2-Bodybuilders get psyched for two shows

His big moment had arrived.

Elijah Levercom, of Grand Haven, strode on stage at the NPC Continental USA body building competition in St. Charles, Ill. last fall.

Clad in just a Speedo, Levercom kept his head bowed and waited for the music to cue his muscle-posing routine.

He was greeted by an awkward silence. A smattering of bemused laughter started to break out among some of the spectators who had gathered for the show.

Elijah Levercom practices a series of mandatory poses, which are judged at bodybuilding competitions. Enlarge photo.

Despite the temporary sound system glitch, the night turned out exactly how the 23-year-old Levercom had always dreamed. He won the event's novice middleweight division and, for good measure, also took home the trophy for overall novice champion.

"It was one of the biggest moments of my life," Levercom recalls several months later. "It makes you feel like all the hard work paid off."..............