The first step to bulking up is to make the commitment to put in the work.
That’s what a group of Strawberry Crest High School students have just done, by creating the Mr. Charger bodybuilding competition. They hope this event not only can grow in the future but also out-do Durant High School’s long-running Cougar competition.
“We will do that,” said Diane Rivers, the head of the Crest’s Buckles and Bling Club. “Once our students get to see the excitement of it, they’re going to want to be a part of it next year.”
Rivers has taken an interest in the competition, because the competitors, such as Brad Benefield, have taken an interest in her club. Buckles and Bling helps senior girls afford higher education, and the “Mr. Charger” guys have teamed up with the girls to make this a fundraising event. The money will come from selling tickets — $5 at the door — and from donations.
THE FOUNDATION
It’s not easy starting a new fundraising event from scratch, and this is especially true of an event such as bodybuilding, which requires quite a bit of time and money. The boys knew they needed outside help, and, fortunately, they discovered people were more than willing to work with them.
The competition currently has four sponsors: Quality Dining Inc. and Burger King, Pope’s Utility Buildings Inc., Bubbaque’s and Southern Muscle. Of all the sponsors, Brandon-based Southern Muscle may have been the most directly involved with the boys. It’s a supplement shop marketed for bodybuilders, and it’s no stranger to helping out in the area — the shop has also given similar help to Durant in the past. Benefield was able to get them on board with “Mr. Charger,” and the shop has even created ticket packages for the event.
The boys also have gotten some training help from other sources, such as soccer coach Ben Jones, and Bill and Julie Saunders, a couple Rivers said have invested much of their free time into helping the boys.
Rivers got involved after Principal David Brown saw an opportunity to host such an event. She felt the Buckles and Bling club could use a good fundraiser, and she loves the idea of healthy dieting that “Mr. Charger” encourages.
“One of the biggest things I like about this — kids eat such bad food,” she says. “When they get in this program and start realizing, ‘Gosh, if I eat better, I don’t get hungry as often, and I can do better staying awake in class.’ If you start off your day eating chips and a soda, that’s not brain food.”
DON’T CALL THEM ‘MEATHEADS’
The young men who are competing — Benefield, Alejandro Lopez, Devin Parks, Lane Medina, Juan Rosales, Lee Edwards, David Doogah and Sebastian Fearon — are all going to let their personalities come out in their routines, which involve 60 seconds of creative posing set to music of their choice.
But, don’t mistake braun for the absence of brain. Some of these boys are in Strawberry Crest’s IB program, and boast grade-point averages that could get them into pretty much any college of their choosing. At least one of the boys — Fearon — has entered the competition with a long-term goal in mind.
Fearon, a senior, has a 6.7827 GPA. And although he still is weighing is options for colleges, he knows wherever he goes, he’ll draw from this experience.
“I want to major in kinesiology — exercise science — because of my passion for sports and science,” Fearon said.
His collegiate choices have come down to Michigan and Florida. A rematch of the 2008 Capital One Bowl but without a clear winner yet. Either way, his brains will help him pay for the education: Michigan already has offered to cover $35,000 of what would normally be a $50,000-per-year tuition, and several scholarships will help knock that number down further. He’s still waiting to hear from Florida.
Fearon isn’t the only one with a killer GPA: Benefield is no slouch, with a 5.7242 GPA.
THE BIG DAY AWAITS
All of the kids are excited for the March 28 competition, where they’ll start a new tradition in which they hope to see more boys — and girls — compete in the future.
“It’ll be successful for years to come,” Brown says of the event. “It’s just a matter of getting this first inaugural one done, and these guys are brave enough to put it all out there — so to speak.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.