The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JIMMY Norius, Paul ‘Mighty Mouse’ Wilson and Alberto Armbrister said it was one of the most impressive team performances they ever experienced over the weekend at the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness Diamond Cup Caribe in the Dominican Republic.

The trio, accompanied by coach/judge Wellington ‘Cat’ Sears, returned home with three medals on Monday.

Norius said he was so impressed with what he saw. He was in awe that even after the competition was completed on Saturday, both Wilson and Armbrister went right back in the gym in the hotel to work out. “They performed very well. From the time we left for the airport to our arrival in the Dominican Republic to going to the venue to be on time to compete, these guys were real professional in what they did,” Sears said.

“I only coach Alberto here at Iron Man Gym, but you had Paul from Better Bodies and Jimmy from Club One. But when we went there, it was just one team from the Bahamas. They all worked together and that was the result that we got.”

Sears said the only problem he experienced was when he was eating his grilled chicken and fries. He said all three of the competitors had the nerve to stare him down, but he reminded them that he wasn’t the one competing.

“Other than that, they were an excellent group of persons to work with,” Sears said.

In just his second year in the sport, Sears said Armbrister came out of his off-season training and performed exceptionally well.

Armbrister, one of seven competitors in the men’s physique short class, got a silver medal. Ronald Diaz of the Dominican Republic won the gold and Rodrigo Oscos of Mexico got the bronze.

“I think my performance was very good,” said the soft spoken Armbrister. “If I had to do it all over again, I know I would go back and win another medal. I just have to work a little more on my overall conditioning. But this is my off season, so I think I did very well.”

Armbrister applauded the other members of the team for pulling him along when he needed the extra motivation as novice in the sport. He said his performance will definitely inspire him to get ready for the rest of the year, including the Central American and Caribbean Championships in Mexico in September.

Wilson, competing against four other competitors, picked up the bronze in the men’s bodybuilding lightweight category. Hemradj Mulai of Aruba won the gold and Rafaelin Maria Mora from the Dominican Republic got the silver.

“I am very pleased. After taking a whole year, I thought I was going to bea little disappointed, but I was pleased because for me to come back and compete against so many veteran competitors and win a bronze medal, I can’t ask for anything more.

“My birthday went along and I had to push myself for the show. But I’m a perfectionist and I knew I wasn’t going to go there and compete if I wasn’t ready. The level of competition was still as high as I remembered because the guy who won, me and him normally go back and forth. So I was pleased.”

Wilson said he just have to get a little “tighter” for CAC and work more on his “tanning” so that he can be in a position to content for the gold, just as he did when the championships was held here in 2015.

“We had a very high success rate as a team,” Wilson said of the team’s performance. “We knew the kind of competition we were going up against, so for us to do what we did, we did very well and represented the Bahamas.”

If they had carried some of the female competitors with them, Wilson said they were confident that they could have secured their pro cards because of how well they compete.”

Norius, the veteran of the crew, captured the silver medal in the men’s bodybuilding. Patrick Coicou of Haiti beat him out for the gold. Seven competitors participated in the category. Jean Laventure Spely, also from Haiti, picked up the bronze.

It was the second competition for Norius, who competed in the Joe Weilder’s Mr Olympia Amateur South America in February in Medellin, Colombia. During that competition, Norius moved into the physique segment where he placed fifth.

“Physically I was about 80 percent ready for the competition,” Norius said. “Prior to competing in those two meets, I was going through a lot personally with my family. So I think the competition in Colombia really boosted my confidence and when I got a chance to go to the Dominican Republic, I knew I could do it again.”

Norius said he was so happy when he heard both judges and competitors tell him “welcome back” to bodybuilding after he tried his hand at the physique competition.

“Sometimes you have to try your hand at other things,” he said. “But bodybuilding is my first love and I always want to be versatile, jumping from bodybuilding to men’s physique to men’s classic. I just want to prove my versatility in the sport.”

Norius said he was contented to compete in the Dominican Republic, having had both Wilson and Armbrister on the sidelines helping him out. He said the presence of Sears also made a difference because he was able to point out some things that they couldn’t see.

“We became stronger as a team and I think that was what made a difference in the way we performed so well at the championships,” Norius summed up.

The competitors are now preparing for the Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation’s National Bodybuilding Championships on July 29 in New Providence. Prior to the nationals, some of the local competitors are expected to compete in the Florida Grand Prix on May 6 in West Palm Beach and the Southern States Championship on July 7.

The CAC Championships is set for September 8 to October 1 in Mexico.