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The Craigs |
| G-Force Hardcore tears Quad =( |
| 03.08.2010 13:16:57 | |
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I got the call today. Our own blogger and Queen of the Craig Productions pump-up-room Gerri Davis tore her left quadricep!!! Her husband Dan called to give me the horrible news. She was pressing 950lbs - yes that is right - leg pressing 950lbs when it tore! After assuring me that she was okay and not in the hospital and that she was actually walking around today he told me what she was most upset about is that she won't be able to guest pose at the Emerald Cup. He said her leg was very swollen and she sees the surgeon next week to find out all of the details but that she was sorry she wouldn't be able to guest pose. Can you imagine? All she is going through and she is thinking about her guest posing?!!!! And then he added that she would still be there to run the pump-up-room!! Let's just take this one day at a time!! No one can EVER replace you Gerri - but we first and foremost care about you recovering!! We love you Gerri and I will keep everyone posted on her status!! Tags: |
| Host Hotel Sold Out!!! |
| 03.04.2010 13:07:21 | |
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Our Host hotel, the Issaquah Hilton Garden Inn is now officially sold out!! Wow that was FAST!! But I have been blogging to those of you that read my blog that it was going to sell out. Our overflow hotel is the Issaquah Holiday Inn. They are honoring the same $99.00 per night room rate!!! There are only 30 rooms left as I write this so if you are wanting to stay there, pick up the phone and make your reservations right now!!! You can access their link from our home page or you can call them directly at 425-392-6241. It is a very nice hotel and they are going to offer a special menu for bodybuilders and those who follow a clean bodybuilding diet in their resturaunt. Make sure you mention the Emerald Cup to get the $99.00 rate. For those of you that don't mind spending a bit more for your hotel room and would like to stay in an upscale hotel, we highly recommend the Salish Lodge & Spa in Snoqualmie. For all the detailed ammenities log onto www.salishlodge.com toll free 800-272-5474 or direct 425-888-2556. They are offering a special room rate of $239.00 if you mention the Emerald Cup. I've never been there myself but I will say that everyone I know who has stayed there and have been to their spa have reported that it was worth every penny. The resturaunt is well known all over Western Washington as a hot spot to eat and the view of the Snoqualmie Falls is nothing less than spectacular - the Falls I have witnessed myself. They are a favorite to take friends that visit us to because they are so breathtaking. If you are planning on staying at either hotel I suggest you call right now!!! I know the Holiday Inn will sell out and it is safe for me to say that the Salish Lodge will too with the great rate they are offering. When we were in Bellevue, our group sold over 300 hotel rooms a night and those were just the ones we tracked. I am excited to see the cities of Snoqualmie and Issaquah as over 3,000 people a day descend on them! Make your room reservations now!!! Tags: |
| 2010 Emerald Cup spray tanning information |
| 02.16.2010 10:44:13 | |
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Onstage Image is the official spray tanning company that we are endorsing for the 2010 Emerald Cup. John & Roxana Kreklo are the owners and will take excellent care of you. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it 512-828-1437 www.onstageimage.net I give them my highest recommendation. They will be at the hotel on Thursday, Friday & Saturday to give you a professional stage tan. You will need to make an appointment with them. They will also be backstage doing spray tanning and touch ups. We at Craig Productions try to take the guess work out of as many things as possible for you. We chose John & Roxana because they are professionals in what they do. I know that when you make an appointment with them they are going to take care of you like you should be taken care of. They are not going to soak you financially. They are going to give you what you are paying for. I know that if it is your daughter getting sprayed she is not being taken advantage of. I have competitors ask me all the time why they should spend the extra money to get a spray tan. I thought I would address this tonight in my blog. If you have ever tried hand tanning yourself you would understand why. It really is an art. It is that extra mile that is worth going to showcase all of the hard work you have done! Tanning colour can get in all the wrong creases and also make you look like you have rolled in mud if it is not applied properly. It can be the difference in a first place win and a last place win. Yes, it really is that important! Spray tanning can be done right and it can be done very wrong. When choosing who to give your money to here are the questions I feel you should ask the tanning artist: !. Are they experienced in competition colour? The artist must account for the bright stage lights. A regular booth tan from a salon just wont do. It is not an everyday colour that you want like a "Mystic Tan". Oh no, it is much darker than that. 2. Is it a woman who sprays the women and a man who sprays the men? This is a VERY IMPORTANT question to ask. Do not accept that men tanning artists spray the women, that that is how its always done. Oh no! Take note of this! There are some tanning artists out there that will tell you that - mostly men - but hey, they are hoping you are going to believe it! "Cant blame a guy for trying", most all guys will say. They will tell you that you can have a disposable suit if you feel uncomfortable. Well, sure, but everyone knows that most everyone gets sprayed in the buff. Well, of course, because you are wearing itty bitty posing suits. I am here writing this to tell you that no one but the tanning artist should be seeing you naked unless you have invited another person to oversee what is going on! See how adamant I am about this!! Now you know and if you are told any different I recommend that you do not get sprayed by that person! After all it is your choice who you are giving your hard earned money to! 3. What does the price you are paying for your tan include? Sometimes tanning artists will charge you 1 fee and then tell you you will need 4 - 5 coats to get as dark as you need to which means you end up spending $500.00 for a stage tan. This is RIDICULOUS!! The fee you pay - average is $100.00 here in Washington - should include your finished competition color which can take a couple of coats on some people. Now this is if you don't shower. If you do shower - sometimes you just can't stand it between prejudging and the night show - there is another fee. I'm pretty sure the standard is $35.00. Sometimes it is just worth the extra fee. Those of you that have competed before know what I mean. 4. How should I prepare myself for my appointment? Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate! Go to a beauty supply store and get a pair of ( approximate cost is $2.00 - $5.00) exfoliating gloves. Shower right before your appointment and use the exfoliating gloves. DO NOT USE any lotions or deodorants after you shower. Just bare skin only! Nope, no perfumes either. You want the tanning colour to completely adhere to your skin. Anything additional can cause the colour to turn green or adhere funny. There you have it. These are the things that I think you should know about a competition colour. If you have any questions about tanning feel free to call me. You don't have to be entering one of our shows. I am happy to answer anything to the best of my ability. Tags: |
| Emerald Cup Host Hotel |
| 02.15.2010 10:52:26 | |
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I am writing this as an urging to all of you that are planning on staying at the Host hotel the Issaquah Hilton Garden Inn. Make your reservations as soon as possible! The host hotel ALWAYS sells out a good month in advance and we are getting close to the wire. There are only 8 more weeks until the Emerald Cup! You can access all of the hotel information on our home page www.craigproductions.com So drop what you are doing and make your reservations RIGHT NOW!!! Update: February 15th. As I write this I have just spoken with the hotel event coordinator and there are only 35 rooms left to rent on Friday April 16th - which is the big crossover night - so if you want to stay there book right now. Don't say you weren't warned if you procrastinate! It is one advantage you have by keeping up with my blog! =) Tags: |
| Free seminar for igure, Fitness & Bikini Women February 20th! |
| 02.09.2010 10:56:25 | |
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I am going to be hosting FREE Posing Seminar for Women only at Gold's Gym, Bothell, WA on Saturday, February 20th from 1:00 - 3:00 pm. It is geared toward those of you considering competing and those of you that have made the decision to compete or have competed in a show. I will go over 1/4 turns, 1/2 turns, and how to walk in high heels. It is a hands on seminar so make sure to bring a pair of high heeled shoes! You MUST sign up in advance. I can only take 20 women and in order to reserve your spot, you need to email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it I am excited about this seminar because all of the spring NPC shows here in the Northwest will be taking place shortly and the excitement is building. I love how in Washington we have seminars that take place to foster camaraderie with competitors. The staff at Gold's Gym Bothell, that I train at gets behind it's competitors and the various shows! There are ALOT of competitive bodybuilders that train there. I was talking with Erik the manager and we were bouncing around the idea of having a posing seminar and he said I could host one at Golds. We finalized the date around aerobics classes and now it's a reality. Because it has a time limit of 2 hours, I wanted to focus on the basics of posing and walking in heels for Figure, Fitness & Bikini women. If you are a bodybuilder man/woman and are interested in learning basic posing 1/4 turns and mandatories email me also. If I get enough interest in that, I have a few bodybuilders that said they would love to participate in a seminar for bodybuilders and I could schedule another date for that. We'll have to see how it goes. Feb. 15th update: NPC judge and trainer Deb Houck will join me helping everyone at the seminar. This is a real treat! Deb is back from my time in the 80's competing and is a former North American champion. Her physique put mine to shame! If I can extract an old photo from her I will post it for you. She has trained alot of top Northwest and National Champions. I'm so excited she will be there! Remember you MUST email me to reserve a spot! Elaine Craig: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Tags: |
| Emerald Cup entry confirmation letter |
| 02.04.2010 13:57:12 | |
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If you have entered the 2010 Emerald Cup you should have received your confirmation letter by now. If you have not received the letter, please email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it right away so we can make sure it was just an oversight on our part! If you are planning on entering but are waiting, I encourage you to do it sooner vs. later so that you can receive all of the updates to the show. This will help you be 100% prepared! You can always enter by the entry deadline but then its harder to play catch up. Plus we send you words of encouragement and believe me, those really help when you get full in to the diet! Tags: |
| Our bloggers |
| 01.30.2010 12:07:42 | |
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Thank you to Dave, Diane, Brenda, Julie, Kim, Gerri and Tanji! I have really enjoyed reading their blogs and getting to know them. It takes a lot of effort for them to take the extra time to write about their lives and training! If you the reader will take the time to let them know you are reading their blogs I know they would really appreciate that! Sometimes I think no one is reading what I write so I slack off and then I get a quick email from someone to let me know they are missing my show updates. It's just that little kick that will keep me on track with my blog! Tags: |
| 2010 Emerald Cup Show Schedule & Tickets |
| 01.30.2010 11:57:16 | |
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Fitness & Figure Championships will take place Friday, April 16th. Prejudging starts at 12:00 noon, $20.00 General Admission. Evening Finals wil begin at 7:00pm, $40.00, $35.00 & $30.00 reserved seating. IFBB Fitness Pro Trish Warren will be guest performing. Bodybuilding Prejudging will take place Saturday, April 17th at 10:00am, $20.00 General Admission. The Bikini Show will take place on Saturday, April 17th at 12:00 noon. Both the Prejudging and Finals will take place at this time. Special Guest Performer will be Paula Williams. Tickets are $20.00 General Admission and are included with Bodybuilding Prejudging. Bodybuilding Finals will be Saturday Evening, April 17th at 7:00pm. Special Guest performers will be IFBB Pro's Branch Warren, Dennis James and Northwest favorite Gerri Davis. Tickets are $40.00, $35.00 and $30.00 reserved seating. This show has sold out for the past 20 years in advance and the casino is a smaller venue than years past so we recommend you purchase your tickets in advance as soon as possible for the best seats and to guarantee a seat. Tickets can be purchased in advance through Craig Productions 425-949-7320, online@ www.craigproductions.com, or through Ticketmaster outlets. All ticket holders must be 21 and older. Tags: |
| Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler |
| 01.25.2010 07:25:54 | |
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Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler will be at the Bellevue, Washington Max Muscle store Jan 30, 2010 from 1:00 - 4:00pm. This is a rare opportunity to meet Jay in person, talk to him about training or just to get an autograph. For more information please call 425-455-4629 Tags: |
| January 6th, 2010 ~Elaine writes~ |
| 01.07.2010 11:40:39 | |
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It's been a few months since I have written on the blog but I will be writing weekly from now up until the EmeraldCup. It will mostly be me writing to you but I am hoping Brad will jump in here every now and then to offer his insight and expertise as a promoter and Northwest NPC Zone Chairman. Those of you who have been checking the site regularly have noticed that our site is now state of the art thanks to our wonderful webmaster Dan Davis. Dan says that the sky is the limit with the site so feel free to email me with suggestions of what you would like to see (G-rated of course!) on our site. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it I am excited about our new bloggers. Bren is getting ready for the 2010 Ironman as a female Bodybuilding competitor. Julie and the Kiminator are gearing up for the 2010 EmeraldCup Open Figure and Masters Figure respectively. All 3 bring a different perspective in preparing for a show. I encourage you to at least choose one to follow on a weekly basis if you are thinking of competing. It will help you see all of the trials and triumphs an athlete faces as they prepare for a show. I am hoping to introduce a new male bodybuilding blog writer to you shortly so be sure to keep checking back. I enjoyed reading Dianes blog as she prepared for the 2009 Ironman. It was fun to follow her from the beginning on up until she stepped on stage. Diane has graciously agreed to keep writing her blog as she continues her future contest journey. Dave, Dr. Buff, brings the wisdom and insight of a seasoned competitor and we are very fortunate to have him share all of his expertise with us. Dave is 55 and has had 2 knee replacements and a hip replacement and has more energy and a better physique than most people half his age!! If you haven't been following him, I encourage you to go back and read his 10 installments of the "Wisdom of So". IFBB Fitness Pro Tanji Johnson updates us on her Fitness outings and top NW trainer and competitor Gerri Davis chimes in with expert training tips. We will be adding a new page called "Quest for the Cup" If you are getting ready for the 2010 EmeraldCup, send us your -up to one minute- video clip of you posing or training to post as inspiration for everyone. I am excited to see how this page develops and it will give our EmeraldCup competitors a chance to showcase their training prior to stage. I'm excited to see how the site takes shape and am excited to be part of an industry with such wonderful people! Thank you to every athlete that has or will grace our EmeraldCup and Ironman stage!!!
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| 2009 Ironman pictures posted! |
| 10.07.2009 04:17:15 | |
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Pictures for the 2009 Ironman have been posted on two sites!! To view the pictures: Tags: |
| to our competitors |
| 10.03.2009 15:00:55 | |
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Good luck tomorrow and a big Thank you to all of you for choosing to grace our Ironman stage! Tags: |
| What to wear? |
| 10.03.2009 14:59:02 | |
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I was asked the question, "what do I wear to a bodybuilding show?" The answer is anything you feel comfortable in - well it has to be legal to wear outside though. Bodybuilding shows are great places to people watch. You will see people dressed in workout clothes, jeans, fancy clothes, on up to what webmasterDan calls "hootchiemama" clothes. Being that it is in the casino if you have your sparkley clothes, I say, "go for it!" If you like to dress up then by all means take the opportunity! I like to dress up. My husband loves his sweats. That is what is so great about a bodybuilding show. You will fit right in with whatever you decide to wear! Tags: |
| Competitor check in |
| 10.03.2009 14:52:10 | |
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It was an exciting time at the competitor check in tonight! We had 143 total competitors check in with the staff! That is close to being a record! Our two bloggers Dave Patterson and Diane Rudholm were there looking lean and ready to go. It was clear to me that everyone had come tonight bringing their best physique. It is game on! They have done their homework! I got to meet he US Navy military man Don that I have been talking with on the phone. It's his first show and as a newbie he has had a lot of questions. He wants to be ready when he takes the stage for his first time. Look for him in the Novice Mens Heavyweights. There were old friends that have graced our EmeraldCup and Ironman shows many times before! Heidi Hansen flew in with her family from Alaska. It's always fun to have Heidi in a show because she is so bubbly and helpful to all of the other girls! I even saw Pumphouse Gym Bryan Baranowski and Sports Plus Josh Fallis - competitors from back in the early 80"s when I used to compete! This is going to be an amazing show! There are so many competitors and I would love to mention them all but it is 11:30 pm and I must get to sleep to be ready for the big day tomorrow! I did get to spend some time with our pump up room queen National level competitor Gerri Davis and her husband webmasterDan! And IFBB Fitness Pro's Tanji Johnson and Michelle Mayberry will be there tomorrow judging. Tanji will be out greeting the audience and signing pictures so make sure to look for her. But it's time for bed. Good night and see you tomorrow! Tags: |
| Drug Testing |
| 10.02.2009 13:27:59 | |
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We have had quite a few calls on what we will be testing for so I will go over it to hopefully clarify everything. We are testing back for a 2 year period any substances that are illegal to purchase over the counter in the United States. This includes steroids and diuretics. This does not include recreational drugs. Tags: |
| Tickets for the Ironman at the Snoqualmie Casino |
| 10.02.2009 13:24:41 | |
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The Craig Productions outlet is now closed but don't worry there are still tickets!! You can still purchase tickets in advance through Ticketmaster, FredMeyer ticket outlets and at the venue the Snoqualmie Casino. The show is not sold out!! The Ironman only comes around once a year - don't be left out!! Tags: |
| 11 days left until the Ironman!!! |
| 09.22.2009 15:51:58 | |
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Well, I told you it would happen and it did! The Issaquah Hilton Garden Inn is sold out for the show. Yes, there is no room at the Inn! If there are people out there that still need a room then let me know. I haven't done the work to find what is out there in overflow. But I will if you let me know. Tags: |
| 13 days out |
| 09.21.2009 06:30:02 | |
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We are 13 days out until the Ironman! The time is just flying by! I want to share with you a quote that a friend of mine shared with me today. I sent it to all of the competitors today because I thought it was so appropriate for where they are now in their preparations. It might be something you as a reader can hold on to if you are going through something. The author is unknown to me. Tags: |
| Problem buying tickets? |
| 09.20.2009 04:35:52 | |
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If you are trying to purchase tickets online through our site you must create an account and a password! This is in place because we are a secure site. You won't be able to place an order unless you do! At anytime through the process you can click on check out from the right hand side under Tickets/Register to see what you have chosen and to update it. If you would prefer, you can always call us at the office at 425-949-7320. Since we are close to the show, we have people calling for all different reasons so if you get the voicemail, just leave your name, number and the best time to call you and we will return your call that day or evening. You don't want to miss this show and the sooner you get your tickets, the closer to the front you will be!!! Tags: |
| Ironman Host Hotel Issaquah Hilton Garden Inn |
| 09.18.2009 05:52:25 | |
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Our hotel coordinator emailed me today to remind me to let everyone who is planning on staying at the hotel for the Ironman to make their reservations right away. The hotel is filling up. Issaquah Salmon Days is the same weekend as the Ironman. October 2nd and 3rd are extremely busy days and nights for hotels in Issaquah and there are not very many. The Hilton is the newest and the best hotel in Issaquah so it will sell out. Our group is only $99.00 per night so it is a fantastic price!! I am giving you a heads up. Don't put your reservations on hold. Book your room right now! You can access them under the hotel icon on the Ironman page on our website. It will take you right to reservations. Yes, I mean right now! Tags: |
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