CRAIG PRODUCTIONS LLC

2000 NPC Emerald Cup

by Steve Wennerstrom
Women's Physique World

If the annual NPC Emerald Cup in Seattle (Bellevue to be exact) is anything, it is consistent. Consistent in every way. The crowds are always huge. Nearly 3,000. The event is always the biggest in the Pacific Northwest, and the most memorable.

But the 2000 Emerald Cup outdid itself in kicking off a new century. For all the naysayers talking doom and gloom about the demise of women’s bodybuilding, the Emerald Cup just doesn’t fit. Twenty-one women competed at the 1999 Cup, and most promoters would rejoice at that number. This year, however, 33 checked in for the event. Demise indeed!

And as if all that wasn’t enough, 24 fitness contestants also made the trek to the Meydenbauer Convention Center in Bellevue, pushing the total to 57 women at the Emerald extravaganza.

Now in its 18th year, the contest once again produced a stellar overall champion in Oregonian Sheila Bleck. Cut from the mold of former Oregon IFBB pros and Emerald Cup winners Shelley Beattie and Nikki Fuller, Bleck became the seventh woman from the state of Oregon to win the overall Emerald Cup crown.. .and she is, indeed, a good one.

Staged on the April 22nd weekend with sponsors galore including Biochem, Weider, Universal Nutrition, Met-RX, Champion Nutrition, lron-Tek, EAS, Hansen’s Energy Drinks, Pinnacle to name a few, promoters Brad and Elaine Craig once again worked their magic in producing a thoroughly enjoyable event for every bodybuilding fan.

Emerald Cup Heavyweights

Last year when the immense Anna Onesti topped the heavyweight class with her 191-pound structure, it made everyone sit up and take notice. She was, indeed, huge. This year, heavyweight winner Sheila Bleck may have fallen short of Onesti’s efforts to take up maximum space, but what she lacked in Onesti’s size, she more than made up for in superior proportions and excellent muscle shapes.. .a package of which has 'future pro’ written all over it.

Competing sparingly since 1993 when she finished second at the Bill Pearl Classic, the 5-7, 156 ¼-pound Bleck bagged the 2000 NPC Oregon state title before venturing to this year’s Emerald Cup.

"I just wanted to feel confident and ready about competing at this level before I came here," stated Bleck of her tentative contest entries. "I didn’t want to embarrass myself at a contest this size".

She didn’t.

The Portland Connection in Seattle

Without argument the Emerald Cups two most distinguished past winners are Shelley Beattie and Nikki FuIler. Both were from Oregon, and more specifically, both claimed Portland as home.

It’s been a decade since the twosome won the consecutive Emerald Cup crowns in 1989 (Fuller) and 1990 (Beattie), and now yet another Portland native appears ready to push for the national level and beyond.

Interestingly, Sheila Bleck carries with her several of the elements that propelled Fuller and Beattie. Like Beattie and Fuller, Bleck is similar in size to both, and possesses all the muscle shapes and structural tools from which Beattie and Fuller benefited.

Still young by bodybuilding standards at 25, Bleck also possesses the quality of a searing desire to succeed that may even surpass that of either Beattie or Fuller.

"I never met Shelley, and Nikki only once, but I have heard about them enough," says Bleck. "People talk about them all the time, so I feel like I know them. I just hope I can follow what they accomplished as bodybuilders".

Emerald Cup Middleweights

Yumi Sekine provided this year’s Emerald Cup with some international color as she topped the middleweight class as a former winner of the 1995 Ms. Tokyo. Now living in Washington, the 38- year-old Sekine has ten years of training under her belt, and it showed in her highly-defined muscularity. Packing 125 pounds on her 5-2 frame she was still pressed to her title in an excruciatingly close race with runner-up Avis Mailey and third-placer Lore Shimamura. The trio’s final scores read 9-10-11. That’s close, and it became so, due to their varying physical qualifies. Each was good in her own right, and the judges each experienced an Excedrin headache trying to separate them.

With Sekine finally getting the nod for first, it was left to runner-up Avis Mailey to claim the ‘Best Poser’ trophy for the contest. A former top sprinter at Arizona State in her collegiate days, the 5-5, 126- pound Mailey still possesses the physical appearance of a collegian ready to zip through a quick 100 meters. There’s one catch, however, she’s now 41 ... A clear testimony to a lifelong love of athletic involvement.

For third-placer Shimamura, her downfall may have taken place before the contest judging even started as she spent much of the Friday check-in time stressing over making her weight class. All the rushing about seemed to sap her of some physical crispness. Clearly, she’s capable of better in the future

Emerald Cup Lightweights

Similar to the middleweight battle, the Emerald Cup lightweight division was full of undercurrent subplots. Aside from the one-point struggle engaging Lynda Vaughan and Kathy Pullin, third-placed Alaskan Heidi Martin was busy doubling up to win the mixed pairs title with partner Shawn Boisacq. Beyond that, fourth-placer Dina Dela Llana surprised many competing at this event - as a bodybuilder. Dela Llana is an IFBB pro fitness competitor.

Winner Lynda Vaughan showed notable muscular sharpness, and at 46, works as an interior decorator in Renton, Washington. Runner-up Pullin, on the other hand, is a dental hygienist from Centralia, Washington, who finished third in the lightweight class of the 1992 Emerald Cup.

Fitness Pro Goes for More Flexing

There is perhaps no more fertile ground for future IFBB Pro fitness competitors than the Emerold Cup. So when Dela Llana decided to return to the Emerald Cup as a bodybuilder it raised some eyebrows.

"I just thought it would be fun to try it," said the feisty Dela Llana.

Along with Dma, the Emerold Cup has also produced Dale Tomito, Jenifer Collins, Catherine Crane, Christina Homon, Brandy Maddron, and Melanie Webb. All have become IFBB Pros over the past five years.

26-year-old Heidi Martin, urrently a full time student, the 5-4, 116-pound Martin has three contest victories to her credit including the 1997 Arctic Classic, the ‘97 Iron Classic, and the ‘98 Ms. Anchorage. Martin trains at Gold’s gym in Anchorage, Alaska.

‘Womaning’ a booth at the Emerald Cup the dazzling mother- daughter duo of Kelly Nelson (L) and Colleen Fisher (R) always create plenty of attention. The two are ageless and ready to share their secrets of longevity. Fisher was the1998 NPC National Masters champion, while mother Kelly has far too many titles to list in this space. By the way, Ma Nelson is 72!