GABBFF breaking barriers in hosting 1st virtual championship

A Christmas to remember…

By Timothy Jaikarran

As the saying goes, “Christmas comes once a year and every man must have their share”. This could be said of the Guyana Amateur Body Building and Fitness Federation (GABBFF), as it was able to host its first-ever virtual competition amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Resilience Bodybuilding and Fitness Championship was held at the National Cultural Centre.

For GABBFF President Keavon Bess, the event was a relief and a breath of fresh air; with gyms closed and the lockdown in full effect, it was amazing to see the results that the athletes brought to the table.
In an exclusive interview, Bess noted that things were different from what the Federation was accustomed to but everything was fine-tuned in the end.
“The style of preparation was completely different from what the GABBFF was used to. There were no face-to-face meetings with the athletes and judges. Instead, we were limited to Zoom and WhatsApp meetings, but these eventually proved very efficient, because everyone was in tune with what was happening and what was expected of them on competition night.

“As it relates to preparation by the athletes, I could only imagine that it was greatly challenging. With gyms being closed for many months, athletes were forced to improvise and many of them actually worked out at home with what little they had and after gyms were partially opened a few weeks before the competition, they were able to squeeze in some actual gym training and conditioning,” Bess noted.
He stated that there was no difficult experience, and the only thing that came close to being considered difficult was anticipating all that could go wrong with a live show as there was literally no room for errors or glitches. Everything had to be on point as soon as the production crew said action. The live show experience helped Bess to realise that with the right support staff, they can do competitions at the highest level. He was optimistic that they would be able to host a Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC) Championship in the near future.
For the GABBFF boss, the most memorable experience for him was the quality of bodies that the athletes managed to put together in such a short time. He was impressed at the artistry that went into their hard work and dedication in the midst of a pandemic; the event was truly memorable for all and the memories of the competition will continue to live on as that night was special.
When asked what lessons were learnt from the competition, Bess said, “Myself and the executive of the GABBFF have learnt many lessons. We already had the knowledge of putting together and running shows. But the work and effort that go into a live show was acquired, to a reasonable extent, when we commenced contact with the production team.
“Seon Barrington and Kerwin Bollers were very easy to work with. The GABBFF allowed them to work in their areas of expertise while we looked on and learnt and they, in turn, allowed us the liberty to work in our areas of expertise. We formed a level of work ethics that when mixed with each other produced a wonderful bodybuilding show. Together the two teams made history by successfully pulling off the first live bodybuilding and fitness competition in Guyana.”
Bess is hopeful that they will be able to budget for the new year and prepare a tentative calendar of events for 2021. In the end, it was definitely the best Christmas gift Bess could have received, and many avid fans will be itching to see what the GABBFF brings to the table in 2021.