Gary Udit breaks down his show schedules a little differently than most, coining it “The most comfortable contest format in the country”. What’s so different? Well there are a couple of things.
First, while many National-level competitions have prejudging on Friday and Finals on Saturday, at this competition, Friday and Saturday are seen as two separate events, meaning that competitors only take to the stage on one of the two days. “Fantastic Friday” will feature prejudging for Women’s Bodybuilding, Fitness, Bikini, Women’s Physique, and Men’s Physique beginning at 9:00AM. Finals for those divisions will follow on Friday evening, beginning at 5:00PM. The next day is “Championship Saturday”, with prejudging for Men’s Bodybuilding and Figure beginning at 9:00AM, and finals for those divisions beginning at 5:00PM.
Another aspect of the North Americans that is different than most other National-level competitions, is that EVERY Fitness, Bodybuilder, and Women’s Physique Competitor will get to perform their routines at finals (as opposed to just the top 5 or 15 competitors). Although this does extend the duration of finals, it is always met with enthusiasm by the competitors who all appreciate having “their moment to shine” and show off their hard work, regardless of their placement.
Additionally, this is the only National-Level NPC competition (with the exception of the Arnold International, which is open to competitors of all nations) that welcomes citizens of Canada and Mexico to compete in the USA for a chance at a coveted IFBB pro card.
As with any NPC National-level competition, some of the competitors will walk away from the 2013 IFBB North American Championships with newfound IFBB Professional status. IFBB Pro cards will be awarded for the following placements:
· Fitness Open – Class Winners
· Figure Open, Over 35, Over 45 & Over 55 – Class Winners
· Bikini Open, Over 35 & Over 45 – Class Winners
· Men’s Physique Open, Over 35 & Over 40 – Top 2 Winners in Each Height Class
· Women’s Physique – Open, Over 35 & Over 45 – Top 2 Winners in Each Height Class
· Women’s BB Open & Over 35 – Overall Winners
· Men’s BB Open – Top 3 Placements in the Overall Winners
· Men’s BB Over 35, Over 40, Over 50 & Over 60 – Overall Winners
The FLEX team will be at the 2013 IFBB North American Championships all weekend long to bring you up-to-the-minute coverage, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and keep checking the FLEX website for photos, videos, interviews, play-by-plays and more!
