The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation crowned a few new champions during their 2016 Bahamas National Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships at the Melia Hotel on Saturday night.

Leading the way was Jamiel Hamilton, the heavyweight champion, who pulled over the men’s open bodybuilding crown in the posedown over champions Lynden Fowler in the lightweight, defending champion Jimmy Norius in the welterweight; Mario Sweeting in the light middleweight; Vincent Paul in the light heavyweight; Orrick Newbitt in the middle heavyweight and Bernard Davis in the men’s super heavyweight.

“I’m very grateful right now. I put in a lot of hard work this year and it has paid off,” said Hamilton, a member of Club One Fitness, coached by federation president Joel Stubbs.

“I’m thankful right now in being crowned the Mr Bahamas 2016 champion. I’m actually lost for words. I just think that everything worked in my favour.”

Hamilton admitted that the competition was extremely tough, but he was thrilled to have overcome all of the odds to move to the next level and that is to be able to represent the Bahamas at the Central American and Caribbean Championships at the end of September.

Other winners, who are hoping to join Hamilton when the federation announces the selection of the CAC team, are Dekel Nesbitt as the overall figure champion; Endierich Rahming, the repeat men’s open physique champion and Carina Ferguson, the women’s bikini champion.

Also, Theo Burrows picked up the men’s fitness title and Cara Saunders walked away with the newly implemented Women’s Wellness division, which is a combination of figure and bikini.

Dekel Nesbitt, repeating as the women’s open figure C champion over fellow Grand Bahamians Charnice Bain and Tina Malcolm, is hoping that winning the overall title will help her to defend her CAC crown that she won here in Nassau last year.

“I felt like I brought a better package than what I had in Freeport a couple weeks ago, so that was my biggest goal,” said Nesbitt. “So I was very happy with my performance. Even before I knew what the results were, I was very pleased with the package that I brought.”

Looking at the field of competitors she faced, Nesbitt said it was by far the most intense, but she was elated to have prevailed with the overall title.

“This was a year that wee had some high quality competitors competing, so everybody brought some pretty solid physique, so it was stiff competition all around,” she pointed out.

The physical fitness instructor said she was just glad to be the champion and now she has her sights set on a more loftier goal.

“I’m going to go back home and try to continue to improve. That’s all I can do right now,” Nesbitt stressed. “I got a gold medal last year, so I know they are expecting a lot more from me this year. So I hope I can go back and fine tone and go to CAC and do it all over again.”

And in the process, she would like nothing better than to earn her professional card as the overall fitness champion.

Nesbitt won the national title in the posedown that featured Christy Ann Butler, the B divisional champion; Lakeisha Miller, the D champion and Julia Mellor, the B champion.

Like she did at home in Grand Bahama, Carina Ferguson once again dominated the women’s bikini division. After beating out two masters competitors in Sharon Bethel and Stacy Sargent, Ferguson got through the posedown with Rosan Knowles, A class champion; Shikara Ferguson, B class champion; Allyssa Fox, C class champion; Akeela Nesbitt, D class champion and Maria Michopoulou, the F class champion.

“I knew I had a lot of work to do because we had different competitors coming in, but I put in the time and effort,” Ferguson stressed. “I put the blood, sweat and tears into it and it has paid of.”

Adding the national title to the Northern Bahamas crown she secured in Grand Bahama a few weeks ago, Ferguson said she’s proud of herself because she has accomplished her goals.

But she admitted that it’s not over yet. She wants to go to CAC and prove her worth.

“I want to let them know that I’m ready all the time,” she insisted.

There was a stiff battle for the women’s physique, but when it was all said and done, Tammy Stubbs carried the title to Grand Bahama as she dethroned Lorraine LaFleur.

“I feel very good about my performance tonight. I know I looked really good. I tried to look as close to the criteria that they were looking for, so I felt very good tonight,” Stubbs stated.

“The competition was stiff. This division is always stiff because Lorraine has always been the top athlete here, so she pushed me to fight and fight. I know I have to get past her if I want to get somewhere. So I worked hard to get past her.”

Stubbs said she too is eager to go to CAC and perform at a higher level.

Despite the loss, LaFleur said she was contented.

“I was happy with my performance. I felt I did what I had to do like I did every year,” she said. “I’m ready to go to CAC and put on a show.”

In the men’s open physique, Endierich Ferguson beat out Kaif Young in the E class and repeated as the overall champion over Alberto Armbrister, the B champion; Gemo Smith, the C champion and Theodore Pyfrom, the D champion.

There was a vintage showdown in the men’s masters division with baseball/football Hall of Famer Sidney ‘Butts’ Outten bating out another legend Arthur Eldon.

Outten, who turns 72 on December 30, kept the audience entertained as he strutted his muscles during his routine, just like he did since he first entered the stage in 1961.

“It’s really a lifestyle. You have to keep your body fit,” Outten advised. “I try as much as I can to stick with my diet.”

For 59 years, Edon has been a household name on the bodybuilding scene. If anybody remember, he and Kingsley Poitier were the first to represent the Bahamas at Mr Universe in New York.

At age 74, the Abaco native was making his first appearance in the Nationals in a bout eight years as he’s spent a lot of his time competing in Florida.

Eldon, quite pleased with his second place finish, also made history when he was the first Bahamian to grace the cover of a magazine before Joel Stubbs followed him as the second.

The duo also contested the open bodybuilding competition where Eldon was third in the light heavyweight behind champion Vincent Paul and runner-up Adiah Hope, while Outten was runner-up to Grand Bahamian champion Orrick Nesbitt in the men’s middle heavyweight.

The nationals also produced a few interesting combinations with the mother/daughter duo of Lorraine LaFleur and Allyssa Fox; the father/daughter combo of Orrick and Akaela Nesbitt and the husband/wife pair of Desmond and Chanice Bain.