The SAF “Competition Preparation” of March 3 this year, held at 100% Martial Arts & Fitness in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, may well have been our best ever.

First, it was sold out. Second, it had one of our strongest lineups of instructors: Melanie Albert (SAF Elite Pro), Madelaine Garcia (SAF Elite Pro), Jennifer Lambert Foster (SAF Elite Pro), Debbie Laurin-Leclerc (SAF head judge), Joan MacDonald (owner of DayDreams Fitness Wear), and Doug Schneider (SAF founder). Third, SAF Elite Pros Melissa Lalonde, Caroline Mailhot, and Edith Werbel all showed up to help. But probably the most important thing was this next item – the energy in the room was contagious. It’s hard to say what accounted for all the spirit that was witnessed there, but more than likely it had to do with March now being here and the feeling that the competition season has truly begun.

Typically, we schedule the SAF “Competition Preparation” Camps one or two months before our competitions, which obviously helps competitors, given that it’s close to the show. But right after the 2012 SAF Fall Spectacular we asked ourselves, “What if we scheduled a SAF Camp eight months before the next show so attendees can learn everything they need to know really early on, and they’ll be even better prepared for 2013 SAF Summer Spectacular next June?” Based on the feedback we received from the SAF “Competition Preparation” Camp last Sunday, the idea was a good one.

For more than five years, SAF has run the most successful women’s fitness camps in the country. Recently, the camps have focused on competition preparation, but, for 2013, we decided to implement two new ones: “Getting Into Shape” and “Abs & Glutes.” For these, we wanted to move more into physique improvement through exercise and nutrition instruction. Both camps were held for the first time ever on January 20, 2013, at 100% Martial Arts & Fitness, which is located in Ottawa, Canada. Since each one ran for two hours, “Getting Into Shape” was held at noon, and “Abs & Glutes” followed at 3:00 pm.

SAF Elite Pro star Emily Michelussi and SAF exercise specialist Denis Pedneault were the main instructors for both camps; however, the two assumed slightly different roles for each.

The SAF Fall Spectacular is our most anticipated event of the season because it’s home to the SAF Elite Pro Championship, our most prestigious Elite Pro competition of the year, and the one that also has the largest amount of prize money. But that’s not the only competition of the day – there are also the SAF Elite Pro Challenge, which is an Elite Pro Championship qualifier, as well as the Open-division Swimsuit Model and Fitness Model events, which is where SAF’s future stars are found, since the top three from both qualify for SAF Elite Pro status. The 2012 SAF Fall Spectacular was held October 20 in the main theater at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, QC, Canada.