October 20, 2005

From Canada's Newest Pros to BC's Emerging Talent

Before I get started, I just want to congratulate Canada’s newest IFBB bodybuilding pros from the 2005 Canadian BodyBuilding Championships: Simon Voyer, Dan Dufresne, Autumn Raby and Colette Guimond. You athletes have stayed focused on your goals and definitely deserve recognition. You are examples for many other athletes, and you motivate others more then you realize. Great job!

Like myself, I know many of you reading this can count yourselves fortunate to have had the privilege of picking up a copy of Robert Kennedy’s MuscleMag over the years and flipping through to find your favorite section, "Canadian Corner." Although bodybuilding has been a household name for decades, the sport in Canada seems always to take a back seat to our neighbors from the south, but for one exception, Garry Bartlett’s monthly "Canadian Corner" column. So, when Doug approached me to be part of SeriousAboutMuscle.com and mentioned that New Brunswick’s Garry Bartlett was on board, I readily agreed. Who could say no to writing alongside one of their all-time favorite writers? It could be looked at as somewhat intimidating, as I’ve always admired Garry’s articles, but I took it as an honor, and definitely an opportunity that anyone in their right mind could not allow to slip by.

The sport has meant a lot to me over the years. During the late ‘80s and ‘90s, I had the opportunity to train with some of the top bodybuilders back in my home province of Newfoundland. To this day, I remember many of the shows I attended, and especially the guest-posing prowess of the world-famous Russ Testo at the Newfoundland Hotel. Today I see athletes such as Alberta’s Dan Dufresne grabbing the torch, entertaining crowds, and moving full steam ahead. The sport is pushing the boundaries into unchartered territory, as every province has athletes that are reaching the top levels of amateur sport in Canada. Every province has competitors who make their region proud and who, on any given day, could stand shoulder to shoulder with the world’s top bodybuilders.

Each year we see new athletes emerging, some seemingly out of nowhere, vying for Canada’s top honor -- to become a Canadian Champion and receive an IFBB Pro Card. On the east coast, we see the likes of Newfoundland’s monstrous Frank McGrath, the 2003 Canadian Champion, who is setting a modern-day precedent for Canadian athletes on the pro stage. On the western front we have Dan Fedeluk, the 2004 Canadian Champion, and new pro Dan Dufrense, winner of the Light-Heavyweight title at the 2005 Canadian Championships, who was awarded an IFBB Pro Card, and who has been wowing audiences for years with the combination of an eye-boggling physique and incredibly entertaining posing routines. Watch for both these gentlemen from the west to steal some of the limelight in 2006, when they will probably hit the pro stage.

Definitely not to be outdone by the men, Canada’s female bodybuilders are hitting the stage at full stride as well. Alberta’s Helen Bouchard, the 2004 Canadian BodyBuilding champion, is a powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with, as are BC’s Desiree Ellis, Ontario’s Christine Roth, Quebec’s Colette Guimond, and SeriousAboutMuscle.com’s own, popular new pro, Autumn Raby from BC. Each lady brings a slightly different package to the stage, so it will definitely be interesting to see where each stands when the smoke settles after their respective pro shows.

With the exception of a few national shows, over the last number of years I have remained inside my Alberta borders, content to cover and work with the Alberta BodyBuilding Association, providing exposure opportunities for our local athletes. This past August, thanks in part to a warm welcome from BC Provincial Championships promoter Herb Orth, I was able to take in my first BC Provincial Championships show. I wasn’t sure what to expect, actually, but when I was finally able to make my way to the Bell Performing Arts Centre in Surrey on Saturday morning (August 6), I was pleasantly impressed with the quality of athletes, the attendance in the audience, the layout for the exhibitors, and the auditorium itself – in the latter case, a state-of-the-art facility that comfortably held 400-plus spectators and was close to a sellout at the evening show.

Many BC athletes told me that, coming from Alberta, I might not be impressed by what happens in BC, primarily because of the great leadership from the ABBA’s Brian and Donna Logue, the quality judging leadership of Ken Goruk and the remarkable competency of the volunteers. However, the BC Provincials were outstanding. If I had one criticism it would be that, like at many shows, promoters seem to overlook the importance of press photographers. Although Herb was very accommodating, the BCs saw the entire second row of perhaps 30 or more seats saved solely so that just one young fellow could distract everyone behind that row by constantly running back and forth, emptying digital storage cards for just one of the photographers. There must be a better use than that for such good seats. However, all in all, the athletes shone and made up for any distractions by bringing us entertaining routines and high-quality physiques.

BC is a province with many outdoor attractions, or perhaps "distractions" is a better way of putting it, that many feel might take away from bodybuilding. For example, back home in Alberta, I’ve heard many times that Calgary doesn’t share the same zeal for competitive bodybuilding as Edmonton, in part due to the variety of outdoor opportunities that keeps athletes away from the gym. I have to disagree with that opinion to some degree. After all, why is California considered the center of bodybuilding? I can guarantee that it is not because of a lack of opportunity for outdoor activities there. Bodybuilding can be a contagious sport and given the right elements to feed off, it begins to grow in somewhat of a snowball effect. I’m starting to see this in BC, where it is evident that the new BCABBA leaders, Sandra Wickham (president) and Ross Web (treasurer), have a great passion for the sport. BC has an incredible amount of depth and no doubt in future years the national audience will continue to witness a strong showing from BC on the national stage. In fact, I suspect that in the next few years you can look for a bodybuilding pro or two to emerge from this beautiful province.

Speaking of that, who will be at the top of the sport next year in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, where the 2006 CBBF Canadian BodyBuilding Championships will be held? Faoud? Big Ron? Darren? Vince? Gregory? Samer? Nadia? Nicole? Jody? Zoa? Pamela? Maybe an unknown? The list is getting longer and longer each year, which is testimony to the depth and strength of each region. Canada, give yourself a pat on the back as all your hard work shows and is starting to get the attention it richly deserves.

Until next time…

...David Ford
davidf@seriousaboutmuscle.com

SeriousAboutMuscle.com contributor David Ford is from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. David is the official photographer for the Alberta Bodybuilding Association and is the editor of AlbertaBodyBuilding.com.