FORMER Barbados and West Indies “B” wicketkeeper Michael Worrell will make his national bodybuilding debut at the 38th Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships in Aruba next week.
Worrell, 52, who scored 526 runs in 16 first-class matches with a highest score of 105, will compete in the bantamweight division. He stepped on stage for the first time back in April in the Mr Novice segment of the Mr Bridgetown contests.
Barbados, seeking to retain the title at the September 23 to 26 championships, will be represented by a 15-member team, spearheaded by reigning Mr Barbados, heavyweight William Prescott, and experienced light middleweight Therold Babb.
Prescott, has four Mr Barbados titles, but has a below-par record at regional level and, at 47, may see this as a final chance to win the Mr CAC title which would allow him to turn professional.
Young guns Ramon Broomes, last season’s national and Caribbean junior champ, and exciting teen Dario Bryan are in the team. Bryan, 19, Mr Teenager for the last two years, is making his debut as a middleweight.
Babb, 37, the last man to win Mr Teenager and Mr Bridgetown on the same night (1991), has not been at his razor-sharp best of late and Barbadians will want to see both he and Anderson “Fish” Bispham return to top form.
The team includes four body fitness women – Vickie Borman, Carla Nicholls, Ramona Morgan and Jamilia Sokunbi, fitness competitor Nicole Carter and Patsy Small, the lone female bodybuilder.
The Barbados Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation made it clear that while the team was selected based on the results of the last month’s National Championships and the availability of competitors, it will require career performances by several athletes for Barbados to be successful.
“We were champions in 2008 without a full complement of athletes and this is again possible, as preparations have gone well. The team features five rookies who will be looking to make their mark at the regional level,” a release from the federation stated.
The federation acknowledged the role of the National Sports Council in making the trip possible, as well as the contribution of Hilton Barbados.
Squad
Fitness: Carla Nicholls (women’s body fitness, Vickie Borman, Ramona Morgan, Jamilia Sokunbi , Nicole Carter (women’s fitness), Corey Greenidge (men’s open fitness), Patsy Small (women’s bodybuilding – over-55 kg).
Men’s bodybuilding: Michael Worrell (bantamweight), Patrick Harris (lightweight), Anderson Bispham, Ramon Broomes (welterweight), Therold Babb (light middleweight), Dario Bryan (middleweight), Rene Griffith (light heavyweight), William Prescott (heavyweight).
Officials: Dr Andrew Forde (manager/chief delegate), Carl Moore (bodybuilding coach), Richardson Boyce (bodybuilding assistant coach), Matthew Pilgrim (fitness coach), Walter Sobers (delegate). (EZS/MK)
