2020 IFBB Pro League Wings of Strength Rising Phoenix Pro Women's Bodybuilding

2020 IFBB Pro League Wings of Strength Rising Phoenix
Pro Women's Bodybuilding
(Scottsdale, Arizona - Dec. 5, 2020)

One of the most prestigious events on the IFBB Pro League Calendar is the Wings of Strength Rising Phoenix Championships, an all Women's show with its centerpiece as Bodybuilding but featuring the other major categories as part of the Arizona Pro. Despite the ups and downs of 2020 and moving the show to December, it still closely preceded the Olympia and drew a stellar field of IFBB Pros! The difference between Bodybuilding and the other categories is that this show HAS been the World Championships for a few years now...and it did NOT disappoint. This reporter did not end up going to the Ms. Olympia, but it basically "came to Scottsdale" without the crowds and jostling press lol. The top female bodybuilders in the world graced an amazing stage! The Ms. Olympia basically mirrored the results here.

About the athletes and the show. Each competitor had an introductory video played on the big screen, touching stories of trials and tribulations of course, but with an optimistic tone to them. They're probably somewhere online, maybe on the athletes social media, definitely worth a look! Michigan's Andrea Shaw had good size and very nice tie-ins which cemented her win (and at the Olympia 2 weeks later). Helle Trevino was huge, as was Monique Jones...the three compared on stage together was one for the ages! Throw Aleesha Young into the mix, the difference between 3rd and 4th was just one point, a confirmation round between the two at the end was likely pivotal. International flavor as well, with a dialed in Irene Anderson from Sweden and Canadian (now living in the US) Nicki Chartrand placing 5th and 6th respectively. I recall Nicki winning her Pro Card in Winnipeg in 2016. Wow, has she ever come a long way! Following them were LaDawn McDay and the legendary Yaxeni Oriquen. Posing stylists Janeen Lankowski and Mona Poursaleh lived up to their reputations. And it was great to see a Northwest standout Patti Hanson (we were on the same flight down from Seattle) show her stuff! Speaking of Women's Pro Bodybuilding and Women's Physique up in our neck of the woods, there is an IFBB Pro League event (fingers crossed regarding International participation) scheduled up in Victoria, B.C. in late June 2021 and if that weekend is free, will expect to be there covering it!

The key comparisons from finals are included here. The bulk of our photos (most ALL of these) at this event have been published by muscleinsider.com, an industry leader in covering ALL aspects of the sport! Direct links to Prejudging and Finals are listed below. This is merely a summary report to acknowledge this great event and highlight the top placers! For being a website with 'FBB' in its name, it really was something special to witness an event like this (photographed with the best camera equipment) which we could only have imagined way back in the film days when all this began as an organized sport. A huge thanks to the Promoters at Wings of Strength and Tim Gardner Productions. They went above and beyond in terms of their hospitality and the responsible way the event was held, from the audience, competitors, staff and media protocols to the spectacular stage and lighting presentation!