HEART BEAT OF BODY BUILDING SOUTH AFRICA

I know it has been a while since my last blog, but we have been busy with the intermediate and sanctioned shows, so the last 7 weeks I have been traveling and attending all the shows, this in its own is tiring but always I leave a show with something. Been in this industry for so many years I sometimes find myself getting out of my office in the gym, and leave all the administration and paper work behind, and just take the time to walk through the training area, sit quietly and observe the members training, reminding myself why I had started this gym so many years beck, and why I love this industry so much. It is about the people, the heart beat of this industry, peoples commitment and dedication, peoples over coming the the impossible and achieving their goals, and most of all been part of, and helping create the opportunity for people to achieve this.

A few weekends back I was at a show in Rustenburg, and walking backstage I saw an athlete laying on a blanket with his wife and their 9 month old baby, just laying on the blanket waiting for his turn to have his moment on stage, but also enjoying the family time together. When we talk body building as a sport many time s I hear the words individuals, self centered , all about self. This is true, because the sport takes up allot of time, in the gym, preparing food, but still if it is not for family and the support structure around an athlete, that moment on stage fighting for the title, is not always possible. Unfortunately I have seen many families broken up because of this, but then again I have seen families just grow stronger, for their support for each other.

Last weekend we attended one of our sanctioned shows breaking all records in athlete attendance and also in spectator support. On stage I said that the success of this show was for body building in South Africa as a whole, and a true reflection of the promoters and the team that has established such a confidence with the athletes, that the show just gets bigger and better.

Now again I remind myself why I accepted the position as National Executive Marketing for Body Building South Africa, as there is to be a better understanding of the beautiful sport of ours,and seeing the thousands attending the show the past weekend, people laughing, and enjoying, supporting the hard work and dedication on stage! But the high light for me here, again is been part of a team that makes and creates the opportunity for others, for our athletes to have a stage to compete on, this is the ultimate.

When i started with the marketing 

process, I structured a marketing plan, and established the H.O.P.E SQUAD, being Help, Opportunity, Prepare, Educate. Firstly I selected individuals as to become the voice of body building South Africa, but soon it became clear to me that the heart beat of South African body building does not lie the the individual, but in the team of people that are out there, making a difference, and creating opportunity, helping individuals to overcome the temptation to break diet, and stay focused to get on stage. With the success of the last few shows, and the attention that we are getting from media, and support from people who otherwise would not even show interest in the body building sport, The H.O.P.E SQUAD vision is very much alive, and your question be who is H.O.P.E SQUAD, you are! If you got a passion for this beautiful sport and industry, if you get up every day and want to be part of a positive change, if you are committed, dedicated to your training . Then you are the H.O.P.E SQUAD vision, when you talk to family, friends and strangers, telling about our sport of body building and fitness, you are sharing in the H.O.P.E SQUAD vision. Remember we take every opportunity to help and educate people about our beautiful sport

No matter if you big or small, what gym you train at, who your trainer is, what supplements you take or even what secret program you follow, we all share one thing, and that is the heart, the passion we all share for what we do, a need to strive for something better. As a family we unite, be part of the team that will speak positive and make a difference, by this we will make body building and fitness, bigger and better for all. Body Building and Fitness Rocks! BBFR

BIGGEST EVENT TO SHOWCASE BODY BUILDING ON STAGE THIS YEAR!

MY BODY THE CANVAS!

Brought to you by: Gentle Giant Promotions.

Producers: Wayne Price and Steff Botha

As a result of years in this beautiful industry, and the love that I have for this sport of body building and fitness, we have now another first to hit the stages of South Africa. “My Body the Canvas” is not another body building competition, but with the partnership of the top experts in their field, South Africa will see its first spectacular stage production, where the body building and fitness athlete, will get the opportunity to showcase  the world the beauty and the artistic  physique achieved through hours of hard work and commitment. As much as so many appreciate the magnificent and chiseled physique of an athlete on the competition stage we now present that physique in combination with top artist, musicians and dancers in choreographed dance and music routines. This will be entertainment for all, and a must to see. We have taken hands with the artistic and dance world, where we have partnered with the top choreographers and musical directors in this country, who in their own right have earned this accreditation through their excellence in their field. The presentation of the body building and fitness athlete in this genre, is something that has always been close to my heart, as looking at the accomplished physique of our athletes, you see the artistic beauty as the body presents the canvas on which the artist expresses himself. This production is going to surpass anyone’s expectations, because we will with the choreography, dance, live bands, pyrotechnics and lighting enhance this artistic beauty of the body, and bring painted canvas to life. Through the arts we will portray the story and life of the physique athlete, and show the true heart beat of the body building and fitness sport.

BODY BUILDING AND FITNESS ATHLETES DO NOT SELL YOURSELF SHORT

Whats the value for commitment, dedication and sacrifice? Well that will always be the million dollar question, how do you calculate a value to what society take for granted. The choice to live it up with late night parties, stop by any fast food drive thru! enjoy the SLICE of cheesecake that is served by a family get together!
I have never been able to understand that if you go to college or university you get a degree for your hard work, and this costs a great deal of money, but in return you get the job opportunity that pays you a great deal of money for your studies and experience, but in our industry after years of training, been trained, managing your lifestyle and all this costing you to prepare and get your body in the best shape ever, people come to you for advice, expecting it in most cases to be free, or where some companies wants to use your look and incredible physique to advertise their company or brand, and this is all for maybe a t-shirt or a hamper of product! why?
I know you can relate to the following, you get to a function be it a work related or family birthday party, and look  amazing and you eating out of your Tupperware dishes, while everybody is stuffing their faces with every sweet and salt snack on the table, then you get that " How can i get big" or " How can I lose weight quickly" or "How can i look like you" and then it is expected that you role out the magic secret in a 5 min conversation and please the last thing such person wants to hear is that they must start a training program and especially that they have to eat cleaner and give up on all the nice extras! Please athletes, do not sell yourself short as you have paid all the school fees, through your dedication and commitment.If you add up what it costs you in gym fees, food and supplementation to prepare for a show, or photo shoot  , the grooming, costumes, tan etc! Add all this up over a few years and you will come very close to what it costs annually for a diploma or degree with a academic institution. I have the greatest respect and admiration for a athlete, that has gone through it all, been able to say no to the temptations of friends who think they are helping by saying " aaaigh it won't make a difference if you just have this one" yes it would make a difference, and that is the difference between a gym member and a accomplished athlete! You are one of a kind and as an athlete what you have achieved must be respected and also appreciated, so the next time you walk through a centre and there is some overweight person pulling his face and making comments, believe me they only hell jealous that they do not have your will power and commitment! People are easy to make a cheap comment so that they themselves feel better, this is to justify the reason that they cannot bend over and tie their own shoes!
Chin up! as an athlete i am proud to know you! share your achievements with you! I still get goose bumps when I see the winner announced by a show, and I know the hard work that has gone into the preparation for such show! Then I am saddened that i see that wonderful athletes sell themselves short by selling what they have done and achieved for nothing but a product hamper or t-shirt. Sponsorship and the selling of your image and look, is about a monetary value, not getting product or working on a percentage of product that is called an arrangement, not sponsorship! If you slide  a branded shirt over your perfectly chiseled and toned physique , then make sure you get what is due to you, school fees have been paid, so now you have graduated and deserves to be treated with respect and be paid for your name and image! If a company does not recognise this then stay at home on weekends with your family, and not stand in a store promoting a brand that is paying you in product or apparel. your time is to precious for this, and the time with family is way more valuable than this. People are making money out of you, and if you allow this to happen by giving away your hard work for free then you are shooting all athletes in the foot, I am not talking about out reach programs or involving yourself with a charity, we are so blessed to be able to do what we do, that there is must to give back to those that need, but surely you will not find a doctor giving away free services and do as quick surgery on the lunch table when attending a family gathering. Do not give away our hard earned knowledge for free, general information and basic training can be searched on google, but through your hard work and experience you hold a special key, and value this, as we are but a few that hold this key of knowledge.In this sport there is small core of people that are willing to do what we do, and we always well come the new faces, but even the new faces must walk the walk and do their apprenticeship, to earn the right to wear the full colors, this is not a easy road to walk, so as an accomplished athlete remember those days when you started out, and you paid your way to get where you are today, teach the young and up coming athletes the principles of respect and gratitude,  understanding the value system, and never forget your worth when you out there!YOU ARE SPECIAL AND I AM PROUD TO KNOW YOU! Body building and fitness rocks! BBFR

OUT CRY FOR MORE IN BODY BUILDING SA

Every day i am contacted as the BBSA/IFBB Marketing Executive dealing with the public relations of the federation, with questions, comments and even sometimes attacks on what an individual thinks should be done to improve the body building sport in this country, and the running thereof! I must tell you that i do not frown upon anyone of the contacts made with this office, and I try my best in a shortest time to respond. However one thing that is very evident to me is that a great deal of people, athletes are so miss informed about certain aspects in the current environment of body building SA.

Hell i am not saying that it is perfect, but give the federations some credit for the hard work and effort that is making things happen for the sport in this country!

I know in any aspect of life we are faced with the same challenges, and that is if we keep focusing on what we do not have, we so miss out on enjoying and appreciation what we do have!

This is not to say that a person must accept that the place you find yourself is where you will be in 5 years, but sometimes we are so full critic and advice that we miss out on the moment that we are in!

I have been touched by so many people in this beautiful sport and industry, that do so much for the sport and athlete in this country, and never even gets a thank you for their effort.

And believe me i am not talking about individuals that secure big sponsors, or even the expensive trophies, all this we so appreciate, well for a short while anyway? But there is people that have got such a passion for what they do, that they just do! willing to give their time, to better the sport for you and me!

But that will not be seen or acknowledged , because people will be busy criticizing and commenting  on what they do not see, or where they feel they might have been done some injustice!

I like the following said by Hendry Ford " Don't find fault, find a remedy" as the small but growing sport we are, if we can all apply this, i know we will be a different sporting  body in years from now.

In a previous blog I spoke about the respect we should have towards one another, but with respect come gratitude for what is being done for us! lets not take things for granted, lets not make light of anyone's efforts, lets not criticize people if we do not know the whole story , take the time to find out what really is involved, and get all the facts, not to criticize, comment or give your 10 cents worth of opinion, but so that you can make the effort to thank such individual for their hard work and effort that made it possible for you to achieve what you have!

Also no matter what badge you wear, or what Federation flag you fly, the efforts of individuals within these federations, make the sport better for all of us, and believe me we will all benefit from the outcome.

On a personal note, just recent I was public ally attacked with false accusations and lies, but you see the truth is just so unbelievable that it sounds impossible that some one would spend so much of their own time and money on a sport and not expect anything in return, but that the sport and athletes in this country can grow and benefit from the efforts. Now i am but one of many, that on different levels and commitments willing to do the same, think about it, that if 10 years, no 20 years, individuals that were administrating this sport of body building in this country decided to give up, and stop putting any effort into body building shows, we will not have what we got today! we will not have a platform to build on, for the future. So lets not  forget what is important, and remember with a heart of gratitude and thanks to those who has kept this sport alive and given us so much to be thank full for. 

I know with me, there is many that want to see a better body building sport in the future, but you know that if we stand together in the passion we have for the sport, respect each others choices, and appreciate the efforts of others, this sport will only grow, and become the institution that can create opportunity and rewards for each individual involved.Body building and fitness rocks! - BBFR

"THUMBS UP" MEDIA COVERAGE FOR BODY BUILDING SOUTH AFRICA

The IFBB SA Championships was one of those events,where again IFBB made things happen, by live streaming the whole show world wide. This was my first SA Championships as the National Executive Marketing and Public Relations. A highlight of this event in Cape Town was that we live streamed the whole show world wide and the response we got back from international contacts was phenomenal. The live feed was on for a staggering 9 hours, and myself doing the commentary with a good friend and Editor-in-chief of Muscle Evolution Magazine - Andrew Carruthers we really had our work cut out for us, but we both enjoyed the action and opportunity to be there! This show was also
divided into several 5 min packages that got extensive cover on Supersport as fillers, these fillers was still seen on Supersport as late as February 2012. The coverage for this show and several of the other shows in 2011, was again an example of what IFBB intends for the development and exposure of the body building and fitness sport in South Africa. The athletes get the coverage they deserve, and the acknowledgment for their hard work and effort into getting stage ready! The sponsors of the event got far more than they bargained for as the efforts of bringing media and television to the IFBB events of 2011, was a distinct effort to show our gratitude to sponsors that have been for years part of the growth of the sport in South Africa.
But a very important mention must go to our national media sponsors that played an important role in making this possible, Ziphi Nkomo 1. Randburg Towers Hotel Group and Stellenbosch Nutrition are these sponsors that we thank for their contribution to the sport on its way forward.
I myself also invested a great deal of my personal money into the marketing and Media of body building, not for a return of exposure as I never linked it to any product or brand that I am personally  involved with, but I did this for the passion of the sport, for the acknowledgement to the athletes, the respect I have for all involved with this industry. This is such a beautiful industry to be part of, and even though as in any family there is hick ups and differences, the passion does not go away. We also want to make mention of our media alliances with Timeslive, Soweteanlive, Suprtsport Blitz, Sportscentral and many of the national printed media and radio stations. We have already given exposure to several of our Novice 2012 shows, and wehave great  media  packages for the rest of the 2012 season! Body Building and Fitness Rocks - BBFR

IFBB MUSCLE EVOLUTION GRAND PRIX 2011

The end to an incredible South African body building season is the IFBB Muscle Evolution Grand Prix, because this event is held later in the year , just after the SA Nationals, you get the best of the best on stage! The standard of the athletes competing was amazing, as for some of these athletes this was just a stepping stone to the International World Championships. Four teams has been selected and they will be leaving in the next few weeks to the different countries to represent South Africa wearing their official Protea Colours!

RESPECT VERSES POLITICS IN BODY BUILDING

I am still surprised to see how often  “the shout of politics in body building " is used to stir up emotions, especially by people who have their own agenda as to what they want, from such reaction. Come on lets face it, have you ever seen the Presidents of the different federations slinging mud at each other, or insults, or accusations, no maybe because there is a communication between them and a mutual respect for the future of body building in South Africa.

You have people making accusation of unfairness, because athletes cannot compete where they want to, as they have worked so hard to prepare and want to compete in a full season, I absolutely agree with this, athletes should be able to compete and get as much experience as possible,federations respect your choice to compete where you feel fit, but then surely cannot expect the federation to back them up 100% when it comes down to structural and financial support! 

Let me elaborate on this, in the corporate world if I work for BMW i cannot do work for Mercedes on the weekends, especially if BMW, through their effort, time and resources is making it possible for me to become a Top Executive in BMW. So why is it difficult for certain parties to understand that if IFBB through many years of existing, have created the opportunity, events and  support structures to help a novice athlete today, to become an Olympian athlete or IFBB Pro athlete tomorrow! This is called loyalty and if you want the federation to support you with their time, effort and resources to help you achieve this goal, then you commit to your federation! 

On another point as to many times discussed as to having one federation, and I know so many are so sensitive about this matter, lets investigate this, in the motor trade there is a governing body over the motor trade but you have many different brands with in that trade, reason because everyone of the brands offer some different, makes them unique, I like Toyota, you like Ford.

Every one of the federations that make part of the body building in South Africa has a long standing history, and each is unique in their own right, and offers something different, but again coming back to my previous point when you want to grow within a certain federation you must commit to wearing the badge and the colors. Lets learn from the gangland or bikers, you wear your colors with pride, you commit to the rules and discipline of such a group, and you do not dishonor that badge or colors! And have respect for one another!

This is a choice you have, you either compete with all the federations, and get all the experience you feel you need, but some time you are going to have to decide and commit to a badge and colors, because you know that the federation that you choose has the ability, structures and credibility to help you achieve your personnel goals, and then not get involved with the mud slinging politics as in previous mention, BMW as a brand will always show the necessary respect to other brands!  This situation in body building South Africa in my opinion is not about who’s  right, who’s wrong,  but it is about the respect we show each other, as athletes, as federations, the respect for people to have choices, and not breakdown others to build themselves up! If you got nothing good to say, rather just keep quiet, if you feel that there is a problem, don’t just talk, actively get involved and help solve the problem, it is very easy to criticize from the couch! Body building and fitness Rocks!