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Gardner performs creditably in USA Musclemania championship
…Says love for country inspired achievement
Approximately one year after a scintillating performance at the Musclemania Superbody competition in the United States of America that earned him that title and an elevation into the professional ranks, local bodybuilding sensation Sylvan Gardner returned this year to place 6th from a field of 13 competitors worldwide.
This year’s competition was staged at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Miami Florida from June 19-20 and attracted competitors from the United States of America and Columbia among other countries.
Gardner disclosed that he was the only Caribbean national involved in the championships. He said that even though he had finished in a lower position than last year, he is nevertheless satisfied with his performance. “While finishing in the 6th place may appear demeaning, I consider my performance to be very satisfactory especially when it is taken into consideration that I was competing at the professional level for the first time,” Gardner said.
The prolific bodybuilder disclosed that he had made immense sacrifices for the tournament after commencing training sessions in December last year. He subsequently intensified his training activities in January.
Sylvan Gardner
While his 6th place finish may appear inconsequential, Gardner feels that he had benefited immensely from participation. He debunked the view that his preparations in Guyana were inadequate and could have been responsible for his eventual 6th position. “I believe that my training regimen was adequate. It is just that the level of competition was extremely high,” Gardner said.
He said that one of the setbacks in his preparations occurred in Miami, where the staff at the Hyatt Regency Hotel prepared his meals. He said that while he would not want to blame this on his performance, he believes that this may have contributed in part.
Gardner normally competes under 143 lbs, in the bantamweight class. He said that for the Muslemania championships he has been able to maintain a commendable 160lbs. “This was a very satisfactory achievement and is indicative of the strides I have been able to make in controlling my body weight,” the young muscleman pointed out.
Now back home Gardner intends to take a well deserved rest before venturing back onto the competitive stage. “I have been at it for a number of years and I think it is time to take some well deserved rest,” he said. Indeed, Gardner is fully occupied with an extremely tight schedule all through the year, which includes participation in the National Championships, the Central American and Caribbean Games, the Hugh Ross Classic and the Night of Champions, among other tournaments.
Despite his sterling achievements, Gardner is still to find adequate sponsorship to offset the huge expenses incurred during training and for competitions. “My training schedule is extremely rigid and I can wrack up as much as ½ million dollars a year in training expenses,” Gardner revealed.
He said that it is very difficult procuring this prohibitive sum. He is however, grateful to the many corporate entities that have rendered assistance. “They are many of them and in order not to offend anyone I prefer to refrain from identifying those persons and organisations at this time,” he said. Notwithstanding this, he revealed that he would be sending personal notes to these individuals/companies to register his gratitude.
Quizzed of the factors that keep him pressing on for greatness, Gardner softly replied, “The love for my country as well as my two children Andrew and Keare. They inspire me and keep me reaching for the stars.”
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