Home|Sports|Bodybuilding nationals set for SaturdaySports
Over 50 athletes expected to compete in the bodybuilding and fitness nationals
Simba FrenchSend an emailJuly 14, 2022 252 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
Local bodybuilding and fitness fans will have an opportunity to watch a show, featuring the sport, after two years of being starved as the Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (BBFF) gets ready to host the 49th BBFF National Championship at the Atlantis Theater at Atlantis, Paradise Island on Saturday. Action gets underway at 7 p.m.
There are about 50 athletes who will be competing, and some may register at the last minute. They will compete in men’s physique, men’s muscular physique, women’s figure, women’s bikini, women’s wellness, women’s fit model, women’s fitness, men’s fitness, men’s fit model, men’s classic physique and men’s bodybuilding.
BBFF President Joel Stubbs said that the show is on and the athletes are ready to perform.
“The athletes are all geared up and everyone is in a good mindset. They are ready to battle and compete for this year’s title. They are some 10 divisions up for grabs including the men’s bodybuilding category, which is the most intense of them all. There are also competitors in the softer categories like woman’s bikini, where there will be a lot of female competitors who are not muscle-bound but will showcase a curvy structured shapely body,” Stubbs said.
One of those athletes participating in the men’s physique category this weekend is Our News sportscaster Marcellus Hall.
“I made the decision to do the show less than 12 weeks ago, but I was training all along so it was not much of an adjustment. The last four to five weeks, I had to buckle down and put in the extra workouts and be conscious of nutrition. It began to take a toll on me these last few weeks because the energy level is low. This is the time that I have to focus because it is getting to the nitty-gritty,” Hall said.
Also participating in that same category is Terrion Kemp. He spoke about his preparation for the show.
“For the past 12 weeks, it was very intense training-wise as I trained twice per day and ate about six to seven meals per day on a strict diet. Those were the things I had to do so I can showcase the best on stage,” Kemp said.
Stubbs spoke positively about the show that took place in Freeport, Grand Bahama, earlier this month – the BBFF Northern Bahamas Championships. He is expecting to see some of the athletes who took part in the northern championships on the stage at Atlantis on Saturday night. Some of those athletes expected to compete again are Orick Nesbitt, Andrew Sweeting, Sanadia Smith, Taneka Kemp, Altonique Curtis, Taneka Thompson, Danielle Rollins and Shinaia Pierre.
Some of the athletes from New Providence who will be competing are Andrew Gibson, Giovani Farrington, Gemo Smith, Kaif Young and Wellington Wallace.
The president is pleased that there are some new faces who will be competing. Some of the usual athletes who compete decided to turn to the professional ranks.
“We have seen a lot of new faces stepping up to the plate. On Saturday, persons who come to the show will see competitors who they are not accustomed to seeing at shows over the years. They will be graced with new presence. We are thankful to those individuals for giving it a try,” Stubbs said.
There will be a trophy that will be given to the gym which has the most athletes participating in the show.
The federation is inviting the public to check out the weigh-in of the athletes at J-Line Fitness on Shirley Street. That event stats at 5 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m. on Friday.
General admission tickets are $25 each in advance and $30 each at the door. VIP tickets are $40 each in advance and $45 each at the door.