2011 Bodybuilding year in review: Top 20 notable moments

2011 presented memorable and heartfelt moments in the sport of bodybuilding. There were many amateur competitors who won pro cards, pros who relinquished pro cards and ahtletes who lost their lives. Week after week bodybuilding athletes came to the shows to entertain, show of their hard work and to offer great stories to pass on to others in the industry. 2011 proved to be an eventful year. Check out these top 20 notable moments.

1. Dana Linn Bailey became the First Lady of the new women’s physique division (WPD). In an interview Bailey said she was too big for figure and too small for female bodybuilding. The women’s physique division opened a happy medium for other athletes in the same position.
2. Men’s physique division (MPD) grew exponentially. Like its WPD counterpart, men's physique offered bodybuilding athletes a chance to compete without needing to put on massive amounts of muscle.
3. Former International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro Art Atwood died, as well as amateur master’s bodybuilding athlete Steve Kapper.
4. Paul Dillet announced Lee Priest as one of the World Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation's (WBFF) newest athletes. Priest was an IFBB Pro, but was banned from the organization for competing in the Pro Division Inc. Night of Champions. Although reinstated with the IFBB he never competed in the organization again.
5. Emily Stirling regained her title at the 2011 WBFF World Championships. During 2010 she placed second to Monica Brant who crossed over from the IFBB to the WBFF. Stirling is now a three-time WBFF World’s champion.
6. Inga Molla, fourteen-year old, wins the Arnold Classic Europe bikini division. A multitude of negative responses were set off by this decision.
7. Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the most famous bodybuilders in history, and wife Maria Shriver divorced. The scandal began after Schwarzenegger admitted to fathering a child outside of their marriage with a member of the household staff.
8. Branch Warren tore his quadriceps tendon four weeks from the Olympia.  He is recovering well, and expects to compete in the 2012 event.
9. Iris Kyle wins her sixth consecutive Ms. Olympia.
10. Nicole Wilkins wins the 2011 Figure Olympia.
11. Adela Garcia wins her sixth fitness Olympia title.
12. Four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler was dethroned and Phil Heath became the new Mr. Olympia.
13. The IFBB Sheru Classic was born with an all star cast of bodybuilding athletes.  Mr. O Phil Heath and Ms. Figure Olympia Nicole Wilkins participated in the Sheru Classic and took first place in their divisions.
14. IFPA Pro Patricia Beckman won the IFPA Pro Yorton Cup World Championships for two consecutive years.
15. Ingrid Romero, Obi Obadike and David Kimmerle relinquished their WBFF pro-card status. Both Romero and Obadike plan to continue their endeavors with the National Physique Committee (NPC).
16. Victor Martinez remains in custody at the Hudson County Correctional Facility, pending a January hearing.  The hearing decides whether Martinez is charged with a crime, released or deported to the Dominican Republic due to immigration violations. He is not an U.S. citizen, and this is his second arrest in the United States.
17. Well known porn star Jenna Jameson was sponsored as a Gaspari “athlete.”
18. The NPC and IFBB are well-known in the U.S., but Paul Dillet’s WBFF is growing vastly. Dillet's bodybuilding organization added 10 new shows to its U.S. lineup.
19. Although the 2010 USA Overall Champ Jason Huh brought in a small waist and good package he did not place well in his New York Pro début. Muscular Development did not "resign" their sponsorship contract with Huh. 
20. Kelly Ryan is up for possible parole release December 23, 2011. Ryan and husband Craig Titus set their assistant Melissa James ablaze in Ryan’ jaguar. The family of James have lobbied and written letters to the Nevada state governor’s office to create full awareness of the case. Though unofficial, it is circulating that Ryan has no chance of a parole release, and it may be another three to five years in prison for the once popular fitness professional.