CTV Morning LiveSAF was invited to appear on the "CTV Morning Live" show in Ottawa to talk about the upcoming SAF Fall Spectacular on October 20, as well as what it takes to be a fitness-modeling competitor. Talking on behalf of SAF to CTV's Lianne Laing were SAF Elite Pro competitor Brigitte Dompierre-Gatchel and SAF head judge Debbie Lauren-Leclerc. SAF Elite Pro competitors Melanie Albert and Madelaine Garcia also attended, as did Fall Spectacular open-division competitors Andrea Campbell and Ashleigh Esser-Cuming. This will be Andrea's first SAF competition, but Ashleigh's second.

Lianne first talked to Brigitte about the SAF competitions in general and what it takes to be a fitness competitor. Brigitte gave an excellent overview of the competition-preparation process, including training, dieting, posing, and last-minute show details competitors must take care of. Lianne then turned to Debbie to discuss the technicalities of judging and the occasional difficulties that arise when assessing such different female physiques. Debbie explained SAF's judging criteria, as well as what the judges are looking for. Through her detailed response, Debbie reinforced that although the judging seems difficult, SAF's judges are well-versed in what they're looking at and, as a result, always come up with the correct decision.

Pre-show prep
Pre-show prep

The segment took a very interesting turn when Debbie walked Melanie, Madelaine, Andrea, and Ashleigh through some poses and explained what the judges are looking for when the women are on the stage. That posing portion proved very helpful to explain fitness modeling to the TV audience, and to the employees of the station, many of whom came to watch as the four women were posing.

Lianne closed off the segment by turning the microphone back to Brigitte who explained that although SAF has great competitions, there's plenty more to the organization that will interest women of all ages, particularly the fitness camps.

Checking out photosChecking out photos taken during taping

SAF extends a special thanks to Lianne and all the crew at CTV for inviting us and allowing us to showcase the SAF organization and our upcoming competition. You can watch the segment below.

SAF