THE ‘Best of the Best’ in bodybuilding from Linden, Berbice, West Demerara and Georgetown, will come together on Saturday July 28 at the National Cultural Centre to do battle in the third biennial Hugh Ross Classic (HRC) which was launched at the Windjammer Hotel yesterday. Linden’s Mark ‘Uno’ Perry won the inaugural title of the HRC which was staged four years ago at the same venue, while Royston Booker took the title two years later, while Alicia Fortune, known more for her athletic feats, romped away with the female title on both occasions.
This time around the organisers, including world-renowned Hugh Arlington Ross, have decided to host the show with a difference, wherein they will be having sub-meets held in the abovementioned areas in four categories, leading up to the big showdown.
According to former president of the Guyana Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (GABBFF) and Technical Director of the HRC, Andre Poonai, the organisers of the HRC are trying to have a minimum of two persons per category from each area battling for supremacy on the night of the show.
“Depending on the number of persons, who have entered in each category at the sub-meets, we are looking to have a minimum of two and a maximum of four persons respectively, compete in the HRC on July 28.
The reason for the hosting of the sub-meets which will be held in June is, in the past the competition was open to everybody and athletes turned up to compete in their respective category, but this time around we want to have a better show, as we aim to take it up to a higher level,” said Poonai.
The male categories are bantamweight, middleweight up to 80kg inclusive (166 lb -176lb), light heavyweight and heavyweight 177 lb and over, while the females will do battle in a Figure category.
Prior to Poonai’s announcement, Ross who was crowned Guyana’s Sportsman-of-the-Year for 2010, said the purpose of the sub-meets is to have athletes who are looking to compete in the HRC, to be in line and up to speed with their training, while being given guidelines after the sub-meets, so that they can be in a state of readiness for the HRC.
Outlining the four weight divisions in the male category and the lone female category, Ross said it came about following a consensus, after a meeting between him and the rest of the organising team.
“We do not wish to be hard and fast although it is a bodybuilding event; we do not want people to feel that there will be a female bodybuilding category, based on the fact that females have a tendency to shy away from that term.
“They do so with the view that they have to be muscular to compete in a bodybuilding event, hence we came up with the proposed Figure category, based on the athletes being toned with proper symmetry on the night of the show,” stated Ross.
The 2010 Mr Universe Over-50 Champion, who is also a former Guyana Defence Force Special Forces Captain, said there will be a male guest poser, with thoughts of also having a female guest poser on the night of the show.
Recently elected president of the GABBFF Keavon Bess said his entity solidly endorses the efforts of Ross to pull off the HRC one more time, adding that the addition of the show to the bodybuilding calendar, has added more impetus to the sport.
While no cash prizes will be up for grabs, the top five athletes in each category will receive trophies and a stipend in the form of a gift certificate, to offset expenses for supplements, with the overall winner who will be drawn from each category and judged in a pose-down receiving a special package.
The members of the HRC Committee are Hugh Ross (Chairman), Dexter Garnett (Sponsorship and Finance Officer), Andre Poonai (Technical Coordinator), Alison Yhap (Secretary/Treasurer) and Franklin Wilson (Public Relations and Marketing), while the Athlete’s Coordinator will be named shortly.