Fancy moves, poses highlight Mr. and Ms. Penn

Sophomore Quinna Snooks and medical researcher Sheldon Martin won the titles Ms. and Mr. Penn. The generous application of body oils and the white-hot glare of theatrical lights aside, the competitors in last night's Mr. and Ms. Penn Bodybuilding Contest were the genuine article. "The men and women here tonight truly reflect the spectrum and diversity of Penn," event founder, organizer and master of ceremonies Tony Tenisci said. "They are all unified by their pursuit of physical excellence." Sheldon Martin, a recent graduate currently working at HUP and applying to medical schools, was crowned the new Mr. Penn, and Qianna Snooks, a College sophomore and member of the women's track team, took top honors in the female division. "I don't know if I'd do it again, but it was a great first time," Martin said. "I trained for about six weeks, went on a pretty rigorous diet and as the event got closer, I really tightened up my diet and my training." The victories of Martin and Snooks were the culmination of a nearly three-hour program, which electrified the more-than-capacity crowd of at least 500 people in the theater of International House. Tenisci began the event with some opening remarks. Donning a black suit, he was undoubtedly the most conservatively dressed of the stage's occupants. The men ignored their shyness and went with the speedo-only look, while the women contestants wore flattering but barely-there bikinis. "It takes a lot of guts to get up there three-fourths naked and pose," defending champion Michele Satine said. The night's program began with the lightweight men. These seven young men quickly whipped the crowd into a frenzy, first in six compulsory poses and then in a series of original routines. "That's the best part I think, that everybody chooses their own routine," spectator and Penn senior Molly Sullivan said. "It's just a lot of fun." Engineering senior Yusef Kassim, with his agile footwork set to the rhythm of the Jackson Five song "ABC," took first place in the lightweight division. Senior Terrance Whitehead and junior David Goldman rounded out the top three. Goldman, who was introduced by the name David "Danger" Goldman, was the first of two male contestants to assume the identity of Austin Powers. Both he and middleweight runner-up Roger Wu set their routines to the tune of "I Touch Myself." Wu added a more elaborate costume and candy cigarettes as props, but, unfortunately for him, had to take the stage after Goldman's version. "I knew that he was going to do the same thing for almost a week now," Wu, a Management and Technology junior, said. "There's no use crying over spilled milk." Wu was second best among a middleweight group that produced the overall winner and provided the most boisterous posedown of the night. Martin, the eventual victor, beat out Wu and sophomore decathalete Josh Coleman for the middleweight crown. Coleman galvanized the audience with his acrobatics and vivacity. He was one of two male competitors to include a back-flip in his routine, the other being heavyweight wrestler Bandele Adeniyi-Bada. "My kick at the end of the routine was definitely inspired by Dirk Diggler," Coleman said. "I think I got the crowd into it. My chest just wasn't big enough to beat the other two." The lightweight women's division saw heated competition as well. Satine, last year's Ms. Penn, was defeated by Snooks. Third place went to Vicki Moore, a College senior and member of the track team, who struck the crowd's fancy by mouthing the lyrics to M.C. Hammer's "U Can't Touch This." Senior Aqiyla Muhammad garnered the top place in the middleweight women division. Sophomore Bassey Adjah and Kelly Haberer followed close behind. "I am very satisfied with my performance," said Haberer, a gymnast and one of only three non-track athletes to compete for the women's title. "I started training for this about four weeks into the recommended nine weeks, and I'm really glad I did it." The final division of the night was the male heavyweight category. The nine contestants were so bulky and numerous that they could not all fit on the stage at once. Junior engineering student Darnel Degand won the division, outstripping a field that included Chris Hennessy, a Ph.D. candidate in economics. The bronze found a home with senior Rich Carlson, and second place went to sophomore Matt Newcomb, whose mock strip-tease in his routine and Hulk Hogan imitation in the posedown encouraged the crowd's cheers. Newcomb recovered nicely from his slight disappointment as evidenced by the grin and doughnut he wielded immediately following the contest. "It's a really great event," men's track and field assistant coach Nathan Taylor said. "You wouldn't expect to find such an event at an Ivy League school, but it's really a lot of fun."