Written by David Baye
21 June 2016

16recap-jrnats

2016 NPC Jr. Nationals - A Tale of 2 Classes

 

While Saturday’s finals at the NPC Junior Nationals saw 23 pro cards awarded between the women’s divisions and the men’s physique division, all eyes were focused on the first ever Classic Physique competition at the Junior Nationals, and in turn, what type of effect that would on have both the quantity and quality of the bodybuilders who made the journey to Chicago.  Being only the second national level show since the division’s addition to the NPC lineup, fans and competitors wanted to know how the up and coming amateurs would compare to the early stock of IFBB Classic Physique pros.  While we definitely saw a handful of guys that despite impressive muscularity and conditioning didn’t fit the mold of a “classic” physique, we also saw some young talent that provided early indications that the new division has all the capability to thrive in the IFBB.   With what we’ve seen so far on the IFBB stage in 2016, it’s fair to say that each pro card winner has the potential of doing very well at the next level.

 The A class saw a very impressive Stanley Blair Jr. and a young Courage Opara take home their pro cards.  While potential is abound for Courage, he’ll likely need more mass to compliment his amazing structure and his sweeping quads before he’ll be competitive as a pro.  Blair’s physique will need to be crisper if he wants to find his way into the winners circle in the IFBB, however he has a very complete physique that needs little in the way of size or symmetry improvements.  The B class saw a 19 year old former powerlifter take the runner up spot and the class’s second pro card home in just his second ever competition.  Wisconsin resident Jordan Pantiko will need to fill out his frame before being a top contender in any IFBB show, however if he can do so while maintaining his outstanding aesthetics , he should be very competitive for years to come.   Your B class winner and overall champion Kevin Ford was the clear winner and looked like a top pro from the second he walked on stage.  Kevin’s small waist, full and separated quads,   incredibly detailed back and overall great aesthetics show all the signs of an IFBB champion in the making.  Should Kevin decide to compete on an IFBB stage anytime soon, don’t be surprised to see him on stage in Las Vegas later this year for the first ever Classic Physique Olympia!  To round out our new class of Classic Physique pros, the C class winner and runner up Jah Holt and Kevin Wilson also show plenty of signs of the ability to fare well in the IFBB with some improvements to their overall muscularity and conditioning. 

Stanley Blair Jr.

Kevin Ford

Jah Holt

Nearly every NPC show, be it a local level show, state championships, or national level show has its ups and downs from year to year with respects to the number and quality of bodybuilders.   2014 and 2015 saw very strong classes of bodybuilders at the Junior Nationals and to anyone that’s been around for a while, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise to see bodybuilding down a little bit for 2016. That being the case everyone wants to know if it is a result of the new division.  Clearly in some of the lighter classes the new Classic Physique division has seen many competitors make the switch from bodybuilding, however if you are or were muscular enough to be competitive in the bigger classes at a national level, making the switch simply isn’t an option unless you’re willing to give up significant amounts of muscle mass.  So, to answer the question as to whether the new division was the culprit for numbers being down, I’m going to say now.  Now of course the argument can be made that eventually guys will no longer be training and supplementing for the level of mass needed to be a competitive national level bodybuilder, but again, for 2016 I don’t think the new division had much impact on bodybuilding numbers. 

Although bodybuilding numbers were down, we did some see some bright talent and a handful of guys who show some serious potential.   As with any junior level show, it’s rare to see a bantam, light or welterweight showing pro potential and such was the case here.  It wasn’t until our middleweight class where we saw the 2015 Junior National welterweight champion Derek Lunsford take home not only a convincing class victory, but also the overall win.  With so much talk about how there’s a lack of younger bodybuilders making an impact at a national level, it was refreshing seeing a 23 year old competitor with that level of balanced muscle and the conditioning of a seasoned vet. 

Of all the bodybuilding classes at the 2016 Junior Nationals, the light heavyweights had by far the most depth and talent.  Your entire top five, including James Lafountain, Steven Wain, Christian Coronato, Matt Kartstetter and winner Adam Young all showed potential to be future national champions with some slight improvements.  While Adam was not the biggest of the class, his symmetry and razor sharp conditioning was enough to edge out Kartstetter’s aesthetics, Coronato’s ridiculous quads and Wain’s cartoon-like thickness!   While on the subject of potential, the bodybuilder who showed the most pro potential was your heavyweight winner Maurice Pollock.  While lacking a little bit of pop at the morning pre judging, Pollock came back significantly fuller and tighter for finals with what many thought was a package that was deserving of an overall victory.  Without doubt Pollack will need to bring top notch conditioning if he wants to make his way to the IFBB ranks, but he has all the potential in the world and I don’t think it will be long before we see him packing up and moving out of the NPC.   The super heavies also had some talent but as often the case is with the supers, they needed to be leaner.   Each of the top 3 finishers;  Matt Kouba, Steve McCalister and Sirod Williams all have the muscularity to win a pro qualifier, they just need to sharpen up a little and put it all together at the right time!  Your winner Sirod Williams impressed with a massive upper body, broad shoulders, a small waist and quads that only need slight improvements to create a professional level physique. 

Adam Young

Maurice Pollock

Sirod Williams

While focusing on the Classic Physique and Bodybuilding divisions for the purpose of this review, a big congrats is order for all the pro card winners from this weekend’s show, and we wish them the best of luck as they start their new careers as professionals. We’ll see you on a pro stage soon!

SEE FULL RESULTS & GALLERIES

BODYBUILDING WINNER - DEREK LUNSFORD - CLICK FOR PHOTOS

 

 CLASSIC PHYSIQUE WINNER - KEVIN FORD - CLICK FOR PHOTOS

MEN'S PHYSIQUE WINNER - SURAQAH SHABAZZ - CLICK FOR PHOTOS

WOMEN'S PHYSIQUE WINNER - TOWANDA SMITH - CLICK FOR PHOTOS

FITNESS WINNER - ASHLEY ALLEN - CLICK FOR PHOTOS

 

FIGURE WINNER - DEVONE MARTIN - CLICK FOR PHOTOS

 

BIKINI WINNER - JENNIFER HABAN - CLICK FOR PHOTOS

 

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SEE PHOTOS & RESULTS FROM JR NATIONALS