NBPFA.com

End of Year 2007
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I would like to wish everyone all the best for the New Year! Wow, where does the time go, as we say goodbye to another year and reflect back and cherish those special moments of 2007. As we celebrate the holidays with friends and family our thoughts are on the New Year and what it may bring. It is going on two years since I took over as President of the NB Association from Len Collette, and I want to personally thank everyone for your tremendous support. Thanks to past President Len and his many years of hard work, our sport has a rich history of great bodybuilding competitions that spans over 30 years. Hopefully, with your continued support I can expand upon this great legacy.

Garry and Arnold at the 2007 Arnold Classic

As President, I feel it is my job to promote and spread a positive image for bodybuilding and figure athletes. It is no secret that our sport has had a lot of bad publicity in the past few years. As a result, I feel that our athletes are not getting the proper respect and positive media attention they deserve. Hopefully, with some changes and continued emphasis on the positive aspects of our sport, we can work together to raise the popularity of our sport in the public eye.

We had a spectacular and very successful Atlantic’s and NB Championship in 2007 and the feedback has been very positive. Most are very happy with the direction that bodybuilding and figure in New Brunswick are going. Obviously, we must be doing something right. However, all this is not accomplished without the help of some very special people. Without question, Simply For Life’s founder Bruce Sweeney is one of NB’s most passionate and generous supporters and is responsible for much of the current success our sport enjoys. Sadly, a lot of business’s do not want to be associated with bodybuilding. Fortunately, that is not the case with Simply For Life who has supported our sport for the past five years. Along with Bruce, I want to thank SFL owners; Steve Sweeney in Moncton and Neil Burchill of Fredericton, who also have generously sponsored and devoted their valuable time to encouraging and training athletes for our shows.

Others who stand out in their efforts to support and keep bodybuilding growing in NB are Dieppe promoters Ti-Jean and Heather LeBlanc, Canadian Made Muscle owner Adam Walker, Video expert Dave Mann, Chief Judge and Vice President of the NBPFA Duncan Lombard, MC Joe Grondin, statistician Angela Carver, judges Stephanie Wood, Pat Roy, Glen Titus, Corey Arsenault, Wayne Doucette, Jean Belliveau, and Sebastian MacLean.

Of course we wouldn’t exist without the support of the many athletes that grace the stages of our competitions, and I want to extend a special thanks to all of you, and in particular last fall’s overall New Brunswick Championship winners Andrew Kupkee and Rachel Vienneau-LeBlanc. At 44, Andrew is a familiar face in NB bodybuilding, winning his division on several previous occasions. He is the first NB competitor to win both the Masters and Overall NB title.

Salim Satir

On the national scene we can’t forget 2006 Lightweight Canadian Champion Mike Griffin who has generously given his time to help athletes get ready backstage at our events.

I also want to congratulate Saint John’s muscular marvel Salim Satir on his great showing at the 2007 Nationals. He finished fourth in a very competitive heavyweight category. This was Salim’s first Nationals and he surprised and impressed a lot of people. I think he is the guy to watch for 2008.

We have an exciting new year coming up and it is my intention to continue to find ways of increasing the popularity of our competitions. There has been a lot of positive feedback regarding the addition of the women’s Masters Figure category at last year’s Atlantics and New Brunswick Championships. Also, the new Classic Physique category proved very popular at last fall’s provincials, and I hope to see interest in this division grow as time goes by.

The one ongoing problem that I often hear is the length of our competitions. Fans begin to get tired and loose interest when the show lasts longer than three hours. I agree that our shows extend forty-five minutes to an hour longer than most fans feel necessary. We are taking a close look at this problem for our 2008 season, and hope to come up with a solution that will cut the length of the show down. Of course the ultimate length of a show is determined by the number of competitors. However, after reviewing the 2007 New Brunswick provincials, I think that too much time was spent on introductions of the figure competitors which in some cases, were repeated several times for the same athlete. Beginning in 2008 at the Atlantic’s each figure athlete will only be introduced once, with their personal bio being read during their stage walk in round one of the competition. In round two, each athlete will be introduced and instructed to walk to the center line of the stage. Depending on the number of competitors, I think 30 to 45 minutes could be saved with this new procedure.

Finally, it is my pleasure to officially announce that the 30th anniversary of the Atlantic Classic Championships will return to the stage where it all began - the Mathieu Martin High School in Dieppe. The first Atlantic’s was held in 1978, and was promoted by the Dieppe Bodybuilding Studio. It is no coincidence that Dieppe’s Ti-Jean was our first Atlantic champion overall winner and, along with his wife Heather, will be promoting this special anniversary edition on April 26th. Jean and Heather did a fantastic job promoting the 2007 event and promise more surprises in 2008. I expect this year’s Atlantic’s to be one of the best to date, and suggest that anyone seriously interested in joining the celebrations get their tickets early, as seats are limited and a sellout is expected.

I look forward to seeing everyone in the New Year, and hope that some of you will make a resolution to get in the best shape of your life. With some hard work, sacrifice, and discipline, it is possible that I just might be seeing you on stage in 2008!

GARRY BARTLETT
President NBPFA