“Contestants, double bicep pose. Relax. Quarter turn to the left please. Right tricep pose. Relax,” said the announcer at yesterday’s 2005 Mr. and Ms. SMU competition. Six students, two females and four males, participated in the novice bodybuilding competition held in the Hughes-Trigg ballroom. June Brubaker took first place for the women and Jacob Harvison took first for the men. Each also won the “Best Poser” award in their respective categories.

The competition consisted of an initial series of poses, and then an individually performed routine to showcase their muscle definition. These routines were set to music and choreographed by the participant. The end of the competition required another series of poses, dictated by the emcee, which was followed by a final “pose off”. During the pose-off, contestants are allowed to do any poses in any order for two minutes.

In order to prepare for this competition, participants followed strict diets and rigorous workout schedules. Ms. SMU 2005 June Brubaker said she worked out for two hours, six days each week.

“The hardest thing, has been the discipline; I have the biggest sweet tooth!”

Although she enjoyed being a part of the competition, Brubaker is excited that the competition is over.

“We’ve been planning a party for weeks now,” she said before the competition.

Her parents, Ed and Laura Brubaker, flew in from California just to see her compete. They wanted to be supportive and see the results her hard work first hand.

“When I found out she was doing this, I was really proud of her. She’s worked so hard and stayed with it,” said Mrs. Brubaker.

Laura Mendenhall and David Oden each took second place, which is by no means a disappointment. Each of the contestants put in hours of hard work; it was an accomplishment just to be in the competition.

Mendenhall said that although she enjoyed competing, she gained something more valuable from her participation.

“This [competition] has made me feel comfortable in my own skin.”

Many of the competitors employed the help of personal trainers to get them into peak physical condition. Mendenhall, however, did all her training by herself, with the help of a fitness book.

“I cut out bad carbs and a few days before the competition, I stopped drinking water and eating any salt. It was hard!” She said.

The winners received trophies, and each contestant received a medallion just for participating. Their pictures will be a part of the “Mr. & Ms. SMU Hall of Fame” wall that will be displayed in the new Dedman Center for Life Sports in September of 2005.