Betty Pariso
Encyclopedia
Betty Pariso is a professional bodybuilder from the United States. She stands out among other female bodybuilders as the oldest professional bodybuiler, still competing at the age of 54. She is also the IFBB Competitor's Rep for the female athletes.
From a family of four children, Betty became a part-time model and a minister's wife in her earlier years. Betty started weight training in her early 30s to stay fit and add weight to what she thought was too much of a "stick figure" type of body. She began competing in the early 1990s and was able to achieve pro card status at the 1996 NPC Nationals. This was a very high achievement for Betty as by doing this she had become the oldest (at the age of 40) women to earn an IFBB Pro card. It was during this time in the early 1990s that Betty (whose married name was then Betty Carmichael) married for a second time, this time to Ed Pariso (Betty also has two children (Lacy and Justin) from her first marriage). Much later, Betty and Ed also became the sponsors for the Europa Super Show.
As a professional competitor, Pariso's main goal was to win a pro show as the only competitor over the age of fifty. Her first competitions as a professional were a bit rocky with a 15th at the Jan Tana Classic
and an 11th at her first Ms. International
. She soon became one of the most successful competitors in the Women's Division by reaching the top five in almost every competition she has entered. In 2001 she won the heavyweight class at the Jan Tana. There was no overall champion in that contest which made this the first pro win of her career.
Today Betty is one of the most popular female bodybuilders and serves as a role model for all women over forty. With her husband, Betty owns and operates an industrial equipment and parts distributions company; she is also the owner and promoter of the Southwest USA Health & Fitness Expo. She is one of the few women bodybuilders in America to have a contract with a sponsor in the bodybuilding industry. She is also the IFBB Competitor's Rep for female competitors, and is constantly working with the representatives of the IFBB in order to improve the state of Women's Bodybuilding.
When Betty is not competing, she is a wife, a mother, and, recently, a grandmother to her family. In 2006 Pariso won the 2006 female Athlete of the year at the Flex Awards for her outstanding achievement in the industry. She also placed in the top six at the Olympia and International and suggested a weight class system for the professional bodybuilders and a new division contest for women bodybuilders and fitness/figure competitors.
She had to withdraw from the 2009 IFBB Arnold Classic in March of that year due to a high fever. Later on she competed at the 2009 IFBB New York Pro where she placed second, and later went on to win her second pro title, the 2009 IFBB Tampa Bay Pro in Florida.
Biography
Betty grew up on a farm, enjoying a healthy and athletic lifestyle that included lots of volleyball and track. In fact, Betty's athletic prowess in the field even attracted the attention of university scouts. Ping-pong was also a fixture of her childhood. Betty grew up without television, but often visited her grandmother to enjoy her programs as a child.From a family of four children, Betty became a part-time model and a minister's wife in her earlier years. Betty started weight training in her early 30s to stay fit and add weight to what she thought was too much of a "stick figure" type of body. She began competing in the early 1990s and was able to achieve pro card status at the 1996 NPC Nationals. This was a very high achievement for Betty as by doing this she had become the oldest (at the age of 40) women to earn an IFBB Pro card. It was during this time in the early 1990s that Betty (whose married name was then Betty Carmichael) married for a second time, this time to Ed Pariso (Betty also has two children (Lacy and Justin) from her first marriage). Much later, Betty and Ed also became the sponsors for the Europa Super Show.
As a professional competitor, Pariso's main goal was to win a pro show as the only competitor over the age of fifty. Her first competitions as a professional were a bit rocky with a 15th at the Jan Tana Classic
Jan Tana Classic
The Jan Tana Classic was a female bodybuilding contest organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders. The contest was named for its promoter, a marketer of tanning products. The Jan Tana Classic was generally considered to be the third most prestigious contest for female bodybuilders,...
and an 11th at her first Ms. International
Ms. International
Ms. International is a contest of professional female bodybuilding, organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . "The Ms. International" is generally considered to be the second-most prestigious competition for female bodybuilders . It was first held in 1986, and has been held...
. She soon became one of the most successful competitors in the Women's Division by reaching the top five in almost every competition she has entered. In 2001 she won the heavyweight class at the Jan Tana. There was no overall champion in that contest which made this the first pro win of her career.
Today Betty is one of the most popular female bodybuilders and serves as a role model for all women over forty. With her husband, Betty owns and operates an industrial equipment and parts distributions company; she is also the owner and promoter of the Southwest USA Health & Fitness Expo. She is one of the few women bodybuilders in America to have a contract with a sponsor in the bodybuilding industry. She is also the IFBB Competitor's Rep for female competitors, and is constantly working with the representatives of the IFBB in order to improve the state of Women's Bodybuilding.
When Betty is not competing, she is a wife, a mother, and, recently, a grandmother to her family. In 2006 Pariso won the 2006 female Athlete of the year at the Flex Awards for her outstanding achievement in the industry. She also placed in the top six at the Olympia and International and suggested a weight class system for the professional bodybuilders and a new division contest for women bodybuilders and fitness/figure competitors.
She had to withdraw from the 2009 IFBB Arnold Classic in March of that year due to a high fever. Later on she competed at the 2009 IFBB New York Pro where she placed second, and later went on to win her second pro title, the 2009 IFBB Tampa Bay Pro in Florida.
Contest History
- 1992 AAU Ms America - 2nd (MT)
- 1993 NPC Junior Nationals - 13th (HW)
- 1994 NPC Junior Nationals - 1st (MW)
- 1994 NPC Mixed Pairs - 1st (with Winston Williams as a Partner)
- 1994 NPC USA Championships - 4th (MW)
- 1995 NPC USA Championships - 3rd (HW)
- 1996 NPC Nationals - 1st (HW)
- 1996 NPC USA Championships - 3rd (HW)
- 1997 IFBB Jan Tana ClassicJan Tana ClassicThe Jan Tana Classic was a female bodybuilding contest organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders. The contest was named for its promoter, a marketer of tanning products. The Jan Tana Classic was generally considered to be the third most prestigious contest for female bodybuilders,...
- 15th - 1998 IFBB Ms. InternationalMs. InternationalMs. International is a contest of professional female bodybuilding, organized by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . "The Ms. International" is generally considered to be the second-most prestigious competition for female bodybuilders . It was first held in 1986, and has been held...
- 11th - 1998 IFBB Jan Tana Pro Classic - 5th
- 1999 IFBB Pro Extravaganza - 4th
- 1999 IFBB Ms International - 14th
- 1999 IFBBInternational Federation of BodyBuildersThe International Federation of BodyBuilders is a competitive bodybuilding organization founded in 1946 by brothers Ben and Joe Weider and is the highest level of competitive bodybuilding in the world. Currently, the IFBB consists of seven different sub-divisions for different competitors ,...
Jan Tana Pro Classic - 4th - 1999 IFBB World Pro Championships - 5th
- 2000 IFBB Ms International - 6th (HW)
- 2000 IFBB Jan Tana Pro Classic - 2nd (HW)
- 2001 IFBB Pro Extravaganza - 3rd (HW)
- 2001 IFBB Ms International - 5th (HW)
- 2001 IFBB Jan Tana Pro Classic - 1st (HW) and Overall
- 2001 IFBB Ms. OlympiaMs. OlympiaMs. Olympia is the title given to the winner of the women's bodybuilding portion of Joe Weider's Olympia Weekend - an international bodybuilding competition that is held annually by the International Federation of BodyBuilders . It was first held in 1980, and since 2000 it has been held at the same...
- 6th (HW) - 2002 IFBB Ms International - 5th (HW)
- 2002 IFBB Jan Tana Pro Classic - 2nd (HW)
- 2003 IFBB Ms. International - 2nd (HW)
- 2003 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 6th (HW)
- 2004 IFBB Ms. International - 3rd (HW)
- 2004 IFBB Night of Champions - 2nd (HW)
- 2004 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 4th (HW)
- 2004 IFBB Show of Strength Pro Championship - 2nd (HW)
- 2005 IFBB Charlotte Pro Championships - 2nd (HW)
- 2005 IFBB Ms. International - 3rd (HW)
- 2005 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 8th
- 2006 IFBB Atlantic City Pro - 5th
- 2006 IFBB Ms. International - 5th
- 2006 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 6th
- 2007 IFBB Ms. International - 5th
- 2007 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 6th
- 2008 IFBB Ms. International - 4th
- 2008 IFBB Ms. Olympia - 7th
- 2009 IFBB New York Pro - 2nd
- 2009 IFBB Tampa Bay Pro - 1st