PERFECT POSING

INTRODUCING THE

NPC TEEN FITNESS DIVISION!!!

Under Jim Manion’s direction the NPC is always looking for ways to improve. One of our goals has been to revive the Fitness Division in the NPC and the IFBB. With the advent of the NPC Figure Division many competitors who were struggling with the Fitness Routines opted to switch from competing in Fitness to competing in the Figure Division. The decision was made that the best way to revive the Fitness Division was to begin at the grass roots level and create the NPC Teen Fitness Division.

The objectives of the Teen Fitness Division are to promote a fun, safe and comfortable atmosphere for young athletes from the age of 8 to 19 years of age. Teen Fitness events will provide a positive environment so that the young athletes will be excited to participate in the sport. The rules for Teen Fitness are standardized for all NPC Districts. Standardizing the Teen Fitness events will ensure quality and credibility.   

APPROPRIATE AND SAFETY

The key words in promoting Teen Fitness events are “APPROPRIATE” and “SAFETY”:

• Appropriate – Every portion of the event will be appropriate to Teen Fitness competitors who may be as young as 8 years old. The Event Schedule, Performance Area, and awards will be age appropriate in every way.
• Safety – Competitors will be provided with a completely safe environment. Every aspect of the event will be safe. The Dressing Rooms and the Backstage Area will be safe and age appropriate in every aspect.

Dressing Rooms

The athletes will have a separate dressing room from the adult women. Keeping the kids separate from the adult women will create a completely comfortable environment. 

Parent Pass

Each Teen Fitness competitor will receive one Parent Pass for their parent or trainer. The Parent Pass will provide the parent/trainer full access to accompany the competitor backstage at all times. The parent/trainer will trade in their Prejudging ticket in return for the Parent Pass.

SCORING SYSTEM

Age Divisions – The age divisions are listed below. 

• 8-10 yrs    

• 11-13 yrs  
• 14-16 yrs  
• 17-19 yrs  

Physiques Are NOT Judged – It is important to stress that physiques will not be judged or assessed in the majority of the Teen Fitness Division.

Physiques Judged in 17-19 yr old group – The only age group in the Teen Fitness Division where physiques will be judged is the 17-19 year old group. The 17-19 yr old age group will be judged in the 1-piece swimsuit and heels. Judging of the 1-piece swimsuit in the 17-19 year old age group will take place along with the 1-piece Swimsuit Round during the Prejudging of the Open Fitness Division. If there is no Open Fitness Division in the contest the 1-piece swimsuit judging will be done along with the Open Figure Division.

Points System

Judging will be done using a points system that incorporates many attributes from competitive gymnastics and cheerleading. The scoring categories are listed below:

• Strength, Flexibility, Overall Impression/Performance Quality, Penalties
• Tumbling, Tricks/Jumps, Overall Impression/Performance Quality, Penalties
• Dance, Transitions, Choreography/Creativity/Costumes, Overall Impression/Performance Quality, Penalties

You can receive a score sheet by contacting Gary Udit at gudit@earthlink.net. All competitors may view the standardized score sheet prior to the event.

NPC Required Fitness Moves

The NPC has 5 required Fitness Moves as listed below: 

• Center split
• High kick
• L-hold (pike hold)
• Straddle hold
• One arm push up

Teen Fitness competitors must perform a minimum amount of the NPC’s required moves. Each competitor can choose which of the Required Moves they want to use in their routine.

• 8-10 yrs age group – must use 2 required moves   

• 11-13 yrs age group – must use 3 required moves   
• 14-16 yrs age group – must use 4 required moves
• 17-19 yrs age group – must use 5 required moves 

Time limit – The Fitness Routines can be a maximum of 2 minutes

Costuming and Music – Costuming and music must be age appropriate. Vulgar or otherwise inappropriate music or suggestive dancing will be penalized. Props are permitted but must be approved by the Contest Promoter.

PHYSIQUE JUDGING FOR 17-19 YR OLDS

There are 2 Rounds in judging the physiques of the 17-19 yr olds. The Individual Presentation Round gives the competitor the opportunity to display their physique alone at center stage by doing three Model Turns. The competitor begins by facing the judges and then doing the Model Turns. After each competitor has completed the Individual Presentation Round the competitors will then be lined up and directed to do Ό turns by the Head Judge in the Comparison Round of judging.

The Ό turns must be done as follows:

• Feet together
• Hands at your sides
• Head facing the way your feet are facing
• No twisting

Judging Criteria:

• A balance, toned and fit look
• Not overly muscled    
• Presentation

PERFORMANCE AREA

While there are some athletes who are trained to tumble on a hard floor most athletes are accustomed to performing on specialized performance surfaces. Gymnasts, cheerleaders and martial artists are not trained to tumble without a mat. Teen Fitness competitors will have the option to use or not use the padded fitness mats that will be available at all events. 

·         Flooring Option #1, One 5’ x 12’ mat – Some events will feature a 5’ x 12’ mat. A 5’ x 12’ mat would be large enough for an athlete to execute two standing back handsprings in a row. A running tumbling pass (example: round off back handspring) would use more than the 12’ length of the mat. However, a 5’ x 12’ mat could still suffice as the athlete could start the pass by running on the non-padded part of the stage and then perform the actual tumbling skills (round off back handspring) onto the mat. 

·         Flooring Option #2, Two 5’ x 12’ mats – When the budget of the event allows, promoters will use two of the 5’ x 12’ mats because they are designed to function as one mat. When 2 mats are used, the matted area can become a 10’ x 12’ or 5’ x 24’. 

Contact the contest promoter for information on what mats will be available.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

The Teen Fitness Division will be run separately from the Bodybuilding/Figure portion of the event. The Teen Fitness Division will be run separate from the Physique Rounds of Fitness, Figure and Bodybuilding. If the event includes an Open Fitness Division the routines of the Open Fitness Division could be done at the same time as the Teen Fitness routines.

The Teen Fitness event will be run between the Bodybuilding Prejudging and Finals. People who only want to see the Teen Fitness will not be exposed to the Bodybuilding/Figure event unless they want to see it. People who only want to see the Bodybuilding/Figure will not be forced to watch the Teen Fitness unless they want to stay after the Prejudging.

JUDGES

Judges will be recruited from cheerleading, gymnastics and dance. Because of their backgrounds in their respective sports they are already informed of all the moves and the associated difficulty. Using judges who are experts in cheerleading and gymnastics will add credibility to every event. Coaches will not be permitted to judge if they have ties to an athlete in the event.

Changes for NPC Fitness & Figure Beginning in 2008

NPC Junior USA Championships

NPC Junior USA Fitness Championships – Overall Winner Earns IFBB Pro card (3 Height Classes)

NPC Junior USA Figure Championships – Top 2 in the Overall Comparison Earn IFBB Pro cards (6 Height Classes)

NPC Junior National Championships

NPC Junior National Fitness Championships – Height Class Winners Earn IFBB Pro cards (3 Height Classes)

NPC Junior National Figure Championships – Top 4 in the Overall Comparison Earn IFBB Pro cards (6 Height Classes)

NPC Masters National Figure Championships

Overall Winner Earns IFBB Pro card

NPC USA Championships

NPC USA Figure Championships – Height Class Winners Earn IFBB Pro cards (6 Height Classes)

IFBB North American Championships

IFBB North American Open Figure Championships – Top 2 in the Overall Comparison Earn IFBB Pro cards (6 Height Classes)

IFBB North American Masters Figure Championships – Overall Winner Earns IFBB Pro card

NPC Team Universe Championships & National Fitness Championships:

NPC Team Universe Figure Championships – Top 2 in Each Height Class Earn IFBB Pro cards (6 Height Classes)

NPC National Fitness Championships – Top 2 in Each Height Class Earn IFBB Pro cards (3 Height Classes)

NPC National Championships

NPC National Figure Championships – Height Class Winners Earn IFBB Pro cards (6 Height Classes)

New Height Classes for Women’s Figure Nationals and Contests with Six Height Classes

Up to 5′1″

Over 5′1″ and up to and including 5′2-1/2″

Over 5′2-1/2″ and up to and including 5′4″

Over 5′4″ and up to and including 5′5-1/2″

Over 5′5-1/2″ and up to and including 5′7″

Over 5′7″

All other classes remain the same:

For all contests with two (2) classes:

Up to and including 5′4″

Over 5′4″

For all contests with three (3) classes:

Up to and including 5′4″

Over 5′4″ and up to and including 5′6″

Over 5′6″

For all contests with four (4) classes:

Up to and including 5′2″

Over 5′2″ and up to and including 5′4″

Over 5′4″ and up to and including 5′6″

Over 5′6″

For all national qualifying figure events – the top five (5) are eligible for the JUNIOR USA, TEEN COLLEGIATE MASTERS NATIONALS and TEAM UNIVERSE FIGURE CHAMPIKONSHIPS and the top three (3) are eligible for the JUNIOR NATIONAL, USA and NATIONAL FIGURE CHAMPIONSHIPS. Eligibility is good for two (2) years. Promoters can elect number of classes for their figure contests. ONLY THOSE FIGURE CONTESTS HELD IN CONJUNCTION WITH A NATIONAL QUALIFYING BODYBUILDING CONTEST WILL BE NATIONAL QUALIFIERS.

The Front Split will no longer be a mandatory move in the fitness routines.