For every athlete that competes in bodybuilding and physique competitions, the ultimate goal is to reach the Olympia stage. To perform under the bright lights of that stage in front of the judges and crowd signifies that they are among the best on the planet.
There are a few different ways to qualify for the Olympia. Olympia winners have qualification for life within their division, athletes that win contests during the season are also invited, and then there is the Olympia scoring system. Athletes that don’t win shows, but place within the top five, earn points for their efforts. The more shows they place well, the more points they earn. At the end of the qualifying process, the three athletes that have the most points are allowed to compete at the Olympia.
This week’s episode of Femme Flex Friday featured three ladies that are sitting in such a position. Ashlyn Brown Little, Tanya Chartrand, and Jeannie Feldman all joined host Lenda Murray and guest co-host Whitney Jones to provide more insight on the grind that is competing for a spot at the Olympia.
Little is a Bikini pro, and is familiar with this position. She was the top points’ earner in the 2020 season, which led her to competing at the Bikini Olympia in Orlando, Florida. Ultimately, Janet Layug won that title. At the time this episode was recorded, she was once again in the lead thanks to her competing in four pro shows so far in 2021. She talked about how she was able to be on the competition circuit for so long.
“So I have sponsors that help me out tremendously, which is great,” Little said. “And then I do work as a coach, so I can travel and work and do everything I need to do when I’m gone too. With that flexibility, it’s very, very beneficial in this sport.”
Note: Since this episode had been recorded, Ashlyn Brown Little won the 2021 Grl Pwr Championship show and has qualified for the Olympia as a result, so she is no longer in the points standings.
Meanwhile, Feldman is a Women’s Physique competitor who has graced the Olympia stage each of the last two seasons. Murray asked her about her plans for making it to Orlando this coming October, and obviously, she’d prefer to win her way to the big contest without having to do as many shows as she did last season.
“Right now I am shooting for the Tampa Pro, which I like to do every year. It’s my favorite show. I’ve been doing it already four times,” she said proudly. “I’m trying not to do as many shows as last year because I did five shows, and by the time I got to the Olympia, I mean, I was so exhausted mentally, physically, and my body just shut down.”
Chartrand, another Women’s Physique pro, came to the IFBB Pro League from Canada. Being in the Great White North adds a complication to her season due to the country’s travel restrictions related to the pandemic. Nonetheless, she did make it to the big show and finished in the top 15. Her hopes are that this year she can have an easier road to the Olympia both on and off stage. That road will involve her spending a lot of time competing in America, with hopes of either winning at least one or at least scoring a lot of points.
“This year I’m trying to look at the strategy a bit different,” Chartrand says. “I’m thinking that my first show is going to be the Puerto Rico Pro, and then I’m probably going to stay in the States for the next couple of months and piggy back from one show to the next.”
The ladies go into detail about their individual grinds including the travel, finances to compete, and much more. To hear more from the three pros, catch the full episode as well as every episode of FFF every Friday at 6 p.m. eastern time over at www.wingsofstrength.net.
