Check out Kris Gethin's 2008 PBW Tampa Pro finals report here.


Finals Review

By: Kris Gethin

Everyone's a freak. No two bodies are the same; we all have unpleasant, wonderful, shocking and extraordinary features; we are all unique. But for centuries the word 'freak' has been used cruelly to describe people born with 'abnormal' features, or those able perform extraordinary physical acts by contorting or misshaping their bodies.

Exhibitions of live human curiosities had appeared in traveling fairs, circuses and taverns in England since the 1600s. These included so-called giants, dwarves, fat people, the very thin, conjoined twins and even people from exotic climes. Freak shows were a particularly popular form of entertainment during the Victorian period, when people from all classes flocked to gawp at these unusual examples of human life. A flock of two distinguished groups representing freak shows from around the world invaded the Hyatt regency in Tampa this weekend to form a circus worthy of mentions such as the one you are reading.

A scantily clad group visiting from all parts of the globe that looked like they had never seen the light of day were in town for a gothic convention whilst the overly tanned muscle bound gathering were here to compete in the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly Championship.

It was quite a scene documenting these groups within "normal" surrounds of the breakfast tables, where the pierced corsets were eating nothing that once had parents, yet the vascular muscle bounds ate everything that had a face. I wont even go into the I was only here to document our kind of freak, but it was an entertaining spectacle of introduction.

dot 202Ib and Under Podium dot

dot 1. David Henry dot

It was obvious after Henry lead as the flag bearer of dominance for 202Ib competitors within the open category that this class was in the bag. On this day his combination of size, condition and brute thickness was too much for the others in this highly competitive field to match. The worthy winner will now go onto the Europa to attempt to repeat the performance with an ever expanding prize purse in follow.

dot 2. Flex Lewis dot

What a debut. The Welsh warrior proved that his sponsors, Gaspari and Weider knew that their athlete had a bright future ahead by signing him when he was only an amateur. Possessing wheels that have had many arduous walks over the mountainous ranges of Wales were the best in the show and his glutes will scar his competitors on every Pro outing from here on in. The pride of Wales has arrived with a breath of fire and will continue to heat up the circuit for years to come. He continually backed by vocals with funny accents as his ex training partner Mark Price and advisor Neil Hill flew from Wales as his support machine. His fianc?e Shina was seen and not herd due to being drowned out by the big bellowing baritones that echoed the Tampa auditorium.

dot 3. Joroslav Horvath dot

This proved to be a shock to no one more than Roc Shabazz who many thought was a shoe in for third place. It was a given that this was a perfect class for Horvath and it was the best that he had looked for a while, but his legs were down in size and his back was a shallow in comparison to Roc's. Not taking anything away from this great competitor but I personally think that Shabazz has good reason to feel like a kid with no candy.

dot Open Podium dot

dot 1. Toney Freeman dot

Freeman first came onto the stage in prejudging holding a slither of water but after figuring out that the oil glaze he had painted on closed his pores, he was able to sweat and really dry out by the last callouts to leave a lasting impression. That impression carried him later to an impressive return to the victory circle.

dot 2. Dennis James dot

The big man came in smaller but tighter for 2008. As with Toney, he came in slightly dryer during the finals versus prejudge. It was too little too late but it showed us that he has more to give, and that he will when the Olympia rolls around in 7 weeks

dot 3. Dave Henry dot

His top 3 finish allowed Henry to once again adopt his "Giant Killer" nickname with renewed enthusiasm. Although much shorter than the guys who finished above him, his dense thickness could not be ignored and his rear double bicep was arguably the best within the entire lineup. He promised me to be even better for the Olympia, if that indeed be the case, he could further improve on his previous top 10 at the Saturday night Olympia open once he takes care of business at the 202Ib held on the previous day


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