TO BE OR NOT TO BE? -THAT IS THE QUESTION

Written by Ingrid Barclay

On behalf of Graeme Lancefield-NABBA Australia President

Bodybuilding is a sport that has the capacity to deliver new levels of self-esteem, self-confidence and a perpetually positive attitude towards other areas of life. Alternatively, it also has the potential to crush an individual and perpetuate feelings of lack of confidence and low self-respect. How one approaches bodybuilding and what an athlete thinks they can get out of the sport is central to one's personal growth and well being. There are many ill-informed bodybuilding participants out there who misinterpret what the sport may be able to provide for them.

It is no secret that by and large bodybuilding is a low income, ethnic and blue collar sport. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule but generally this is the case.

Many different categories make up the term "bodybuilder". There is the small minority that are classified as "professional" bodybuilders. Those who are amateur competitors make up the next rung. Then there are the recreational bodybuilders who are in the gym largely for health and fitness reasons. Finally there are those who I call "gym rats". They are often in the gym just to converse and to watch the bodybuilder train.

The stereotype of a bodybuilder is unfortunately true. The way some people conduct themselves and what they get into, the bitchiness and backstabbing is a poor reflection of our sport. There are some great people in bodybuilding but there are also a lot of people who represent the sport badly. For the most part people exemplify the sport well and give it a certain dignity, but there are others who make a mockery of it for the general public.

NABBA Australia's philosophy under it's new presidency is to promote the athlete and to create the vehicle whereby his or her personality and character is complemented by his or her physical attributes. What we don't want is for it to be detrimental to someone's long term physical and psychological well being. Hopefully these positive feelings stimulated by being a participant of the sport will transpire to within other areas in an athlete's life such as education, relationships and work.

Bodybuilding and it's potentiality can be so wrongly misconstrued, particularly here in Australia with which the way it is structured that it can be incredibly debilitating to an athlete's faith in oneself. I will explain this in more depth with the following..

The majority of today's bodybuilders compete largely for personal reasons. In the future NABBA is looking at giving our athletes the opportunity to travel interstate and overseas and too give them some recognition. Unfortunately the majority of enthusiasts are under the misbelief that professionals make a living from the sport. Under today's economic climate relating to the politics in sport this is only possible for the very genetically gifted, disciplined and committed select few.

This then poses the question why chose to "do bodybuilding" if it's so hard to achieve economic gains, recognition and respect from the public, which is why so often one begins bodybuilding in the first place? Bodybuilding is a stage pursuit, not a performance sport. We believe that bodybuilding is an art form, and therefore should be promoted as "theatre". This therefore negates the possibility of bodybuilding becoming an Olympic sport. Although there is a judging criteria it is a completely subjective sport, especially compared to traditional and modern day Olympic events where the winner is measurable.

In 1986, after winning the first Natural Mr. Australia the push toward the acknowledgement and acceptance of bodybuilding as an Olympic sport became an obsession with international administrators and financial sponsors of bodybuilding. As a result there was a proliferation of organisations and promoters courting Olympic status. Whilst the ideal of having our beloved bodybuilding included in the Olympics is a noble and meritorious one it is however an impractical and unsustainable pursuit. Now, almost fourteen years later, having retired as a competitor, I am still hearing that bodybuilding may be included as an exhibition sport in the Olympics. I am not sure that I can hold my breath much longer.

Our great professional bodybuilder Sonny Schmidt who on his first attempt so impressed the Melbourne public with a phenomenal line up of celebrity performers in order to make the competition more appealing and engaging to both bodybuilding fans and the general public alike. Sonny's show broke new ground as far as promoters go here in Australia. Ari Hamalainen the NABBA Queensland promoter is marketing his show along similar lines. As a consequence, there is greater pressure placed upon other shows such as the upcoming Universe Qualifier to stage an equally impressive line-up of entertainment and conduct a similarly well-organised and configured show, to continue appealing to bodybuilding fans and the general public alike.

Presently, the current crop of new Australian bodybuilders in comparison to his American counterparts is simply not equipped to be competitive and has been prematurely launched into an arena whereby he feels ill-advised, unenlightened, disrespected, unrecognised and unsupported. These feelings are often central to the reason why the athlete came into the sport in the first place.

Our philosophy at NABBA is "don't expect to become a professional bodybuilder until you have competed at International level and earned respect and regard on the professional circuit. Only then does he have justification to deservedly call himself a "professional". It is necessary to first pay homage to the amateur circuit. The so called professional bodybuilders of Australia today who strut around pretending to be of the same caliber of the elite minority need a reality check on their level of achievement.

The NABBA progression to professional bodybuilding is via amateur state show, amateur national show, amateur world (universe) show and then and only then should the winner advance to the professional level. He has then paid his dues and proven to be of International standard. Now he is in a legitimate position to attest his professionalism against others of the same quality, to hold his own and to be a contender not a pretender!

NABBA Australia are proud of their professional bodybuilders, who include John Terilli, Terry Mitsos, Sam Ionnidis, Grant Clemesha, and Kevin O Grady who have all won NABBA International amateur titles. We are pleased to announce that Terry Mitsos, our great Australian champion and professional bodybuilder will be promoting the New South Wales state qualifier at the Cronulla Leagues Club on Saturday 20th August and will be competing at the NABBA professional Mr. Universe in the United Kingdom on September 23rd.

NABBA would like to take this opportunity to announce that we will be including a Pro-Am category at our Mr. Universe qualifier to be held on September the 3rd at The Centre Ivanhoe in Melbourne. The overall amateur winner will be invited to contest the open Pro-Am Australia with a first prize cash bonus of $2000. Being the amateur winner he will receive his airfare and accommodation to the amateur Mr. Universe event.

So, here is a clear invitation to all of you who think that you are good enough, who will not find some inadequate excuse not to pit your muscle against the best, to put your physique where your mouths are, and come and compete. Consider the possibilities. Are you good enough to realise this opportunity and turn it into an actuality? Are you proficient and dexterous enough to meet head on some of the best Australian opponents for the chance of being the NABBA representative in the Pro Mr. Universe to be held in Southport, UK? Because, if in the event a professional bodybuilder does compete and wins the overall, not only will he be invited to compete in the pro division of the Mr. Universe, but the $2000 cash prize can be converted at his discretion to go towards the cost of his inclusion in the Australian team.

At this point in time John Terilli is the one and only professional bodybuilder who has won the NABBA amateur category, professional Mr. Universe and who has also competed successfully in the Mr. Olympia. NABBA Australia is creating the opportunity for others to replicate this feat. What we don't want is dedicated and hard working Australian bodybuilders participating in a futile effort which can be debilitating and destructive to their physical and psychological well being. The playing field that you as an athlete choose should be a well thought out one. It should be an arena that offers you the possibility of travel, as well as positive, remunerative and encouraging rewards.