2008 FAME World Championships, June 13-15, Toronto, Canada
Friday, June 13, 2008
I got up at 4 AM and left my home in Birmingham, Alabama at 5 AM for my 6 AM flight to Atlanta and on to Toronto, where I arrived at noon.
One nice surprise was that I was upgraded to First Class on both of these flights and again on my Toronto to Atlanta leg on Sunday. Nice
After checking in at the Novotel Toronto hotel, one of two host hotels for the FAME Worlds, I headed for the John Bassett Theatre at the Metro Toronto Convention Center to check in and attend the Athletes Meeting at 4 PM.
After the meeting, I anxiously waited for my “partner” to arrive from California. Ruby Carter-Pikes a 62 year-old Master Bodybuilder and Master Figure Pro and I had agreed at the FAME North American Championships in Miami last November to enter a new category at the 2008 Worlds called, FAME Fittest Duo. The competition has two options. One is a choreographed routine set to music to show creativity, muscularity, and style and the other is called Toned Twosome,” mostly for models. We chose the Routine option.
We each had the CD with our music, but had never met to work on a routine. We spoke by phone a few times to discuss what each would bring to the party. Our contest was scheduled to begin at 7 PM. Ruby was scheduled to arrive at 3 PM. After a flight delay, she showed up at 6:30. Did we panic? Nope. We are Pros.
She changed into her posing suit and we went to a large room where other athletes were preparing for their, Figure, Fitness and Muscle Model contests. We played the CD a couple of times and discussed what we wanted to do. After 15 minutes of rehearsal, we hit the stage for our rendition of Paul McCartney’s, “When I’m 64.” We did the routine flawlessly and the audience loved it, laughing at the right places and applauding a few times during the routine. We had a great time. Many of the athletes who watched us put the routine together “on the fly” came up and said, “Wow that was incredible.”
There were three other young couples in the Class and as 60 + Masters, we finished in Fourth Place. We had achieved our goal of bringing the Masters Class to this new Competition.
I returned to the hotel at around 10 PM, showered off the Dream Tan (as best as I could) and had my final meal of lean beef and rice. I cut my water when I went to bed.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
I woke up at 7:30 after a restful night and had my first portion of dried oatmeal. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was hungry. I sipped a little water and then practiced my posing and posing routine for my contest later that day.
I became harder and leaner as the morning progressed. It’s fun to watch your contest preparation come to a successful conclusion. I was upbeat as I prepared my bag for the show. This is my 25th major contest and I have learned to relax and take my time as I get ready.
I left the hotel at 1 PM after a pancake breakfast to add my final carbohydrate load and arrived at 1:30, an hour before the 2008 FAME Masters World Championship was to begin.
When I arrived at the venue, I found that the show was running about an hour behind schedule. Instead of going on at 3:30, the Grand Master Pro Class didn’t hit the stage until nearly 5 PM. There were four of us entered in the contest, including the first place winner in the FAME Grand Master Worlds in 2005, an athlete I have been looking to go against again. He placed Third and told me after the show, “I’m finished competing.” I was sorry to hear that. Guy was a good competitor. In what the judges called an extremely close contest, I was edged out for the Championship by a good middleweight and placed Second.
I accomplished one of the two goals I had set for this show: I wanted to come in better than I did when I won the 2007 FAME North American Grand Master Pro Championship in Miami last November and I did. And, I wanted to win my Pro class, which I almost did. Nevertheless, to win the Silver Medal at a World Championship is pretty cool.
Sunday, June 15, 2008.
After Church, I checked out of my hotel and went to the venue to watch the Advance Amateur classes compete. These are athletes who have placed in the top three in regional shows and had the opportunity here to win a FAME Pro Card.
I left Toronto at 6 PM and arrived home at 11 PM that evening.
Tomorrow, I begin training for my 26th show, the 2008 NPA Nationals and Masters Universe in Ft. Lee, Virginia on June 28, where I will try to win my fourth Pro Card.
