A 22-member contingent, including 17 well-prepared athletes, departed Barbados on Wednesday for the 2024 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Bodybuilding and Fitness Championships. For the first time in 20 years, Guyana will host this competition, which will run October 17-19 at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown.
Last year in Aruba, a relatively inexperienced team copped one gold medal via Julian Belgrave in the masters category, four silver, and three bronze. Team leader Roger Boyce told Barbados TODAY that a different approach was taken to preparation this year, under the leadership of head coach and IFBB Elite Pro, Ramon Broomes.
“Well we have a relatively strong team, some new people and some experienced,” said Boyce. “But overall I think that the team is going to do well.
“Our Nationals was in August. And from the time we picked the team, we were in a training camp, where we see athletes three times a week at the Wildey Gymnasium. So we put a lot of work in this time around to make sure that everybody that make the Barbados team will bring the best possible package.
“What we did is that we incorporated a few of our pros into the equation. So we had Ramon Broomes. We had Andrea Thompson. We had Shakira Douglin, myself. So that pretty much was the management coaching staff. So we pulled on everybody we had to make sure that we had the best team possible.”
Looking at specific areas in which he thinks Barbados will be targeting success this weekend, Boyce insisted that there should be an even spread of medals. But the legendary competitor and veteran administrator made special mention of the bikini competitors.
“I honestly think that in almost every category we will do well,” he said. “We have Danielle Holder, she’s new, I think that she looked extremely well. The bikini girls look fantastic too. So all in all, I think that in all categories we should do well.”
Barbados has two professionals at the Night of Champions next weekend. Shanequa Allamby and Danielle Gill are both Bikini Fitness athletes. As the region prepares for the 2025 CAC Championships in Saint Lucia, Boyce told Barbados TODAY that he feels the region is on the right track as far as bodybuilding is concerned.
“I think that we are on our way back up,” he opined. “This weekend that’s just gone is a testament to where we are going. Coming out of the Worlds in Spain we were able to have five Caribbean people crack the top six, two from Antigua, two from Suriname, one from Jamaica.
“So I think that we are doing well. And then early this year for us, first time ever, we had 34 countries at the Roger Boyce Classic, over 200 athletes were in Barbados for the event. And so we’re doing stuff.”
Nine men and eight women will represent Barbados in Guyana. Headlining the team will be Belgrave and Bukkiah Providence, gold and silver medalists last year in Aruba, both registered for the men’s physique competition.
Providence, the reigning national men’s physique champion, took part in the senior men’s physique over 179 cm category in Aruba, and achieved an admirable second place.
In men’s bodybuilding, Barbados will be represented by Timon Howard (70 kg), Curtis Kirby (65 kg), Sanaj Lewis (75 kg), and Roger Streeks (75 kg).
Lewis repeated as Mr Barbados at the BABBFF Nationals this year. He is hoping to build on his fourth place at the 2023 CAC Championships.
Kirk Bovell and Jurad Mason will compete in the men’s classic physique. Mason, a national champion, was a 2023 silver medalist in the 175 cm division.
Tyrell Forde has been entered in the men’s muscular physique competition.
Sherri-Lyn Burke, Michelle Bryan, and Trudi-Ann Bovell are down to compete in women’s bikini fitness. Bovell had back-to-back third-place finishes in Aruba.
Shanice Mason, Danielle Holder, and Janelle Butcher are set to compete in women’s body fitness. Mason made a remarkable debut at BABBFF Nationals, capturing the overall women’s title and the 169 cm category.
Rashida Gill is set to go in women’s wellness, the title she won at Nationals, also competing in the 158 cm class, which she won. Rounding out the team is Leanna Carter in women’s physique.
BABBFF president Dr Alfred Sparman and two judges are accompanying the team. Among the countries confirmed to attend are Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Panama, and Trinidad & Tobago.
(TF)
