Photo By Sgt. Tayler Schwamb | CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa, Japan – Guest Poser Leila Thompson poses on stage Aug. 6 at...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA, Japan— The local and military community cheered with vigor as bodybuilders from across Okinawa competed in the 2017 Far East Bodybuilding Competition hosted by Marine Corps Community Services Aug. 6 aboard Camp Foster.
The MCCS Far Easy Bodybuilding show is the hallmark of the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of the best bodybuilders, physique and figure athletes in the Pacific, according to the Beasts of the Easts Brochure. For 18 years, this show remains the longest running, and most prestigious bodybuilding tournament in the Pacific.
“This year’s show had 41 participants in the three categories,” said Jonathan Jones, the adult sports director for MCCS, who goes by the nickname “Sonny”. “The three categories are as follows: Figure, Physique, and Men’s Body Building. There are 14 different divisions within those three categories.”
The women’s figure category is divided into three sections: up to and including 5’4”, over 5’4” and including 5’6”, and over 5’6”.
Figure competitions are a blend of bodybuilding and fitness. During comparison judging in height classes, woman are judged on symmetry, presentation, and other aesthetic qualities such as skin tone.
The women’s physique is divided into four sections: up to and including 5’2”, over 5’2” and including 5’4”, over 5’4” and including 5’6”, and over 5’6”.
Women are judged on their physique based on how they showcase their femininity, their symmetry, muscle tone, poise, beauty and flow of physique.
The men’s bodybuilding is divided into seven weight classes: masters, bantamweight, lightweight, light middleweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight.
In men’s bodybuilding, competitors are judged on muscle size, muscle definition and symmetry.
The crowd was treated to an exhibition from Leila Thompson, a Physique Olympia, and Roelly Winklaar, known by “The Dutch Beast”, winner of 2010 IFBB New York Pro. Winklaar is less than five weeks out from competition the 2017 Mr. Olympia.
Competitor Kandace Over, a Buffalo, New York native and a competitor in the women’s figure, up to and including 5’4” division, believes that performances like Winklaar and Thompson help motivate competitors.
“The shows help me have a goal to be fit,” said Over. “Sometimes people think that the best way for them to become fit is to lose weight and drop five pounds. But you could lose weight in a month, two months or five months. I love to get on stage and have the confidence to show off all of your hard work. You know that on Aug. 6 you have that goal that you have to meet. You are going to work and fight to achieve that goal because its there, coming and real. You almost have more of a sense of a drive and motivation because it has a means to an end. Once you accomplish that goal you sit there and ask, what is next?”
The enthusiasm from the competitors was contagious.
“Did you see the morale, the esprit de corps as people hung over the seats yelling?” asked Patrick Coleman, the head judge for the Far East Bodybuilding Competition. “The atmosphere here today was unbelievable. I always tell people that if they have never been to a bodybuilding competition then they really need to go. The energy in the house is incomparable. Fitness builds the friendship between the local and military community, and you are sharing successes of others. All of their hard work and dedication shows in that moment.”
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2017 03:24 |
| Story ID: | 243980 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 782 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 2017 Far East Bodybuilding Competition; Beasts of the East, by Sgt Tayler Schwamb, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT