I thought all supplements and supplement companies were about the same.
Now I was convinced there was a difference. And what a difference...
not just information and products, but real people that care about my success!
I held my breath as the emcee called out the top five numbers at the 2003 NPC Eastern Seaboard Classic. This was the big time for me. Mr. Olympia, Ronnie Coleman, Ms. Olympia, Lenda Murray, and top contender Gunter Schlierkamp had just completed guest posing routines and now it was time for the awards. I was in a very tough middleweight class in a non-tested NPC national qualifier and only five of us were going to receive trophies.
Tommy Hawk overcame two problems that other competitors
rarely face - the cancellation of two shows in a row
Heck, I wasn't even supposed to be in this show! I was supposed to be competing in an NGA drug-free pro qualifier that day. I'd come close to getting my drug-free pro card last year. I was 2nd in an INBF pro qualifier and won my class but not the overall in an NGA qualifier. Now, it was my turn. I was in the best condition of my life. But lightning struck twice. First, I received a call six weeks out concerning the May 10 NGA pro qualifier. The promoter was ill and the show was cancelled. That's okay. I found an ABA tested event scheduled for May 3. I'd just have to pick up the pace in training and diet and peak one week earlier than planned. It happened again! Ten days out from the show the telephone rang and it was the show promoter. I thought he was calling to schedule my drug test. Instead he told me the show was cancelled. Oh my goodness. Two shows in a row cancelled. Can you imagine how I felt? Well, I'll tell you - in a word - devastated.
I almost gave up. My friends said, "Forget it, just go on and pig out." I even told my wife that it was probably time to take a break. Then I received a card in the mail from Lana and Jeremiah at Beverly International. (They'd had been with me throughout the whole contest preparation experience which I'll get to in a minute.) They wrote that they understood how disappointed I was but to take some photos anyway since I was in the best shape of my life. So I took the photos you see here and decided to check the internet one last time. That's where I found an announcement for the Eastern Seaboard, May 10 in Atlanta, Georgia. My wife said, "Go for it", and I did.
Now let me take you through my contest preparation in hopes that you can benefit from my experience. The first time I used Beverly was in 2002. I went from an 8th place finish pre-Beverly to a 2nd and then a 1st place finish in the drug-tested events mentioned above with Beverly. In the past I thought all supplements and supplement companies were about the same. Now I was convinced there was a difference. (And what a difference not just information and products, but real people that care about my success as evidenced by Lana and Jeremiah's personal note.) [ continued on next page ]