Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 18, 19 and 20, Singing and Judging at the 2008 OCB Spirit of America, Mashpee (Cape Cod), Massachusetts.
On Friday morning, I met my training partner at the gym for our 6:30-8 AM workout. We did some shoulders, back, biceps and abdominals training.
After our workout, I drove directly to the Birmingham, Alabama airport for the flight to Atlanta and Providence, Rhode Island. I picked up my Ford Mustang rental for the drive to Cape Cod and Mashpee, where Sean and Deb Sullivan’s OCB Spirit of America Bodybuilding and Figure Super Pro Qualifier competition was to be held the next day.
I competed in this show in 2006 and won my age class. That’s where I met Sean for the first time. We had been keeping a running email connection for several months and I looked forward to finally meeting this excellent bodybuilder, promoter and cop. We became fast friends and even share the same birthday, April 28. Sean will be 43 and I will be 65. He could be my son. He calls me Pops. Ha.
In 2007 Sean invited me to judge the SOA. He invited me back this year and I gladly accepted. Both last year and this year, I was Deb and Sean�??s house guest. It’s much better than the host hotel. I can raid the refrigerator and drink all his protein shakes.
I arrived at the Cape Cod Nutrition Corner in Hyannis, where the registration and polygraph testing took place. The store is owned by James Carron, a promoter, pro competitor and great guy. I love his store. It’s better than any GNC I have ever visited and his prices are very good. I spent about $100 on supplements I can’t find in Birmingham. Here is James�?? web site: www.capecodnutritian.com.
More than 90 outstanding men and women athletes showed up for registration and drug testing. It was to be a height class contest with several competitors in each class.
We ended the evening’s registration as scheduled at 7 PM and returned to the house for dinner. Early next morning we loaded the trophies and athlete’s goodie bags and drove to the venue at Mashpee High School. The school has a great auditorium with excellent lighting and a very good sound system. The Athlete’s Meeting began at 10 AM and a little after 11, the first competitors walked on to the stage.
From the Teens, Masters, Figure, Fitness and Open class came 96 outstanding competitors. This was an IFPA Bodybuilding and Figure Pro Qualifier and a National Qualifier for Ms. Fitness USA. Everyone brought their “A” game to the stage.
Prejudging lasted until 4:30 and the judges barely had time to take a break, change into Evening Show attire and return to the venue for the 5:30 PM start.
Sean asked me to sing our National Anthem a cappella to start the show and I offered my baritone version to an appreciative audience.
The show ran very well. We were finished by 10 PM and then met at a local Pizzeria for the after party. Several new IFPA Pros showed up to enjoy their post-contest “snack.”
As a former competitor in the Spirit of America and judging for the second year in a row, I have to say Sean and Deb know how to run a competition. Nice work, Guys
After hitting the pillow at midnight, I woke up at 6, left the house at 7 for my 90-minute drive from the Cape to Providence to catch my flight home. I arrived back in Birmingham in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the day working on the story Sean asked me to write about the show for BodyBuildig.com.