This is the closest to an editorial or a blog as I’ve ever gotten—I’m used to science writing and even reporting—op-ed isn’t my gig. But, I made the trek to the Drug Free Athlete Coalition World Finals in Miami last weekend and was surprised by many unique qualities of the competition. Stunned actually. I walked away feeling that this inaugural event might be historic in the sport of natural bodybuilding. 

When I was twelve years old, wearing my first weight belt, flipping through pages of Muscle & Fitness between sets with my cement-encased weights and flimsy bench, the sport was alive to me. I was caught up in the soap opera cast of characters, tracking who won shows and picking my favorites to emulate. By the time I was sixteen, I set goals to compete by the time I was twenty-one and become a pro by the time I was thirty. Accomplishing the first goal created a path toward the second. The NPC state chairman saw my hopeful naivety and said, “You’ve got great symmetry, kid; a really nice look. Do the drugs or find natural shows.” Twenty-three years later I can live that moment like it just happened. He affirmed me but at the same time he gave me tough, tangible advice. A couple of years later I found a drug-free organization and signed up for an ANPPC natural show. I spent a few years competing with them and eventually followed Dave Goodin through their World Cup and into the WNBF. I promoted shows for the ANPPC, gained experience as a very novice pro, and fell in love with the sport. I had been enamored by it from the outside and now I was part of navigating it forward from the inside.

The ANPPC eventually dissolved but I had become friends with Steve Downs and began promoting my own show for the INBF. Along the way, I began writing for Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness—a relationship that lasted for a dozen years until the publishing company closed. My INBF show became an NANBF affiliation and then back again, due to mergers and splinters in organizations. I added WNBF pro divisions to the show but the fracturing state of the drug-free sport started bleeding enthusiasm from promoters and athletes alike. The OCB/IFPA rose and established itself as a legitimate option but turf wars have roiled under the surface ever since. The NANBF has climbed to new heights, but changing affiliations from independence to the WNBF to the IFPA has added to the layers of disunion. After over twenty years at the helm of the WNBF and their publishing arm, Steve Downs left, Rich Fitter took over, Rich Fitter was out, and their magazines were closed—all within two years. Prior to that, the British Natural Bodybuilding Federation had left the WNBF, Dave Goodin moved his affiliation to the NPC/IFBB, and other key promoters were scattering.

The sport that I grew up idolizing, the sport that I immersed myself in professionally, was no longer attractive to me. I stopped competing and I stopped promoting. Of course I still have friends promoting shows in multiple federations and I still coach phenomenal athletes in just about every organization on the map, but my personal involvement and interest in the sport has waned. I’m the biggest supporter of free enterprise that you’ll find this side of China; I respect anyone who wants to start a business, even a bodybuilding organization. But nobody likes a constant stream of negativity.

When Rich Fitter told me that he was founding the Drug Free Athlete Coalition, I knew it would be perceived as another split built on the ash heap of burned bridges. But I also knew that he had the experience and the temperament to make it work if he kept his nose to the grindstone. Vicky McCann and Guy Addison of the British Natural Bodybuilding Federation and Berend Breitenstein of the German Natural Bodybuilding Federation joined him. Others, such as the South African Natural Bodybuilding Federation are organizing and aligning with them. Mike Lipowski, Ben and Chipper Tennessen, and other promoters rallied around him. DFAC was on its feet.

I watched Vicky and strong supporters like Ava Diamond tirelessly promote the first annual DFAC World Finals to conclude their first season. The information provided to athletes and fans was as complete as it was enthusiastic. We checked into the Miami Hyatt Convention Center and immediately saw a stunning DFAC check-in station set up in the massive, regal lobby. When it was time for the show, we simply took the elevator to the third floor where the convention center auditorium housed the event. The first thing I noticed was the sophistication of the stage, banners, and DFAC decals projected and spinning on the walls of the venue. Next I saw the star-studded international judging panel all wearing official “JUDGE” polos take their places in front of the stage.

As the athletes approached the stage, my attention was drawn to tracking spotlights and professional overhead theater light configurations providing perfect physique shadowing. Not only were there no cheap construction floor lighting units to wash out competitors—very unevenly I might add—but the stage lighting was actually manned during the entire show. As each competitor took the stage, a single overhead spotlight illuminated them like a Marvel Comic movie superhero. When set, the stage lights came up and tracking spots followed them. The music was equally as seamless—I’ve never seen a show so flawlessly executed.

Over seventy international competitors battled for inaugural titles and the quality was as imposing as any pro organization. The amateur competitors had to qualify for the World Finals, an impressive policy for an organization trying to bring in competitors to establish a foundation, but Rich and Vicky made it clear that they would build DFAC on principle and World Finals are…World Finals. Watching the amateur figure competitors, I had to be corrected…I thought it was the pro division. The competition was severe.

Vicky took control as the Master of Ceremonies while Rich provided direction as the Head Judge. The DFAC premise that everything revolves around the competitors was on full display. The European fans know how to support a show and Vicky orchestrated the evening accordingly. BNFB and GNBF events draw hundreds of fans—over 700 for the recent GNBF Championships—and they bring bull horns and air horns. I watched friends who aren’t typical bodybuilding spectators clapping for and wildly supporting competitors they didn’t even know—a testament to the tone Vicky set from the podium. Watching her direction and feeling the enthusiasm of the European fans in the audience made me long for what we’ve been missing in the States as we flail under the dark cloud of inter-federation bickering.

When the final curtain fell, the show turned into a party in a posh dining room replete with catered salad, pasta, pizza, several surprisingly delicious cakes, and a full bar. It was a quiet, comfortable place to get to know new friends and catch up with competition pals from around the world. It didn’t end there. The DFAC leaders and volunteers reserved the private roof of a club on Miami Beach the next afternoon and evening. Those who could stay gathered in the sun and extended the weekend with food, drink, music, and conversation in the trendiest fashion.

I’m only a historian of my own experiences, but Rich Fitter, Vicky McCann, and those cheerfully pushing DFAC forward ended their first season with the most provoking contest I’ve witnessed in twenty-five years. It was the most professional, the best managed, and the most fun physique sport event I’ve ever been a part of. This is an organization to watch. I have a feeling they’re going to redefine what natural bodybuilding is. I feel a fresh breeze washing over the industry—a breeze as welcoming as the one I felt standing on the rooftop overlooking Miami Beach.

Joe Klemczewski, PhD
Founder: The Diet Doc, LLC
Re-energized Bodybuilding Fan

As a contest of this magnitude demands, a wealth of experience from across the bodybuilding community was selected to undertake this judging task. The panel of judges burdened with the unenviable task of placing these competitors were DFAC Professionals David Kaye, Lawrence King, Nigel Davis, Ben Tennessen, Chiper Tennessen and Chris Jenkins. The mantle of Head Judge was assumed by DFAC Co- founder Rich Fitter. I was the emcee for the evening event.

Bikini
1st Dionne Zebert
2nd Andrea GonzalezThe bikini class is always a hard one for me to comment on as the criteria is very subjective and often comes down to a judges preference however I felt both these girls could be more toned in the gluteus. Both competitors displayed excellent presentation with great stage presence. I think Dionne was slightly neater in the hips which might have been the deciding factor and her long blonde hair may have given a more glamorous look on the day. There was really very little to split them.

Teens
1st Ellis Vine
2nd Gabriel Tun

The teen class really came down to a repeat of the British finals which was a shame for the competitors as they travelled a long way to take each other on. We had a very good teen class in Florida a month before and with the top 2 from that show in the line up it would have been a great competition. That being said you can take nothing away from the quality of the 2 athletes challenging for the World title. Ellis Vine has a lovely balanced physique with good mass for his years and imposing stage presence. Gabriel has a striking upper body and is more muscular than Ellis in the top half but his legs are still a little slight, this was a tighter fought battle than at the Britain and Gabriel pushed Ellis hard but didn’t quite manage to turn the result this time out.
Both these teens have great potential and will be athletes to watch for in the future.

Juniors
1st Andrew Oliver
2nd Stephen Anglo

The junior class was the battle I was looking forward to having seen both these juniors compete in the last month I knew it would be a very tight competition. Both Stephen and Andrew are outstanding juniors.
This was a UK vs. USA battle and the crowd got right behind the athletes. Stephen has a great balanced physique with particularly impressive pecs and arms, Stephen is imposing on stage and makes his presence felt. This is a raw talent that as he matures will no doubt be a force at top level.
Andrew has a fantastic X shape and again is heavily muscled especially for his years. Andrew is well balanced and on this occasion it was Andrew’s better condition that took the win.
Both Andrew and Stephen will no doubt be challenging in the Pro ranks in the near future!!

Masters
1st Dave O’Byrne
2nd Michael Ferencsik
3rd James Gonzalez
4th Kelvin Moore

The Masters was a great class with 2 very chunky men challenging for the top spot.
On first glance it looked like Michael was dominating the class due to his condition but when the class starts hitting the poses it was much tighter than it initially seemed, Dave’s impressive muscle mass in every area is more evident in the mandatory poses. It is a very close decision but from the back the dense thickness of Dave pushes him into the win. Michael is strong from the front but lacked thickness and detail in the rear poses. This was a split decision and for future Dave needs to be in slightly better condition and Michael needs to bring his back up to match his front.
In 3rd place was a very shapely James Gonzalez a lovely balanced physique in good condition. James just needs to keep pushing for more size and make sure when dieting he doesn’t lose any muscle fullness. Kelvin was just a little slight in his upper half but was in good condition.

Over 60
1st Patrick Duffey
2nd Jeff Lunn
3rd Eric Dowey

The over 60’s was again size vs. condition. Patrick has great mass and is really well balanced which made it too difficult for the well conditioned Jeff Lunn to take the win. Jeff fought hard till the end and both these athletes are great over 60’s representatives. In 3rd was Eric Dowey who at 76 was the oldest an in the competition, Eric is the first bodybuilder I have seen take a standing ovation after his amazing, dramatic and elegant posing routine.

Lightweight
1st Plamen Handrov
2nd JP Malabar

This class was small in number but the standard was excellent, both JP and Plamen were in brilliant condition. Plamen carries more mass than JP but JP has a slightly more aesthetic shape.
Plamen could work on his posing as although his posing shows his mass is often makes him look a little awkward. JP just needs to keep pushing for more thickness but he is improving every outing. Both JP and Plamen executed great posing routines.
On this occasion Plamen was still to muscular for JP and took the title.

Middleweight
1st Greg Elliot
2nd Nate Traught

A well matched class both fought well. Nate was probably the better conditioned of the two but lacked the shape of Greg. It was a tight class. Where one athlete was strong the other was weaker and vice verse. Greg has a very flashy upper body which is what sealed him the win on this occasion. Both could work on better condition for next time.

Heavyweight
1st Sotonye Dokubu
2nd Andrew Chappell
3rd Charbel Abou Khattor

The heavyweight class was a great class to watch with the athletes really working hard and fighting for a place, they all seemed to be enjoying the challenge.
Charbel had come all the way from Lebanon to compete he has a lot of muscle especially in the upper body, he definitely didn’t lack size. He was a bit too soft to really challenge the top 2 this time out but a pleasure to have at the World finals.
Andrew front on has crazy wide shoulders and a very classic balanced physique, he was in great condition and he could have easily stepped into the Pro class and not looked out of place. Unfortunately on this occasion it was a bang on Sotonye who was to take the heavyweight class and the overall. Sotonye has a very flashy physique with a wide back tiny waist and sweeping quads. Sotonye was on the money dry hard and full proving just too much for the impressive Andrew.

Overall winner and new DFAC Pro Sotonye Dokubo

Masters Figure
1st Bren Lauver
2nd Patricia Dutra
3rd Patty Kamas
4th Cindy Wechler
5th Anne Marie Reilly ( missed evening show)

Masters figure was a great line up of really impressive figure competitors.
I really felt sorry for Ann Marie Reilly as she missed the evening so couldn’t be judged. Ann Marie was very neat and just needs a little more muscle on her frame.
Cindy as always was really impressive; she has great condition and lovely muscle tone. Cindy was confident on stage. I feel that Cindy lacks the natural width that makes a difference in figure but might suit the Miss Athletic class. In 3rd Patty Kamas was very neat and really seems to enjoy being on stage a little bit more condition and work on delts to round of the shape would help. The runner up on this occasion was Patricia; she had a great balance of muscle and condition and looks very classy on stage with a lovely confident stage presence. Work on shoulder width to enhance the X shape for future comps.
The winner Bren has a great shape and her stage presence is amazing, she shines with confidence and rightly so with wide shoulders, tiny waist and lovely quad detail, Bren is very hard to beat in this class.

Figure
1st Liza Steinmann
2nd Julia Hubbard
3rd Kerri Stewart
4th Alyshia Branson
5th Stephanie Carney
6th Corrie Beth Hughes
7th Claudia Vizcarra

A great class displaying quality from first to last. Claudia in 7th place is a beautiful girl who shines with confidence but on this occasion she was too soft especially in the gluteus to challenge but has potential. Corrie Beth has amazing stage presence and an awesome T walk but just needs to keep increasing her muscle mass especially delts to push higher in the future. Stephanie has a neat figure which managed to seal a 5th place but needs to work on more sweep on shoulders and quads to give a better x shape, Stephanie had a lovely attitude and stage presence. In 4th was Alyshia who had an amazing X shape with a crazy wide v taper. Her T walk is second to none and her potential is huge, what held Alyshia back from hitting top 3 is that she is still slightly bottom heavy but another few lbs tighter would make a massive difference.
Kerri Stewart has a lovely figure with great shoulders and arms and lovely toned legs and glutes. Kerri lacks confidence in presentation and a little back width again this is an athlete who would fit well in the Miss Athletic class, Kerri is very beautiful on stage and managed to take 3rd on this accession. Julia is not unlike Kerri with similar structure but exudes a much more confident persona on stage which gave her the 2nd place. Julia has great muscle tone and a lovely balanced shape.
The winner Liza has an amazing shape and presented it to perfection. She looked every inch a professional and was a clear winner on this occasion. Liza will need to be a bit harder to be competitive in the pro division.
Overall Figure and DFAC Pro Liza Steinmann. Liza won the overall with her crazy wide shoulders lovely shape and great muscle tone.

Mens Athletic
1st Greg Elliot
2nd Gabriel Tun
3rd Matt Rizzo

This was an interesting class as completely new to me we actually only had one entry so I asked 2 of the British athletes to do it to give some competition. Neither was keen but in the spirit of the event jumped in and had a go. Both of them had very aesthetic upper bodies so the matched the criteria well. Matt was the experienced athlete in this event and this showed in his presentation he was the most confident and he smiled and preformed his way throughout the class with a great stage presence. Gabriel Tun was the least keen on doing this class but he did really well with some lovely classic posing and a lovely aesthetic physique he secured the 2nd place. Greg was great he took on the class and worked with it again not something he planned so just ran with it but his impressive aesthetic look secured him the win. Well done Greg!

Pro Figure
1st Alex Ellis
2nd Kristin Berard
3rd Jenny Garside
4th Leslie Franklin
5th Cynthia Aponte
6th Tonia Ward
7th Jenette Jackson
8th Georgette Dewey
8th Desiree Tugya
8th Dionne Zebert

This was a outstanding line up of beautiful figures with high quality throughout the class. Dionne has a very beautiful look but needs to look at creating more of an X shape through further training and adding more muscle she will climb the rankings. Desiree has amazing potential although a bit slight at the moment has beautiful balance with a really shapely figure. Desiree has amazing stage presence and her T walk was excellent, just keep working Desiree it is all there. Georgette has lovely shape and excellent T walk she is sassy. Georgette needed to be slightly tighter and seemed a bit nervous during the pre judging. It was hard as only 1 class meant she was quite short compared to some of the other competitors which can be daunting. Jenette was in great shape and had lovely toned legs but needs a little more strength in her upper body or at least in the way she presents it to push up the rankings. Jenette has a lovely small waist and a beautiful presence on stage. Tonia was a little flat but has a lovely figure and was confident and elegant on stage just a bit more fullness needed. Cynthia managed to get a pro medal by getting the 5th place she has a great shape and has a toned figure with great presence a bit tighter and she would be pushing those top placings. Leslie took a 4th in her 1st pro show and she is a complete show woman, when she walked on she looked a little soft to push top spots but her presentation and natural shape let her walk away with the 4th place. No real weaknesses in Leslie with her great balance and a little tighter would make her a real challenge for top spot. Jenny Garside has a lovely balanced and strong looking figure in the side poses she looks unstoppable. Jenny wasn’t quite at her best on this occasion as she was ill the day before the event and this affected her overall look on stage. Jenny has a great T walk and stage presence is always classy.
Kristin has lovely condition and was well toned. Kristin has lovely capped delts which gives her a very shapely look on stage. She has enough to walk away with 2nd on this occasion and with a little work on building her legs and glutes she will be pushing harder next outing. The winner of this class was a perfect balance of shape and condition. The beautiful Alex is shapely with wide shoulders tiny waist and a lovely sweep to her quads, her condition was tight but not overly hard which was perfect for a Pro figure competitor. Well done to Alex a great example of a pro figure competitor and a worthy World Champion.

Pro Athletic Women
1st Rachael Hayes
2nd Jo Peruzza
3rd Ava Diamond

This is a new class which sits well between figure and physique (bodybuilding) it looks at the condition of the muscle and the athletic lines of the body rather than the X shape of figure or mass of bodybuilding. On this occasion we had 3 pro Miss athletic competitors all good examples of the class. Ava Diamond had rock hard delts and pecs and awesome abs but needed to get a bit more detail in her legs. Her routine was wacky and suited her but some of the judges felt Ava should have hit a few more poses and danced less. Jo Peruzza was probably the most balanced of the 3 but wasn’t quite hard enough to push for top spot, better condition will work for her as she has a good quality muscle. Rachael Hayes posing routine was exquisite and displayed why she is dominating this class at the moment. Long lean lines with amazing detailed pecs, shoulders and back topped off with perfect presentation is why she took 1st place and the World title. If I could give Rachael any advice I would suggest bringing her leg mass up a little.

Pro Physique Women (Bodybuilding)
1st Patricia Beckman
2nd Mary Anderson
3rd Tara Ebejer
4th Jennifer Dulski
5th Joan Ellmore
6th Kristina Vander-waal Shober

It was great to have a good strong line up of female Pro bodybuilders; there was a lot of muscle in this class. Kristina just got her pro card and has still got work to do to be more competitive, she is well muscled but not hard enough and still needs work on her posing. She performed a good routine. Joan was in great condition and has great stage presence, she is a bit top heavy and needs to bring her legs up to match her upper half. Jennifer Dulski has an outstanding amount of muscle and a very balanced physique. Jennifer has great delts and arms with fabulous hanging hamstrings however her condition was lacking so 4th was the best she could get on the day. Tara was awarded her pro card earlier in the day and proved it was the correct decision when taking the 3rd place. Tara had a good balanced shape with good condition. Tara had no real weaknesses just needs to keep building size to take on the top 2 competitors. Mary Anderson is new to the world of bodybuilding but is a World Champion powerlifter and the heavy training showed in her physique, she was rock hard top to toe with great quality muscle and scarily detailed legs. Mary is still quite raw and needs to refine her shape and work on her posing which looked a bit awkward at times this was probably accentuated with the fact she was next to Patricia Beckman who poses exquisitely. Patricia is probably the best natural female bodybuilder I have seen she has an amazing structure with crazy shoulders and quad sweep. Patricia had condition with a fullness which is hard to achieve. Her posing is beautiful although in her rear poses I felt that tucking her glutes in to show hardness gave her back a longer look which I haven’t seen in Patricia before, she doesn’t need to do that the condition is evident and her shape would look even better with her glutes tilted up rather than down but that is being hyper critical. Patricia’s posing routine was breathtaking and she looked even fuller in the evening. Patricia is an outstanding winner, well done to the awesome Patricia Beckman our first DFAC World Champion.

Pro Master
1st Daz Cooper
2nd David Hannah
3rd Mark Houghton
4th Jon Clark
5th Mario Watt
6th Raphael Calzadilla
7th Ed Castillo
8th Douglas Backstrom
8th Felix Campiz
8th Berend Breitenstien
8th Aaron Worthington
8th Ricky Howell

It was incredible to have 12 outstanding athletes in the Pro Masters. This was a very entertaining class with great sportsmen having fun all the way. Ricky Howell was in good condition with a lovely shape and great skin tone well done on a good showing Ricky. Aaron had a lovely balanced physique with good hard dry conditioning. Ricky and Aaron both need a bit more size to be challenging for a top spot. Berend one of 2 German pros competing has a good amount of muscle especially in his upper body but was a little weaker in the legs. Berend is a very classic poser and seemed to enjoy being on stage. Felix was a little flat during the day but looked better in the evening good balance and condition but needs more muscle mass to be competitive. Douglas a new pro was a great competitor enjoying his time on stage. Douglas who like some of the others still needs a bit more size but a strong raw talent. Ed is a chunky competitor who owns the stage his routine was fabulously entertaining. Ed has a great balanced shape but being short will need to be harder to accentuate his X shape and allow him to push for a top spot. Raphael has a great upper body and was very close to making top 5 very little in it. Raphael carries good muscle especially in his upper body and has a great taper. He was a little flat at pre judging but improved in the evening. Raphael could do with more sweep in his quads to match his flaring lats.
Mario Watt made 5th and was in great condition, Mario was well muscled but lacked a bit flare and wasn’t opening up enough in his poses. Jon Clark is a great poser and presents himself well on stage. He has a very flashy upper body. Jon was in good condition but could be harder especially in the legs.
Mark is very balanced with a great shape and lots of size. If Mark could get harder he has enough size and shape to push for top placing. Davie Hannah was runner up and was rock hard and dry with thick mature muscle. What Davie lack in aesthetics he makes up for in quality muscle. It took him time to relax on stage which might have cost him top spot but he did a great routine that matched his physique well. The winner was Daz Cooper; Daz was on the money with granite hard condition and the craziest legs on stage. Daz hasn’t got the best natural structure but brought his A game. His posing routine was perfect for him and this package won him the World title. Well done Daz.

Pro Men
1st Chris Nsubuga
2nd Wil Usher
3rd Mark Claxton
4th Nate Wiliams
5th Alun Davies
6th Daniel Gilder
7th Adam Mckinney
8th Mike Lipowski
8th Fredo Cylentro
8th Zach Dery

The Pro Men was loaded with muscle, character and awesome athletes. This resulted in a great performance from everyone that entertained the judges and the audience alike. The quality from 1st to 8th was incredible and hard work for the judges to place everyone. Well done guys!!!
Zach was not in his best condition which meant he was not pushing for top placings but it is easy to see the quality muscle that he has and if he comes in at his best he will be dangerous next year.
Fredo is very aesthetic with a great upper body but he lacked condition to place in top 5, he was so relaxed on stage and seemed to be enjoying everyone else’s performance so much he didn’t push himself. A bit more leg sweep would help give a more complete physique.
Mike is very well balanced and was in good condition. Mike always performs well and was very entertaining he just lacked the size to hit the top 5. Loved his routine!
Adam was well muscled and had good balance but could be better conditioned to place higher. Adam has a powerful physique with a powerful routine, definitely a physique to watch for in the future.
Daniel Gilder was the second German pro and definitely represented his country well. A strong physique with a lot of size he was only 1 point from the top 5 and slightly tighter condition would push him much higher up. Daniel performed a great entertaining routine in the evening show.
5th place was Alun Davies this Welsh man carries a ton of mass on every inch of his small frame, his condition was excellent. Alun looses out in the symmetry round as he crunches down to show condition which makes him look blocky if he lifted up more he would look more aesthetic and this might help him challenge against the top 4.
4th was Nate Williams the youngest in the class at 22 he really looks like he will be a World beater in the next couple of years. He was flashy with a front lat spread that is cartoon like. He has a tiny waist incredibly wide back and flaring quads. All he really lacked was a bit maturity and a bit confidence he was pushing for 3rd and all in his third ever competition. Nate is definitely one to watch!
3rd was Mark Claxton who was doesn’t have as good a natural structure as the others in the top 4 but what he lacked in natural shape he made up for in thick quality muscle everywhere. He works hard on stage making sure that he makes the best of his time on stage and that secured him a top 3 placing. Overall Mark is a great aggressive performance.
runner up was the shapely Wil Usher probably the smallest structure in the top 4 but exquisitely put together lovely wide back tiny waist and strong legs and boy was he focussed, Will worked hard on stage pushing 1st place all the way. Wil is an entertainer and as always his routine was fantastic. Wil could improve a couple of his mandatory poses to make even more of his shape but again that is being very critical.
The pro World title went to the massive Chris Nsubuga, Chris has a great structure with an incredible V taper and huge shoulders and arms. Chris is a huge man with great aesthetic physique.
Chris was in the best shape he has ever been in and it paid off this time. A great champion!

The DFAC World finals ended a tough season for the DFAC but against the odds the DFAC World finals was a great event with incredible athletes and some amazing people making it an event that everyone seemed to enjoy. Guy and Andrew had the sound and light worked to perfection and this was appreciated by the audience and competitors alike. The backstage staff were on the ball and helpful. All in all it took a lot of work but was well worth it to put on a show that showcased the awesome natural athletes in a way they all deserve.

Thanks to everyone who took part in whatever capacity you all made it what it was!! Roll on 2013 and the ongoing growth of the DFAC!!

We have a special email dfacworlds@yahoo.com  for questions and applications.

Rooms at the Hyatt Regency Miami can be booked here.

Ticket info can be found on the venue website JLKC.com.

There will be an post-show buffet at the host hotel, the Hyatt, for $22.50 per person. Tickets for the party will be available at check in.

The tanning includes airbrushing 1-2 coats on Friday, the day before the show, and another coat, if necessary on Saturday morning, plus touchups until the beginning of the final judging portion. Terri can be reached by email at beachbum12@msn.com. Athletes requesting these services can pay through Paypal.

Our host gym, The Downtown Athletic Club Miami will be sponsoring a bench press competition in the lobby.