PRESIDENTS MESSAGE - FALL 2010
by Garry Bartlett

Salim, Santana and Garry checkout latest issue of Inside Fitness Magazine

Hi everyone. I hope you all had a great summer. It has been an exceptional one, with plenty of sunshine and warm weather. Soon the mornings will begin to get cooler and fall will soon be upon us.

First up, I must comment on how proud I am at the accomplishments of New Brunswick athletes Rachel Vienneau-LeBlanc and Jaclyn Wilson. Like a proud papa, I witnessed both of them walk away with a Canadian national title this year. Rachel took her division and won the Overall Figure title at this spring’s CBBF Canadian Physique Championships in Montreal. Rachel dominated the competition, beating 15 in the Medium Figure division and then went on to take the Overall title and earn her Pro card. She is the first New Brunswick Female athlete to reach this status, with Ti-Jean LeBlanc the only other New Brunswick athlete to do it. In my opinion, Rachel’s sleek shape, exquisite balance and spot-on conditioning is what I consider to be the model and standard by which all figure winners should be judged.

Jaclyn Wilson

Rachel Vienneau-Leblanc

Then, over the August 28th weekend, Fredericton’s petite Jaclyn Wilson shocked the national fitness scene by winning her division of the Bikini Model category at the CBBF Canadian Figure/Fitness Championships in Toronto. When Jaclyn confidently strutted her stuff to the center of the stage, I knew she was the winner and was in a class all her own. In fact, I had her as the Overall winner. She presented the best tan, shape, conditioning, suit, walk, posture, poise and confidence, and just about everything else that I consider makes a winning package for a Bikini Model.

Justine Munro, winner of the Tall division, went on to defeat Jaclyn in the final pose off for the Overall title. But in my book, she was picked based on her previous reputation of numerous wins in rival organizations and her media exposure. Grant you, she deserved her Tall class win, but in comparison to Jaclyn I felt she was pale, not as conditioned or balanced. An unknown, this was only Jaclyn’s third contest experience and first time on the national stage. Regardless, her category win proved that New Brunswick athletes can compete with the best in Canada. I would also like to congratulate Nova Scotia’s superbly conditioned Santana Anderson who won his Pro card this past summer by winning the Overall CBBF Canadian Bodybuilding Championships. Other Nova Scotia athletes joining Santana in winning their national divisions are Chris Johnson in Welterweight, and Andrew Dudka who lost over 80 pounds to win the Master’s Lightweight Championship title.

Santana Anderson

Andrew Dudka

It is obvious that support and interest in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia bodybuilding, figure, and figure model competitions are producing some national champions, which makes my work all the more rewarding as President of the NBPFA. In a previous message I stated that we have some of the best figure and figure model athletes in Canada; well, Rachel and Jaclyn have certainly proven me right! With fall fast approaching, it is time to direct our thoughts to this year’s New Brunswick Championships. Hopefully, we can find a future National Champion, as that is where Rachel and Jaclyn both got their starts. I hope you all stayed in pretty good shape and are now plotting your training programs in preparation of getting on stage for this year’s provincials.

When I brought the New Brunswick Championships back to the Playhouse in 2006, I never dreamed that the show would have grown to where it is today. It is remarkable the support we have received from athletes from all around New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. I personally want to thank everyone and hope you will continue to enjoy competing and coming to the beautiful city of Fredericton in support of the championships. My only regret is that we can’t hold the show in the summer so everyone could really appreciate what the capital city has to offer. However, it has been a tradition to hold the Championships late in the fall. Doing this allows everyone to enjoy their summers and buckle down to dieting and training throughout September and October.

Chris Johnson

In our thirty-six year history we have continued to evolve and grow, looking for ways of increasing participation and audience interest. Certainly, the success of last year is a testament that we have finally found a winning formula. With that being said, there are little changes to the format of the show for this year to make it even better.

A major part in the success of last year’s Championships was the support we received from Prince Edward Island athletes. I hope that this will continue and that we will see more PEI athletes on stage again this fall.

I am also very excited at how popular and exciting the new Figure Model Division has become. I am hoping with the increased interest to be able to have two divisions at this fall’s Championships.

To find more information regarding this year’s championships, please read the Competitor’s Information posted on this site.

I would like to remind all figure and model competitors that Heather LeBlanc and I will be hosting another informative workshop on October 2nd. This seminar is to assist those who want learn as much as they can before hitting the stage in November. We will be posting more details soon, and I highly recommend anyone interested in competing to attend. The information will definitely make you much more prepared to compete and go a long way to settle down those pre-contest nerves.

Please note the Crown Plaza Hotel is offering a special weekend rate for all competitors and guests, and I would suggest you book your rooms ASAP. I also ask that all competitors be considerate of towels, linens and sheets; any damage to rooms will be charged to your credit card as recorded at check-in.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone November 13th and wish you all the best! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at anytime….now put down that ice cream cone and get to the gym!!

Garry Bartlett
President
New Brunswick Physique
& Figure Association