M.E SPECIAL
Junior athlete Everett Hand
on ME Jan/Feb 2009 cover
ME Grand Prix
2008 Senior men
Overall line up
THE NEXT
GENERATION
ME
Grand
Prix
2007
advert
Flex Wheeler was
guest poser at the ME
Grand Prix in 2008
BIG MONEY
Thankfully local competitive
bodybuilding got a much-
needed shot in the arm when,
in 2007 Muscle Evolution
announced the country's
biggest money show – the IFBB
Muscle Evolution Grand Prix.
In June 2007 the best athletes
from across the country, from
every federation, came together
to battle it out for the top spot.
Heinrich Vos won the prestigious
Overall Title at the inaugural
show, and a precedent for the
quality of every bodybuilding
show to follow had been set.
The year was also a big year
for the magazine – Marius Dohne
secured his first of a record six
covers, appearing on the front
of the July/August 2007 issue.
That was also the issue when an
institution was born – the M.E.
Babe feature. For eight years
we've been profiling some of
the best female physiques in
the industry, both local and
international. It has proven to be
a highly popular feature that has
helped to propel aspiring female
athletes into the limelight and
is a sought-after opportunity for
many athletes and models.
Sep: Hennie Kotze
obtains his IFBB
pro card.
2010
52
Muscle Evolution
Mar:
Jay
Cutler
tours
South
Africa.
2011
The legendary Arthur Baron
also made history in 2007. Having
profiled him on cover in the May/
June issue, he went on to fulfil
the promise we had seen in him
by securing the 2007 IFBB South
African Championship Overall
title that year, which earned him
his second cover in a calendar
year on the November/December
issue – a first for the magazine.
Justin Thacker was the athlete
who graced the cover of our first
128 page issue – the January/
February 2008 issue, which was
the biggest ever at the time.
Flex Wheeler was the athlete
on cover for the March/April
issue when it was announced
that he would be guest posing at
the 2008 IFBB Muscle Evolution
Grand Prix to be held in Cape
Town. Shameen Adams won the
title in November of that year,
but not before Marius Dohne
put South Africa back on the
international bodybuilding map
by winning the Nabba World
Championship title. It was
with great pride that we gave
him his second cover on the
September/October 2008 issue in
recognition for his achievement.
Mar:
Marlene
Koekemoer
receives her
IFBB pro
card.
2011
The start of 2009 heralded the
arrival of the next generation
of South African bodybuilder.
Everett Hand appeared on the
cover of the January/February
issue, forever changing the
benchmark for what was
possible and achievable as a
junior athlete. He was the poster
boy for a new generation of
South African bodybuilder and
others who followed would do
their best to emulate him.
That issue was followed up
with a first cover for another
one of South Africa's rapidly
emerging talents, John Leslie.
Appearing on the front of the
March/April 2009 issue John's
by-line also appeared alongside
a few fellow athletes as we
introduced the first athlete
columns in the magazine – an
institution that still forms
an important part of every
issue's editorial mix.
The highly talented and
promising Hennie Kotze
then made history by
becoming the first athlete
to secure back-to-back
covers. He first stepped on to
the stage as a lightweight in
the late 1990s, then competed
as a middleweight before
climbing the competitive ladder
all the way to the top. As a
leading contender for the IFBB
national Overall title that year
he appeared on the cover of the
September/October issue in the
build-up to the championships.
After winning the title we saw fit
to carry his image on the front
of the magazine once again
on the November/December
2009 issue in recognition of his
achievement.
It was also in October 2009
when South Africa finally made
its long-awaited return to the
international pro stage, five years
after Cherie Loomes gained pro
status, when a deserving Marius
Dohne was awarded with his pro
card... big things lay ahead!
June: IFBB splits the
Bikini division into
Beach Bikini and
Fitness Bikini.
2011
June:
Marius
Dohne
wins the
IFBB
Tampa
Pro.
2011
Hennie Kotze
got back to
back covers
Marius Dohne
receives Pro
card in 2009
Oct:
Tammy
Jackson
receives
her pro
card.
2011
Oct: Troy Alves guest
poses at the IFBB
Muscle Evolution
Grand Prix.
2011