Tough at the top in world of Mr Puniverse

By REBECCA WALSH

It all started out as a joke by his mother but now Brent Nicholson enters Mr Puniverse competitions for the meat pack and bar tab.

The 30-year-old Papatoetoe man, who stands 185cm tall and weighs just 61kg, was among those flexing their limbs at the Mr Puniverse final at Auckland's Royal Easter Show last night.

But the one-time Auckland titleholder was not too keen on the prospect of winning a gym membership - the event was sponsored by Club Physical.

"If I got it I wouldn't use it, to be honest," he said. "Really I did it for a bit of fun.

"Basically I spend a lot of time laughing at other people so this is an opportunity for them to laugh back."

It must be in the blood because Mr Nicholson's two sons, Gareth, 8, and Scott, 5, are lining up for the junior title.

"They have always been proud of the fact Dad can show what muscles he hasn't got and it's the first time they have had a junior competition.

"They were keen as mustard."

But standing up on a stage and baring his body did not come so easily to Tim Siebert of Titirangi, who spent the first night looking at his feet. By the second night he managed a few glimpses at the crowd and "got some really weird stares".

The 20-year-old, who gets told he should eat more pies, is 173cm tall and weighs about 50kg.

"I tell them I'm skinny, just deal with it.

"I'm not interested in the gym. I've got skinny bones, if I put muscle on them it won't look that good. Plus, I'm generally quite lazy."

Event organiser Mike Ironside of Club Physical said it was the first time the event had been held at the Easter Show and the competition was looking good. To qualify, participants not only had to be skinny but needed to work the crowd and "put some personality into it".

"The standard is excellent. There are two guys who are really skinny. You could line up 2 1/2 beer bottles and that's how wide they are."

"It's for the guys who don't have the muscle, whose metabolism is too high. It's their hour to shine."

As 20-year-old Kelly Nesbit, at 175cm and just under 50kg one of the skinniest competitors, put it: "It's good fun. It's not often you get to show off your bones."

* Auckland Showgrounds general manager Mark Frankham said an estimated 70,000 people visited the Easter Show this year compared with 55,000 last year.

Major drawcards included the live entertainment, farmworld, the carnival and the art exhibition, which attracted 1300 entries.