Editorial by Juan Carlos Lopez

These last couple of months have been full of competitions that I have been at one almost every week, missing my beloved Mexican soccer league games. It has been worth though, several great shows and great competitors were part of these trips. I don't think anyone else goes to so many events than I do, reason is: I really enjoy it.

Glad to see Autumn Raby get her pro card she really deserves it And also thanks to all the other competitors in Canada they made my trip worth it specially Kim Birtch. The Europa show was awesome in general I just though the stage wasn't well lit. But hopefully next year that will change. Mindi O'Brien impressed me on stage and off stage beyond what I ever expected and because of that she got a great surprise. Can't discuss this topic too much due to space but some people will be getting a good deal of exposure.

Quality

It seems more logical to add a title to what I will talk about. That way it seems more organized for readers now that I know this section is heavily read. We already had a editorial about professionalism which caused a heated debate in another forum. It started as an intelligent debate but it just degraded to a personal level. So let's begin by saying that thread was good quality when it started and then at the end it was totally degraded. For everything we see in all aspects of life there is quality and bad quality. There are several levels of quality depending on our standards of taste. Let's begin with a example almost everyone will understand. What is a high quality competitor? Some of us have different ideas but on stage it is someone who presents a great physique, stage presence and in general a great package. For some it will be separation in her muscles, very lean but still full and with every body part carrying great shape. Can this be the same off-stage? Sometimes it's not. Some great champions off-stage and off the record aren't what we all want them to be. You learn this when you meet them and deal with them. Some champions have contracts with big supplement companies or publications and that's how they get where they are. Some have that but inside they are just as high quality people as they look on the outside. Others get there on their own with hard work and dedication. So it depends who it is and how well you know the, So our definition of quality is now dependant on several variables, not only what you see but what you hear and feel. Some of the top 5 Olympia competitors are indeed worthy of being placed were they are but some are not and we may debate this point. But then again it depends on your point of view. I was just recently talking to a pro figure competitor at a recent show and she mentioned that some pro competitors didn't even look better than many state level champions and that it was a shame that they stepped on stage like that. To my mind came the example of the Mexican soccer league, contrary to most U.S. leagues such as the NFL, NHL, NBA or MLB those teams that end in the last place still remain to play several seasons in the league. In the Mexican "Primera Division" and many other elite leagues such as the Italian Serie A or the English Premier League those teams that are not to par with the other are relegated to a lower division. And they can only can come back until they have won the championship of that inferior division. What if those pro competitors who kept placing low or didn't look good enough were stripped to the amateur level? It would be impossible to implement because first of all it would be subjective and why would the IFBB get rid of those who are paying for those yearly pro cards, not good business mindset huh? But it would maybe get some competitors on their toes. So think about that...

Now here are some examples of quality, take these as examples and remember that your point of view amy differ from mine. An important aspect of competing is choosing a suit designer. Most of those who are in the business know how to produce a suit that has the right cuts, colors and designs. But there are some companies that may not produce the best quality as far as the suits itself is concerned. On another aspect of this some suit makers will take forever to get your suits ready to the point that you don't have them 5 days before your show. Maybe the product is great but dealing with the people behind it is intolerable. Hence, the people or the company behind these suits are low quality but their products may be high quality. So as a competitor you choose "do you want to deal with these people or not". "Are they quality people or do they just care about their money?".

Every opportunity for a competitor should be analyzed whether its a supplement company or photography opportunity. Going into the photography you may receive 5 or 10 business cards from photographers during a big show. Some will pay you for a shoot, some won't and some you'll have to pay. It just depends on the situation. You truly have to see the quality of the photographer and the website or publication they represent. An unknown local photographer who has never attended a bodybuilding show might just be the right one for you. You don't know until you see their work so the best thing you can do is if you have internet access is look at their site or ask around other people you know. If you are unsure take their card and schedule something at another show. Seeing samples of their work and who they have worked with is a good idea. There will be for some competitors and especially female bodybuilders photographers or video guys that will pay them for a shoot. Again, quality is what is important if the photos or video is not high quality enough or tasteful for you why do it? If the shoot pays and on top of that it's good quality then you have won in both aspects. That's when a competitor has make a good decision and not just go for the money. This happens often and will happen until competitors begin to appreciate quality and who they want to work with. Same thing with those photographers you pay, make sure you like their work and that you are able to use the photos. Many great glamour photographers may not do a good job with the more muscular physiques especially by washing out the definition with lots of lights. Also if you are not in shape to shoot maybe you want to reschedule for another time, even if offered compensation for your time. You should be able to know if you would be comfortable with having photos of you in that shape. If you think you look only great in contest shape then it might not be a good idea to shoot off-season as those photos might not be of your liking. Some print magazines will not pay for a feature but they may not even feature your name on it which is sometimes not to the advantage of the competitor. And also make sure that it is indeed published and not just sent to the mag and ignored by the editor. If someone works for a print magazine make sure the content goes to print version if that's what is agreed not to the online version or to other publications not agreed. There are only a few competitors I know that actually ask lots of questions and everything is clear on their end. So look for high quality in photography and the sites/publications those photographers belong to. This will also be important to some sponsors and supplement companies. If they deem a site or publication low quality they may not sponsor you. So be careful and make decisions wisely.

Another detail is your own promotion: web sites. It might be www.competitorname.com or www.competitortraining.com, whatever it is you should make sure it also of high quality. What you put out there may or may not impact your business or placings but for some people having a well designed site is important. There are some designers that will design it for free but all the sites they design might look the similar. This can look cheesy but that's how much some people care about their own web sites. The other concern is updating, many designers who design sites for free aren't obligated to update your site often. Unless there is an ongoing agreement even a good friend makes a lousy webmaster. It is always recommended to keep it as a business. I have heard some people even wanting to pay their webmasters for updates, things don't get updated and hence they move on to another webmaster. Don't be afraid to spend money on your own website, if you are a personal trainer you will understand you don't train people for free right? Not everyone will see this as a problem but that's is again a matter of standards. If you feel you have high standards then it's a good idea to represent yourself well.

Trainers: You also have to choose a trainer/dietician that will fulfill your needs and pay attention to you. It can be tough to choose someone that you don't even know personally. If they advertise themselves as a business then they have to keep it as one and treat all clients equally. Too many clients for one person can be very hard. There are big names in training as well who do know what they are doing but can often neglect the specific needs of a person. Many dieticians are online and can help in your diet but the whole package is what concerns you so you are probably better off with a local trainer and dietician who can see how your body responds. Looking at you everyday before a contest is crucial so this might not be necessarily about the quality of the trainers/dieticians but making the smartest choice given your circumstances.

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