Ulitmate Holiday Gift!

Marveling with my daughter, Marina, the birth of the newest Downing, Iliana Jean.

THE GIFT of a LIFE! December is always the time to share with friends and family and reflect on the gifts of life. just happened to receive the ulitimate gift that month - the birth of my second daughter, Iliana Jean, on December 7. My wife and I were elated to find out last spring that we were expecting again, after having been blessed with our first daughter, Marina, who has been the joy of my life. Certainly, my life is quite different now with two lovely little girls under the age of two. But, they just motivate me even more to have success in my career. Having just returned from the Arnold Classic, I am quite fired up for my own 2006 season.

RE-SIGNED with WEIDER PUBLICATIONS - I am pleased to announce that I signed an endorsement contract again this year with Weider Publications. I am proud to wear a personal badge of honor in that I was the last pro personally signed by Joe Weider. Joe is a man who clearly loves bodybuilding and the athletes and he created the industry/sport from which many have benefited. The times I met with him in his office were memorable. He is an icon in this sport and I fondly recall the day when he said "Garrett, I want to give you a contract so you can continue to be a champion." I've been under contract since 2001 and again am proud to say not only was I was the last athlete signed by Joe, but the new leadership within Weider Publications and AMI similarly sees value in me as an athlete to represent the magazines and image of the sport.

My two girls, Iliana and Marina. What more could I ask for?

The magazines are working hard to promote the sport and its athletes, particularly in a time when there have been some challenges. One thing I am really pleased with is that AMI is directly involved in Sports and Fitness Supplement Association (SFSA) which is geared at representing, via lobbyists and proper PR, the supplement industry to the public and to Congress at a time when supplements are improperly coming under fire due to total misinformation and yellow journalism! This, as you can tell, is an issue that I get quite fired up about! And, I am also excited about some work the AMI team is doing to promote key athlete representatives into other media opportunities. I am working closely with the marketing team on putting together a portfolio of my work, particularly on camera such that I can secure more TV and film opportunities. This is the way that we will be able to gain positive recognition for the sport.

FALL IFBB COMPETITIONS - I gave great thought to when the best time would be for me to hit the stage this season and with the birth of Iliana, it was completely unrealistic to even conceive of competing in the Ironman and Arnold and likewise, I didn't think that the May/June shows would make sense. So, I am very excited to be selecting the shows in September, which will be ideal for qualifying for the Olympia.

So, check out my appearance schedule. I have a number of guest posings, including an appearance in Japan and a week-long (tentative) scheduled set of appearances in Italy on behalf of Weider Publications at a bodybuilding and fitness expo. And, stay tuned for news on my preparation for the Fall IFBB Shows. I expect to be in top line line-up and to qualify for the O!

Photo by Garry Bartlett

Look out in '06!