By Gary Chappell
IN the weeks leading up to their first show as promoters the anxiety was flowing freely.
The panic manifested itself in daily phone calls to a colleague with an outpouring of negative vibes. The worrying was off the scale.
The reality, as it often is, was distinctly different. The first IBFA South East show was a roaring success and ran smoothly. It had some fantastic athletes and was put on with a friendly, jovial ambience that will be hard to match.
Enter Jay and Carly Howlett. Husband and wife, they decided to promote their first ever show, having been competitors and judges over the years.
It was dubbed the Married to Muscle Classic, so called because of a forthcoming television documentary starring the bodybuilding couple.
Writing on social media, Jay Howlett, who suffers from mental health issues, summed up his emotions candidly: "Honestly, we were so nervous but also excited about creating a decent show for the athletes and the spectators. We've both competed, coached, judged and watched a ton of shows but never been promoters before.
"I suffer from a bunch of mental issues – acute anxiety disorder being one of the main ones – so the build up to this properly tested my sanity. I know 100 per cent that I've been a complete pain in the arse to so many people in the lead up to the event.
"Chris "Hulk" Williams [judge] was on the receiving end of daily phone call panic attacks with me saying, 'Hulk, there's gonna be no athletes and no audience'.
"He maintained a gritted-teeth-level of friendly reassurance, which I'm eternally grateful for. And Mrs H had to endure in-house pre-comp promoter insanity from Mr H.
"We're no promoter gurus, far from it. But we like to think we did OK for our first attempt. The feedback from athletes, staff, spectators etc has been overwhelming. Thank you to everyone that supported us because it's all of you that made it happen."
Frontdouble.com was in attendance for this competition at the Wyllotts Theatre in Potters Bar. Yes, you certainly "did OK" for your first attempt. More than OK. "Smashed it", as the kids might say.
Given the anxiety issues leading up to the show, the only shame was that there were not more IBFA officials in attendance, especially as most of the competitors based in the south have had to travel north since its inception in 2011.
From their special guest, Joe Egan – the toughest white man on the planet according to Mike Tyson, to 83-year-old competitor Michael Harendence. His posing routine based on ED209 from the film Robocop was a real inspiration.
And Egan's tales of how he used to be pummelled in the face by Tyson and Lennox Lewis, though was never put down, provided some fantastic insight. Egan went on to not only provide a few laughs but also expressed his respect for bodybuilders and what they endure during the depths of contest prep.
Then there was the photographer James Lineham. Patrolling the floor at the edge of the stage, Lineham captured perfectly the drama of each competitor's stage time. The deep blacks of the background, the smoke, the lighting. Just check out some of his stage pictures embedded in this article. These were made especially sharp with the expert tanning and attention of Kelley Szostak from Physique Spraytans.
As for anxiety, there was not a hint of that from Jay. He was top notch behind the microphone last Sunday [September 15]. At ease, complimentary to athletes and all delivered with a warm sense of humour.
So while competitors wonder whether they have got the final tweaks right, you can rest assured they are not the only ones worrying. Promotors too have their own kind of peak week. Or maybe call that, freak-out week.
Still, Mr and Mrs H can be proud.
Leave a Reply