history this weekend in Chicago. Photo: Mark Mason, Bodybuilding.com
Watch out for the kids this time.
Seventeen-year-old fitness sensation Victoria Larvie (Junior USA short class winner) and 16-year-old Ariel Khadr (Atlantic States overall winner) both come in with winning streaks and highly established gymnastic backgrounds. The two gifted teen stars each has a chance to become the youngest ever to reach the professional fitness ranks.
1 Comment
June 22, 2009 at 5:50 pm
She did it! Victoria won the short class and made the unprecedented leap to IFBB status at the Jr. Nationals. The young star was at her best against tough competition in becoming the youngest ever to earn a pro card.