February 1, 2005

Sportlab’s Fitness Model Search – A New Opportunity for Exposure

Sportlab’s rise from a small upstart company three years ago to one of the best-known supplement manufacturers in Canada today has been one of the quickest success stories in the supplement industry. A key to their success has been great products; another has been their "Team Sportlab," featuring some of Canada’s best fitness, figure and bodybuilding competitors, as well as the "Girls of Sportlab" – beautiful, athletic women who are now among the best-known fitness models in the country.

"The Girls of Sportlab grew out of Team Sportlab," says Trent Hinde, president and founder of Sportlab. "One of our most popular competitors, Chantal Dicaire, happened to be a great model, too. She wanted an outlet to showcase her physique, so we invented Girls of Sportlab to do just that. After Chantal came Christy Wolfe, probably our best-known Girl of Sportlab now, and today we have a total of ten Girls of Sportlab featured on the site. Of course, we’d like to see more." (Author’s disclaimer: the majority of the Girls of Sportlab photos were created by myself and photo-partner D. Dave Paul, with other supplied by David Ford of David Ford Photography.)

That’s where the new Sportlab Fitness Model Search comes in. Hinde, and company reps are always on the lookout for attractive, healthy-looking fitness models who can portray a positive image for the company and wish to gain worldwide exposure. Of course, Sportlab gets a lot of requests – too many to handle, in fact – so they thought, "Why don’t we have a fitness model search so that the women can compete, and then the winners get featured on Girls of Sportlab."

"Just as the Girls of Sportlab grew out of one competitor’s aspirations," says Hinde, "the Sportlab Fitness Model Search grew from the desire of many women to be featured on our site. We’re going to let them do just that."

The first Sportlab Fitness Model Search will be held on April 30, 2005, on the same day and in the same location that the Ontario Physique Association is holding the Stratford BodyBuilding, Fitness, and Figure Championships. It’s open to any female 18 years of age or older, from anywhere in the world. No experience is necessary. Even being an athlete isn’t necessary, although it’s expected that the winner will likely exercise or work out in order to have the athletic look necessary to win the show.

"We’ve always enjoyed a great working relationship with Jim Morris and Norm Jacobs [the two Ontario-based promoters who put on the annual Stratford Championships, as well as many other shows]," says Hinde. "They always put on the best shows, and we feel it’s because they’re always doing their best to make each one better and better. When we approached them for the Fitness Model Search they were eager to make it part of their event. Their Stratford show is always huge, so we think that will be great for even more exposure for the women who compete. We think it’s a win-win situation for everyone."

One of the reasons for GirlsofSportlab.com’s popularity among fitness models is that the girls who are featured are encouraged to have their own style. For example, the locations for the photoshoots are a cooperative effort between the photographers and the models. The outfits, though, are 100% up to the models. "The goal," according to Hinde, "is to create an image that the model is proud of. Each Girl of Sportlab gives the ‘OK’ to every photo of herself that goes up on the site. The women are all happy and proud to be part of it."

The same holds true for the Sportlab Fitness Model Search. Instead of rigid rules that dictate what the competitor must wear, Sportlab’s Fitness Model Search just has some general guidelines and leaves the rest up to the discretion of the competitors.

There will be two rounds: a swimsuit round, and a fitness-wear round. In the swimsuit round the competitor can choose a one- or two-piece suit, and the style and cut are her own choice. For the fitness-wear round, it’s anything that the competitor wants to wear. The only thing Sportlab asks is that all outfits are in good taste, and, of course, no nudity or indecency whatsoever is allowed. Hinde says, "We want to create a competitive environment where the competitor has the freedom to wear what flatters them the most. We’re looking for who looks the best – simple as that. We’re giving them the freedom to look their best"

Does looking your best sum up what the judges are looking for? Sort of, but Hinde gave more specific details. "We’re looking for an attractive, healthy, athletic physique – not too much muscle, and not too lean. A bodybuilding physique is way too extreme, and even some of the competitors who are winning figure shows are too extreme, we think, too. We’re looking for a healthy, athletic woman who has good muscle tone, but not too much, and is lean, but is certainly not ‘ripped.’ In general, if you want to see what’s acceptable, and what the judges are going to reward, it’s the look that any of our Girls of Sportlab have. We think they look great, and we want the winner of this to fit in there."

Indeed, the winner will fit in there, and there will be more – the first-place winner won’t just be featured on the site, she’ll get $1000 cash! The second-place winner will get $500 worth of supplements, and the third-place winner will get $250 worth of supplements – both will also be featured on the site. They’ll get other prizes too, and every competitor will leave with a bundle. "The entry fee is $75," says Hinde, "but every competitor is going to go home with a gift package worth at least $150. We want to make it a positive and rewarding experience for everyone."

It certainly sounds like it will be positive and rewarding, and we hope that this will be the first Sportlab Fitness Model Search of many. It’s a new and exciting venue for showcasing athletic female physiques, and definitely a fantastic opportunity for any prospective model looking for exposure. Learn how you can get discovered at www.SportlabModelSearch.com.

...Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com

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