Lafayette Daily Adv 07/26/2015 Page : C01 Copyright © 2015, The Daily Advertiser. All rights reserved. Use of this site signifies your a greement to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy , upd July 26, 2015 4:40 pm / Powered by TECNAVIA Copy Reduced to %d%% from original to fit letter page Local bodybuilder Tim Garrett is all about com- peting — as long as he keeps it natural. The 51 -year-old Lafayette man recentl y won first place in bodybuilding in the master’s division of the National Physique Committee Louisiana Body- building, Physique, Figure and Bikini Champion- ships for the 50 and over division. He also took a first place in the “light heavy” division. “I’ve been into bodybuilding for 33 years,” Gar- rett said. “Years ago, I started because I was small in stature and I always wanted to be big- ger. I had a cousin who was a bodybuil der and he started tutoring me. He took me to my first show and I said, ‘That’s what I want to do.’ ” The competition, which bills itself as the premier ama- teur physique organization in the world, is one of many con- tests for bodybuilders on the path to becoming profession- als. This one, held in July, has been a tradition in the Hub City for more than 20 years. “Lafayette is a great loca- tion to host (the event) year in and year out,” said Tommy Guarisco, promoter and own- er of Magnum Productions. “One of the reasons is Red and Red Lerille's 50 year history and involvement (that) has made it popular.” Garrett trains out of Gold’s Gym in Breaux Bridge and said he also has a gym in his home. His dedication and training have paid off many times. In fact, back in 2012, he won the overall title in the same NPC Bodybuilding com- KEEPING IT NATURAL IN THE BODYBUILDING WORLD KRIS WARTELLE [email protected] PAUL KIEU, THE ADVERTISER Bodybuilder Timothy Garrett poses for photographs with his trophies from National Phyisique Committee Louisiana Championships trophies at Gold's Gym in Breaux Bridge. SeeGARRETT , Page10C