A Nanaimo bodybuilding team shone on the big stage this spring.
Body Tempo Health and Fitness had six women compete at the Natural Physique and Athletics Association B.C. Classic on April 30 in Richmond, and five earned awards.
“This was the first time that I had this many girls at one show at one time. It was nice to see,” said Erin Crawford, owner of Body Tempo.
It meant a lot of team spirit within an individual sport.
Crawford said the women share child-minding responsibilities, for example, to make time for fitness, and also help keep each other accountable with training. They also worked together on posing, which the coach said is a bit of an art form.
The provincial-level event was the first time competing for five of the six women.
“Some of them did start out with that goal in mind, but I would say the majority of them just wanted to be healthier and fitter and why not have that goal, that end date to participate in something like that?” Crawford asked.
She said there’s a lot more to the sport than physique. Confidence is a huge part of it, Crawford said, and training helps to build that, too.
“It’s more than just sets and reps and eating the proper amounts of food. It’s mentally breaking past barriers that you can easily get stuck in – stuck in old habits or not feeling good enough or able to achieve something like that…” she said. “The final stages, it’s mostly mental and feeling mentally ready to prance around in a bikini.”
The Nanaimo women competed in the fitness and bikini competitions; Crawford said the difference between the categories is the amount of muscle, where it’s located, and its balance and symmetry.
“And also your hair, your makeup, your posing, that also plays a part in how you present your physique and how you showcase it,” the coach said.
Nicole MacKay had the best results at the B.C. Classic, placing first in her fitness model category and also first in open fitness, which elevated her to national eligibility as a pro elite bodybuilder.
Also, Stephanie Noyon was third in fitness and third in bikini, Jennifer Walde placed third in fitness and fourth in bikini, Angela Wiltsey was third in bikini and fifth in fitness and Charlotte Wussow was fourth in grand masters fitness.
Crawford said she thinks the women will continue with the sport, and Body Tempo is already eyeing another competition in October.
Bodybuilding is something a lot of women can do, the coach said, and athletes tend to only get better with age.
“For me personally, it’s brought so much to my life more than just exercising and looking great in a bikini,” Crawford said. “It’s daily triumphs that you persevere through … and you just keep coming out on top of it. And that’s kind of what, to me, competing is. It’s not necessarily about winning a trophy or being better than the girl next to you, it’s about being your very best self.”
sports@nanaimobulletin.com
Nanaimo bodybuilders among B.C.'s best… https://t.co/s2uqIcfzfw #bodybuilding @NPAASPORT pic.twitter.com/KfUaNramuo
— Greg Sakaki (@BulletinSports) May 20, 2017