2009 NPC Europa Supershow and Expo – Guest Poser

2009 NPC Europa Supershow and Expo – Guest Poser

It was an honor to be the featured guest poser at the 2009 NPC Europa Supershow! The show took place during the Expo in Dallas, Texas, from August 14-15, 2009. I was also working the Bodybuilding.com booth as a Fitness Model. Our booth was located right beside the seats to the show, and we could check out the show if we looked over our shoulders. However, this show had more meaning to me because of what I’ve been working on for years.

Since wheelchair bodybuilding began in 1993, the highest level of competition was Wheelchair Nationals through the National Physique Committee (NPC). At the start, the number of disabled athletes increased annually, but as the years went by, the numbers stopped increasing and started to decline. This was because the Overall Winner, Runner up and First Place winners were never granted International Federation of Bodybuilding (IFBB) Professional Status like the able bodybuilders. So every year, the same competitors competed at the same show, which discouraged other wheelchair bodybuilders because they didn’t feel there was any point, so they stopped competing.

Some believe that IFBB Pro Wheelchair Bodybuilders exist, but this is a myth. According to the NPC President, “There are no pro cards awarded in the IFBB for wheelchair because there are no IFBB Pro Wheelchair events.”

I’ve been working for years to figure out what it would take to get a professional Wheelchair Division at an IFBB Show so that one day the Wheelchair Division will be on the Arnold Classic and Olympia Stages: to have the same bodybuilding status as the legends have. During my quest, I’ve gotten the run around and so many people have made it so complicated. It took me years to finally get my answers. Now I have them and know exactly what I need to do.

It still is not that simple to just add a Wheelchair Division to an IFBB Pro Show because of prize money, other costs, and stage time, among other factors. After months of hunting down companies and pitching my vision, the cause, exposure, return on their investment and more, I finally secured sponsorship and prize money. There was just one more thing: I needed an IFBB Pro Show promoter that would be willing to add the IFBB Pro Wheelchair Division. Putting on an IFBB Pro Wheelchair Bodybuilding Show by itself would cost too much and the exposure for competitors wouldn’t be the same as an established bodybuilding show.

So, after years in the making, here I am guest posing at a show that would be the perfect showcase for the first IFBB Pro Wheelchair Division. I felt that if I could win over the fans and show the promoters that wheelchair bodybuilding is truly amazing, I would have a better chance for them to add the IFBB Pro Wheelchair Division to their 2010 IFBB Pro event.

That night, I had to perform like no other. I felt in my heart that if I failed, I would have failed the sport of wheelchair bodybuilding. I’d waited for this moment; I couldn’t fail. Too much was at stake. This was my chance of a lifetime.

As they announced my introduction, time slowed down, and it was as if I was in a scene from the movie 300, Gladiator or Troy. Thoughts of the past echoed in my mind, and now it was up to me to prove myself, not just for me but for the entire sport of wheelchair bodybuilding. Then I heard, “Please welcome Nick ‘The Beast’ Scott!”

It was on and I did my thing on stage; my routine was amazing and the fans loved it. Cheers and applause filled the air as everybody stood to give me a standing ovation. I was at ease as I stared into the crowd, because I did it! I won over the fans at the NPC Europa Supershow. As I got off stage, I went over to the promoters to thank them for allowing me to guest pose at their show. They allowed me to guest pose without knowing me, only from a few emails—and they trusted me. Their big grins said it all before they even spoke. They loved my routine and they each told me what their favorite part of my performance was. It was incredible feeling to hear how they felt about my performance, and that was the moment I told them about the IFBB Pro Wheelchair Division—in a nutshell. I told them that I had sponsors, prize money and all I needed was stage time. I asked them if next year they would add the IFBB Pro Wheelchair Division. Without hesitation, they said, “YES.”

That’s it! Everything is in place for the birth of the IFBB Pro Wheelchair Division in 2010! For the first time in history, it will happen: international wheelchair bodybuilders will finally move up in rankings and compete within the IFBB organization. However, more importantly, it will be the first time in the world that a disabled sport will be recognized on the same level and stage as a professional sport. Wheelchair basketball is huge, but is nowhere close to the NBA. I am also one step closer to my dream of having disabled athletes compete on the stage at the Arnold Classic and Olympia.

I’ve been at this since March of 2006, and I finally feel that after all the years, it is finally coming together. After all the years of not giving up, I’m one step closer in my quest… My journey…