They could have given her the Best Poser award before the contest began. The overall victory, though, was still in doubt until Jennifer Sedia's name was called in second. After the South American female muscle beasts had claimed the first three IFBB pro female bodybuilding titles of the year, it was refreshing to have Sheila Bleck triumph in the final show before the Ms Olympia and claim her first pro title.
I feel that there's something reassuringly old school about Sheila. The aesthetics of her physique, and her belief that conditioning can beat sheer size takes me back to the years in which I first fell in love with female muscle. There's the unenhanced chest, and her conviction, à la Diana Dennis, that she is, above all, an artist, and that her physique and her routines are her art, her means of creative expression.
Plus, there's the basso profondo voice (sexy sexy SEXY), and the memories of the camshows I've been fortunate enough to have with her as well (and they are as artistic, gymnastic and captivating as her routines (if not more so, for reasons you can imagine, I'm sure). Her win in Tampa (after she'd had a pretty tough 2013) reminds me of the old sporting adage that "form is temporary, but class is permanent" quite simply because Sheila Bleck is, for me, one very classy lady bodybuilder.
Congratulations to the Queen of Tampa!
And there's a bit of that award-winning routine, more hard yet elegant flexing (and the basso profondo - YES!) in this post-contest interview with RxMuscle.
Enjoy!
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