MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A highly competitive, solo sport, bodybuilding is greatly dependent on live contests for its success.

Athletes are used to showing their muscles on a well-lit stage, comparing themselves with their counterparts and enjoying the interaction and positive feedback from a live crowd. These contests are adrenaline-pumping occasions.

Months of extreme discipline with scrupulous dieting, scientifically calculated supplementation and attention to hydration take place before a competition.

All of a sudden, with Covid-19 lockdowns, these competitions were scrapped.

The Mossel Bay Advertiser asked one of the Garden Route's bodybuilding "bosses" how athletes have endured lockdown restrictions.

Johan du Toit, a pharmacist, is the regional chairman (Southern Cape and Garden Route) of the Physical Culture Association (PCA) South African Federation.

Two of your bodybuilding competitions were cancelled in Mossel Bay last year.
Yes, they were the Destiny Classic and the Garden Route Casino Classic, both PCA-affiliated shows, and usually hosted by myself and the Garden Route Casino in Mossel Bay.

Was there an attempt to hold competitions using Zoom?
There was so-called online judging done for some competitions towards the end of last year in South Africa, but they were not PCA shows.

The problem with the attempt at online shows is that there is no ambience and crowd support and to judge the athletes objectively is difficult as they are compared with one another virtually, not on the same stage, not using the same lighting and background.

Even the angles at which bodybuilders present themselves to the camera and the digital quality of the image can all influence their placing in the competition and therefore could result in an unfair playing field.

How are bodybuilders keeping motivated without live competitions?
Many are using social media platforms as their main motivation, posting their progress and keeping up to date with the progress of their competitors, but this mostly refers to more experienced athletes, in my opinion. The novices, with little or no experience, usually need a goal to work towards: usually their first show.

With the current restrictions on public gatherings as well as the restrictions to training at commercial gyms, I foresee that the exponential growth in entries we have had in the last few years could decline.

What are the plans for bodybuilding on the Garden Route this year?
Unfortunately it does not look too promising. Although we haven't totally written off the chances of any shows this year, prospects look bleak. It all depends on future lockdown regulations as most athletes need about four months to prepare properly. This also applies to the event organisers.

Who are the top bodybuilders in this area?
I would not be able to answer that objectively. There are quite a few different categories for male and female athletes and they do not all compete in the same federation. What is true is that for an area like the Garden Route, comparatively smaller than other areas in South Africa, the quality of the athletes is astounding. The Garden Route Casino Classic is the best attended show in the area.

I started hosting competitions in the area 11 years ago and since then, annually, we have had athletes competing at national and international levels.

Is it possible competitions could be held, with mask wearing, sanitising and social distancing and keeping spectator numbers down via a first come, first served basis?
In my opinion, not likely. I pride myself in competitions of a certain standard and to keep that up we must keep the following in mind: suitable venue, rental of the venue, access control and security, public liability and safety, sufficient lighting, adequate sound and use of a suitable sound engineer, trophies, medals, suitable backstage and warm-up area for the athletes, qualified judges and scrutineer, administration personnel for registration, organising prizes in the form of supplements and hampers, printed memorabilia for the show, prize money for the various line-ups.

All of the above add up to a memorable night, with crowd participation and rewards for the athletes for their hard work.

Costs for this list of necessities can only be covered by decent crowd attendance and it would be a lacklustre event without the crowd.

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