2003 is the first year that the IFBB has made Figure a pro event, starting with the 2003 Figure International on February 28th in Columbus, Ohio, However, currently, there are only about 20 figure pro's, as each women had to decide whether she wanted to compete in fitness, figure or bodybuilding. You can convert from one to the other during the year.
Also new to figure is that the top NPC figure shows, where you can turn pro, will have not three figure height classes, but FOUR this year. They wlll be broken down too as follows:
- 5'2" and lower
- Over 5'2" to 5'3"
- Over 5"3" to 5'5"
- Over 5'5"
You can turn pro in three contests this year, the Junior USA, the Junior Nationals, and the National Figure Championships. One winner is eligible to turn pro at the Junior USA (the overall). Four winners are eligible to turn pro at the Junior Nationals (the top winner of each class), and 12 (yes, twelve) winners will be able to turn pro at the National Figure Champions (the top three in each classes). That means, this year, there are 17 ways to turn pro in figure!
However, in non-national NPC Figure events, promoters can choose between having two heigh classes or three height classes, depending on how many people enter the contest. If there are only two height classes in the show, it will be:
- 5'3" and lower
- Over 5'3"
If there are three height classes, it will be:
- 5'3" and lower
- Over 5'3" to 5'5"
- Over 5'5"