Treasures from the Archive: Ms Olympia Memories: Part II Moments

On Monday, FMS brought you the Ms Olympia and the Ms Olympians as seen through my teenage eyes - The Magazine Years as I like to call them. Today, it's more like The Digital Years - selections from the various archives of images I have from the Ms Olympia from the time of the dial-up connection until last year's competition.



But as long ago as the dial-up was (and it really FEELS long ago), one thing has remained constant - Iris Kyle winning the damn thing. The runner-up may have changed over time, the champ most definitely has not. Since Yaxeni's sole Ms Olympia victory in 2005, Iris has won an almost unimaginable eight titles in a row.

Who would bet against another Iris win? Every year you read people predict this will be the year when The Eternal Bride is finally left at the altar (you will let me know if I stretch this metaphor too far, won't you?!) and every year Iris goes home with the biggest medal. If 2014 sees a repeat of Iris 1st and Alina 2nd, it will be the THIRD time Iris has had the same runner-up in two consecutive years. Dayana 2006-7 and Yaxeni 2010-11 will have Alina 2013-14 to share 'I lost to Iris twice in a row' stories with.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you The BRIDESMAIDS...

DAYANA CADEAU 2006 and 2007



BETTY VIANA 2008, HEATHER POLICKY 2009



YAXENI ORIQUEN 2010 and 2011



DEBI LASZEWSKI 2012, ALINA POPA 2013



Funnily enough though, Iris Kyle's very first overall victory (2004) was pre-dated by her finishing 2nd twice in a row (once in the heavyweight class, once overall) to Lenda Murray. Cory Everson's first win in 1984 was over a previous (though not the previous) Ms Olympia, Rachel McLish. Sooner or later the guard will change.

But just because you come 2nd to Iris, it doesn't necessarily mean you can't upstage her at some point during the Olympia weekend, and the moment Dayana Cadeau did so before the show in 2007 provides us with our next Ms Olympia 'moment'.



Now I can only speculate as to why Dayana started exposing herself. It may have been an attempt to psyche Iris out, or to impress the judges before the show - to get her body into their heads as a potential winner. Perhaps, and again I am only speculating here, Dayana just couldn't wait for the show, that she felt so incredibly turned on by herself that she just HAD to give Iris, the judges, the audience, indeed EVERYONE in attendance a right good gander at what was under those clothes. Every hard inch...



But of course I am just speculating. And if I were to say what I thought Iris might have been saying to her, or what the lady who appears in the final photo of the series was saying/doing ('Put it away'? 'Let me touch'? 'Take it all off you GODDESS!'???) then once again, it would be pure speculation and nothing more than that...



I think that's quite enough speculation for now. A return to certainty is possibly the only thing that can follow Dayana's impromptu strip, and if there was a nailed-on certainty at the Ms Olympia other than the fact that Iris Kyle was going to win, it was that if Betty Pariso was in the line-up (2001, 2003-9), whatever her hair colour or outfit (or thing coming out the top of her head) in any given year, at some stage - or rather at the climax - of her routine, THIS was guaranteed to happen...



And we move on to something that has struck me while browsing the old Olympia archive, namely how few appearances some of the female muscle brethren's favourites actually made. Take, for example, my old friend Sarah Dunlap (see Image Removed Copyright Violation), who has just the ONE. Dena Westerfield? How many times do you think the wonder of Dena graced the Olympia stage? I'll tell you: ONCE. And Colette Nelson also has just the single Olympia (2006) on her CV as well. Our featured 2009 bridesmaid Heather Policky? Well, Heather has (so far) just THREE.





Kind of puts the longevity of Iris, Yaxeni, Debi Laszewski, and, say, Cathy Le François (6 Ms Olympias over a 13-year period) into real perspective, doesn't it?

But although our next featured muscle goddess has one more appearance than Sarah, Dena and Colette put together, and one more than the much more successful (in terms of placings) Heather, I am shocked that Tazzie Colomb has only gone to the Olympia four times (1997, 1999, 2006 & 2007). Now I know that the Taz doesn't place a huge amount of importance on what judges think of her muscles, but I would have thought she'd have made at least as many Ms Olympia appearances as Cathy has.




Perhaps I got that impression because of how memorable Tazzie's performances always seem to be, or, even if you only go by the pictures, how memorable her look at each contest is. And it's Tazzie, 2007-style, who is our next Olympia 'moment': braided hair, raw animal muscle sex appeal, roaring her way through her performance...



But despite her myriad (at the Olympia and elsewhere) different looks, Tazzie never (as far as I know) sported a COSTUME. These seemed to be particularly en vogue (or encouraged or perhaps just tolerated) for the 2004 and 2006 Ms Olympias, making a number of routines from those shows even more especially memorable.





From Helen Bouchard's rather butch 'soldier' via Vilma's 2004 cape and Dayana's 'flasher cop' to Colette Nelson's thrilling (when she ripped it off!!!) tight blue dress, the costume, is, in my humble etc., long overdue for a Ms Olympia comeback...

But none was more memorable (or fitting) than that naughtiest of Olympians, Denise Masino's - what is it exactly, bondage? fetish? torture? - mask-type thing from 2004.



And we finish off our memories today, just as the compulsory poses end, with Abs & Thigh - aka The Hall of Fame pose - and absolutely Slave's favourite position for his Olympian women (or indeed ANY women) to show off their beautiful bodies with.









And we will be ripping a few more choice moments from the FMS Olympia Archive on Friday, the day (as if you needed reminding) of the Big Girls' Big Show itself.

Ms Olympia 2014: Christine Envall AT LAST!

The year: 1994. At a local IFBB sanctioned bodybuilding show in the Australian state of Victoria, a 21-year-old with a prodigiously developed physique takes the stage.

Three years have passed since her first appearance at the show, when she had finished third as an 18-year-old. Since then she has won local and state titles at IFBB and NABBA contests, and finished in the top six at the Australasian Championships.

This time she wins the title of "Ms Bendigo". Her name: Christine Envall.




July 5th 2014. Four women are still standing: Lisa Giesbrecht, Juanita Blaino, Rita Bello, and Christine. This is her third show in just over a month. She was 6th in Toronto at the end of May, and finished 3rd in Omaha the following week.

If her name is called next, she will only gain a single point from this show to add to her two from Omaha. She knows three points probably won't be enough to qualify. She will have to compete again, in Tampa in August, and attempt to add to her points tally.

Or wait another year.

But, if another name is called next, she is guaranteed 3rd. Another two points would make a total of four. And four points would be enough. Enough to get her to Vegas.

Christine hears Juanita Blaino's name called in fourth...



A little over-dramatic, perhaps, but sadly I wasn't there so I hope you'll forgive the poetic licence. The double... got the 3rd place I needed... I think should be enough for the O!!! said Christine, sounding a little unsure on her Facebook page after the show.

It was enough. No matter what happened in the final qualifying show of the year in Tampa, no one could push Christine out of the top 5 places. She was, as they say, "Olympia bound". For sure. Brain not comprehending yet!!! she added.



Her incredulity was understandable. Getting to the Olympia is a long road for most female bodybuilders, but Christine's road, which began in her hometown of Bendigo back in 1991, has been longer than most. It has included three NABBA World titles, and two distinct periods of competing as an IFBB pro with an ten-year break between them, punctuated by a one-night-only return to NABBA competition in 2005.




But despite being out of the limelight for the best part of a decade, she had certainly never been forgotten by the female muscle lovin' brethren. When FMS invited readers to select their all-time Fantasy Contest line-ups a couple of years ago, Christine comfortably made the top six. When she returned to the stage last year in Toronto, the pre-contest buzz on the forums was, predictably, all about Christine's return.



She was, after all, the original super freaky muscle woman. She was a "growth experiment fantasy made flesh". She was a huge, rippling female muscle wonder of the world. My own personal Christine highlights would include footage and images of her at the New York Muscle Club; the occasional (and given the sheer amount of muscle on her 5'3" frame and the gusto with which she displayed it, inevitable) posing suit malfunctions; the Awefilms clip where she "discovers" she can flex her pecs; and, best of all, the unbelievably arousing images of her bronzed, naked and ever so slightly coy.







By common consensus, then, it was good to have her back. Of course, there were comparisons with her younger self, comparisons that were not always complimentary (shorter hair, implants) but those who know about these things - those who know more than the likes of you and me, anyway - pointed to the refinements she had made to her physique and agreed Envall v.2013 was presenting the judges a much more pleasing overall look than she had left the scene with a decade earlier.



She did three shows in 2013, her best placing 7th in Chicago. She may not have been as excitingly super freaky as before - while she'd been away, all the girls had got bigger - but up close and personal with Annie Riveccio's camera for Muscle Angels, or even more so with her more intimate Instagram pics - Christine was still packing plenty of freaky size and freaky vascularity for the female muscle head to get excited about.



And, better yet, Christine hadn't come out of "retirement" just to embark on one final lap of the pro circuit. She was going to be back in 2014. 40 years old, promising myself my best years are NOT behind me. Don't sit around re-living your glory days... Get out there and start creating new ones, she told her Instagram followers.



She began with a 6th place in Toronto. No disaster that, but no Olympia qualifying points, either. Then, the following week in Omaha, she finished 3rd...




Finally, at her fifth attempt since her return to competition, she had equalled her best previous pro placing (at the South West Pro Cup in 2002), and she had Olympia points on the board. AND she had got to meet Iris Kyle backstage! What an awesome show! she commented later. It's not every day you get to meet Ms Olympia!



Which brings us to the events in Toronto which guaranteed that this Friday, at the age of 41, the legendary and much-loved Christine Envall will make her Olympia debut.



Less than 2 weeks till the Ms O! she wrote last week. Can't believe the workouts I've been having... Must be the extra motivation of the biggest show of my LIFE. It's an understatement to say I'm looking forward to stepping on the Olympia stage...



It's an understatement to say she has earned it.



Good luck to you, Christine!

And to whet your collective whistles at the prospect of the original super freak on stage in Vegas in a few days, Christine's routine from this year's Toronto Pro show.



Enjoy!