So thanks to Bodybuilding.com, Dan Solomon and the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Radio show, I am going to go to the IFBB Tampa Pro show, or as we like to call it, the 2008 IFBB Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championships in Tampa, Florida.
I am not sure if there was ever a pro bodybuilding event in Tampa, Florida so it should be nice and interesting in how the people react to such an event. I can’t seem to find any history on that. Promoter Tim Gardner has been very nice, and very accommodating in making sure that we will have access to great pics, and the athletes. There will also be an NPC Figure and Fitness show also in conjunction with this event.
On Friday, there will be a ‘Meet the Athletes’ at the Hyatt Regency’s Buccaneer Ballroom, around 6:00, just after the IFBB Meeting held for it’s competitors. It will be very nice to meet some of the 45 pro bodybuilders (and that is just the men) that will go on stage the following day.
Special awards for this weekend include the Inaugural Ben Weider Lifetime Acheivement Award, the Shawn Ray Best Presentation Award, the HR Fit Best Male Poser Award, the Best Female Poser Award, and the Tight Curves Award for the competitor with the most stage presence.
Prejudging begins at 9am Saturday morning, and the finals start at 6:30pm. Brandie Gardner will be the emcee of the show, with the exception of the IFBB Men’s Open, in which we will have Dan Solomon and Bob Cicherillo as the emcees.
Here is the current list of athletes with are due to compete.
1. Fouad ABIAD, Canada
2. Khalid ALMOHSINAWI, Netherlands
3. Jorge ALVES, France
4. Pablo AREVALO, Peru
5. Paul BAKER, Jamaica
6. Marcus BECHT, Germany
7. Lyndon BELGRAVE, Barbados
8. Omar BORRELLI, Argentina
9. Elvis BROWN, England
10. Raul CARRASCO, Spain
11. Marcos CHACON, Spain*
12. Darrem CHARLES, Trinidad
13. Fedel CLARKE, Canada
14. Clarence DEVIS, Belgium
15. Guy DUCASSE, USA
16. Mark DUGDALE, USA*
17. Tarek ELSETOUHI, Germany
18. Anthony FINOCCHIARO, USA
19. Vonne FRANCIS, Grenada**
20. Toney FREEMAN, USA
21. James HAMPTON, USA
22. David HENRY, USA
23. Jaroslav HORVATH, Slovakia***
24. Roland HUFF, USA
25. Richard JACKSON, USA
26. Dennis JAMES, Germany*
27. Ken JONES, USA
28. James LEWIS, England
29. Vincent LIU, Canada***
30. Jeffrey LONG, USA
31. Daron LYTLE, USA
32. Yildirim MEHMET, France*
33. Evgeny MISHIN, Russia
34. Istavan NEMETH, Hungary
35. Jerry NICHOLLS, Barbados
36. Bola OJEX, Nigeria
37. Gian Enrico PICA, Italy
38. Carlos Majid RABIEI, Canada
39. Frederic SAUVAGE, France
40. Roc SHABAZZ, USA
41. Clifton TORRES, USA**
42. Mike VALENTINO, USA**
43. Bob WEATHERILL, Canada
44. Nathan WONSLEY, USA***
So what is my top ten... lets see
1. Dennis JAMES, Germany*
2. Darrem CHARLES, Trinidad
3. David HENRY, USA
4. Fouad ABIAD, Canada
5. Toney FREEMAN, USA
6. Mark DUGDALE, USA*
7. Jaroslav HORVATH, Slovakia***
8. James LEWIS, England
9. Jeffrey LONG, USA
10. Richard JACKSON, USA
