A first-person account of the Fairfax Games

Dear Collegian Readers,

As a first-time attendee to a bodybuilding competition, I must admit that I was in awe with the exhilarant atmosphere. My first impressions were of all the vendors that lined the common area. There were stations from protein powders all the way to gyms that wanted to promote their style of fitness. Upon a further look, I began to notice all of the “athletes” who wore special nametags, although you could notice them from their intense physiques. All of the athletes were talking with their friends and family before the prejudging ceremony, which is where all of the scoring occurs. The official judge referred to this section as the most important aspect of the competition.

At around 11:45 a.m., everyone began to file into the auditorium. By noon, the prejudging ceremony had begun. Of the 80 competitors, there were multiple sections split according to age and height. Each group was called out to the stage and given specific directions to show off all of their hard work and determination that led to their impressive bodies. First, for the body builders, each participant completed four quarter turns. They were then directed to complete a front double bicep, front lat spread, side chest, side tricep, rear double bicep, rear lat spread, side chest, side tricep, hands over head abdominal and thigh, and most muscular.

I know all of those directions sound like gibberish. I too felt that way. But, with each group, I began to become more and more invested in the competition. The atmosphere of this section was exhilarating in that there were competitors from around the world. Everyone in the audience was screaming for their friend or family member in a variety of languages. I’m obsessed with fitness, so with every group I said some variation of “wow.”

After a short intermission, the audience filed back into the auditorium for the guest performance. This was equally as exciting because it was an opportunity to see a pro in action. Rico slowly came onto stage in a robotic form with a cape on. To the beat, he began to complete his routine, which was amazing! Rico has been completely drug free his entire life.

The judges were then recognized. The MC then announced that all of the competitors would also have the opportunity to show a one-minute routine. Everyone picked his or her own routine and I was overwhelmed with the atmosphere. I described the earlier atmosphere as exhilarating, but this was beyond that. It left me speechless actually. I simply was screaming and tapping other friends in the audience to talk about what I was seeing for the first time. Between one of the performances there was a small technical difficulty. At this time the MC asked the head judge to describe what they were looking for when judging a bodybuilding competition and named a few examples such as symmetry, muscle mass and cardio strength. The head judge agreed and was going to add to the statement when an audience member shouted, “ I’m just looking for their number,” referring to the female competitors. It was entertaining!

Overall, this experience taught me so much, even though I was only an audience member. My purpose for attending the competition was to support my good friend Dave, who ended up winning the gold medal for his height and age class. Throughout his training, I would help spot his lifts and ask questions regarding all the training he was going through. After seeing him on stage, I was inspired to compete myself. With his help and help from friends and a coach, I plan to compete in a bikini competition in October. Sometimes people change your life unintentionally for the best, and I must say this was one of those circumstances.

Best,

Tabby