B
arely half a dozen people competed each year in the early days. But under promoter Angie Weston, who was among those who competed in the barren years, the
event has grown steadily year-on-year and this year it really exploded, with 120 men and women from as far as Dubai and Kenya lining up at Scala nightclub in London’s King’s Cross.
The growth of the show is a testament to the efforts of Angie and show host Audrey Kaipio, another former champion who holds regular camps to teach wannabe competitors about posing and presenta- tion. A few years ago people wondered if there was enough interest to sustain FAME in the UK; now they want to know when the next one is so they can put the date in their diaries. The event has consistently thrown up
some exciting new talent and this year was no exception. A lot of men and particularly women who would think twice about competing in a traditional bodybuilding contest are drawn to its more varied range of classes, which include categories for fitness and bikini model as well as muscle model, and its more relaxed format, which encourages outlandish props and cos- tumes. It’s fun, and the number of people participating, many of them for the first time, suggest there is a considerable untapped market for this type of physique contest in the UK. There were so many men in the fitness model category that it had to be divided in two. There simply wasn’t room to get all 40-plus guys on stage in one go. One of the winners was an Oxford graduate and the other was a lawyer: guys with brains as well developed as their bodies. Some competitors were from sporting backgrounds. There were former rugby
players, martial artists, boxers and a triple jumper. Some were personal trainers. But many were just regular guys and girls who used the event as a focus for their training: this was the day when they were going to hit their peaks and have fun showing off their efforts. Most did just that—the standard was excellent. One of the highlights was Helmut
Strebl’s victory in the men’s bodybuilding class. Helmut has won this title for five consecutive years now and every time he has deserved it. The personal trainer is well into his 40s but he has a ton of muscle and always comes in peeled. On the women’s side Karolina Kaczor used her beguiling combination of muscle and curves to win the muscle model category; 20-year-old Samantha Butler announced her arrival as a hot new talent by finishing first in the fitness model division; abs queen Emmalouise Bowen brought the house down with her fitness routine and barrister Maria Scotland had everyone thinking about committing a crime just so they could be stuck in a room with her when she beat everyone in the figure class.
The judges included Damar Martin, who played TV Gladiator Destroyer, and all-round fitness champion Sarah Donohue. Sadly, this was the last FAME promoted by Angie following a dispute between her
and the event’s Canadian owners. The event has produced some great champions over the years, such as Helmut Strebl and Ryan John-Baptiste on the men’s side and the likes of Michelle Brannan, Eleni Plakitsi, Nyisha Jordan, Nathalie Minh, Lisa Carrodus, Linn Hansen and Renata Sulekaite on the female side. Angie will be running her own event called the Miami Pro UK Championships at Alban Arena, St Albans, on May 6th next year. Visit:
www.miamiproevents.co.uk for more information. We await details of the next FAME show to be held in the UK.
RESULTS BIKINI MODEL
1 Maija Kivela 2 Emma Burrows 3 Chiraz Hasnaoui
MALE FITNESS MODEL CLASS A 1 Shaun Stafford 2 Adam Reading 3 Jesus Alvarez Sarro
MALE FITNESS MODEL CLASS B 1 Romain Girbal 2 Ru Wikmann 3 Adam Stansbury
FEMALE FITNESS MODEL 1 Samantha Butler 2 Bex Reading 3 Maija Kivela
MALE MUSCLE MODEL 1 Roger Snipes 2 Helmut Strebl 3 Jason Fofana
FEMALE MUSCLE MODEL 1 Karolina Kaczor 2 Maria Scotland 3 Yvette Shaw
MALE BODYBUILDING 1 Helmut Strebl 2 Andrew Fisher 3 Sandor Nagy
FEMALE FIGURE MODEL 1 Maria Scotland 2 Jackie Field 3 Karolina Kaczor
FEMALE FITNESS MODEL 1 Emmalouise Bowen
From left to right: Samantha Butler, Audrey Kaipio, Karolina Kaczor, Shaun Stafford, Emmalouise Bowen, Maria Scotland, Romain Girbal, Helmut Strebl, Angie Weston
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