Nicole Ball, Kim Perez look to make waves in Tampa
by Allan Donnelly
August 7, 2008
FLEXONLINE.COM
The last year and a half has been vastly different, in the competitive bodybuilding arena, for Nicole Ball and Kim Perez. For Ball, the last 12 months have included a win in the lightweight division at the Atlantic City Pro in her professional debut, and an eighth-place finish at the 2007 Ms. Olympia. Perez, on the other hand, hasn’t stepped on a competitive bodybuilding stage since placing 13th at the 2007 Arnold Classic.
In Tampa, Ball will look to keep her recent string of successes intact while Perez will look to get back on the path she was on in 2005, when she turned pro by winning the overall at the 2005 Nationals and placed second in the heavyweight division at the Europa Super Show in her professional debut.
(Click links to read stories) TUESDAY:PBW Championships Preview WEDNESDAY:Dennis James By The Numbers TODAY: Women’s Spotlight FRIDAY: Five Questions with Flex Lewis SATURDAY: Complete coverage from the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships
NAME: Nicole Ball AGE: 31 HEIGHT: 5Â4″ CONTEST: 129 pounds LIVES: Sylvan Lake, Alberta Canada LAST CONTEST: 2007 Ms. Olympia, 8th
BEFORE:“I was mainly into track and field growing up, that’s all really did in school. My whole family is athletic.”
GETTING STARTED: “I had an eating disorder. I was bulimic and the gentlemen I am who with today – 10 years later – he’s the one who actually got me into focusing on something else in my life to boost my self esteem and self respect. I needed something to push me to another degree, and to me figure/fitness wasnÂt enough. I need to push myself beyond a limit. That’s why I tried bodybuilding to see if could do it.”
ROLLING ALONG: “My first contest was the 2000 Muscle Beach Classic in Alberta. I placed first in the lightweights. The following I year did our Alberta provincials as a middleweight and placed first in that. Then I did the Canadian Nationals for three years, the first two years I won my middleweight category but lost overall. The third year I did it I won my pro card. I’ve had a good career!”
PRO DEBUT: “My pro debut in Atlantic City I won the lightweight class. I wasn’t even expecting to place. I was like Just notice me please and I’m going to be back again.”
EIGHTH AT THE O: “It took about two months to register. When I told people I placed eighth they were like, Nicole, that’s like the Stanley Cup in hockey! I didn’t have a nervous bone in my body. If there were 15 women and I had placed 15th, I wouldn’t have cared. I made it to the O.”
BRINGING IT BACK: “I think the biggest thing is I’m bringing the old-school bodybuilding back. I’m bringing the more sculpted, smaller feminine physique back. From Day One I made that promise to myself.”
FAMILY FIRST: “On a personal note, a family tragedy tore my family apart for 11 years, and that contest was the first time my parents spoke since. They decided to both fly in and when I walked into hotel my mom and dad were standing there holding hands. They said Honey, we realize we lost so much. We are never going to miss your dreams come true. ThatÂs my biggest memory.”
HOME IMPROVEMENT: “The way my physique was, I had to take fullness over hardness for the Atlantic City to try to look bigger on stage. At the Olympia I tried to keep a little bit of fullness but come in conditioned. This year brining both fullness and hardness to both shows. I think that my chest developed quite a bit more this year thickness to back IÂm hnoping have done as long as legs come in as hard as normally do happy with them.”
GOAL ORIENTED: “I have never, ever gone into a show saying I have to win. For me, it’s not about wining a trophy. But my biggest goal is just to try to get to the Olympia again. I really have my heart set on qualifying for the Olympia.”
The last year and a half has been vastly different, in the competitive bodybuilding arena, for Nicole Ball and Kim Perez. For Ball, the last 12 months have included a win in the lightweight division at the Atlantic City Pro in her professional debut, and an eighth-place finish at the 2007 Ms. Olympia. Perez, on the other hand, hasn’t stepped on a competitive bodybuilding stage since placing 13th at the 2007 Arnold Classic.
In Tampa, Ball will look to keep her recent string of successes intact while Perez will look to get back on the path she was on in 2005, when she turned pro by winning the overall at the 2005 Nationals and placed second in the heavyweight division at the Europa Super Show in her professional debut.
(Click links to read stories) TUESDAY:PBW Championships Preview WEDNESDAY:Dennis James By The Numbers TODAY: Women’s Spotlight FRIDAY: Five Questions with Flex Lewis SATURDAY: Complete coverage from the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships
NAME:Kim Perez AGE: 38 HEIGHT: 5/5 1/2 WEIGHT: 150 LIVES: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma LAST CONTEST: 2007 Arnold Classic, 13th
BEFORE: “I was an athlete. I ran track and cross country, played basketball and was a cheerleader. I got a track scholarship and a cheerleading scholarship to college. My mom competed in bodybuilding for a little bit, when I was probably 17. I went to one[contest] but I wasnÂt really interested in it.”
POWER PLAY: I started going to the gym and lifting weights in 1993. One of the guys in gym saw me working out and said, You lift heavy. And so I entered a power meet and won the first one and then just kept competing. All I did was bench press. I broke the state record – I think the state record was like 199 or something like that and I broke the world record. I benched 225 when I was in the 147 weight class.”
TRANSITIONING: “A friend of mine said Why don’t you do one bodybuilding show. And I said, I’m not ever doing a bodybuilding show. I fought it and fought it and then said Ok, I’ll do one. I did the Oklahoma as a novice and won it, and then the same year I did the Red River and won my weight class. Two years later I won my pro card at the North Americans.”
TIME OFF AFTER TO 2007 ARNOLD: “Number one was because I wanted to put some size on my legs number one. Just focus on my weak points and give my body a break and try to grow.”
TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK: “Everything was going wonderful until I started my diet and my sciatic nerve went out and my whole left side went numb. So I haven’t been able to to squat the entire preparation for the show. Done lot of leg extensions and all that stuff but it is what it is.”
WEIGHTING GAME: “I think I was 146, 147 [at the ’07 Arnold Classic]. This time I think – you can never tell because you can drop water and all that stuff – but I think at least 156. At least.”
UN-NERVING: “Everything was going wonderful until I started my diet and my sciatic nerve went out and my whole left side went numb. So I havenÂt been able to do squats the entire preparation for this show. But you know, it is what it is.”
GOAL ORIENTED: What’s my goal? To win.
THREE KEYS TO WINNING: Symmetrically, I think I have brought up the weak points that should have been worked on. I think my upper body will always overshadow my lower – donÂt care what I do. But I think my legs are more  I donÂt know if theyÂre bigger – they sarted out bigger – but I think theyÂre shaped better. I donÂt know … IÂm Kim Perez! My entire life IÂve always succeeded. But itÂs not up to me, it’s whatever the judges want.”
WHEN YOUR NAME IS CALLED, WHERE DO YOU FINISH: First.
