Recap of WBFF New England Fitness Weekend

As an NYC based team, the effects of Sandy hit us hard. The Elite Heat was due to compete, Saturday, November 3^rd in Providence, our first thought was – will The Elite Heat get to compete? Esther and Lauren would be the two competitors to represent the team in Rhode Island. After coming off a high from the previous show, these two were more than ready. Getting to the gym or heating up tilapia was definitely a project within itself but they were able to stay on track despite the devastation that hit NYC. 

With bags packed it was finally time to hit the road. 

Check in began Friday, November 2^nd  at 4 PM, following this was the athletes meeting. All checked in, we had #80 and #128 to cheer for. In this show Esther competed in Bikini and Lauren competed in both Fit Model and Bikini. The girls got dolled up for the meeting at 7 PM. At this meeting, Allison Dillett, Executive Vice President of WBFF greeted competitors with open arms. She gave a brief rundown of how the show would go and what to expect. She also explained what WBFF is looking for in their athletes – someone who is marketable but also the entire package. After the meeting, the team went to dinner, where Lauren got to carb up with some steak but Esther was on her strict tilapia diet. 

After dinner it was time for some R&R for the girls. They prepped their bags for the next day and hopped into bed  -- covering the bed of course with their own sheets so their tans wouldn’t ruin the hotel sheets. Ah, the life of a competitor. Alarms were set for 4:45 AM and dreams began about becoming a WBFF pro. 

Show day! Saturday November 3^rd, the make-up artist was due at the hotel at 6 AM. The girls overslept, which was okay because it was a sign that their bodies may have needed it. They found a local make-up artist who was willing and able to travel. Sara Faella, celebrity and national make-up artist based in Providence, RI brought the glam. Post make up, it was hair time for Lauren --- which she did herself, and regretted later. 

With makeup done, it was time to head over to the venue. Esther and Lauren got settled backstage and found a spot to post up for the entire day. There was a moment of panic when Lauren took her curls out of the pins – to the point where she wasn’t going to go on stage. This is why were are a team – The Elite Heat --- Esther was to the rescue and quickly did up Lauren’s hair in literally five minutes before she was due on stage for her first category fit model. #80 entered that stage and was up there for quite some time. At this show they did comparisons with the girls and asked them to trade places with other competitors on the stage. Lauren was brought up front for comparisons at least 3 times. They kept them on stage for easily 25 minutes. 

With a quick break, it was then time for bikini. This is the category Esther was really training for and focused on. The girls hit the stage and the comparisons began again. Esther was brought up three times as well, again switching places on stage with other ladies and she rocked it!! 

Then it was break time. Esther ran to the mall to finalize her gown for the second part of the bikini round and Lauren went to the hotel to rest. It’s truly a long day, going without water or much food. It’s also very tiring. One may think it’s easy to just walk out on that stage and strut your stuff, but when you’re in the background you’re always on. You’ve got to be on point with your posing, smiling and making sure your abs look their absolute best! 

It was then time for the second part of the show. The WBFF team coordinated for all the competitors to come out and wave to the audience and line up. After lining up and posing for a few minutes they announced that they want to see what the competitors have to offer. Esther and Lauren both B-lined for the front of the stage and killed the pose off. Nothing was going to stop them from getting noticed. 

Lauren was due back on stage first for Fit Model theme wear, where she once again rocked her Queen of Hearts costume. After strutting around with her flamingo, it was time to get changed back into her Fit Model bathing suit for one more round. At this time, they would be handing out the awards for Fit Model. They brought all the ladies back out and then called out the top ten. From there they would award the top 5. Fifth, fourth, third, Lauren’s name still wasn’t called … Finally, #80 takes second place. They then called first place competitor who received her pro card. But within 30 seconds, they quickly announced that another competitor was also going to receive their pro card …. And that was #80!!!!! Lauren placed second and went pro with WBFF. 

Stepping off the stage, Lauren and Esther celebrated, quickly --- because they both had to go get in their gowns for the bikini awards. Lauren wore a purple bedazzled gown and Esther wore an elegant black dress with a statement piece necklace. Once in line, they were quickly brought out to the stage. They called the top ten which both Esther and Lauren made! They then began to call the top five. Again, fifth, fourth, third … Esther’s name still wasn’t called, second … then finally for first place #128 Esther Lopez! Esther took first and received her pro card in bikini.

It was truly an amazing weekend filled with success and accomplishments. It was never intended to happen this quickly for each of these two competitors to go pro. With this under their belt, they are now just 23 weeks out from their first pro show with WBFF. 

Recap of Fitness America/Muscle Mania October 27th Astoria, NY Show

After months of preparation, The Elite Heat was finally ready to hit the stage at Fitness America Muscle Mania New York Champion show on Saturday October 27th based locally in Astoria, Queens. The competitor line up consisted of Esther, Dawn, Nicky and Lauren. The categories the girls competed in were:

Esther: Bikini
Dawn: Bikini & Model
Nicky: Figure
Lauren: Figure

The day started very early with hair and make up. Luckily both Dawn and Lauren live in Astoria, so the prep began at both apartments. Check in was at 10 AM. With hair complete they made their way over to the venue. Check in was a relatively easy process, the girls received their numbers that they would wear proudly all day on stage. Pre lims began at 3 PM. After getting settled back stage, putting the final touches on their make up, the show was quickly under way. The first round was theme wear for the bikini category. The girls were creative with their costumes. Dawn was a jewel thief, Esther was Chiquita Banana and Lauren was the Queen of Hearts. The way the numbering worked out was quite perfect for picture taking. Dawn lead the pack on stage, Esther and Lauren followed suite. 

After theme wear was model, which Dawn rocked her beautiful blush dress accented nicely with stones and her shoes ... forget it! She looked absolutely stunning and carried herself with poise and grace. After theme wear was the figure category for both Nicky and Lauren. Both of these ladies had been training and dedicating their all to this moment. Both classes weren't too big but there was still competition. After they both rocked the stage and nailed their posing ... pre lims quickly came to an end. The girls were due to report back at 5:30 for the 6 PM finals.

When returning the stage, Dawn, Esther and Lauren started in their bikini's. While this was the finals and most judging was done in pre-lims, The Elite Heat is always to be on point! When on that stage, give everything you've got because every little thing is always being taken into consideration.  The evening continued on and after the bikini round was another round of figure but then finally time to give out the awards. 

The awards for figure were up first, Nicky was up for classic. In this show she placed 5th. Nicky has worked extremely hard to achieve her goals and found the courage to step on stage. Like we always say, if this was easy everyone would do it. Next up was figure open, Lauren's category. It's always nerve racking as they call each place because you just never know. As the numbers dwindled down, they finally called Lauren's name and she took first place. After this Lauren was quickly back on stage for the overall in classic and open. Here she won the overall but also received her pro card. Lauren was completely unaware that this was even a pro qualifying show and this was done with a purpose --- we didn't want to freak her out! 

Then it was the bikini girls time, Esther, Dawn and Lauren were brought back on the stage. Dawn placed 4th, Lauren placed 2nd and Esther took first place for bikini short. Since there was a tall and short category for bikini Esther was brought back out for the overall, which she also won! It was an amazing success for the team ... but the fun didn't stop there because we had a show the following weekend!