The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Only a handful of competitors showed up to participate in the Bahamas Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation’s inaugural Faye Rolle Classic, but those that did put on a show for the audience at Loyola Hall on Saturday night.

Women’s bikini open winner Shakira Ferguson, women’s physique open champion Tanya Cleare, men’s physique open winner Wellington Wallace and men’s bodybuilding open champion Jimmy Norius said it was all about showing their support for Rolle, an ailing former bodybuilder.

“It feels great since I just came back from Canada and I was exhausted. You can push through it. Two more weeks of diet won’t hurt or kill you. I felt great,” Ferguson said.

She had one competitor to compete against, Tasha Seymour, in easily winning the women’s bikini open, dedicating her performance to Rolle.

“No one knows when it could be them and I love to help people,” Ferguson said. “If just going on stage will allow me to give my support, then I would do that.

“It took nothing for me to go on stage and do this for her. So I wish her the best and I pray that God takes care of her and pull her through.”

For Cleare, the lone competitor in the women’s physique open, when she heard that the show was for Rolle, sh gladly accepted the challenge to compete.

“It was from my heart because I’ve been competing all this year and after CAC Championships was canceled, I decided to give it my all in all for Faye Rolle,” stated Clare, the reigning national physique champion.

“I wanted to show my love and support to her family. It’s all from my heart. I think we could have had a better turnout, but you never know what the struggle is for the others. I’m just glad to b here to give my support.”

Wallace, in beating out a field of six other competitors, said he spent the past few weeks training really hard for the show. In the final, he won over Jay Darling Jr, the runner-up and third place finisher Alberto Rahming.

The other competitors in the field were Karl Espiritu, Kyle King, Jeremy Misiewicz and Aaron Mackey, but Wallace said he was able to battle through for the win.

“I felt really good out there. I’m in good spirits and I’m really glad that I got the opportunity to compete in the show,” he said. “It was for a beautiful lady. I don’t really know her, but I heart that she was fantastic.”

No stranger to the top spot on the stage, Norius won the pose down against Giovanni Farrington and Paul ‘Mighty’ Mouse’ Wilson to cart of the men’s bodybuilding open title.

“The show was good. But even thought it was a small show, it was tough. It could have gone either way,” he pointed out. “Paul was amazing. This was the best I saw him and Giovanni is coming on really quick.

“I think the judges wanted the complete package that I presented, so I’m happy that I won, especially since this was for Faye Rolle. I always tell people that you never know that plans of God. Somethings God is keeping us away from some things to move us to something better.”

Norius said he wanted to give his support to Rolle to show her that bodybuilding is not the end. It’s a means to an end. He said Rolle has also encouraged him and his wife and that’s why he joined the federation in showing their appreciation to her.

Rolle’s daughter Latoya Rahming said she appreciate the support and love that the federation gave to her mother, who is doing a new form of treatment.

“It made my heart so warm because this was something she dreamed about and to see it come to fruition, I was overwhelmed with tears for her,” said Rahming.

She took the stage with her aunt Tammy Wood, uncle Godfrey Rolle and cousin Jammie Rolle to receive a plaque from federation president Joel Stubbs and public relations officer Nardo Dean during the show.

A video presentation of Rolle’s career in bodybuilding and her rehabilitation was shown.

Stubbs said although they anticipated having more competitors out, he said they are happy to finally get the event of the ground. He noted that it should have been held from last year, but they had to hold of on it because of the lack of funding.

“We wanted to give back to Faye and her medical expenses,” he said. “Hopefully next year we can elevate this to another notch to be a bigger show where we turn it into an international classic where we invite athletes from the Caribbean and even the United States and Canada to compete.”

As an invitational event, Stubbs said competitors received some cash prizes as an incentive and hopefully that will encourage more to come out next year.

After the CAC Championships was canceled, Stubbs said many of the local competitors stopped training and that was one of the reasons for the low turnout for the initial event, coupled with the fact that it was late in the year when just about everybody would have stopped training to compete.

Also during the show, newly minted professional bodybuilder Lakeisha Miller put on an exhibition performance for the crowd, which she attributed to Rolle, whom she met when she first came on the scene.