Dear NPC Oklahoma Members,
I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who have been supportive of the NPC Oklahoma throughout the years and in this New Year. I am very pleased with the enthusiasm and cooperation that went on at all our shows and events last year, we had record numbers of athletes and fans in attendance. Together we can spread the word and excitement of fitness and bodybuilding as a growth sport in the Midwest. As all of you know our goal is to put a fresh and professional face on the NPC Oklahoma  and with the commitment from from all of you, we will achieve those goals. I ask you to be proactive and take your passion about for our organization and sport out into your gyms, community, businesses, and share it with other potential NPC members. Remember you do not have to be a competitor to be an active NPC member. Just a few reminders:
The website is in the process of being updated for 2010 so check it regularly for new and exciting changes and pictures this year we will update regularly as news comes in—so send me your announcements, achievements, etc.(www.okbodybuilding.com)
Bikini Criteria Change:Bikini bottoms must cover 50% of the gluteal area.We will post examples of acceptable suit bottoms on the site in the next week. However if you have any questions please feel free to call or e-mail me and when in doubt bring a second backup suit with a more modest bottom.
If you have not already obtained your NPC membership- don’t wait until you compete (membership runs by the calendar year Jan 1- Dec. 31), do not miss out on all 6 issues of the NPC Magazine as well as other mail outs and NPC announcements.The membership fee for 2010 is 90.00
Officials, Judges, Test-judges, promoters, and expediters-Must have membership by January of each calendar year. (However, this is beneficial for all NPC athletes!)
Promoters- Approval of all your mail outs, correspondence, and posters is mandatory before they are printed and sent out. All sanction fees need to be into the NPC Oklahoma Chairperson before you can advertise your event and begin the promotion process. For this year sanction fees should be in by January (see me if we need to work out a different plan) Also, you must contact by phone, e-mail, or postcard all athletes as you receive their entry and be sure they are aware of the times of the various phases of the competition.
Check the website to join the NPC Oklahoma in a very worthwhile cause the Oklahoma Special Olympics. We will be volunteering as a group to help out on dates to be announced on our website during the months of April and May!
We are looking for website sponsors- if interested contact npcoklahoma@cox.net a great way to target your market audience, help to maintain the NPC Oklahoma site and advertise at a very nominal fee.
Anyone interested in test judging please contact me through the website to check on required criteria (notify Chairperson at least two week in advance of the competitions you will be test judging-you must pass two competitions with 85% or better and a written exam) and members interested in volunteering time, talents, or services to the NPC Oklahoma e-mail npcoklahoma@ cox.net or go to www.okbodybuilding.com           Please come out and support all the 2010 NPC Oklahoma competitions!

2010 NPC Oklahoma Schedule:
May 8th, Tulsa- The Battle of the Bodies and Kendra Elias Fitness, Figure, & Bikini Championships Tulsa-Thoreau Demonstration Academy(non-qualifier)- Promoters- Michael & Kendra Elias, michael@michaelandkendra.com, 918-633-4185
June 5th, Tulsa- The NPC Oklahoma Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure and Teen Fitness Championships-(National qualifier)-Union Performing Arts Center Promoters- Eileen Luis & Tom Burke,www.npcoklahoma.org,  918-851-5538
Sept ? (TBA) Edmond, Total Package Championships-University of Central Oklahoma- (non-qualifier)-promoter- Darrell Terrell,www.darrellterrel.com, totalpackage06@sbcglobal.net
Oct 23rd, Red River Championships, Norman- (National Qualifier)-promoter Randy Sandberg, rsandberg@cox.net, 405-579-1598

Yours in Health and Fitness,

Eileen Luis
NPC OKLAHOMA CHAIRPERSON
WWW.NPCOKLAHOMA.ORG

Hard to believe another competition year is here and many of you are either deep in preparation or eagerly anticipating the upcoming season. The Battle of the Bodies and Kendra Elias Fitness, Figure, & Bikini is in full gear as they anticipate another successful competition. The promoters say they have an exciting evening of competition planned and that entries are coming in! The Prejudging will begin at 6pm on May 2nd at the Thoreau Demonstration Academy on 71st Street in Tulsa–there will be a brief intermission followed by the finals –so everything will be done in the evening–Awesome for the competitors who would like to do battle then EAT! Any questions can be answered on the homepage of this site or by calling the promoters Michael & Kendra.

The 2009 NPC OKlahoma Championships is a National Qualifier open to all in-state and OUT-of-STATE Competitors so it will make for an amazing display of the regions best muscle and physiques!! One of our guest posers in New IFBB Pro and BSN poster-boy Brandon Curry–he promises to be in amazing shape. We will also have some surprise guest posers that will grace the stage! All tickets sales, entry forms, information, and backstages passes can be accessed on our homepage. Best of luck to you all and thank you to all the great fans who support us!

PLEASE JOIN US ON JUNE 14TH AT THE UNION PERFORMING ARTS CENTER IN TULSA FOR THE 2008 NPC OKLAHOMA CHAMPIONSHIPS (GO TO HOMEPAGE FOR ALL THE DETAILS) TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW ONLINE AND AT SUPPLEMENT SHAK IN TULSA–TICKETS ARE SELLING FAST!!! WE ARE EXCITED TO PRESENT WEIDER IFBB PRO PETER PUTNAM AND OTHER SPECIAL GUEST PERFORMERS. MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING SPORTING EVENTS IN OKLAHOMA WHERE THE BEST BODIES IN THE NATION WILL COMPETE FOR A CHANCE TO GO ON TO NPC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! SEE YOU JUNE 14TH- PREJUDGING 9:00AM   FINALS 6:00 PM

Wow, what a great show with top Quality Athletes and hardworking promoters, Michael & Kendra Elias!
Every year and every competition I never cease to be amazed at the incredible people I meet and the amazing life stories that I am privileged to say they share with me. Stories of faith, of perseverance, of over coming giant obstacles, of fighting against the tide when all the odds say they will fail and in some cases of battling back from hitting rock bottom to reach amazing physical health and achieve victory. The 2008 NPC Battle of the Bodies and Kendra Elias Fitness & Figure Championship was a huge success on many levels; the quality of the competitors was exceptional, the audience participation was genuine, the staff was dedicated and caring, and the ultimate outcome was that health and fitness is alive and well in Oklahoma despite the nonsense you read in the papers lately.
To the athletes ~ your desire to selectively choose to be the best on an individual basis while supporting each other backstage was truly inspiring. Know that your “one moment in time” to shine on that stage inspired many and set a record of excellence that will live on in our minds. You have touched our hearts and our minds (and forced us to go to the gym tomorrow!) to believe it is important to achieve our personal best and you will not just be recalled—you will be remembered because you dared to walk on that stage and do what others only dream of—thank you.
To all the judges and volunteers-you are an amazing group of friends that I am humbled to know—mere words could not express my gratitude for the time and effort you so selflessly dedicate to the service of others on your “weekend” time with family. To our promoters Michael and Kendra Elias congratulations on a job well done!We will have pictures and results posted shortly, so keep checking back!
We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the 2008 NPC Oklahoma & Central Classic Championships (A National Qualifier-open to all competitors-Out of State Welcome!) on June 14th in Tulsa. Please visit our website, www.okbodybuilding.org often for updates, competition pics, and further information about the NPC Total Package (Sept. 20) and the Red River (Oct 25th).
Eileen Luis
NPC Oklahoma Chairperson
www.npcoklahoma.org

Services for Van will be held Friday, Feb. 15th at 10:00am

Rest Haven Memorial Gardens

500 S.W. 104th & Walker,
Oklahoma City, O.K. 73139

405-691-1661

N.P.C. OF THE U.S.A.- OKLAHOMA
I, like many of you am proud to have been a friend of Van Nguyen. He was, without a doubt, one of the most interesting people I have ever known — intelligent, sweet, talented, street-wise, yet with a gentle quietness and he was an impeccable gentleman . He was an amazing friend to everyone who knew him and a treasured member , judge, competitor, and CHAMPION of the NPC Oklahoma. Since hearing of his death everything has been so strange and disorienting. It’s as though the fabric of reality has been torn or twisted. Van’s entire life was about making people happy, this is not an exaggeration or euphemism; Van seemed to make everyone happy wherever he went. Nothing made him happier than nurturing and sharing his knowledge with others. Nothing made him prouder or happier than his son or his wife. He exuded compassion wherever he went and had a reassuring manner that gave confidence to others. He was the ultimate fighter. He was strong… incredibly strong, it was a quite strength that made you feel happy to be around him. He was the consummate professional on stage or on the judging panel. Those who competed against him knew they had to be at their best to hold their own against him as he commanded everyone’s attention when he stepped on the stage. Yet when he walked off the stage he was a very humble and unassuming Champion. In recent years he showed us how the deepest strength flowed from vulnerability. Van’s untimely passing reminds us all to look at the people around you — all your family and friends, all the people who knew Van, and the incredible bonds he formed between all of us. We’re like a giant jigsaw puzzle that fits together so tightly and when you remove one piece, you can still see its outline in the empty space. All of the love Van left behind, the relationships he nurtured… they define his shape…his legacy. You can still see him and feel him. Van will be remembered for his perseverance and ability to never give up no matter what the obstacles. He will be remember for his ability to warm a room with his gentle smile and quite knowledge of self.

Why did this untimely death happen to Van? This is one of the many imponderables in life ; these are the moments which nothing in life “prepares us for”. Van’s involvement in our sport was a defining moment in Van’s life and because of his passion we benefitted, were inspired, and motivated to do our best. Van loved our sport, he adored his beloved wife and son, his family and friends and he will be missed with the same passion that he loved life. I wish to leave you with one thought… remember his family after everyone else has gone and the initial shock has worn off. Remember the way Van lived his life with grace, diginity, and love…we are all better people for having the gift of Van in our lives.

Eileen Luis
NPC Oklahoma State Chairperson
www.okbodybuilding.com

” A luminous light remains
where a beautiful soul has passed,
Gone too soon…”

Cold weather and ice storms prohibited the usual larger turnout for the NPC Annual meeting held for 2008, but the individuals in attendance were enthusiastic and the meeting went smoothly.Items covered were as follows:

 2008 Competition schedule:

• May 3, 2008- NPC Battle of the Bodies & Kendra Elias Fitness & Figure(non-qualifier)