Bodybuilders took the stage for competition Saturday

By Brooke Shinberg

The Egyptian Theatre was the place to be for bodybuilders Saturday.

Every year the Organization of Competitive Bodybuilding holds the Midwest States Bodybuilding Figure and Bikini Competition at the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. Second St.

The event was hosted by FitWorkz, 1690 Sycamore Road. According to Alex Nerad, executive director of the Egyptian Theatre, this is the seventh year the competition has been held at the theater. There were 97 competitors and six to eight hundred spectators, said FitWorkz promoter Ray Binkowski.

“A very small percent of people do competitions,” Binkowski said. “Watching them see the changes in their bodies over time is just great.”

They started the day with prejudging, where they pick the top five contestants in each class. Then the audience got to see every competitor’s routine. Before the final judging took place, special guest Ryan Doris did a routine for the audience. Doris won the 2012 Pro National.

“The thing I love about this sport is that there’s not a ton of money involved, and there’s not a ton of publicity involved,” Doris said. “It’s purely family and friends support.”