BNBF North East Report by Mark Claxton After what can only be described as an epic first qualifier in Scotland to a rapturous, vocal crowd and a great standard of competitor, we headed on to the very first BNBF northeast qualifier at the northern stage in Newcastle proudly sponsored by Smart-Tec nutrition. A nice venue with a deep stage and everything a competitor or spectator could want or need in close proximity. While the northeast qualifier was lower in entrants than the other qualifiers, for a first time show in a new area, the eventual total of 40 competitors bodes well for what this qualifier could become. After the high volume enthusiasm of the scots, we expected the northeast to be alot quieter but even with less in attendance, the people of newcastle were loud and enthusiastic throughout, showing what they were made of. Up first was the TEEN class sponsored by Fresh Food Guru In first place and taking the win was Alex Smith. Alex was not the most aesthetically pleasing of the group but was clearly the most conditioned on the stage and in the end it was a clear victory for Alex. Some further improvement in his presentation and stage presence will see Alex come closer to fulfilling his potential at the Britain. In second place was Sam Stevenson- Sams height made it slightly tougher for him as is will take longer to develop density in his bigger frame. He has a great shape and will be a force as he matures.He was a little pale on the day! In third place was Alex Falconer. Alex had some nice sweep to his quads and was nice and balanced, the only thing that left him falling short of the top two was his condition and a little bit of muscle mass. With further improvements in development and condition will see him being more competitive. Alex also gave a great high energy routine and I liked his choice of music, it portrayed how much he was enjoying his time on stage. In fourth place was Blair Fenton. Unfortunately Blair was just slightly out-massed and out-conditioned on the day and to do better against these boys he will have to keep working hard to come back victorious. Blairs tan was also a little light in the evening which hurt his chances. easily rectified for next time though. Up next was the next of the younger ones, the JUNIOR u23 class sponsored by Vissocis Café. In first place was the very impressive Kristian Kerr who simply out-massed and out-conditioned the others making it a race for second place. Kristian had a neat waist, tapering back, separated flashy quads and condition rarely seen on a man of his years. His presentation was good and you could tell he had spent a lot of time working on how best to present himself with only a few flaws. Kristian has a habit of looking down at his torso when posing to the crowd obscuring his physique and making him look smaller. A simple lift of the chin will remedy this. From the back he also tucked his pelvis under when contracting his glutes which lengthened his torso and spoilt his shape a little. Other than that he commanded attention and exuded confidence in comparison to the others around him. In second place was Shaun Robinson who was arguably the biggest of the class with heavier leg development than the winner and had a nice shape. Shaun has put on some muscle since the last time i saw him compete but still needs to learn how to approach his diet to come in with the necessary low body fat to challenge the likes of Kristian. His hamstrings were thick and his posing was also good for the majority of the time but if i were to give a constructive criticism for Shaun to work on it would be to thicken up his pecs. in Third place was Will Smith. Will was a little light in leg development compared with the others and this hurt his chances today. His posing was also not as neat and well executed as the two guys above him and his tan was a little pale which would have held him back a little. So work hard in the squat rack Will, practice your posing and come back bigger and better than ever. in fourth place was Calvin Rhys Gowland. Calvin had some great calves but was just outmuscled and needed to be harder today to challenge for a Britain invite. From the juniors we moved on to the more experienced MASTERS over 40 class sponsored by smarttecnutrition This class only had two entries today and n first place was Pete Gawtry who had good calves development, better condition and tan than the other master competitor. For Pete to maximise his chances on placing well at the british he could improve his posing and come in even tighter. Congratulations pete. In second place was Mark Taylor. Unfortunately for Mark he was lighter in muscle than the winner and not as conditioned leaving a clear decision for the judges to make. I felt Markss tan was too light and he was a little two dimensional so he needs to do as much heavy lifting as possible to thicken himself up to be challenging the likes of the winner here today. Next up, moving up another age bracket to the Masters o50 class sponsored by Evolution gym sheffield. As always these men defy their age and inspire us all to persue bodybuilding not just as a competitive sport but a lifestyle to live by into later years. In first place was Tommy Campion. Tommy has competed with the BNBF before many years ago and it was good to see him return. While Tommy was giving away mass in some body-parts, he was the most complete with superior balance, symmetry and presentation. When you compared him to the others in the class he had just enough of everything to pip the others to the win. His tan was particularly good in comparison to the others. For future outings and to do better at the british in September Tommy should aim to add overall mass if at all possible in that time with particular attention to his calves which were a little weak. There is also room for improvement with his condition and he would better his chances by coming in harder too. In second place was Kevin Howe with a big expansive rib cage and was a bigger man than Tommy with thicker development in some areas but he was lacking in others and this effected the aesthetics and symmetry of his physique when compared with the winner. Kevin was noticeably better at night and had a well executed routine. Well done Kevin. In third place was another man who is on the return in Ted Clifton who I believe to actually be over 60 years of age so to see him mixing it with guys some years his junior is no mean feat. Teds tan was a little light and he was slightly out-massed by the other two but he held his own and came out with buckets of confidence with a great routine and music that struck a chord with the local supporters and he really got the crowd going. The great lighting added to the effect of Teds routine and it was a pleasure to witness. Now we moved onto our female bodybuilders in the miss Physique class sponsored by Gracemount gym Edinburgh. Today there was only one competitor in the class by the name of Emma Goodfellow but she more than did herself proud producing an entertaining routine for the crowd. She will come up against more competition at the british finals and with her good abdominals and clearly developed and separated body-parts she will be in contention for sure. Well done and congratulations on your british invite Emma. Now for the more inexperienced newcomers to the sport in the Novice class sponsored by Evolution gym Sheffield. In first place was Ian Bickle with sickening sweep to his quads and heavy development throughout with a fair standard of condition. I also particularly liked his routine music which got his following of supporters going and raised some deafening noise. However, for the Britain he will no doubt have to be harder still and improve his posing to maximize his chances against what is always a strong standard of competitor at the british. In second place was Christopher Addy who also had a decent amount of muscle on his frame and a routine that was good to watch but needed to be harder to challenge the winner. Perhaps the Britain is his chance to do a number on the competition and reverse that result. In third place was Noel Rye who had competed just a week earlier in the Scottish qualifier and since then he had improved slightly meaning he had done just enough to earn him that elusive Britain invite. He did experience some problems with his tan in the morning but it was better in the evening. Hopefully Noel can continue improving all the way up to the Britain to be his best yet. In fourth place was Roy Cowan with thick pecs and delts. What hurt Roy was that structurally he is wide waisted in comparison to some meaning it is harder for him to create the illusion of taper in his upper body and he was cruching down quite a lot in his side shots to emphasise his muscularity but it spoiled his shape and actually makes him look smaller and awkward. Roy needs to learn to maximize his potential and show off his hard earned muscle to its fullest. Also competing in no particular order were Lee Briscoe, Sean Rye, Michael Spokes and Mason To. After the novice class we were treated to a guest appearance by the ever impressive and lovely DFAC Pro athletic class world champion Rachael Hayes. Rachel was 20 weeks out from her return to once again contest for the world title in Miami in November and for such a long way off Rachel was sharp. As with all of the pros Rachel never gets too far out of contest condition. Her routine was well choreographed as always, executed to perfection and set a great example of stage presence and presentation. After the crowd were entertained by our guest star it was time to get to business again and find our winners for the lightweight mens class sponsored by legacygymapparel In first place was Andrew Mckenzie with a flashy and detailed physique with good separation between muscle groups, particularly his quads. His tan was good and arguably the hardest in the class. He was defiantly a lot better at night too. If I were to give recommendations for the future for Andrew I would say that his posing needs improving a little and he could be even harder still for the british. Aside from that, just adding size over then next year will see him become even more formidable. In second place was Rick Gannon. Rick is another guy that has returned to the bnbf stage this year after a few years away and it was good to see him back. Rick had good, thick quads and biceps with good condition that was improved from the week before in Scotland. Rick was heavier muscled than the winner but was not as aesthetically pleasing so his scores were hurt in the balance and symmetry round and this meant that he would miss out on the win today. As with the winner, he could be even harder still for the Britain and his biggest weakness for him to work on would be his back in my opinion. In third place was Steve Sharp that was just out conditioned by those above him. If he comes in harder he will see himself challenging those above him. In fourth place was Callum Ross who was too soft to hope for better today. If he continues to work on his condition and posing for one of the remaining qualifiers he could have another shot at a british invite. In fifth was Jordan Dean. Jordan suffers with cerebral palsy and battles against it to persue his passion in bodybuilding. How he does this day to day is incredible and this is before you even consider the fact that he has actually managed to build a physique with visible abs and shapely delts. While Jordan didnt really challenge those above him on this occasion, I would say that he actually looks like he has improved slightly since his last time on stage which is a hell of an accomplishment. Well done Jordan. Up in weight next to the middleweight class sponsored by Evolution gym Sheffield. In first place was Daniel Jackson. Daniel was a standout winner as soon as he emerged from behind the curtain with slabs of thick muscle across his pecs, shoulder girdle and arms with a good sweep to his legs, and big calves giving him good shape to boot. In second place was Craig Langstaff who had a classical aesthetic look about him and had low body-fat but appeared flat and lack fullness. He was a little light in the legs which threw off his symmetry and while he was not small, he was giving away too much size to the winner. In third place was Philip Dean who was slightly less conditioned than Craig above him but had heavy leg development. His powerful legs though made his upper body look as though it was lagging behind slightly which threw off his balance. I also felt his trunks were worn a little low which gave the illusion of lengthening his torso. If he can pull them up higher on his hips he will improve his aesthetics and coming in a little tighter will improve him no end for future battles. Overall I would say he has improved though from the last time he competed. Well done Philip. In fourth place was Chris Chapman who was actually quite aesthetically pleasing with a nice balanced structure. Unfortunately for Chris I have seen him better on previous occasions. I felt he was a little light in muscle in comparison to times passed, was a little flat and looks like his legs were down on size especially. He still looked good but to the critical eye it was noticeable. I know that Chris will only get better from here and come back improved. Now was the turn of the heavyweight class sponsored by andrewgordonbutchery Today there was only one competitor in this class due to the weight split on the day. David Duffy was considerably heavier than the others so the fairest split was actually to have him on his own. He did actually come out with the middleweight class but had already won the heavyweight category by default so was not included in their judging. Thats not to say that he wouldnt have won the class had there been more competitors because he had a very small, and neat waist for someone his size with bellowing sweep to his heavy legs. He will need to be harder for the british to contest his class no doubt and I would say his focus should be on bringing more thickness to his back and upper body but he has improved significantly since he last competed with us. Lets hope that trend of improvement continues. Now that the mens weight classes were settled it was time to move on to the ladies in the figure class sponsored by darkastan.co.uk In first place was Steph Noble who had long legs and a tapering upper body and shapely deltoids. Steph commanded the attention of the audience with her confidence and well rehearsed T-walk and clearly had the best physique in the balance and symmetry round. I would say though that I think Steph was bigger and harder the last time I saw her compete which gave her more shape. It was enough to be victorious here in Newcastle but to maximize her chances at the british she will have to be back to her best and I for one would love to see her do it. A good performance and victory. In second place was Laura Curley. Laura had competed one week earlier at the Scottish and she was marginally better here. She was sharper than the winner but structurally was disadvantaged with a slightly wider waist. She posed well but it still was not enough to match the dimensions of Steph. She had upped her game in confidence and presentation too from the Scottish and earned her invite to the brits without a doubt. In third place was an ecstatic Nicky Rodgers. Nicky was confident and has a nice frame that gave her pleasing shape but I feel her potential is so much greater. If she can add as much muscle as she can in the future it will bring her great shape and also enable her to come in harder. So work hard Nicky and keep improving for the Britain. In fourth place was Rachel Mason who had a nice skin tone, confident smile, soft presentation and grace with good visible abdominals but she was slightly bottom heavy which threw off her symmetry in comparison to Nicky above her. To continue to climb the ranks and place higher its more of the same Im afraid. More muscle to achieve better shape and enable yourself to come in leaner while maintaining shape to your physique so lots of heavy lifting is in order. Also competing in no particular order was Kirstie mcCrystal, Karen Phillips-Craig, and Helen Smith. Next up was the masters figure class sponsored by Evolution gym Sheffield. Today there was only one masters figure competitor and Debbie Fotheringham was that lady. She did herself proud and showed that she was a great sport by pulling off her routine with a great smile. Its true what they say, you have to be in it to win it and today Debbie was the only lady that made it through the diet to the stage and the rewards were there for the taking, making it a worth while challenge competing just one week after competing at the Scottish to get her british invite. Next year I doubt will be the same story as the northeast show becomes more established and well attended with multiple girls challenging for the same title. Well done Debbie. So with all the winners decided it was time for the overall sponsored by smarttecnutrition to decide who would be our overall champion and class winners emerged from the curtain one by one under the spotlight to dramatic music as the suspense built. How would each of them fare? You never know until the final moments where they all stand shoulder to shoulder. The callouts were made, eyes went back and forth and the winners were made to work hard. Composures were tested, and this was where we would find out who had done their homework when the tiredness set in. Pose for pose each class winner put in their all and tried to better the others around them. The middleweight winner was massive with vascularity snaking across his chest and arms, the lightweight was slightly bigger than the junior, separated and flashy from the front but gave away in detail and shape to the back. The Novice and his freakish quads while impressive and not out of place faded into the background. The heavyweight with powerful legs was exposed as not being hard enough to battle with these guys and so was quickly out of contention. So it appeared this was a three horse race. My eyes were drawn to the mass of the middleweight but he was not without his flaws. While he was big across his delts, chest and arms, his torso was lacking by comparison. His lower lats were lagging, his legs while bigger were not separated anywhere near as much as the lightweight or junior. As it wore on the lightweight faded where the junior and his all over detail came alive. So that was the lightweight out of the running. It was the flashy details of the lighter junior verses the raw mass of the middleweight. Daniel Jackson was clearly a lot bigger and rounder while Kristian was more evenly developed and equally conditioned in all body-parts. After a tense but entertaining pose-down the judges decisions had been tallied up and the competitors returned to the back line to await the results. To add even more anticipation and anxiety to the moment the wait for the result was prolonged by the giving of the award for the much sought after best wheels which went to...Our junior winner Kristian Kerr!! The majority had gone for the sharply conditioned and separated legs of Kristian. So back to the overall and the emcee Dangerous Dave Kaye built the suspense as the winner was announced as... our junior winner Kristian Kerr!!! The sheer look of disbelief took over Kristians face as the result was announced. In the end more judges had given the neater, razor sharp physique of Kristian the nod and it must have been incredibly close with some judges going one way, and some the other but a deserving winner nonetheless. Congratulations to the first ever winner of the BNBF NorthEast Championships Kristian Kerr.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 20:27:22 +0000