by Gary Tim
Brooklyn, NY — It’s historic. Never before had a Guyana-based bodybuilder won compounded titles on the international stage in the United States. Now, Sylvan Gardner can boast of having the body and charm to do so.
The 5’ 6” muscleman stood tall last Saturday, winning two crowns at the 2008 MuscleMania Superbody championships at Kingsborough College’s Performing Arts Center in New York.
He outshone the competition for the Open men’s lightweight and overall titles, as well as winning a MuscleMania pro card, with little extension.
But, it wasn’t entirely in short order for the diminutive Gardner.
Long before his maiden trip to `Uncle Sam’, a ‘godfather’ advised that the sojourn was going to be fierce and furious.
“Prepare for a tight schedule and a baptism of fire,” Hugh Ross, Guyana’s Internationally-renowned bodybuilder had constantly counseled Guyana’s latest sporting hero.
Ross, who has ‘been there, done that’ at this level, was also instrumental in getting Gardner to attend the contest.
“When he came, I took one look at him and I knew I could get him razor sharp ‘cause he already came prepared.”
But, that was more than Ross’ s advice for the young muscleman to “dress warmly when traveling,” to the nippy New York climes.
Gardner arrived on Thursday to unkind 46°F (8°C) temperature weather and was anxious over the climate change, facing the new competition and enduring Ross’ much touted ‘shredder’ system.
Not the weather or fear of the ‘shredder’. Not lack of sufficient hardcore rivalry, or jitters of big game debut. Not even a false start to his posing routine music on show night prevented the quite cool Gardner from weathering the baptism. In the end, he re-christened the MuscleMania Superbody into ‘Great gathering go gung-ho for Guyana’s Gardner’.
It became a classic for the attending media, including ESPN International.
Appearing second in a three-man lightweight class, Gardner had the heavily female crowd roaring for his every pose. He treated them to a new revelation; hitting shots that accentuated his enviable assets. Abs appeared like smaller pecs on the lower torso, making fans count another pair to the fashionable six-pack.
“He’s got an 8-pack,” they gushed.
Then, his ‘Atlas’ pose wowed as fans beheld a sight of succulent serratus and opulent oblique muscles lining the awesome abdominals.
And, he thundered in displaying a pair of beefy, striated thighs like the mythical Thor.
Gardner’s routine and condition belied the very short adapting period he had since getting to New York, though Ross felt otherwise.
“Two days is a lot of time for me to perform what may actually look like a miracle to you.”
And, Gardner was the marvel delivered. He upstaged the other two in the very theatrical Nick Navarro and Caleb Christian for the crown.
With his psyche ablaze, Gardner returned an hour later to burn the overall competition by a unanimous 4 to 1 decision on the judges’ scorecards.
He bounced his body against the bigger physiques of divisional winners Bill Nics (middleweight), ‘Big’ Joe Patton (light heavyweight) and Anthony Ferguson (heavyweight).
Against a backdrop of pulsating megamix disco music, the MCs’ urgings and fans’ swooning ‘oohs’, ‘aahs’ and screams, Gardner favourably used his more compact, coffee-colored body during the mandatory turns and seven poses for the judges. He literally rippled a cut above his opponents, striking his trademark ‘belt-buckle-fix’ pose as the quartet were required to put up the ‘Most Muscular’ prior to the posedown.
Then, ‘fandemonium’ erupted as the corn-row braided Gardner left the pack and strutted to the far right of the stage. He was soon followed by the popular Pennsylvanian ‘Big’ Joe Patton. The duel went pose for pose, with the American gradually losing his fan-favourite status to the Guyanese phenom.
That effectively meant another Gardner victory, and the first time a lightweight won the overall title at the contest.
“Basically this is what I do at competitions I try not to let anybody intimidate me. I stick with doing what I do,” the champ said afterwards.
Organisers had surrounded the Superbody with other contests, including the Ms. Bikini America, Fitness America Pageant, Figure America and the Model America championships for both men and women. It meant the fairer sex outnumbered the men as fans, as well as on stage getting a 4:1 ratio in the 90+ person roll call.
Evidently, the inequity was good for Gardner who made converts among female contestants.
“We rooted for him backstage, knowing it’s good having someone come from so far. It gives our competition an even larger profile,” echoed Bostonians Tara Iula and Kelly Correia after their Fitness segment.
“At registration, we were looking for men to carry our bags, and you know what? We actually carried his bag! Isn’t that awesome,” continued Iula who is anxious to see Guyana’s womenfolk on stage.
“Hey girls, come here if you wanna’ meet some great guys,” she declared.
“It’s awesome and cool for me and all Guyana, and I must say a big thanks to the fans and, especially Mr. Hugh Ross,” Gardner had responded in his on-stage interview with the MC. Ross didn’t hear Gardner’s gratitude at that shining moment. And, he didn’t agonize over it. There will be ample post-show opportunities for the two soft-speaking hard bodies to share those sentiments. Ross, at the time, had gone to retrieve his Golden Arrowhead to brandish the pride of the Guyanese muscleman and his supporters.
For Gardner there was a tingling trepidation before arriving in the US. “One of my concerns when I got to America was what Mr. Ross had said in an email that he was going to pass me through the ‘shredder’. So my interest was wondering what the ‘shredder’ was, and definitely it has worked for me,” he told Stabroek Sports.
The four-time winner at the Central America and Caribbean championships (CAC) reasoned that his decision to pass up competing in the recent nationals and the CAC champs in the Bahamas has paid dividends.
“Definitely, I didn’t want to take it lightly because of the magnitude of this show and what it is to advance my career.”
Now, that career has added weight. “I don’t know if it has dawned upon him that he’s now a MuscleMania professional which means the next time he steps on stage in MuscleMania he’ll be doing so against me,” warned Ross, who took his weight class and the overall at the event, three years ago. Gardner adds his name a register of quintessential Guyanese-born hardbodies who have dazzled on stages in the USA, including Ross, Adelina Gonsalves and Laura Creavalle.
Apart from punching a ticket to higher level contests, Ross sees Gardner having a new role as a resource person. “I would like to see Sylvan do onto other as I have done onto him,” Ross beckoned. “In whatever way he can help, not only in bodybuilding but other sports as well, I’d be happy for him to impart and help others along the way, knowing he has higher experience.”
As to the identity of the ‘shredder’, Ross kept his cards closed, repeating his famous army training credo of having to raze any outsider who learns of ‘classified’ information. “Let’s call it a trade secret. But, what about me being his personal chef, butler, driver and just keeping guard over him from both angles; monitoring hour upon hour,” he chuckled.
In serious tones he said he took time-off to totally prepare Gardner knowing that the stakes were high. “I think new doors are opened, now.” But, he lamented the gloomy outlook he encountered within the sport back home, and highlighted that others can be guided by the image Gardner has extended for Guyana’s bodybuilding. “I spoke with folks who seem to think they’re spinning on a wheel not going anywhere. So, I wanted to open up avenues to let them be aware there’s more, and this is a shining example that serves what I mean in good stead.”
Ross, himself, is gearing to further his list of achievements when he contests the MuscleMania World championships in the big lights of Las Vegas, Nevada on November 21 & 22.
On Monday, both he and Gardner paid a courtesy call on Guyana’s Honorary Consul to New York, Brentnol Evans. There they got photo opportunities with the staff and were congratulated and wished well by Evans.
The two musclemen were gratified over the roles “the GABBFF and the US Embassy in Guyana played in the success.”
“And, I couldn’t do this without my family, friends and all supporters back home,” Gardner concluded.
