Superbods, rain or shine

It’s been difficult to enjoy the outdoors lately, especially with all the rain. A bit of a bummer, really, especially since so many opportunities are missed out on because of the weather. This summer, though, it’s still all about celebrating a healthy body as well as a healthy mind. After all, even if it is raining, people can still enjoy the beach.

One group that believes in healthy minds and bodies is Century Tuna, which recently held their “Superbods” challenge in Boracay last May 2. It has been two years since Century Tuna awarded the first “Superbod” title to a male and female pair. And although the rains on the island of Boracay were torrential that weekend, the competition and the celebration could not be drowned.

This year the Century Tuna Superbods competition was a “Bods and Brains Challenge,” where contestants were not only judged on their looks, but on smarts as well. In previous years, the competition was more like a pageant, but this year it was different. Twenty finalists — 10 male and 10 female — flaunted not only their fit and healthy bodies, but also their wit and intelligence. Constituting the “brains” part of this year’s Superbods competition were logic puzzles, accounting problems, and obstacle courses. Obviously, the “bods” race was all about the fashion show, the catwalk, and the much-awaited “question and answer” portion.

This year, Century Tuna added the “brains” component to the competition in continuation of its ongoing campaign — the promotion of Omega-3 DHA, which helps in developing brain functions, and which is conveniently found in tuna. In previous years, Superbods was only about maintaining a healthy body.

“DHA is actually part of Omega-3. If I were to be technical about it, DHA lubricates the brain cells to help you be more focused,” says Gela Gamboa, senior product manager for Century Tuna. The Omega-3 campaign has been one of Century Tuna’s most pet projects, but this year they want to take it a step further by making it a part of their Superbods competition.

Gela continues: “We’ve always promoted healthy bodies. But nowadays, since times are more challenging, it’s a good angle to promote the mind as well, because a healthy mind powering a healthy body that can act and move is a really good combination.”

The Superbods competition started in Plazoleta where contestants, split into pairs, tested their brainpower by assembling shapes using their logic skills in the challenges and doing a bit of math and accounting problems. Racing against the clock and against each other, pairs felt the mental burn as hosts Rovilson Fernandez and Reema Changco kept the mood lively. After Plazoleta, contestants raced to the Pearl of the Pacific in Station 1 where the finish line of the day was located.

Later that evening, The Pearl Of the Pacific was the place where challengers got to strut their stuff. The pageant was hosted by Marc Nelson and Joey Mead, who kept things fun and interesting. An elite panel of judges was selected, composed of distinguished personalities from the world of showbiz, fashion, TV and print media. These included Jun de Leon, Rajo Laurel, Sid Maderazo, Zo Aguila, Ariel Comia, Gela Gamboa and Gloria Diaz. With a stage and a catwalk set up right there on the beach, monsoon rains pouring down, the contestants were all poise. Not even large drops of rain could make them flinch.

That night, Theresa Fenger and Van Victor Leano came out on top, being crowned Century Tuna Superbods 2009. Coming in second place were Cherry Ann Kubota and Martin Richard. The top winners received P500,000 each (wow!) and are now brand ambassadors of Century Tuna.

The night culminated with a victory party back at Plazoleta where it all started. It was raining cats and dogs, but spirits were not dampened; everyone felt like a winner.