Hi guys and gals, thank you for the positive feedback for the thread. Makes it all worth while and the best thing for me is to see new members joining the site based on this coverage.
All of this wouldn't of been possible without James taking the leap of faith and putting this all together along with MT's sponsors. Today has been non stop since 8am in Nottingham and even after the show James has had to ensure his team are all sorted, meet for the post show briefing AND try and force down a Nando's in record speed
Hazel has worked wonders with the images handed to her from Eric Guy as it was all done via usb sticks, ultra slow internet connections and a ton of patience from her resizing/uploading every pic.
For me being directly behind the judges seats was worth it all, i was lucky enough to be sat next to the offical photographer from BEEF Magazine, Eric Guy and further along James Llwellyn (sp), Neil Hill etc.
Met Dazc and Titch in amoungst the crowd which was good, hopefully get to see more MT members tomorrow.
Most of the competitors looked near on nailed today and with a few clicks of the dial, they will be aiming to peak tomorrow for the final showdown in the classes and overall.
The classics was by far the hardest to judge as they all use the weight limit to full effect so nearly all are in condition with 95% similar attributes. The only thing that seperates them is the 5%, feathered quads? Striations? Muscle shape?
I've been awake since 3am this morning so after a long hard day i'm off to bed but i cannot wait for things to kick off tomorrow.
As a final note, i shared a mac donalds (my cheat meal, bugger off!) with a guy who competed in the U80kg's open class. Dejected at not making the final cut he is considering quitting bodybuilding.
After he demolished 5 apple rolls and an ice cream he's coming round to just taking a break from the game.
Brings it home for me as its easy to judge from the side lines but these guys have poured in years of effort for opportunities like this.
For anyone who knows somebody who has made the final cut, congratulations... if they haven't, take no shame as there was not one class that was short on talent.