When Matt Bergeron was called up to the stage, he knew his three years of practice and dieting had paid off.
He felt a burst of energy as he was handed the sword of Mr. Ball State.
"It's finally great to come in first after three years," he said. "I'm tired. It's all really caught up to me right now. I'm on an adrenaline rush right now."
Former bodybuilder Paul Shultz said competitors have to work hard before the competition.
The senior exercise science major competed in his first competition with Bergeron.
"It took a toll on my grades and social life and school," he said. "When you diet so much, you can't think and have low energy.
Six men and two women showed off their bodies for the crowds and judges at the bodybuilding competition on Thursday.
They were judged on their discipline, size and symmetry in the hopes of becoming Mr. or Ms. Ball State 2011.
"Size is good, but we're also looking for definition," Jeff Koser, a judge and former bodybuilder, said.
Definition matters more than size to the judges because definition shows diet and workout commitment, Koser said.
The contest was divided into male and female competitions, with the male competition divided into a medium class and tall class. To be in the tall class, the men had to be 5-feet-10-inches tall or more.
One of the judges was Mr. Ball State 1978 Rick Rutledge, who has been judging body building competitions for 15 years.
"It's a great experience; it's an accomplishment. I think at the professional level it's a lot tougher," he said.
The competitors not only had to worry about their size and performance, but they had to worry about looking bronzed, Mark Troyer, a Mr. Ball State judge and a former body builder, said. To do so, competitors applied Dream Tan to make them look brown with one coat, which washed off when they are done.
The darker body builders are, the more it shows their definition, Troyer said.
Shauna Sadler and Christine Concannon, the two female competitors, said they were both competing for the first time.
"I'm glad it's over," said Concannon, who won first place. "I was really nervous. I didn't really have a routine."
The contest consisted of posing with competitors, then posing in an individual routine to a song.
The crowd screamed and cheered as contestants posed and danced to popular songs.
Senior human resources major Brian Bradford said he came to support his friend Ryan Kemp.
"It's a very unique experience to say the least," Bradford said "It's definitely different than anything else put on by Ball State."
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