The Event

The contest after the contest

By Mongoose750 (mongoose750@yahoo.com)

[Author's Note: This story came from another idea given to me from bearhug1. If you have any story ideas, just send them to shrewsberry@juno.com.]

At a convention center in Miami, Florida, a woman's bodybuilding and fitness contest was held. It went well, the crowd cheering on the winners in their weight classes and categories. The number of contestants was large, as was the audience as they cheered on their favorites, respected the veterans and paid special notice to the newcomers. The contest was a success, and plans were being made to have it again, either the next year or even sooner. It was a great night.

The following day was pleasant and not too hot for late morning. At one of the finer hotels where most of the contestants stayed, there was a gym for the residents to conduct their daily workouts if they had the need. At eleven o'clock, the place was empty, until a door opened, and a woman walked in carrying a trophy. Wearing a light brown short sleeve top, black shorts, and barefoot, the 5'5" woman with long black hair turned on the lights, and set the air conditioner to make sure the room was nice and cool. Next, she looked toward the center of the room. The mats were there as promised. She took a few experimental steps on the mat to see how it felt. Not too hard, and not too soft ' perfect. Finally, she took the chairs, also sent as promised, and placed them around the mats. Then she did a couple of stretching exercises.

The woman's name was Jackie, a fitness model from Chile. She was chosen to be the organizer for the afternoon's activities. It was her responsibility to find a place, make the arrangements, set things up, contact the participants, and to give the winner the trophy. Every now and then, she was challenged to participate, but that was against standard protocol. She has been elected for this position several times because everyone knew she was excellent at it. She didn't mind; she liked her job, and she had a chance to see an excellent show in the process.

Sitting at a table in front of the mats, she placed her feet on the surface, crossed them, and waited. Everything was to start at noon, so in a little while, the others should start trickling in.

Fifteen minutes later, a woman by the name of Erika walked in. She was a 5'6" bodybuilder from Hungry. The middleweight had short brown hair with purple and red highlights dyed in. She wore dark blue workout pants, a black bikini top, and also barefoot. She was a relative newcomer to the Event, having already participated in a few of them. She looked eager to use her kickboxing skills as she shadowed boxed in a corner of the gym, throwing punches and delivering a few high kicks. When she finished, she strolled over to Jackie's table, where the organizer watched her dispassionately.

"How many competitions do we have today?" Erika asked in heavily accented English.

"Just one, between the two heavyweights. But you never know with these Events; there could be one, there could be many," Jackie replied.

"Perhaps after they finish, I'll challenge you, eh?" Erika said, shadow boxing a few punches.

"Not this time. They recently voted that the organizer's duties should be to organize. If I want to participate in the next Event, I'll need to appoint someone else to do so for that time. Until they vote again, I just set things up."

"That is a pity, to set up the whole thing, but not take part in it. How boring! I've heard you're pretty good. By the time you'll participate again, you'll be rusty."

"Actually, it's rather exciting. You get to see many matches, and to check out the competition for future reference if you know what I mean. As for being rusty, I practice daily, so whenever I participate or I'm challenged, I'll be ready."

A sly grin appeared on Erika's face. "Ah, very sneaky indeed."

"That's one way of putting it."

Both women turned when they heard the door open. Ilka, a 5'7" bodybuilder from Austria walked in, wearing a red tank top and firm black shorts. Her long brown hair carried streaks of silver. Although it is not unusual for mature women to enter bodybuilding ' indeed, many of the most popular are over forty ' it was a little unusual for them to participate in the Event. It's been told that Ilka has been a participant of the Event since its inception. Her last challenger suggested that she should hang it up, both the contests and the Events, and opt for early retirement. Ilka silenced that argument when she knocked out her opponent with a roundhouse right kick to the jaw. When she was revived, her foe decided to reconsider her argument. Ilka's skills as a kickboxer were considered nothing less of phenomenal. Erika, who was anxious to take on anyone, was suddenly calm as the elder woman nodded her head to both of them, then walked over to the chairs, sat down, and put her feet in one, checking her red toenails to see if they were painted evenly.

The next woman to come in after Ilka was Cao from China. At 5'6", the bodybuilder with shoulder-length black hair left no doubt that she was ready to compete when she came in dressed in a gold bikini, showing off a well-muscled build. She nodded to Jackie, and gave a predatory grin to Ilka and Erika before she sat down on the far side of the mat. Cao had developed a reputation of "eating kickboxers for lunch," using some of her kung fu and other fighting skills. During her last competition, Cao had subdued her opponent, another kickboxer, to a screaming submission with a leg lock and a claw hold to the abdomen. Normally gracious in public, she was rather ruthless on the mat.

The door opened again, and in strutted Agnieszka, a bodybuilder from Poland. The woman with long black hair wore a black sports bra, black short shorts, and a black zippered sweatshirt left open to show off her build. She donned black fingernail and toenail polish to further bring out the contrast between her outfit and her creamy white skin. The Pole took great pride in her muscular legs, especially after she cracked the ribs of her last opponent with a leg scissors hold at her last Event. Unlike Erika and Ilka, Agnieszka was a submission wrestler, preferring to take her foe to the ground where she reigned supreme. After nodding to Jackie and Erika, who went over to find her seat, the newcomer walked over to Jackie.

"There seems to be a small turnout today. I thought it would be larger than this. Where are the winners from last night?" The Polish woman said.

"You remember how our attendance varies," Jackie said. "It depends on how many participants we have in the contest, and who the winners are. Usually the winners of the first contest don't want to risk getting beat up in the second; it kind of spoils the moment."

Agnieszka paused and looked at those present. Erika sat back in her seat, surveying the surroundings, Ilka was still examining her nails, and Cao returned her gaze, giving her a sinister grin. The Pole suppressed a shudder and returned to Jackie.

"So when are the main competitors coming?" She asked.

"Any moment now."

As Agnieszka took a seat with the others, the door opened, and a 5'9" black woman walked in the door with long blond hair trailing down to the tip of her waist, and wearing a white T-shirt with blue jean shorts. Her name was Tanya, or as she's called using her stage name, Titaness. She was one of the runners up in last night's contest in the heavyweight competition, and the winner of the trophy at the last Event following the contest. Aside from the standard bodybuilding workouts, Titaness had also trained in kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Her lessons have indeed paid off as she wrestled her last opponent to a submission via an armlock, thus winning her the trophy in Kansas City. She gave a friendly wave to Jackie, nodded to the others, and walked onto the mats, stretching and practicing her kicks.

Everyone watched her warm-up in silence. It was an assumed custom to enter the arranged arena in silence, mainly because one usually never knew who their next opponent was. Talking to the organizer was the only exception.

The Event, for lack of any formal name, was first created when two bodybuilders after a contest argued with each other who the better fighter was. Another competitor, a fitness model, suggested if they were willing to prove it, to have an impromptu match set in a gym or someplace appropriate. The match will be one round with the winner to be determined by submission, surrender, or knockout. To prEvent the match from turning into one messy catfight, rules were established, which left just enough room to accommodate those who had other fighting disciplines besides the karate and kickboxing skills the first two knew and practiced.

The first Event was more successful than they imagined, because to everyone's surprise, a number of bodybuilders and fitness models wanted to participate. Since bodybuilders and fitness models went through enough trouble scheduling their next competition, an organizer was chosen to make the arrangements after the "first contest" as some called it was over. Catering to tradition, a fitness model was almost always chosen as an organizer. Jackie was one of several who participated. That fitness model would usually compete themselves, then after the contest was over, make plans for the Event.

There was no advertising, except by word of mouth among the bodybuilding and fitness profession. No one wanted a promoter to hear of it and turn it into a three-ring circus, like they did with professional wrestling. This was to be a pure contest among peers for peers. It's always held to a vote per Event whether the participant's close friends, boyfriend or husband can watch the action. Outside of that, no one else can watch it.

When asked by a non-participant why they involve themselves in this "brutal mess," the bodybuilder, who had already won a few trophies, said, "Well, we need to do something with our muscles besides strut around and look good. At least this way, they're put to practical use."

The fights ranged from grudge matches to round robin tournaments. Sometimes, they didn't have planned matches at all, but an Event where they drew names of who would take on who. The fighters varied greatly in disciplines, from boxing and wrestling to martial arts, and a few who just knew how to fight.

The winner of the Event would win a trophy - not a fancy one; usually something inexpensive. The one Jackie brought with her she purchased at a thrift store for a couple of dollars; it was a trophy with two male wrestlers on it. But the trophy wasn't the big prize of the Event. For many, it was the thrill of competition, confidence in being able to handle themselves, or just the powerful feeling of knowing that you could kick some butt.

The door opened again, and another 5'9" woman walked in. She was black with dark chocolate skin, long black hair, some of it in cornrows, and a large build. She also was one of the runners up in the heavyweight competition the night before at the contest. Her name was Iris, and that also was the name she used when she went on stage in bodybuilding tournaments, but for the Event, she adopted the name of "The Black Bear." The title referred to more than just skin color and size. Iris's main weapon of choice that brought her the most wins was her bearhugs. A newcomer in bodybuilding and in the Event, she already established a reputation of ending her matches rather quickly with her squeezes. It's been said that so far, no one has been able to break her hold. Iris walked to Jackie wearing a sleeveless white T-shirt, and cut-off blue jean shorts. She pressed her bare toes into the mat to see how firm they were, then said hello to Jackie, nodded to the others, then started stretching.

"Are we it?" Iris asked Jackie as she lifted her left leg over her head. The organizer was looking her over. She could see from the size of her biceps why her bearhugs are so feared, but how can someone that big be so flexible?

"As far as I know," Jackie said. "How can you do that?"

"What, oh, this?" Iris said as she lowered her foot to the mat, and lifted up the other one the same way. "Hatha yoga every morning. Everyone seems so surprised that someone my size can bend; it's kind of funny."

The exhibit wasn't lost on most of the spectators. The majority watched her in amazement, while Titaness focused on her own stretches, and Cao watched the whole spectacle with a dry grin. She's tackled larger opponents before.

Finally, the two women finished their pre-game warm-up and stood on opposite sides of the mat. Titaness took off her shirt and shorts, revealing a light blue sports bra and shorts with red trim. In the middle of both was the superman logo in red. That gained a grin from the audience. The Black Bear stripped down herself, revealing a dark red bikini. If it wasn't for the crowd involved being either bodybuilders or fitness models, they would be awestruck and impressed as they saw the physique of both women. However, the other women either had builds similar to theirs or knew it was within their capability to have one. The fighters put in mouthpieces and put on fingerless gloves, similar to what they wear in mixed martial arts tournaments.

The Black Bear and Titaness took the time to briefly walk to the center of the mat and shake hands, then move back to their respective spots. Jackie rose from her seat and stood in the middle of the mat.

"Are you ready?" She said to both opponents. They both nodded curtly. Jackie returned to her seat.

"Begin!" She shouted, then sat down. The two women began to circle each other.

Like the pre-game, the match also took place in silence. If someone was rooting for one or the other, it would be revealed in their body language. Otherwise, nothing was heard other than the grunting and heavy breathing of the women as the two were in a grappler's clinch. They pushed back and forth, trying to get the upper hand, but both stood firm. After what seemed like an eternity to both women, they separated.

The two prepared to engage again, but as they came close, Titaness swung a left kick that stuck the Black Bear on the right side. Iris backpedaled, stung by the blow. Tanya wasn't planning on venturing with punching at this stage in the match, mainly because she didn't want to be on the receiving end of the Black Bear's punches. Little did Titaness know that the Black Bear was a poor striker; she relied almost solely on her wrestling skills that she learned in high school and college as a member of the wrestling team. Her basic strategy with strikes were don't strike unless you need to, don't get hit, and if you do, deal with it until you can do something about it.

Feeling that she had her on the run, Titaness ventured another kick, this time with her right leg to the Black Bear's thigh. The Black Bear was expecting that move, however, and hopped out of the way, then charged in to grab her quarry around the waist just as Titaness regained her balance.

Titaness with her back facing the Black Bear, reached down to pull her opponent's hands from her waist, lest she get flung down to the mat for a takedown.

And that's where the Bear got her.

As soon as Titaness reached down to pull her hands free, the Black Bear released her grip, quickly lifted her hands up and clasped them again, trapping Titaness's arms and starting applying the pressure. While she was doing this, the bikini-clad bodybuilder lifted Titaness up of the mat so she wouldn't be able to attempt anything using her legs.

For what seemed like an eternity to Titaness, the Black Bear stayed in the middle of the mat, occasionally shifting her feet, while holding her prey. The only movement came from Titaness as she squirmed and tried to find some way to break free, her bare feet searching for ground that wasn't there. She stopped wiggling when she it looked like she was going to stop breathing. She started seeing spots before her eyes, her breath was getting difficult with each squeeze, and her ribs were feeling like they were going to snap. It was time to stop and count it a loss.

"I, I submit," she wheezed.

Although the Black Bear had heard it, it was up to Jackie to confirm it.

"Black Bear, er Iris, Tanya has submitted; you can let go now," she said.

Iris lowered Tanya to the ground gently, and then released her hold. Despite the care taken, Titaness still fell to the ground, sucking in much needed air and holding her sides.

Jackie took the Black Bear's right hand and raised it up in the air. "Winner by submission, the, which name do you want me to call you?" Jackie asked.

"When I'm doing this, Black Bear will do," Iris said.

"Winner, the Black Bear!"

"Now you can call me Iris," Iris smiled as she helped Tanya up and helped her to a seat.

"Girl, that's some grip you got," Tanya said.

"Thanks, your kick felt like I was hit by a sledgehammer," Iris replied.

"The mat is now open to challenges," Jackie said. "Titaness is obviously not going to be available for the next one until later; however, the floor is open for anyone else to take a shot."

The two kickboxers, Ilka and Erika were silent; Erika not feeling too eager at that point and Erika felt content watching a good match, however short. Agnieszka figured this would be a time to better develop a strategy for the next Event. She thought her leg scissors may be a match for the two women she saw today, but she needed to figure out how to avoid that bearhug of Iris' for future reference, which can be as soon as the next show. Iris figured one match was enough for one day, and Tanya was just happy to breathe again. She'll have to ask her wrestler friends how to get out of that hold. Cao just shook her head and smiled.

"Very well then," Jackie said, giving the trophy to Iris. "Iris is the winner of this Event, and it is now over until the next one. Good day, everyone."

Now that the Event was over, everyone felt more relaxed, and carried conversations with each other. Erika came over to Jackie, who was now sitting on the table checking her nail polish.

"So Jackie, when is your next contest?" Erika asked.

"Now that you mention it, it's going to be real soon, in Indianapolis. I wasn't planning on going, but the organizer wanted to fight someone, so she asked if I could fill in for her," Jackie said.

"Looks like I'm headed there too. I won't be heading back to Hungry until a few days after that. Looks like our match may be a while."

"Quite a bit," Jackie said, realizing that Erika was serious about taking her on.

"Indianapolis? I'm headed that way too," Cao said, joining the two. "There's usually a lot of participants in the Event up there, plus I have some friends up there."

"Really?" Erika said.

"Yes, so I'll need to beat the rush and challenge you now for that Event before anyone else does. I'm going to talk to our two fighters over here. Jackie, a pleasure as always, I'll look forward to seeing you again, and Erika, I'll see you too; be ready."

As Cao walked off, Erika had a sour expression on her face. Jackie patted her on the back.

"If I were you, I'd stop thinking about arranging a match with me, and figure out how to avoid being a notch on Cao's belt," she said, laughing.

"Why didn't she challenge Ilka? She's the experienced one," Erika said in a low voice.

"I think she's working her way up. She'll probably start on wrestlers next, since she already beaten all the boxers, but that's my guess."

Meanwhile, Agnieszka was chatting with Iris as she got dressed.

"So you have beaten everyone with that hug?" She asked.

"So far; it's like my college coach told me once, if you find something that works, don't be afraid to use it. When you girls figure out how to get out of my bearhug, I'll try something else. Until then, I'll stick with it."

Tanya was chatting with Ilka while she was getting dressed.

"So how do you avoid holds like what Iris laid on me? I'm going to feel it for awhile," Tanya asked the veteran kickboxer.

"The only advice I can tell you is what works for me; strike, and get away, strike, and stay away. Wrestling I can do, but not as well as some. I rather punch and kick," Ilka said.

"Ilka, will you be participating in the contest in Indianapolis?" Cao said, coming to them. "I know it's coming up real soon."

"It is a little abrupt, but I'm going to be here, so why not? I won't need to train as long, at least," Ilka said.

"Good, because I want to take you on after I'm finished with Erika. Tanya, I'm sorry the match was short. Iris appears to have a formidable hold."

"You're telling me! I feel like a half-empty tube of toothpaste," Tanya said.

Cao laughed. "Indeed, but you have to admire her efficiency. You are all right?"

"I'll be fine."

"Hey, would you be fine enough for a big lunch, my treat," Iris said as she approached.

"Hey, that would expand my ribs back out," Tanya mused.

"Good. I always like to "inflate' all those who I "deflate.'"

"Good thing you're a bodybuilder and not a comedian."

"I would go, but as you can see, I don't have anywhere to put my wallet," Cao said, showing off her bikini. "Anyway, I need to call a friend, so I'll see all of you in Indianapolis next week. Bye-bye."

As she left, Iris said, "Is that the one who "eats kickboxers for lunch?'"

"Yes, that is her," Ilka said cautiously. "Last year, it was boxers."

"Is she real good?"

"I'll just tell you that I'm not ready to face her," Tanya said.

"Ladies, there are people who want to do their regular workout, and we're past our allotted time," Jackie said. "Care to help me straighten up?"

The remaining women helped put everything back the way it was, and then opened the door for the regular hotel residents to come in. As they finished, a janitor who came to get some supplies from a storage closet walked in, then stopped and stared open mouthed at the women in front of him, particularly Tanya and Iris, who stood four inches taller than him.

"Well what are you looking at, little man?" Iris boomed in a deep voice.

"N-nothing," he said, and hurried over to the closet, grabbed what he needed, then fled the room.

"Girl, you should be ashamed of yourself," Tanya said, laughing out loud with the others.

"It comes in handy," Iris said.

"I'll meet the rest of you in the restaurant upstairs, I need to take care of a few more things," Jackie said.

"Okay, hurry up before we eat everything," Iris said.

The women laughed again as they left the room. That was another thing she liked about the Event, Jackie thought to herself as she checked the room one last time for debris or anything out of place. Almost everyone were friends here. Even Cao who was feared at the Event, was very cheerful afterwards. She had easily been to numerous other bodybuilding and fitness events where this was not always the case.

After seeing everything was like they left it, Jackie turned out the lights on her way out.

Indianapolis should be an exciting Event, Jackie mused as she locked the door. The contest before should be exciting too.

For comments, suggestions, or story ideas, send e-mail to shrewsberry@juno.com.