The IFBB World Seminar in St. Maarten the Friendly Island and to Tourist destination in the Caribbean was a great success. Making history with the largest group and number countries that participated in a seminar, Anguilla, Aruba, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Curacao, Grenada, Guyana, Puerto Rico, Trinidad, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, US Virgin Islands and Venezuela. “I was very pleased with the end results of the participation” said Christine Williams IFBB Caribbean Executive Assistant and event coordinator. In addition the IFBB working team from four other countries consisted of the Judges Committee Chairman, Pawel Filleborn (Poland), Doping Commission Mauricio De Arruda (Brazil), Woman’s Committee and Statistician Wanda Tierney, Assistant General Secretary Bill Tierney (England)and IFBB Vice President, Javier Pollock (US Virgin Islands).
IFBB judges will be required to take this seminar every three years. And those seeking their judges card, will have to know have to pass the test judging at one of the qualified international championships.

In the seminar we have acknowledge youngest participate in the history of the IFBB, fourteen year old Hyacinthe Nina-Marige Viceisza from St. Maarten. Attending school in the US, she has just graduated from Quail Valley Junior High School, Texas which is a Gifted Talented school and moving to Elkins High School. Nina-Marge already has completed part of her high school mandatory credit class in Health Fitness Fundamentals. She will be traveling with Mom Christine Williams to the World Police Men & Fireman Games in Vancouver Canada and will be test judging the championships.
Sport is a big part of scholarships in US school and at the Arnold Classic kids wins scholarships. Therefore it is great to see kids wanting to get involved in the other areas of sports with judging and statistician work. The doors of opportunities are there for them and we will see more participation in the future. Kid’s fitness is growing in different area of our globe.

The Judging Seminar in St. Maarten as part of the IFBB World Tour, opened with a meeting at the Commissioner of Sports & Tourism office in downtown Philipsburg on Thursday, 18th June 2009. The meeting between the Hon. Frans Richardson, IFBB Vice President Javier Pollock, his Executive Assistant Christine Williams, IFBB Judges Committee Chairman Pawel Filleborn and local federation executives, was very informative and productive. The gathering was immediately followed by a Press Conference, whose segments appeared on various media outlets.

The following day, the seminar lecturers joined other invited guests in an enjoyable tour, which included the Dutch and French sides of the Island; as well as a local art gallery, lunch at a restaurant on the beach and duty-free shopping. Later that night, arriving delegation leaders were directed to a welcome cocktail function at the hotel Seaside Terrace.

The two-day technical session in Royal Islander room at Maho Beach Hotel on Saturday & Sunday (20th - 21st June) was smoothly leaded by Pawel Filleborn’s PowerPoint presentation; with the second day dedicated to doping guidelines, by Prof. Mauricio de Arruda, Javier Pollock’s IFBB updates, the new automated statisticians program, by Bill and Wanda Tierney, plus a courtesy visit by the Hon. Frans Richardson. The seminar ended with a comprehensive test and a group photo-session with participants from 15 countries.

Preparations are underway to organize another international seminar in the Central American & Caribbean area; specifically in Honduras.