The National Physique Committee and Gaspari Nutrition have named Michael VanLeeuwen, Rene Marven, Corinna Booth, Maura Bouchard, Gerald Pressley, Ginger Martin and Kristine Duba Athletes of the Month in the NPC for the month of October.
Each month, NPC President Jim Manion selects the Athletes of the Month in each of the organization’s seven divisions – Men’s and Women’s Bodybuilding, Figure, Bikini, Fitness and Men’s and Women’s Physique – based on in-person analysis and on the information provided by contest promoters across the country and featured in the NPC News Online Contest Roundups.
Go here for more info and photos on the October NPC Athletes of the Month!
About the October Athletes of the Month:
– Men’s Bodybuilding: Michael VanLeeuwen, 32, competed in his first NPC contest ias a teenager in 1999. After a 10-year break, VanLeeuwen returned to the stage this year and won two Overall titles in October at the Dexter Jackson Memphis Classic and the Music City Championships.
– Women’s Bodybuilding: Rene Marven, 26, won the Middleweight division and Overall at the New York Grand Prix, giving her three straight class wins in her first three NPC contests dating back to 2011. In November, Marven kept that streak alive by winning her class and a pro card at the NPC Nationals.
– Figure: Former military police officer Corinna Booth won her class and the Overall at the Ft. Lauderdale Championships. Booth, a single mother and full-time nursing student, also won her pro card this past November at the NPC Nationals.
– Bikini: Brazilian-born Maura Bouchard won her class and the Overall at the Ft. Lauderdale Championships. Bouchard, 25, won Overall titles in four of her six NPC contests since she started competing in 2011.
– Men’s Physique: Gerald Pressley, 32, ran track and field at the University of South Carolina and was an All-American on the Gamecocks 4×400 meter relay team in 2001. Pressley won his class and the Overall at the Texas State Championships in his second Men’s Physique competition.
– Women’s Physique: Ginger Martin’s NPC career started in 2004, and the 43-year-old mother of three competed in both Figure and Women’s Bodybuilding before finally finding a home in the Women’s Physique division last year. In October, Martin won her class and the Overall at the Texas State Championships.
– Fitness: Kristine Duba, 26, took a four-year break from fitness competitions, but returned with a vengeance this year by winning three Overall tittles in two contests, including the Fitness and Figure Overall at the Washington State Championships in October.
