Kai Greene came into the show as the defending champion and favorite, but was actually trailing Phil Heath, 10-7. Both men looked good enough to win, but Heath’s conditioning appeared to be a little sharper than Greene’s.

As the day turned into night, the winner hung in the balance. There were four men who had a legitimate shot, including Dexter Jackson (16) and Branch Warren (19) also close enough to have something to say. When the six names were announced after the posing routines for all 13 participants concluded, Toney Freeman and Ronny Rockel were also added to the mix.

Since the IFBB no longer counts the posing round towards the final scores, the judges may have made up their minds following the pose down. Rockel and Freeman finished sixth and fifth, respectively, and a case could be made that they could have been flip-flopped. The first surprise of the night came when Jackson – in a very important show for him – dropped out of the top three.

No argument here, but the fans in attendance let out a collective “oh” when The Blade’s name was called. Then they booed when Warren was next, but this was the proper placing for him. A huge fan favorite, the Texas resident came in looking awesome (particularly his legs) but not better than the two who remained on stage.

As Heath’s name was announced by emcee Lonnie Tepper, the audience (or at least a good portion of it) made their feelings known that they disagreed with the decision. That lasted for a short period of time and they gave Greene his due. The Brooklyn native became the fourth to win consecutive Arnold Classics, adding his name to a prestigious list that includes Flex Wheeler (1997, 1998), Jay Cutler (2002-2004) and Jackson (2005, 2006).

But then again Amber Elizabeth Simerly is not just anyone.

“I received my first weight set when I was 12 years old and have been hooked ever since,” the 32-year-old mother of one said. “I powerlifted through high school and began bodybuilding in my 20′s. Six weeks out from my first show I dropped out and it drove me nuts for the past 10 years that I didn’t get up on that stage and finish what I started.”

What transpired since then was a whirlwind of negativity in Simerly’s life. “My mother was diagnosed with cancer for the third time, there were several deaths in my family and I was in a bad relationship,” she recalled. “I went through a divorce and had to face life as a single parent.”

Simerly met a woman in her gym, Natlia Zapata, that had competed in the past and won her class in fitness. After a short period of time, Simerly felt that the time was right to make her comeback. She had her sights set on the Elite Muscle Classic in Greensboro, North Carolina just a few short weeks ago.

“Even though I didn’t place, it didn’t discourage me one bit,” Simerly said confidently. “Natalia and I are going back for more in April at Johnny Stewart’s and North Carolina State.”

Because she has experienced such difficult times, Simerly uses her training as an outlet and something positive to focus on. “When I go in there I take every bit of passion, craziness and stress out on those machines,” she said. “I believe that you can literally think yourself hard. I love being able to say, ‘I want my glutes to come up.’

“Think of some crazy workout to do, do it two or three times and physically see and feel the results,” she added. “I believe, bottom line, is that it is all about intensity. In all aspects of life. You get what you put into it.”

And Simerly has put an awful lot into ‘it’ lately.

http://www.myspace.com/amberelizabeth77
http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/AmberMagliocca/
http://community.worldphysique.com/profile/AmberElizabe…
http://www.muscle-ink.com/profile/AmberElizabethSimerly

Photos courtesy of Tyson Arts

Dennis Wolf will not turn 30 years of age until the month after the upcoming 2008 Mr. Olympia contest in Las Vegas on September 28. The up and coming bodybuilder finished in fifth place last year, and although his official website states that he was “proud to have finished” in that spot, some observers felt that he had enough to place higher.

Moving up 11 spots in one year – and only his second time competing for the Sandow Trophy – Wolf has made quite an impression in a short period of time. Last September, the 5’11” German followed Cutler around the stage during the pose down, and giving the incumbent a run for his money.

Expect Wolf to be a major factor at the Orleans Hotel and give not only Cutler a run for his money, but Dexter Jackson and the rest of the field, as well. A top-three finish for Wolf is not only likely, but should be expected.

Although he has the height on Cutler, Wolf – who weighs as much as 300 pounds off-season – needs to come in a little bigger than the 258-pounds that he did last year. Cutler was 274 and eclipses the 300-pound mark in the off-season, so size has never been a concern for the two-time reigning champ. Quite the contrary, critics have said that Cutler was too ‘blocky’ and lacked symmetry.

Come the fall, bodybuilding fans worldwide will see if Wolf has lessened the gap.

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