Athletes shine at the 2013 WBFF Central Show

By: Jacob Elyachar

It is 7:00 p.m. on a Friday evening and while thousands of people headed to the lake for their Memorial Day Weekend, hundreds of athletes and their supporters packed into the Crowne Plaza Hotel ballroom to register for the 2013 World Beauty Fitness and Fashion (WBFF) Central Show.

As they checked in, athletes had the opportunity to get their photos taken by the show’s official photographer and mingle with their fellow competitors.

However, it was not just a social hour, the WBFF Staff briefed the athletes of what was to come.

The 140 athletes signed up to participate in one of the WBFF’s most competitive shows in their 2012-13 season.

In addition, almost 75-percent of the athletes were first-time competitors with the WBFF.   Competitors traveled from all parts of the globe (from Kansas City to France) for a chance to win their pro card.   If they received their pro card, the athletes would have a chance to be invited to join the WBFF family and a chance to compete against other WBFF athletes and amateurs at the 2013 Worlds Championship in Las Vegas.

The WBFF Executive Vice President Allison Dillett gave several pieces of advice for the contestants that ranged from tanning requirements to how call outs worked.

She also instilled one crucial piece of advice to all of the athletes.

“You have to come to the show and feel confident.” Said Dillett.  “You are not doing this for other people, you are on stage for yourself!”

Also on hand for last minute tips and advice were several WBFF pros, who assisted or judged the contestants during the day of the show.

“When we had the first WBFF Central Show in Kansas City, (husband, co-WBFF Midwest Regional Director and Hitch Fit Co-Founder) Micah and I were the only professionals there,” said Diana Chaloux-Lacerte, the co-WBFF Midwest Regional Director and Hitch Fit Co-Founder.  “It is great to see that our WBFF family of pros has grown.”

Many of the contestants hoped to join the WBFF Pro Family and brought their A-game to the Midland by AMC stage for the Saturday show.

The morning portion of the Central Show was the pre-judging where each of the athletes were divided into several groups, so that the judges could have an easier and more efficient way of judging the competitors.

Halfway through the morning, it looked clear to both the audience and to the judges that the Male Fitness Models and the Diva Bikini categories were going to be the most difficult groups to judge, because of the competitors’ high quality presentations.

To keep the athletes’ energy up throughout the endless rounds of pre-judging, DJ Shaun Flo provided the soundtrack for the event with a mix of Top 40 hits and several interesting mixes including a track that merged the beat of Gwen Stefani’s “Hollerback Girl” with Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.”

The culmination of the competition came during the evening round as hundreds of spectators and fans packed the Midland by AMC to witness the final rounds in judging.

After a spectacular parade of athletes, it was time for the Diva Bikini Models to take the stage.   In order to qualify for this category, the women had to have a softer and eloquent look that was almost equivalent to a Victoria’s Secret model.

Thanks to the accompanying light show and flashy CGI backdrop, all of the Diva Bikini Models (35+, Short and Tall) were able to show off their eloquent bikinis and theme costumes, which ranged from butterflies and flappers to pop culture icons including Catwoman and Marilyn Monroe.

While the ladies were getting ready for the final round of the competition, the Male Fitness Models and Muscle Models sent the female audience members in a frenzy as they posed for the judges for the second-to-last time.

The final rounds of the night were the formal wear round for both the Male Fitness Models and all of the divisions of the Diva Bikini Models.   While the men showed off their best one-to-two-piece attire, the ladies stole the night with their stunning gowns that brightened up the stage.

However, the Muscle Models and Figure athletes still had one more final flex off before they received their awards.

At the end of the night, Brian Williams, Candice Harmon, Ariana Hernandez, Amy Emig and Christian Lovell received their pro cards, while Ashley O’Malley won the Crowd Favorite award.

The WBFF US Central Show was an incredible fitness show that brought out the best of their competitors and audience and if you have not had the chance to catch them in action, make sure that you catch the show next year.   You will be in for a true treat.

For more information about the WBFF and their shows, visit their website: http://wbffshows.com/