Roth Regatta

Women body building has been picking up for the last three decades and it is in a considerable state of professional stability right now. For the purposes of this article, events that happened between the year 2005 and 2007 exemplify this consolidation of the industry into a stable rhythm. Such progress and stability can only be documented accurately by reviewing the contests for the major women body building titles, Ms. Olympia and MS. International. This is because the very same titles

had been crushed in repute and public support in the 1990’s due to controversy and corrupt judgment decisions on winners.

Such practices were absent in the last five years and these definitely indicates maturity of the industry.

In the year 2005, rules governing the women body building industry changed dramatically. For instance, on 6th December 2004, Jim Manion, the then IFBB Chairman introduced a 20% rule. The twenty percent rule requested that all female body builders to decrease th

eir level of muscularity by a 20% factor. His memo detailing the rule, said that the requested that the rule apply to female athletes with physiques that required the said decrease. Another change introduced by Manion on 26th April 2005, was a directive that the Ms. Olympia of 2005 and all consequent contests, the weight-class system started in 2000 was henceforth abolished by the IFBB.

The Ms. Olympia contest of 2005 also saw the title change hands contrary to popular expectation. A double

winner emerged after Yaxeni Oriquen won the 3rd Ms. International title consecutively with a win over Iris Kyle, the Ms. Olympia defending champion. In the same year, 2005, Jitka Harazimova, returned to competitive body building after being out since the winter of 1999. Her comeback was crowned with the Charlotte Pro title which qualified her for the years Ms. Olympia contest. In the Ms. Olympia title however, she managed to finish fourth.

And then came the year 2006, a year in which Iris Kyle pulled another double, winning both Ms. Olympia and Ms. International titles like she had done in 2005. That was not enough for this go getter of a body builder for yet again, Kyle maintained the double win of both titles in 2007, the 3rd time in a row. Only Laura Creavalle, Yaxeni Oriquen and Vickie Gates had ever managed such a feat in the Ms. International title record of most wins.

It was also in the year 2007, that the women body building industry saw the successful revival of the old favorite contest, Jan Tana Classic. The new edition of the JTC featured two distinct weight classes for those female body builders competing. In fact the edition also included a sideline figure contest for the women contestants besides body building. These two weight classes were the Heavyweight and the lightweight categories of body builders. The heavyweight class title was won by the burning princess, Stephanie Kessler while the lightweight class title was won by Sarah Dunlap. It was Sarah Dunlap that was named the grand / overall winner of the JTC contest, 2007 edition.