CRAIG PRODUCTIONS LLC

The Emerald Cup: Twenty Years Strong

By: Mark Mason

The year 1983 was a year of many milestones. Ronald Reagan was in the White House, the Soviet Union was at war in Afghanistan and the Los Angeles Dodgers were baseball’s champions of the world. Compact disks were threatening to replace records, Spielberg’s ET was breaking box office records at the theaters and the Go Go’s, We Got The Beat, topped the pop charts. And the world welcomed the future king of England, Prince William.

Twenty years ago this past April marked another birth. It may have gone unnoticed by the world press, but for 1,400 fans that crowded into the Everett Civic Auditorium to witness the debut of Craig Productions new bodybuilding extravaganza, The Emerald Cup, it was history in the making. Two decades later Bellevue’s Meydenbauer Center barely holds the event, the attendance is counted in thousands not hundreds, and competitors come from all four corners of the world.

The Emerald Cup is arguably the number one amateur show in the United States (that translates into the world.) If you don’t believe me, just ask any one of the top guest posers that have appeared in recent years. All of them, with out exception, tout the E-Cup as the premier show to guest pose at.

This year’s show, held the weekend of April 19th and 20th was no less spectacular. Guest posers from every walk of the fitness world were present. Posing extraordinaire Russ Testo returned for his tenth appearance. IFBB pros King Kamali, Garrett Downing, Quincy Taylor and Dexter “The Blade” Jackson represented the big beef. IFFB stars Kim Chizevksy, and Laurie Vaniman were on hand to represent the women of the sport. That fitness star with the mile wide smile, Laura Mak, performed a phenomenal routine midway through the fitness competition. Five-time Mr. Universe and the self appointed keeper of our sport’s history book, Bill Pearl, presented his slide show 100 Years of Bodybuilding.

Elaine Craig took on the roll of MC on fitness night and did a superb job of keeping the controlled chaos fast paced and entertaining. Saturday night Kim “Kong” Farrison took over the microphone and gave us the blow-by-blow commentary as only Kim can do. Kim, a former North American Champ as well as a past E-Cup winner, has become the most sought after MC on the west coast.

Short class Rose Hendricks came all the way from Ketchikan, Alaska to compete in this year’s fitness competition. She drew competitor number one and the number one turned out to be her only number. Scoring first place in all three rounds, it was not surprising when Rose walked away with the overall fitness award.

Not that she didn’t have any competition. Autumn Allen scored consistently and placed a respectable second in the short division and Tammy Rosiek placed third. Tall class winner Shannon White unanimously took the one and two-piece round but had a difficult night with her fitness routine. I have seen Shannon when she is on and she is good. Things may have been different if nerves hadn’t got the best of her. Keep your eye on Shannon. Another gal to look out for is Spokane’s latest darling, Jasmine Baker. She has been working hard and really put the heat on the other competitors.

With the introduction of the figure division, the fitness competitor numbers have been dwindling. Although the participants were less than last year, this year’s fitness competition was still of high caliber. Hopefully the performances that were presented at the Emerald Cup will serve to inspire a new wave of fitness competitors.

Speaking of inspiring performances, solo male fitness competitor Scott Banks deserves a special award for keeping the spirit alive. Banks was literally left standing in the wings by the other three competitors who got cold feet and scratched out of the competition. It was probably best they did because Banks looked unbeatable as the night played out.

The loudest applause of the evening was when Scott broke the Emerald Cup push up record by a dozen. The crowd counted out 116, US Marine approved, pushups. Way to hang in there, Scott.

Russ Testo is peerless in the art of theme posing. He becomes the melody line to the music he uses in his performance. His interpretations of all types of music lead the spectator through the full myriad of emotions. His routine around the tragedy of September 11th and what it means to be an American touched the hearts of every person in the building.

New to the Emerald Cup this year was the over 35-figure division. Lynnie Brooks from Colorado Springs, CO and Bellevue’s Lois Yarnell were the main competition. Brooks and Yarnell tied in the two-piece round with Brooks taking the one piece and the overall by a pair of points.

The prejudging began day two with over 160 bodybuilders and figure competitors taking the stage throughout the morning. Head judge Ron Smith called out the mandatory poses as competitors strained and flexed to look their absolute best for one of the finest judging panels in recent years. Throughout the morning I saw Stasha Rice, Rick Kasten, Jack Wadsworth and the ever-present Von Ray Johnson. Donald Baker came all the way from Hawaii and big John Tuman was up from California. The legend himself, Mr. Universe Bill Pearl was on hand to judge, as was Steve Saylor.

By early afternoon prejudging ended and the stage was set for the Weider Superstar Seminar. The expert panel, made up of King Kamali, Kim Chizevsky and Garrett Downing, answered questions from the audience on a broad range of subjects. From training and supplementation or to diet and posing, the superstars provided a wealth of knowledge.

A walk through the Emerald Cup’s fitness exhibition after the seminar was worth the price of admission alone. I counted 77 booths but could easily have missed a few being distracted by some of the celebrities on hand.

I finally had the opportunity to meet Lee Labrada. He is as genuine as they come. He was surrounded by IFBB pros Christina Homan and Catherine Crane. Merry Christine’s booth was rockin’ with former Ms. O Valantina Chepiga, Russ Testo, and of course, Merry. Brenda Kelly was on hand as well. Brenda gets lovelier every time I see her. The California move has obviously agreed with her.

At the Weider booth, King Kamali was holding court. That guy loves to talk and judging from the crowd gathered around, people were interested in what he had to say. That isn’t to say that Garrett Downing and Quincy Taylor didn’t get a few words in as well.

Bill Pearl was walking around just like a regular guy and chatting with whoever crossed his path. I talked to him several times about the whereabouts of some of the stars from the Golden Era and he always had an answer. Bill’s star is still burning as bright as ever.

The night show began with Steve Olson’s heartfelt rendition of our national anthem. Maybe it was just my imagination but it seemed that Steve put even more soul behind that song than in previous years. After Olson’s anthem and Russ Testo’s patriotic medley, things seemed just a little better in America.

MC Kim Farrison was at his best, as well. He kept the show rolling through the figure competition, the bodybuilding competition, five guest posers, and half dozen special awards. And he did it without losing a beat or breaking a sweat. It’s no wonder he has been tagged with the “dancing MC” moniker.

The audience came to attention as the short class figure ladies were introduced for the two-piece swimsuit round. Eleven lovely women eloquently walked across stage doing their quarter turns in front of the judges. Maria Harvey and Courtney Morely were obvious standouts. Ex-bodybuilder, Jennifer Thomas looked great and did well in her first try at the figure competition.

Seventeen women made up the medium figure class. Every competitor was up to Emerald Cup standards, which made the judging difficult to say the least. The class was a blur of glitter, glitz and big smiles. San Jose native Elaine Goodlad looked strong, as did Kimberly Tschablold. Jasmine Baker was looking confident after her 2nd place finish in the fitness competition the night before.

Another out-of-towner, Amber Littlejohn from San Francisco, dominated the tall class. Amber was in great shape and had her presentation down to perfection. Elaina Monroe traveled all the way from Las Vegas and was Littlejohn’s main competition. Monroe had to be satisfied with taking the second place trophy. Taking third was Lois Yarnell who had taken second place the previous night in the over 35 figure.

Later in the evening, class winners Harvey, Goodlad and Littlejohn lined up in front of the judges for the overall. Once again as Ron Smith took the ladies through the mandatory poses, the cheering from the capacity crowd grew deafening. Elaine Goodlad was declared the overall 2002 Figure Champion.

The junior men’s class was larger than in recent years and the cut of competitors was of a higher caliber as well. If this is any indication of the up-coming talent of future Emerald Cups, we are in for some terrific shows.

Junior winner Keith Smith’s muscle maturity belies his young age. His muscles were full and well defined and his posing routine rivaled some of the open competitors. Second place, Jeff Hanssen is one of my favorite new kids on the block. Jeff is trained by the 2000 Washington Ironman champion, Ken Cole. Hanssen has learned his lessons well and is a force to be reckoned with in Northwest bodybuilding. It was a close battle for third between Chris Kuhlman and Anthony Langdon.

The masters’ women winner Winni Hamilton was no surprise. She obviously hit the diet perfect and her posing presentation was well received. The battle for second and third was another matter. Christine Moorman and Flor Jorgensen really went head to head with Moorman taking the trophy by a mere three points.

1996 Emerald Cup open winner Kevin Creeden did a walk-on, walk-off to win the men’s over forty class. Steve Pebsworth of Vancouver, took a solid second and Zaldy Mercado was awarded third place.

In the men’s over fifty, Pat Downing easily won first place and rival Ken “Quadfather” Babich took second place with Thomas Taugher ending up with the third place award.

The Emerald Cup’s ultra masters division always brings the crowd to its feet. No less than twelve men posed their way to history in the over sixty division. Bend Oregon’s Dennis Fox and Henry Caulker of San Diego had quite a face off. A point separated the two and I think it was Fox’s calf development that gave him the judge’s nod. Last year’s winner, Ron Walters; had to be content with a third place trophy and a great round of applause from the fans.

Eighty-four year old Sang Hoon Park was back once again, this time landing in last place. Sang received a special award for competition in the past eighteen Emerald Cups. I am sure we will see him back next year as well.

This year was the year for single point victories. In the women’s lightweight class a shredded Paula Schafer, fresh from her Vancouver Natural win, was almost humbled by fantastic looking Linda Wells. Schafer took the trophy home but Wells got a heck of a boost from the ecstatic crowd. Another familiar face in the Northwest, Lisa Lum, captured third.

The middleweight women winner, Terry Curry, was in top shape and owned the stage during her free posing routine. Second place Candice Camlin was also in prime shape and on any other night could have taken the division. Miriam James, who traveled from Fort Wainright, Alaska, was placed third by the judges.

A dozen divas went pose for pose in one of the best women’s heavy weight divisions in recent years. Third place winner Kirstin Haug trained hard the past year and made some remarkable improvements in her physique. Bellevue’s Yumi Sekine had the local fans keyed up during her posing routine. Her posing coupled with her symmetry netted Yumi second place honors. The 2002 Emerald Cup tall class and women’s overall was Lori Sorge’s to win; and win she did. After taking the tall class she went on to compete against Schafer and Curry for the overall. As good as the other two looked, it was Sorge who sauntered away with the title and the sword.

Throughout the night, highlights of past Emerald Cups were recalled and special honors were given. At one time Farrison called up all former E-Cup winners in attendance which include himself as the ’84 champ.) It was an awe-inspiring moment as yesteryear’s champions from bodybuilding, fitness, and figure took center stage for a rousing round of applause. Brad and Elaine Craig must have felt proud of the mark they have left on Northwest bodybuilding.

Two people who were sorely missed at this years Cup were Shake Kontos and “Carbo Wave” Dave Wilson. Shake has been a prominent force in the Pacific Northwest as a competitor, promoter, and gym owner. Shake and Powerhouse Gym has won the team award more than any gym, over the years. “Carbo Wave” Dave’s irrepressible personality and infectious smile was a gift that made him a pleasure to know. Their untimely deaths have left a void Northwest bodybuilding that will be hard to fill.

Bantamweight Frank Rodrigo came on like gangbusters in prejudging and was even more impressive during the night show. He was the undisputed winner of the bantams. Second place David Enriquez must have paid attention to the Russ Testo seminar. His posing was imaginative and the fans let him know it. Seattle’s Andrew Saguid placed third in the class of eight.

Jesse Parks and Jon Rushton placed one and two in the lightweight division. Both men looked rock hard and stood out in prejudging. Garry Loeden of Anchorage took third place. The State of Alaska always has some tough competitors and Garry was one of a dozen competitors that came south to do battle.

Most of the seventeen competitors in the men’s middleweight class were Emerald Cup veterans. I recognized Mike Best, Steve Surbrook, Alan Jacobs, and Michael Gibeault during the prejudging. Sam Bakhtiar from Chino, California took first and the win was well deserved. His symmetry and muscularity was possibly the best I saw all evening. Second place winner Nic Varga’s triceps/biceps combination earned him my vote for best arms of the show. Newcomer Ryan Imamura, who took home third place, showed great promise as a middleweight.

The light heavy class was hard fought for the competitors as well as the judges. Travis Baker and Chris Chambers tied for second. When the judges deadlock was broken the nod was given to Baker. There was another tie between ninth and tenth place. Erich Blancaflor was the undeniable winner of the division.

Another great competition was in the heavyweight class. Winner Heath Morin, second place Aubrey Gaines, and third place Bo Keepers all finished within one point of each other. Morin came all the way from the Big Apple to compete in this twentieth anniversary edition of the Emerald Cup.

The evening reached yet another peak when the super heavyweights strode out under the lights. The mere sight of these behemoths raised the decibel level by several notches. First place winner Rob Meyers had one of the widest backs I have ever seen. Number two, Tracy Henning was shredded and his massive arms had veins as big as tug ropes. The number three man, Ty Stone, looked even more gargantuan than the last time he competed.

As MC Farrison had the six open class winners file on stage, the excitement meter was in the red. Many of the spectators had left their seats and swarmed around the front of the stage much to the chagrin of the ushers. Everyone wanted a better perspective of the mind-boggling lineup of musclemen. For the first time during the evening, the thunderous roar of the house dwarfed the Meydenbauer Center’s state-of-the-art PA system.

When Sam Bakhtiar was declared the overall winner, his fellow competitors swarmed around him with congratulatory hugs and handshakes proving that sportsmanship is still alive and well even after the hardest fought of muscle wars. As Sam posed for pictures, the only thing bigger than his ear-to-ear smile was the Excalibur sword that the overall winners received.

One last word on Brad and Elaine Craig. It is not their tireless promotion of the Emerald Cup that has built its reputation but their unequaled desire to promote bodybuilding and fitness throughout the Northwest. I see them at every show. Whether they are judging, promoting one of their shows or just on hand to give advice and inspiration, they always have the big picture in sight. Both of them are great historians of the many contests that have come and gone. I enjoy listening to them spin tales of people, places and events of the past twenty years. May Craig Productions and the Emerald Cup shine another twenty years.