The old saying 'lightning does not strike the same place twice,' was tossed out the window by president of the local bodybuilding and fitness association Danny Sumner, after learning that El Salvador will host this year's regional championship. In fact, Sumner is hoping to hit the medal jackpot when the 11-member squad compete at the 39th Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding, Fitness and Body Fitness Championship.
He said The Bahamas is returning to where it all got started on the professional level. It was in El Salvador the first professional card in the sport was won by Charles Kemp. Even though the feat was done years ago, Sumner is confident that this is the year for The Bahamas. The championship will be held September 21-26.
"We were very successful in El Salvador. It was the place where it all started for The Bahamas in terms of winning medals at the CAC," said Sumner. "Our first profession- al card was also won at these championship. That is when Charles Kemp gained his pro- fessional card. Historically, this is a good place for us to get back on the swing of things.
"We were not looking for any big numbers, so we selected a small team. We were looking for people who we felt would be able to make the qualifying rounds and subsequently leave the CAC with a medal or trophy. We feel good about this team. From the moment we selected this team, we knew that they will be able to make it into the final rounds. This year we went with quality instead of quantity.
The expectation for the team is high. I can see a couple of them bringing back gold medals. They've been training hard with Steve Robinson, the coach. He has been meeting with athletes at least twice a week. And I've been keeping in close contact with the athletes and Steve as well, getting an update on how their training is coming along. Physically they are there and mentally they are preparing themselves to com- pete in El Salvador."
Kemp paved the way for the remaining four bodybuilders who have secured their pro- fessional cards. Not so long after Kemp's accomplishment Natasha Brown's stunning physique landed her among the professionals. Big Joel Stubbs was the third Bahamian followed by Gena Mackey. The country's most recent professional in the sport is Jay Darling.
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