BARNOLDSWICK recently played host to Pendle Valley's first International Bodybuilding and Fitness Association (IBFA) show in over a decade. It was attended by bodybuilders from all over the country, and had former Gladiator Lightning, as one of its judges. Reporter, Will Abbott was there to see what it was all about.

TO the packed crowd at Rolls-Royce Leisure Club energised by the cheery words of compere Ronnie Orr, a first clutch of contestants took to the stage to try and impress the judging panel in the Men’s First Timers category.

The panel to impress was nothing if not qualified: among the judges were Kim Betts, better known as Lightning from the 1990s Gladiators tele4vision series.

Spray-tanned to the hilt and sporting six-packs, lean legs and toned abs, the men set the standard that would continue all show long of impressive physiques pushing the limits of the human body.

Those physiques came in all ages, with categories from Under 18 to Over 65. Categories also included Mr and Ms Pendle, Novice, Bikini, Physique, Toned Figure, and more, with 63 athletes in total taking to the stage into the early evening for an audience of 250 spectators.

They included Slav Glin, of Colne, and Tracey Brown, of Burnley, who won the coveted Mr and Ms Pendle titles respectively.

Jonathan Woodhead, from Doncaster, who came second in the Men’s Physique category, started bodybuilding two years ago after a friend at the gym dropped the casual remark: “you need to get on stage, you.”

“You’ve just got to be content, and just got to keep going,” he said. “You can build up, and build up, and build up. I’ve struggled with having Crohn’s disease, but in a way it’s helped me, because I don’t put on weight – I can put on muscle, but I don’t put on fat, so it goes part and parcel. I stay trim all year round.”

Stepping outside after her win in the Ladies’ Physique category – she would go on to win in the Bikini category as well – Amelia Fragola-Hunt, from Sheffield, painted a succinct picture of the training regiment: “I’ve had Stairmaster for an hour every day. A lot of white fish.”

Meanwhile, Luke, from Barnoldswick, the youngest contestant at the show at 16 years old and the winner of the Men’s Under 18 category, stopped for a chat at a bench just off Skipton Road.

“The main thing to try and have is consistency,” said Luke. “My best piece of advice is: get [to the gym] on the days when you don’t want to train, and then you’ll see the results.”

As for his choice of onstage music, Luke opted for Rag ‘n’ Bone Man’s Only Human, a song which means a lot: “I’m not a superman, I don’t have a perfect physique.” With this momentum, he’d be forgiven for thinking so – having won the category, Luke will be in Gateshead on October 13 for IBFA Mr & Miss Britain.

Rounding out the show – though there was nothing round about their bodies – were the trophy-esque Mel Wilder (from Glastonbury) and Kyle Jones (from Liverpool), named the overall best in show. They were presented with huge swords, as per IBFA tradition – a Robert the Bruce sword for Ms Wilder, and a Scottish Claymore for Mr Jones, both crafted by John Barnett and a nod to promoter Kelley Szostak’s husband, a former Rugby League professional who boasts 21 international caps for Scotland, and her sons, who have strong Scottish names.

The success of the event bodes well for a return of the same next year, and for a welcome end to the hiatus that had seen IBFA Pendle Valley lie dormant for over a decade.

With its reinstatement, spearheaded by event promoter Kelley Szostak, the Pendle Valley show rejoins a network of regional shows across the country, extending from the Rhondda Valley to Teesside.

Martyn Yates-Brown, President of the IBFA, took some time to comment on the history of the IBFA and its breakaway from the National Amateur Body-builders Association (NABBA). Himself instrumental in this breakaway, Mr Yates-Brown reflected on the independent promoters with whom he networked to sprout regional shows stamped with the IBFA brand.

With the promoter for Pendle Valley in particular, this IBFA show is in safe hands. Ms Szostak, herself a bodybuilder, is “passionate, and she deserves to do well at what she’s doing,” said Paul Thompson, owner of TNT Training in Burnley and a longtime associate of Ms Szostak’s, who credits her with looking to “keep bodybuilding alive” in the region.

“The whole popularity of bodybuilding started to die off in the early 2000s,” said Ms Sozstak. “Shows fizzled out in a sense, but [the IBFA Pendle Valley show] has always held that prestigious sort of title to everyone else, and loads of people that have competed in the event are so unbelievably excited that it’s back, because it holds a lot of good memories for people.”