The University of Windsor is well-known for its success in track, basketball, and football—now some students are earning a reputation for excellence in another sport: bodybuilding.

Two UWindsor kinesiology students won top honours in their categories at last month’s Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Classic, a bodybuilding and fitness competition.

Jeff Ackersville in the Classic Bodybuilding Tall division and Shealyn McLaughlin in the Figure Tall division were judged on posing their bodies, sculpted from months of dedication.

 “It was definitely one of the best experiences of my life. I worked on it for five months, and saw it through,” said McLaughlin. “That day was just crazy—it was good.”

She said she joined the competition to further her dreams of becoming a personal trainer. She also competes for the Lancer track and field team as a thrower.

Ackersville said his experience was “pretty unreal.”

“It’s hard to describe because you end up putting months and months into it,” he said. “I decided to compete, June 2009. From that point on, I was dedicated towards that day.”

Prepping for the competition involved doing their hair, tanning, and months of hard work. These athletes struggled through their lengthy training regime, but they learned from their experience and built a friendship.

“You get to know what your body does and how it changes. So, it’s kind of a learning point,” said McLaughlin. “We became friends because of this. We started talking, and then we started talking about competitions and stuff. And then at the competition we hung out a bit.”

— article by Jason Rankin