By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JIMMY Norius said he and his wife Serena Norius had a little more competition than they anticipated this weekend in New York.

The duo, coming off their appearance at the NPC Pittsburgh Championships and IFBB Pittsburgh Pro the week before, competed in the New York Pro Show on Saturday.

But Norius noted that they both failed to advance to the final in what was a stiffer show to compete in than they did in Pittsburgh.

“I thought Pittsburgh was tough, but the show in New York had a lot more competitors because it was a qualifying show for Mr Olympia,” Norius said.

“Once you placed in the New York show, you had bragging rights so a lot more people came to it. Because more people came, even if Serena had finished in the middle of the field, she would not have made the finals.

“So both of us didn’t make the final. It was just that tough for us.”

Based on what they saw, Norius said if they had come to the show with a more conditioned look, they probably could have scored higher in the competition.

“It seemed as if the judges were going with more size and conditioning,” Norius said.

“The two shows we competed in were Mr Olympia qualifiers, so I think the judges were looking for the athletes with more size and weight rather than going with the smaller athletes,” he added.

With the back-to-back experience at the professional level, Norius said he will not continue competing in the open division, but rather concentrate on passing his knowledge and expertise on to the younger competitors here in the Bahamas as a coach.

He said he would only be interested in competing in the masters category where he gets to compete with guys who are 50 years and older and not have to contend with the stronger competitors in the open division.

However, he said his wife is just getting started in the sport.

So she is expected to be back on stage in another open show in September. She will also compete in the masters category.

“My wife is from Italy and she lives in the Bahamas with me, so I have to be responsible for her,” he said. “I have to start looking at ways to make some money in the sport and not just spending it all competing. “I need to put some things in place so that if anything happens to me, she is secured.

“She is just 40 (years of age) and a novice, so I can encourage her to continue to compete. But my first show was in 1998. I am tired and I need to make some money.

“I can’t continue to compete with these guys, boys. It’s more hard work for me to get the results that I need competing against these guys.

“I never really felt my age until after the show. These guys are in their 20s. I can’t compete with them at this stage.”

With this being their first time in New York, known as the “city that never sleeps,” Norius said he and his wife are taking in some of the sights before they make their return to the Bahamas and start the reality check of what they will do next.