Edward Dramberger, Omar Flores and Alvaro Islas do weights work before they compete in Clash at the Border Body Physique competition at the Wyndham Garden Hotel on Saturday in McAllen. (Delcia Lopez | [email protected])
McALLEN — With pride in his eyes Omar Flores Sr. watched his son step onto the stage and follow in his footsteps. All he wanted was to be in that moment cheering on his son as he showed off his hard work.
“Vamos!” shouted the 43-year-old bodybuilder.
This was a familiar sight here Saturday at the Clash at the Border Bodybuilding Show where athletes of all ages competed for a chance to go to the International Federation of BodyBuilding and Fitness Physique America Federation Champions in Florida.
The clash was a natural drug-tested show that highlighted the importance of healthy bodybuilding. Each competitor was judged in three categories — the symmetry of the muscle throughout the body, presentation which focused on the posing of each competitor and the entertainment of the crowd.
Omar Flores Jr., 19, was among the four competitors at Saturday’s event who competed under the men’s open bodybuilding and men’s open physique divisions.
He was first introduced to the sport by his father, Omar Sr., who has been competing in bodybuilding shows for 12 consecutive years.
Now that the proud dad is taking a year off from competing, seeing Omar Jr. embrace bodybuilding like his father and enter his own contest has motivated him to help his son throughout his training process.
“Preparation begins three to four months beforehand where you go from max carbohydrate intake to zero carbohydrates as you get closer to the competition date,” Omar Sr. explained, adding that the training process alone is difficult because it takes a toll on the body.
“Right now every competitor here is at zero carbs and limiting their water intake. It is a tough but beautiful preparation,” he added.
Omar Jr. looked at the stage with determination as he prepared himself to take on his first competition.
“My goal right now is to surpass him (dad) and be better,” Omar Jr. said with a smile.
The passing down of a legacy was not the only feat of strength on display Saturday, but also hard work and dedication.
For Don Robinson, the expeditor of Saturday’s event, the people who compete in bodybuilding are what motivates him to continue to help coordinate shows.
“A lot of people think of this sport as people who are just very self-absorbed and high egos, but more often than not they are doing this to overcome a great tragedy in their life,” Robinson said.
Edward Dramberger, a native of Brownsville attended the event to see his hard work pay off. But the 59-year-old also saw the competition as a chance at redemption after being unable to complete a triathlon event several years ago.
He had gained weight since then and reached 335 pounds, before beginning a bodybuilding career that has since helped him drop the weight to 199.
Saturday was his first opportunity to exhibit his transformation not just of the body, but of renewed spirit.
In fact, progress was largely the theme of the event — progress in terms of building muscle and character. This is especially true for 20-year-old Alvaro Islas, whose efforts culminated Saturday after a journey of self-improvement and discipline.
“The goal for every year is just to be better than what I was,” Islas said. “That’s what it is with this competition — you always try to be better than the guy you were last year.”
The youngest competitor admitted that while she hasn’t built much muscle yet, Saturday’s competition was an important opportunity for her to gauge progress.
All those days of cutting off sodas and mentally preparing for the work paid off for 17-year-old Juanita Torres Lopez, who had the chance to compete for an opportunity to represent the Rio Grande Valley in Florida.
Due to competing in a previous event she only had two months to train before Saturday’s competition; however, she worked every muscle as much as she could for the event.
For Islas, the training is more than just working on building muscle but rather a test of self-motivation, to practice restraint and promote willpower.
“What I really love about it is the mental part of it. Of course, everything is physical cause you’re showing your physique,” he said, adding that he learns more about himself the more he works toward his goals.
