I was in excellent shape for my guest posing appearance.

Guest Posing in Peoria

I was proud to be the featured guest poser at the recent 2005 NGA Heart of America competition in Peoria, Illinois. Promoter John Abraham invited IFBB Pro Figure Superstar Monica Brant and me to his event on May 21, 2005. The contest featured some high quality natural bodybuilders competing in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.

Monica Brant was a special guest for the event.

Monica gave a free seminar for all the figure competitors on Friday night to kick off the proceedings for the weekend. The pre-judging for the bodybuilders and figure competitors was conducted on Saturday afternoon. The finals on Saturday night brought a near capacity crowd from Peoria out to witness the contest.

I was also scheduled to give a Bodybuilding Seminar on Saturday afternoon following the pre-judging. Unfortunately, the judging lasted so long (over 4 hours) that most of the exhausted competitors left the auditorium in search of food and rest. I can totally relate to how they must have felt as I have been in that same situation myself many times over the last 25 years. As a result, only a few die hard bodybuilders showed up for the planned seminar and we were forced to cancel it due to low attendance. In hindsight, it probably would have been wiser to put a definite starting time for the seminar so the competitors could have made plans to attend. Oh well, next time….

Presenting the trophy to the women's overall winner.	Check out the abs on Marni Kent, overall women's champion.	Promoter John Abraham and I present Marni with her trophy and pro card.

I was in great shape for my guest posing, having dieted for over 2 months specifically for this contest. My bodyweight was down to 207 which was very close to where I competed at last year when I won the Natural America’s Cup in Michigan. I got a great response from the crowd which was appreciated after 9 weeks of dieting. I was glad I put in the extra effort when I finally stepped onstage.

The contest itself brought out some excellent competition. Marni Kent of Mackinaw, IL won the women’s overall division. Marni was also the lightweight winner so she was not the biggest bodybuilder competing that night but she was extremely ripped and hard. You can tell she did her homework as she was rock hard all over. Her quality physique earned her a pro card for the natural organization and she should do well if she continues to compete in such excellent condition.

John Bauler won the Men's overall title at the Heart of America.

Posing down backstage with the runner-up in the heavyweight class, Sean Glassman.

I was also proud to see Paula McBride do well in her second competition. I helped Paula get ready for the NPC Natural Grand Prix two weeks earlier in Rockford where she kicked some serious butt! Paula won the overall titles at both the Masters and Novice divisions in Rockford and she was hoping to do the same in Peoria. Unfortunately, she ended up a very close second in both the women’s Masters and Open events in this show. I thought she looked just as good as she did two weeks earlier and I would have had her in first place in her class in both divisions if I had been a judge. Regardless, Paula had a good time and she is just getting started. She will be back in competition soon, trust me!

In the men’s division, John Bauler from Decatur, IL won the heavyweight and overall decision. I recently saw John compete at the NPC Natural Grand Prix in Rockford on May 7th where he took second in the heavyweight class to the eventual overall winner. John obviously stayed on his diet for another two weeks as he was much harder for this contest. His dedication paid off with a close victory in the heavyweight class and the overall. John also earned a pro card and he should do well in the future with his big frame and quality muscle mass.

John was pushed hard in the heavyweight class by second place finisher Sean Glassman. Sean is from Omaha, Nebraska and he displayed a very thick physique for a 22 year old bodybuilder. His delts and traps in particular are very thick and his legs are in proportion to his upper body. Sean won an overall title in his home state the week before this contest and he drove 6 hours to Peoria to compete in the NGA Heart of America. At his young age, Sean has a good future ahead of him on the competition stage as he continues to make progress.

I wanted to thank promoter John Abraham for bringing me out to his competition this year. I had a lot of fun and met some great people. John put a lot of effort into promoting this event and it paid off with a bodybuilding event that was both exciting and memorable.