Campbell, Cole and the Canadian Classic

There are so many bodybuilding organizations operating today that often I can’t even keep their names straight. Therefore, I do the most sensible thing that I know to do – I ignore them. It seems easier that way. What I do is concentrate my efforts on the few, relevant, credible organizations out there.

As a result, most of our coverage focuses on the events from the Ontario Physique Association (OPA), Canadian Bodybuilding Federation (CBBF), and the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB). All three of these organizations are long-running and well-established. Furthermore, they’re related.

The IFBB is currently the world’s largest international amateur and professional organization. The CBBF is the IFBB’s Canadian-based affiliate that oversees national-level amateur events in Canada. It used to be the largest amateur organization in Canada, and it enjoyed a monopoly on events for years, but that distinction is probably now owned by the FAME organization of Toronto. Finally, the OPA is the province of Ontario’s governing body that’s directly affiliated with the CBBF, and indirectly with the IFBB. (There are other provincial affiliates of the CBBF in other provinces, and from time to time we provide coverage of them, but because we’re based in Ontario, the OPA is our main focus for provincial-level events.)

But, while we do emphasize those organizations’ events, basically ignoring most of the others, we don’t completely put our heads in the sand about them. After all, any well-rounded bodybuilding publication should include anyone who’s credible, and from time to time other organizations are well worth looking into.

FAME, for example, has established such a presence in Canada over the last few years that it can no longer be ignored. And another organization that appears poised to make a strong stand is the IDFA, despite only operating in Canada for about a year. The IDFA may be young, but they’ve done most things right; their national-level Canadian Classic II competition is their third event in Canada so far, and it will be held at the Glen Gould Studio theater in downtown Toronto on November 4. We’ll be attending.

IDFA, which stands for International Drug-Free Athletics, is the brainchild of Toronto-based bodybuilders Shaun Campbell and Desmona Cole. Shaun is the organization’s president and is 34 years old. He first competed in the year 2000, and has been training for about 18 years. Desmona, the vice president, is a relative newcomer to bodybuilding – she only started training in 2004 and entered her first competition that same year. Still, despite being new in the sport, Desmona is doing very well competitively, and she also happens to be a topnotch graphic artist. In fact, her skill with design has helped give the IDFA and their events a professional, polished image, and that’s what caught my eye when they started up in 2005.

However, when they started in 2005 they weren’t waving the IDFA flag; instead, their inaugural event, the 2005 Canadian Classic, was sanctioned by the US-based NGA, which is one of many "natural" organizations running in the United States (a "natural" organization is one that encourages drug-free competing). Shaun and Desmona were only promoters at that time – they weren’t leading an organization quite yet.

Following that event, though, Shaun and Desmona dropped affiliation with the NGA and started up IDFA. I asked Shaun why this happened, and this is what he had to say, "When I first began competing in 2000 it was with the NGA. I was drawn to them because of their strict drug testing, and it was the first time I had ever heard about natural bodybuilding. So, of course, when I decided to run a show, I sanctioned it under the NGA. After putting so much work into the show in 2005, I began to develop a vision that meant for me to go on my own. The IDFA is like my baby and I have control of how it grows and develops in the future. In 2006, our first show under the IDFA was the Toronto Classic and it was a huge success."

So that’s how the IDFA came about.

The Toronto Classic Shaun mentioned was held in June of 2006. Now, in November, the second incarnation of the Canadian Classic, dubbed Canadian Classic II, is about to take place. But that’s not all they’re planning. In 2007, the organization will stage yet another Toronto Classic and Canadian Classic, and there will also be their first professional show as well. This "pro" event can take place because of Shaun and Desmona’s forward thinking. Top finishers in all their shows to-date (including the original NGA-sanctioned Canadian Classic) received IDFA "pro cards," and that professional distinction obviously allows them to compete in this upcoming pro event. Presumably there will be money at that pro show, not just the trophies and prizes you get at an amateur event. But that’s still not all. Shaun says that they hope to have up to ten shows within five years! Shaun didn’t say, however, how many would be amateur and how many would be pro.

It appears, the IDFA has quite a bit of momentum behind it – in fact, they may well be positioning themselves to move into a dominant position in Canada. Obviously, that could happen if Campbell and Cole play their cards right; however, they don’t see that quite yet. In fact, this year, Shaun and Desmona did a strange thing that had me scratching my head when I saw it – although they were busy running this brand-new organization and making it grow, running the Toronto Classic in the summer and promoting the Canadian Classic II for the fall, both chose to compete in other organizations’ competitions during the summer.

At first, both set their sights on the OPA/CBBF/IFBB competitive stream which, in past years, they might not have been able to do due to a controversial "banning" policy that was put into place by the CBBF a number of years ago but has since gone by the wayside. You see, until a couple of years ago, the CBBF had a policy actually banning competitors from their own organization if they competed in other organizations. They also instructed their provincial affiliates to do the same. Unfortunately for the CBBF, the ban backfired on them – a large number of competitors simply chose to compete in the many other organizations that are out there (the FAME organization, for example, scooped up many, and the number of competitors in their shows were many times that of the CBBF events), leaving the CBBF with fewer and fewer competitors at their national-level shows. In 2005, the CBBF stopped the practice.

Shaun entered the 2006 OPA National Qualifier, Ontario’s premier drug-tested event, and won the Bantamweight class. He then competed at the 2006 CBBF National World Qualifier, the CBBF’s national-level drug-tested championship, and took second there in the Bantamweights. Next he competed in the IFBB’s 2006 North American Championships and wound up second in the Bantamweight class there as well. Based on his placing at the CBBF National World Qualifier, he also qualified to compete at the IFBB Men’s World Amateur Championships, but I guess that event wasn’t really in the cards for him at that time. Besides, he has his own organization to run and three shows are probably enough.

Desmona also entered the OPA National Qualifier, but she placed fourth there – she needed to be in the top three to move to the CBBF National World Qualifier. Instead, she opted to compete in Neutron Sports’ Southwestern Natural Championships in Toronto in July. It was there that she placed second in the women’s Open division. (Neutron is yet another Canadian-based organization, but one that has shown absolutely no signs of growth despite being in operation for more than five years. Therefore, we still, and likely always will, ignore them.)

Both did quite well competing outside their own organization, but I still really wanted to know what their true rationale for doing so was. I ask Shaun, who said, "I decided to compete in these organizations based on the fact that I wanted to compete against some of the best athletes and in a reputable organization. Also, one of the main reasons for me competing is to refuel that passion I have for the sport of natural bodybuilding. Competing keeps me in the game and allows me to understand the competitors’ needs and wants better. I learned so much from competing this year and I feel the IDFA and our athletes will benefit from this. I believe in ‘walking the walk.’"

Walking the walk and talking the talk is just what Shaun and Desmona are doing in the name of natural bodybuilding, whether it’s in their own organization or in others. Their focus right now is to make the IDFA and its events a success; together, they make quite a formidable team for doing so. According to Desmona, "Shaun and I are very like-minded in our attention to detail and our desire to produce high-quality, high-impact events. It takes a lot of courage to build a vision from the ground up, but we share a passion and dedication for the sport – as competitors as well as founders of an organization."

As for where that organization will ultimately go, only time will tell. However, Shaun and Desmona’s commitment seems high, their last two shows have been quite a success, and the last time I talked to Shaun he said that they’re hoping for in excess of 60 competitors at their Canadian Classic II. Still, it isn’t necessarily the numbers that matter. Shaun’s recipe for success is as follows: "Our goal is to be true to the sport, fair to the athletes, and treat the athletes like I’d like to be treated as an athlete. It’s that simple."

And sometimes it’s the simplest solution that results in the best chance of success. Good luck to Shaun, Desmona and all the competitors entering the Canadian Classic II, something you’ll probably want to check out yourself if you’re in Toronto on November 4.

...Doug Schneider, Publisher
das@seriousaboutmuscle.com

To learn more about the IDFA, visit idfa.ca; to learn more about the Canadian Classic, visit Canadian-Classic.com.

Doug Schneider is the publisher and chief photographer for SeriousAboutMuscle.com, BodyBuildingLive.com, and SeriousAboutFitness.com.