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Natural Contest Promoter Profiles
Featuring the those
individuals who work so hard promoting Natural
Bodybuilding, Figure and Fitness competitions and who
share our enthusiasm and dedication to drug-free
bodybuilding and fitness.
Dave
"Texas Shredder" Goodin
 Promoter
Dave Goodin
Show(s) Promoted
The
Texas Shredder Classic - Held annually during the last
Saturday in April.
Which Organizations have you promoted with?
NGA, INBF,
WNBF, OCB...now with the NPC
Why do you choose to work with this organization?
I
t's
the biggest and the best amateur bodybuilding
organization in the world. I have gotten much more
support from the NPC Texas than I did with any of the
other organizations. I've also been able to get more
sponsors, volunteer workers, and more audience
attendance since sanctioning with the NPC.
How do you feel about the number of shows and
different organizations that currently make up Natural
Bodybuilding? Do you ever see a day when all of the
major organizations will work together? Do you think
the variety of organizations is good or bad for the
athletes?
I don't
think that the large number of natural organizations
is good for athletes, and I don't see them working
together. Matt Shepley has brought about some
cooperation but there seems to be too many egos
involved to ever get all of them under one umbrella.
The biggest problems that I see with all the different
natural orgs is that athletes have to end up buying
several different membership cards, when it's already
expensive enough to compete. Also, with the natural
organizations there is a lot less "quality control"
when it comes to the individual contests. I've seen a
lot of very very poorly run shows because there's no
oversight like you see in the NPC.
 What is your background in Bodybuilding and Fitness?
I've
been competing in bodybuilding for 27 years and have
been judging for 25 years. I'm a personal trainer, a
former gym owner and a bodybuilding writer (Ironman
Magazine). I have a Masters degree in Exercise
Physiology from the University of Texas.
How did you get started in promoting shows? What made
you decide to become a promoter?
There
had been no bodybuilding shows in Austin for 8 years
when I decided to promote the first Texas Shredder
Classic. There was only one drug-tested show in Texas
at that time, and it was poorly run. I wanted to give
athletes in Texas the opportunity to compete in a high
quality drug-tested show.
Tell us a little bit about the history of your shows,
when it first started, how it has grown?
The
first Texas Shredder Classic was held May 23rd, 1998.
We had 57 athletes competing in the first show and it
has grown almost every year since. From 2002 through
2006 I held the WNBF Pro Natural American
Championships in conjunction with the Texas Shredder
Classic. In August 2006 I was suspended from the WNBF
for appearing in Ironman Magazine. So, I changed by
sanction to the OCB for the 2007 contest.
In 2007 I
was approach by officials from the NPC Texas who were
interested in having me sanction with the NPC. They
agreed to allow me to do all of the same drug testing
I had been doing previously and they made my show a
Team Universe qualifier. It was a great decision for
me. In 2008 I had more competitors in the Texas
Shredder Classic than ever. This year we had about 130
athletes entered in the show (our best ever) and sold
out the auditorium for the first time.
Who were your mentor(s), if any when you started
promoting shows and how did they help you?
I really
have no idea how I pulled off the first Texas Shredder
Classic. My good friend Rex Vaught from Illinois gave
me advice and I also had to fly him in to run the
backstage for me because there was no one on my staff
who had ever attended a bodybuilding contest. It was
very difficult, but Rex's help and common sense got me
through the first one. It was a great learning
experience!
 What are some of the challenges you have had to deal
with as a promoter?
Besides
the challenge of securing sponsors, enough workers,
worrying about getting enough athletes and
audience....there is always something that's out of
your control that doesn't go right and you have to
improvise.
My biggest challenge is that I'm a person
who is really good at focusing. That's one of the
reasons I'm good at bodybuilding. But as a promoter
you have to be able to multi-task. I'm not good at
that and that makes the last couple of weeks before a
show very stressful for me.
What makes your show different from the others and why
should competitors choose your show(s)?
I guess
because I am still a competitor, I worry about the
competitors needs and look at things from their point
of view. I want to make sure that their needs are
taken care of. Another thing that set my show apart is
that my staff is very good. I have rarely been to
shows that go as smoothly as the Texas Shredder
Classic. We rarely have any music glitches and when we
do it's because someone burned their CD on a old
computer in and their music won't cue up.
Another thing the competitors like about our show is
the awards. We give away a lot of swords and the open
overall winners receive NPC Championship Rings.
What are some of the most memorable moments from your
show(s)?
In 2004
I had a WNBF Pro Figure division which was won by
Alicia Marie. In 2005 Jamie Eason made her competitive
debut at my show. She won the Novice Overall on Friday
night and the Open Overall on Saturday night.
In men's
bodybuilding the most exciting moments were the Novice
Overall posedown in 2008 between middleweight Craig
Ritchie and heavyweight Kene Chinweze. Craig won that
battle. This year the two great bodybuilders had a
rematch in the Open Heavyweight division with Kene
taking the heavyweight title and going on to win the
Overall.
What are some of the funniest moments from your show(s)?
Easily
that would be Austin Barbisch's posing routines over
the years. He's such a character there's not telling
what he might do.
If you could do it all over again...what, if anything,
would you do differently? What do you wish that you
knew then that you know now?
Seeing
how things have transpired over the last 2 years, I
wish I had sanctioned with the NPC sooner. But, I
think that I needed to build the credibility of my
show and myself as a promoter in order to get to do
the type of drug-testing that I get to do now. So, I'm
happy with the way things have happened.
 How do you drug test at your show? Polygraph or
urinalysis? All competitors, class winners or random?
All
competitors are tested by polygraph prior to the show.
Open winners are also tested by urinalysis.
Is your show judged by weight class or by height
class? Why did you choose the method you use?
Weight
classes in bodybuilding and height classes in figure
and bikini. It's the NPC standard.
How do you select your judging panel? What qualifies
someone to be a judge at your show?
The
state chairman, vice-chairman and state secretary
collaborate to select judges for all of the NPC Texas
contests. Mine is no different.
All NPC Texas judges
must pass a rigorous test-judging process before being
allowed to sit on a judging panel.
What advice do you have for competitors getting ready
for the show, on the day of the show and after the
show is over?
I hold
posing classes every Saturday starting in February so
that athletes can be properly prepared to show their
physiques to their best advantage at the show.
On
contest day I tell the athletes that for all they have
endured in preparation for the show, their time
onstage is very short. So, don't be nervous. Go out
and enjoy being on stage! This is the fun part!
What the your contact info and website for your show?
Dave
Goodin
4125 Guadalupe St.
Austin, TX 78751
512-539-9598
www.TexasShredderClassic.com
What new ideas do you have for your upcoming shows? We
are looking for a larger venue for our 2010 contest.
We would also like to add a powerlifting meet,
strongman contest, possibly MMA matches and a sizable
Expo.
When is your next show?
It will
be the last Saturday in April every year.
Who are the folks you would like to thank for
supporting your show?
Nutrishop Austin, Ironman Magazine, Muscle Link,
Muscular Development Magazine, RxMuscle, Bonus
Building Care. Snake Farm (New Braunfels, Tx), Train
Hard Rock Hard, House of Pain, Fitness Train Studios,
MRG Design, Minuteman Press Austin, David Nall
Diana Hurley, Blythe Goodin, Cecil Ballard
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