Q & A with Dawn Alison

June 18, 2014
pt of the day

Take chances, make mistakes.
That's how you grow.
Pain nourishes your courage.
You have to fail in order to practice being brave.

PIC: TEAM Fit Body's AMAZING Christine Wallace

June 19, 2014
pt of the day

Before your dreams can come true,
you have to have those dreams.
Don't make excuses.
Make things happen.
Make changes.
Then make history...

PIC; TEAM Fit Body's Marina Wojtczak

June 20, 2014
pt of the day

If there is no struggle, there is no progress.
Those who profess to favor freedom,
and deprecate agitation,
are men who want crops without plowing up the ground,
they want rain without thunder and lightning.

Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.

PIC: TEAM Fit Body's Amethyst Lowe heading to BC Championships

June 21, 2014
pt of the day

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than

It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
Whe he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -

The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Love only grows by sharing.
You can only have more for yourself by giving it away to others.

PIC: is ME (Dawn Alison)

June 22, 2014
pt of the day

You can do what you want to do,
accomplish what you want to accomplish,
attain any reasonable objective you may have in mind
not all of a sudden,
perhaps not in one swift and sweeping act of achievement
but you can do it gradually,
day by day and play by play,
if you want to do it,
if you work to do it,
over a sufficiently long period of time.

June 23, 2014
pt of the day

There is no such thing as can't, only won't.
If you're qualified,
all it takes is a burning desire to accomplish,
to make a change.
Go forward,
go backward.
Whatever it takes!
But you can't blame other people or society in general.
It all comes from your mind.
When we do the impossible we realize we are special people.

PIC: TEAM Fit Body's SUNDAY POSING PRACTICE

June 24, 2014
pt of the day

Don't be reluctant to give of yourself generously,
it's the mark of caring and compassion and personal greatness....

PIC: me & my son Storm Sull
he is one of the most kind, gentle, wonderful humans I know....

June 25,2014
pt of the day

Do what you can,
with what you have,
where you are.

Far better it is to dare mighty things,
to win glorious triumphs,
even though checkered by failure,
than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer too much,
because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

PIC: TEAM Fit Body's Paula Lambert
3 days out of the BCs GO PAULA

June 26, 2014
pt of the day

We cannot choose how many years we will live,
but we can choose how much life those years will have.
We cannot control the beauty of our face,
but we can control the expression on it.
We cannot control life's difficult moments
but we can choose to make life less difficult.
We cannot control the negative atmosphere of the world,
but we can control the atmosphere of our minds.
Too often we try to choose and control things we cannot.
Too seldom we choose to control what we can …
our attitude.

PIC: TEAM Fit Body's Junior Bodybuilder Andraea Adams Before & After

June 27, 2014
pt of the day

best of luck to all the competitors coming in the BC Championships tomorrow
please remember to..... ENJOY THE MOMENT! (by Gary Bartlett)

Are you competing for the wrong reasons? There was a time when I felt like winning a bodybuilding contest was the most important thing in my small world! I was angry when I didn’t win, and felt that the training and sacrifice were for nothing! It was all about winning, and my self esteem was demolished if I lost. Even though it was thirty years ago, I remember it like yesterday, hanging up on a dear friend and supporter who didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear after my runner up finish at a regional bodybuilding show.
Garry in his Prime with muscles and hair

I was so blinded by my compulsion and need to win; I didn’t want to listen to reason. I like to think that I have matured a lot since those days and that, if anything, age has provided me with some much needed wisdom and insight as to how important competing in a bodybuilding or figure competition should be. Can anything be gained from the experience if you don’t win?

Now don’t get me wrong, it is very hard to justify all the sacrifices in preparation for a competition and just walk on stage with a carefree attitude where winning is not the major goal. Everyone wants to win, but it has to be put in the proper perspective. I have known many individuals who have paid a very high cost emotionally, physically, and financially in their quest to win.

I received an e-mail the other day from a prominent Canadian Bodybuilder who after many years of successful competitions is now questioning if all the sacrifices were worth it? This individual confesses that they loved competing but, in spite of all the wins, still feels unsatisfied and has become frustrated! They are now questioning if continuing to compete will change anything. Unfortunately, after years of training and gearing all your energies towards the goal of winning, to suddenly stop competing can leave a huge void in your life!

So I ask you, what motivates you to compete? Are you competing for the wrong reasons?

Being involved in this industry for the past 30 years, I would like to think I have a bit of insight and a different perspective than many of you reading this. There are some facts that are very clear to me which I would like to share with you.
Atlantic Champion Ron Mayhew competes for all the right reasons

If winning is your main motivation, and you think because you have sacrificed more and worked harder than your peers and that you deserve to win, then you are going to be sadly disappointed. There is no such thing as fair when it comes to a bodybuilding or figure competition. When the lineup hits the stage, the judges are only looking at what is in front of them, not what it took you to get there. Your conditioning, shape, size, and presentation will determine your eventual finish, not the sacrifices you made. Unfortunately, there are those who are simply more genetically gifted than you, and didn’t train or diet as hard, but still won. So if you are looking for justice and feel you deserve to win, I would suggest taking up lawn bowling!

If you do not win, accept it for what it is. Don’t go away raving that you got ripped off and that the judges didn’t know that they were looking at. Try to get some honest feedback, rather than just listening to your friends who will tell you what you want to hear. Regardless of what you might think, CBBF judges are experienced, (some even have international exposure) and are much more qualified than 99% of your friends and supporters.

Should you win a big show, don’t expect sponsors and press to come knocking on your door. The facts are clear, very few people other than family and close friends give a rat’s ass if you win or not! In fact, the average person has no idea what a bodybuilding or figure competition really is. Women bodybuilders will find it even tougher as the general public often looks at them as freaks. Even your friends may show indifference regarding your win by forcing a polite smile. When your back is turned, they will often roll their eyes and question why on earth you would want to look like that.
Canadian Champion Vince Wawryk knows that competition comes 2nd with family being No. 1

The point I am trying to make is that bodybuilding is unlike any other sport. It can become a bottomless pit where you can pour in unlimited resources, be it financial, emotional, or physical, with little reward. Unfortunately, it has been my experience that the individuals who have faired the best in competition are the most obsessed, and often never satisfied even if they do win.

Now with Canadian summer competitions quickly creeping up on us, it is time for you to sit down and do some serious thinking. Try to figure out what motivates you to compete. Try and work out your priorities and be realistic as to what to expect from your experience. How will you handle not winning, and why are you putting yourself through so much personal sacrifice for so little return? Is the sacrifice worth the effort?

Following is a summary of what I think motivates people to compete in bodybuilding competitions, and why these won’t provide you with the necessary satisfaction that you hope for. Do you recognize any of these traits in yourself?

Fame: Should you do well in a competition, chances are you might get a bit of press from your local paper. However don’t wait for them to contact you. Go out and lobby for a bit of press as often the local media is unaware of your accomplishments. Other than a few congratulations from friends, family and your local gym buddies, don’t expect much more. As for press and articles in bodybuilding publications, it is very difficult for Canadians to get featured in a Major publication like MuscleMag. However, a new Canadian magazine does feature top Canadian bodybuilding & figure athletes called “Inside Fitness”.

Money & Becoming a Pro: I can’t think of one Canadian bodybuilder & figure athlete other than top Pro Paul Dillet who has actually made any money as a Pro. In spite of his Pro earnings, Paul still had to find an alternate source of income once his pro career ended. Without question, if you choose to compete in contests, it is going to cost you far more money than you will ever get back. If you think that competing with the ambition of becoming a pro is going to earn you a living, then take up golf or ice hockey. On the positive side, your success as a competitor can be translated into earning opportunities in other ways. A national or even regional title can help you in establishing a reputation as a personal trainer, opening up a gym or working for a food supplement company as a salesperson, model or spokesperson. Quebec’s former Canadian Pro Joe Spinello has done well promoting bodybuilding competitions. In my case I became a photographer & author.

Unfortunately, there are those who tarnish the sport supplementing their incomes by selling illegal drugs. Obviously, not a very good career choice and not much of an option for a pension. Although if busted, you might get a couple years of free room and board compliments of the Federal Government.

Insecurity: Perhaps the biggest motivator that started us training in the first place was being skinny and insecure. Once the muscle started to sprout, instead of developing much needed confidence, a lot of the initial insecurity problems just grew along with the muscle. In most cases as a skinny person, no one paid much attention to you. Now all of a sudden people are coming up to you and commenting on your physique. Unfortunately, a lot of guys have a very difficult task handling the sudden attention and begin to feel pressure to back up the compliments. Of course the proving ground is to get on stage and compete. So then winning becomes part of your self esteem and you must win or face humiliation. The loss is a huge blow and only fuels your insecurity to where you must prove yourself at the next show at all costs. So, you take more drugs, train and diet harder to the point of endangering your long term health. I have seen guys who, in spite of sporting 250 pounds of solid muscle, still act like that little insecure 98 lb weakling.

The Thrill and Challenge of Competition: Now this is where the real winners come from. These competitors are true athletes in every sense of the word; they love getting in shape and enjoy the challenge of competition. Yes, they want to win, but it is not the end of the world if they don’t. They enjoy the moment and savor the entire weekend’s activities, often traveling with a spouse or friend and making it a vacation instead of staying locked in their rooms, nervously wrapped up in a blanket they are out socializing and making new friends. These athletes often developed their competitive nature and social skills playing high school sports and have arrived into the bodybuilding & figure world with the proper attitude. Once their trophies are buried deep in a closet and covered with dust, it is the fond memories from the competition that are most cherished. It is this type of attitude that everyone should cultivate, if you are ever to enjoy your competitive years.

So my friends, as you prepare your diet, routine and contest strategy for this summers national competitions, I would suggest you honestly ask yourself why you are doing this. If your answer is anything other than to travel, meet new friends and have fun competing against Canada’s best, then maybe you should take a serious look at how realistic your goals are. My advice to you: ENJOY THE MOMENT!