Five trailblazing women in the sport of bodybuilding and fitness in the Bahamas were honoured in grand style when the New Providence Bodybuilding and Fitness Association (NPBFA) held its annual competition over the weekend.
The event, held in the Rainforest Theatre of the Wyndham Nassau Resort, brought together professionals, amateurs, athletes, fitness trainers, members, families and friends who turned out to support those competing for top prizes and those being honoured.
But the artistic trophies and the floral arrangements they received were just a token of appreciation for female athletes who deserve so much more, according to association president Stephen Robinson.
While he was happy that the event was a success, he is troubled by the fact that the number of competitors is dwindling, especially in the female categories.
This issue affects the international community as well; the International Federation of Body Building is considering phasing out certain parts of female competitions.
But in the Bahamas, Robinson says, there has been too many successes for the female sport to die.
The NPBFA is calling on the government and private corporations to come together in support of females in the sport of bodybuilding and fitness, as this area of the sport in the Bahamas is dying.
President Stephen Robinson is alarmed at the quick rate that females are being phased out of the sport in the Bahamas and the Caribbean, despite the fact that many females have put the Bahamas on the map through the sport.
The women who were honoured on Saturday night are the trailblazers in the sport who are calling for other young females to consider competing.
The honourees were Della Thomas, pioneer in the sport of female bodybuilding in the Bahamas and the Caribbean, Maxine Darville, a trailblazer in the sport, Michelle Miller, who is known for having the perfect physique for lightweight and paired well with males, resulting in many wins for the Bahamas, Gina Mackey, the first Bahamian professional body builder, and Natasha Brown, who, after competing in her second CAC championships, received her pro card, which was monumental for females in the Bahamas.