2002 WTF - SOUTH BEACH CHALLENGE
by Al Rosen

Art Deco, Ocean Drive, Washington Avenue, Lincoln Road - all adds up to "Life in the Fast Lane." And, fast it was, as the athletes of the WTF blazed the course in Flamingo Park, and scampered thru the shuttle run at beachside (Best Western Beach Resort) and jumped, lifted, danced and strutted their feminine beauty as they completed the one day WTF challenge. So, who was going to be the "Tri-Fitness Queen"?

The challenge started in the early A.M as the beautiful fitness athlete Elaine Seth presided over the Grace & Physique Event. Twenty-six of the forty-nine athletes participated in the optional event of Grace & Physique sponsored by Labrada Nutrition.

The ten judges had their work cut out for them on this day. After the judges scores were tabulated, the first place award went to Miami Beach's own Sylvia Ferrero (9.02) as she edged out Sacramento, California's Sandra Augustin (9.01). Taking home the third place trophy was Ft. Lauderdale's Tania Sabatier Becht, a newcomer to the fitness scene. In fourth and fifth place was Marianne Colon, Ft. Meyers, Florida and Kristina Beekhuizen, Miami, Florida. Both, Marianne and Kristina are the mothers of three children! Mocha Lee (Virginia), Gina Oakes (North Carolina), ShaNay Norvel (Ohio), Kate Brown (Florida) and Charisse "Reesie" Rivers (Gainesville, Florida - a Gator) rounded out the top ten.

The Fitness Routine followed and just like the Grace and Physique, the results were extremely close (yes, a barn burner). Close wasn't the word as veteran athletes Gina Oakes, Sandra Augustin, and Patti Franklin (Maryland) battled it out. First place was awarded to Sandra (9.41) as she edged out Gina (9.38). Patti (mother of four) finished in third.

The Obstacle Course, sponsored by "The Army of One", U.S. Army, was the next event on the agenda. Fast, was the word at Flamingo Park, as 10 athletes broke 59 seconds in the 160yard course. Blazing (maybe it should be smoking) to a first place finish was Tonia "T" D'Anna (Inverness, Florida) as she ran an unbelievable 48.470. In second place was ShaNay "Perpetual Motion" Norvel with a 51.430. Taking home the third place trophy was Vida Garcia (Maryland). Rounding out the top ten and finishing under 59 seconds were: Mocha Lee, Gina Oakes, Patti Franklin, Sylvia Ferrero, Charisse Rivers, Kyra Soriano, and Marianne Colon.

In the MOCC (Men's Obstacle Course Challenge) the winner was Alan Rodriugez (Tampa, Florida) followed by Chad Augustin (Sacramento, CA) and Web "Spider Man" Phillips (Lakeland, Florida).

The last event was Fitness Skills consisting of Bench Press, Box Jumps, and Shuttle Run.
The highlight of the Skills Event was the breaking of a Event Record in the Shuttle Run. Kyra Soriano, Orlando, Florida, set a new record with a time of 35.63 seconds. There was a tie in bench press, Sandra Augustin and Kate Brown with 42 repetitions. The queen of the box jumps retained her title as Vida Garcia edged out Gina Oakes.
The Overall Fitness Skill title went to Sylvia Ferrero. The rest of the top ten are as follows: Patti Franklin, Sandra Augustin, Vida Garcia, Mocha Lee, Gina Oakes, Kate Brown, Laura Zietz, ShaNay Norvel, and Tonia D'Anna.

The final awards are broken down into 3 different categories:
1) Dual Fitness - combination of Obstacle Course and Fitness Skills
2) Dual Optional - combination of Obstacle Course, Fitness Skills, and Grace & Physique.
3) *TRI-FITNESS - COMBINATION OF ALL FOUR EVENTS.

**TRI-FITNESS (sponsored by Boddy Shoppe Gym & Fitness)**
SANDRA AUGUSTIN
GINA OAKES
PATTI FRANKLIN