2008 Europa Super Show, Dallas, TX, August 15-16

Competition Analysis by Marijan Lipsinic

2008 EUROPA SUPER SHOW
Men's Bodybuilding( Top 15 )
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Very competitive show in Dallas, TX. A  lot of excellent bodybuilders who were looking to earn qualification for this year's Olympia. Again, it was rematch from last weekend's show in Tampa, between Toney Freeman and Dennis James. Both bodybuilders looked great. Freeman won, presenting his famous X frame with great conditioning and nice structure. Dennis James looked fantastic, again. Hard, full with outrageous muscle size. He especially looked good from the sides where Freeman couldn't  match him. Toney Freeman is big but Dennis is just bigger. Toney needs more size in his upper body to be competitive on the Olympia level. Front semi-relax and side chest are still his weaknesses comparing to the top pros. I think Dennis looked better than last week in Tampa and I personally had him first. Third place went to Canadian colossus Fouad Abiad. He deserved it. Super nice guy with incredible body, finally got some recognition, and for the first time, qualified for big Olympia. Only a second year pro, Fouad made his mark on a pro level already.

 

Big Will Harris was fourth. Incredible physique, especially from the front, with small waist. He also looked good in side poses. From the back he wasn't hard enough. He always has a problem with lower back, glutes and hamstring. Same thing happened in Dallas last night. When he dials it in, his great structure with his great muscle mass will take him far. Tarek Elsetouhi was placed fifth. His combination of quality muscle thickness and classic lines  earned him first IFBB pro top 5 finish. In the near future, he needs to be considered as a serious threat in a pro ranks. Originally from Egypt, Tarek now train and lives in Germany. Just to mention some veterans who did not make Top 5. Darrem Charles, 6th. He still did not look his best. He needs to be ultra shredded to be competitive. Johnnie Jackson, 7th. Johnnie needed better conditioning. He is playing size game. Calves need to come up. He looked best, back few years ago. Mark Dugdale, 9th. Looked good. I had him higher than 9th. George Farah, 12th. Lost a lot of size, decent conditioning, was lucky to be placed 12th. Quincy Taylor did not even make Top 15.

 
202 and Under ( Top 15 )
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Flex Lewis won his first IFBB pro title, competing in only his second pro show. The 24 year old looked dry as usual, with his incredibly developed lower body and striated glutes. Upper body was hard, but needs work to match his legs. Roc Shabazz was awarded second place, although he looked more balanced than Flex. He has good muscle size and excellent conditioning. It was very close between Flex and Roc. I was actually leaning more towards Roc. His weaknesses were less visible. He really has a nice balanced physique.

Jaroslav Horvath of Slovakia was 3rd, just like last week in Tampa. Great V taper, nice balance, but not conditioned enough, especially from the back. In fourth place, in his first pro competition, was Curtis Bryant. What a great year for Curtis. Getting his IFBB pro card last July at USA's and placing well in his pro debut. In my opinion he could have been third. He displayed full, conditioned physique with nice muscle size. George Farah was 5th. We have seen him look better. He sacrificed size to come in under 202 pounds. His conditioning was not like we used to see him. I think Frenchman, Frederic Sauvage who placed 6th, had him beat.

Women's Bodybuilding

2008 Europa Super Show in Dallas had two weight classes for women. Judging in lightweight class was very controversial in some spectators views. I believe the best athlete won. Comparing placings in Dallas versus Tampa it is hard to determine what the judges are looking for in female bodybuilding. The overtones that bodybuilders need to possibly be less muscular and more pretty as in figure is confusing.
This show was Klaudia Larson's show, who eventually finished 3rd. For a second place I had Jennifer (eventual winner) and Nicole ( second place finisher). Nicole was amazing again, but I think she was lagging a little bit in leg department. Jennifer's conditioning wasn't like Nicole's, also, Nicole Ball had a better balance than Jeniffer Sedia.
Fourth place went to the always amazing Debbie Bramwell. She looked as good as in Tampa a week earlier. She is little wider in her hips and it hurts her against girls with smaller hips in symmetry department. Debbie always presents herself in great condition with her trademark, beautiful smile. Claudia Partenza of Italy, also had a good showing. She ended up in 5th place. Nice physique with excellent conditioning.
Heavyweight class had 8 competitors. Oklahoma's Sherry Smith won heavyweight class with a very impressive performance. I think she had the best physique of the night. Great combination of quality muscle, excellent conditioning with nice balance, Sherry's physique really flows in very well. Another competitor from Oklahoma, Kim Perez, came in second. Her upper body is just incredible, probably one of the best in the world. Kim's lower body is what holds her back. Don't get me wrong, her legs are good, but her upper body, especially her arms and shoulders are overpowering her lower body. Annie Rivieccio came in 3rd. We used to see her in better shape. Not condition enough, she couldn't compare to either Sherry or Kim. Veteran competitor with nice lines, Annie, was able to claim third place. Two muscular European ladies, Irene Anderson of Sweden and Jana Linke-Sipple from Austria (Jana is originally from Germany), took 4th and 5th respectively.

Womens Bodybuilding
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Lightweight

1. Jennifer Sedia
2. Nicole Ball
3. Klaudia Larson
4. Debbie Bramwell
5. Claudia Partenza
6. Benincia Lopez
7. Myriam Bustamante
7. Tonia Moore
9. Melanie Derosa
10. Carri Baldwin
11. Mary Jerumbo

Heavyweight

1. Sherry Smith
2. Kim Perez
3. Annie Rivieccio
4. Irene Andersen
5. Jana Linke-Sippl
6. Aurelia Grozajova
7. Jena Mackey
8. Zoraida Figueroa Rivera


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