FBBUK@ NABBA Universe 2014

On October 26th the oldest bodybuilding show of them all, the NABBA Universe, took place at its long-time home of Southport on Merseyside. Since 1966, a Ms Universe has been crowned - 48 consecutive years by my reckoning - and Ms Universe 2014 was Brazil's Dora Rodrigues. But, as always, there was a large contingent of fine British female physiques in the three "Figure" classes, doing their thing in their thongs.


TONED FIGURE

In recent years, this class has been the one where British women have enjoyed the most success, and this show was no exception, with Brits first and second.



You have to think that sooner or later that former UKBFF British Bikini champ Kelsey Yung (aka "TinkerKel") will walk off with the winner's trophy. She finished second (to the gorgeous Nicola Bentham) at the 2013 Universe, and also finished second (to Brazil's Caroline Crozeta) at this year's NABBA Worlds in Belfast in June. And here, once again, Barrow-in-Furness' finest had to settle for second place, though the fact that she is the reigning NABBA Ms Britain is probably some consolation.






Beating Kelsey on this occasion was 26-year-old Charlotte MacGill from Bolton in Lancashire. Charlotte works (all these NABBA women are amateurs remember) as a sports rehab physio. It was only when she got her current job that she began training, inspired and encouraged by her bodybuilding boss, Stuart Cosgrove. He got me interested in weight training, she told a local newspaper after her win. I started to notice the changes in my body and went from there.



Within a year she had won the NABBA North-West show, and now has her first international title. Competing in international competitions is very rewarding and a lot of fun, she says. Especially so when you leave as the champ, I imagine!




TRAINED FIGURE II (short)

This class was packed with quality. This year's and last year's Overall Ms Universe winners (Dora Rodrigues and Italian NABBA veteran Flora Conte), the reigning NABBA Ms World (Auren Malvestiti of Brazil) and FMS fave Cinara Polido (with her involuntarily twitching glutes) made up the top four. However, two British women muscled their way into the placings, finishing in the same order as they had done at the NABBA Britain five months previously.



Corinne Ingman from Harlow in Essex was awarded 6th place. She's a British powerlifting champion, a NABBA Figure competitor, and for her next trick she fancies taking on the UKBFF Physique class and gaining her pro card, apparently. Given the current trend towards muscularity in that class, she looks as if she has a great chance of making her mark there, which is slightly ironic when you learn that officials from the UKBFF once told her she was "too muscular" to be a Physique competitor!



I think Corinne looks like the kind of woman who's prepared to strip down to the bare minimum and give everyone in the gym a good gander at her progress anytime she's feeling nice and pumped. In other words, she looks like FMS' kind of woman. One to watch for sure - and you can do so via her (regularly updated) Instagram.

Sadly, there's no video we can find of Corinne at the NABBA Universe, but we did find a clip of her routine at the NABBA Britain in May. So why not?




But we had the opposite problem for the woman who beat Corinne to the NABBA Britain title and finished one place above her again here. Despite an exhaustive search, we failed to turn up a single new picture of NABBA favourite Kay Goodwin that didn't have a big bad watermark on it - though we did find video (see below). You may remember Kay from previous posts, when, among other things, we reported that she had moved category from Toned to Trained Figure this year.

Success has followed. In 2014 she won her first (regional) show in the class, took the Ms Britain title, and has finished as top Brit at both the NABBA Worlds and now the NABBA Universe. Guess more muscle suits her! I first caught the "bodybuilding bug" after going to see a friend compete in a show, Kay says. Seeing all the girls on stage, all glammed up looking fabulous and the physiques on display was inspiring and got me thinking "could I really do that?" Turns out she could. She really really could.




TRAINED FIGURE I (tall)



Northern Ireland's positively Amazonian Linda Cassidy finished 5th in the taller of the two Trained Figure classes, and I can pretty much guarantee that though her routine (as with all NABBA routines) is over too quickly for my liking, you will not forget it once you've seen it. Linda is a personal trainer at The Columbia Gym in Banbridge, County Down, who specialises in "high risk" clients - ones who have been referred to the gym via their GP, that is. Seems to me having Linda put you through your paces would be pretty "high risk" to most male heart rates...







And finally, the familiar face of Wales' most muscular female firefighter, Sarah Hallett, who placed 3rd, higher than any other British Trained Figure competitor.



She says she's gone through some "big life changes this year", but the package she brought to the Universe stage was just as hard and vascular as she always seems to be. Readers may be familiar with her work for Fit Vids, and I can assure you that if you do decide to put your hand in your pocket and fork out for the whole video set, you will be treated to some of the most insane vascularity you have ever seen. Highlights include the cameraman's audible gasp as Sarah flexes her abs, and a seemingly never-ending set of bicep curls that leaves her entire upper body covered in pumping cord-like veins. Seriously, buy it (he said, shamelessly angling for a free Fit Vids pass!!!)



Sarah's on Instagram


Congratulations to all the UK's NABBA Universe women, whether they've made it into the post or not. We'll be meeting one more on Friday, but in the meantime, enjoy!