Samuel Barker is a ‘Special Person’“I ensured that I read extensively and kept myself up to date with the changing trends of the sport back then, and this was in order to guide those under my care in the right direction.”By Franklin WilsonIt is not quite normal,Cheap Jerseys Online, or should I say common, for you to find an athlete who has participated competitively and excelled in all three weightlifting sports in Guyana – especially in the early days, namely the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.But up in the bauxite mining town of Linden, once the earning and economic hub for persons from the city and other parts of Guyana,Wholesale Football Jerseys, such a person exists.Samuel Meertins-Barker is a household name in Linden as well as the Bodybuilding, Weightlifting and Powerlifing circles in Guyana. The competitive spirit that he brought to those disciplines in the aforementioned decades was phenomenal for an athlete who held his own against the odds, at a time when it was not easy coming up against athletes from the capital city.According to Barker, who was born on November 16, 1937, to Samuel Sr. and Virginia Barker, “You had to be really good to beat those guys.”And while Samuel Jr. excelled in the three weightlifting pursuits, he later went on to establish his own gym (Upper Demerara Barbell Club) where he became a father figure to many athletes across Linden, guiding their physical preparation en route to excelling on the field of play and on the stage.Samuel BarkerAs this story matures, we will learn more about this exceptional son of the soil, the seventh of eight children – two boys and six girls. Three of his sisters, he respectfully informed, have gone to the great beyond.Barker, who is the first bodybuilder from Linden to compete at the national level, attended the Christianburg Scots School before pursuing studies at the Critchlow Labour College in Georgetown, where he successfully attained a Diploma in Industrial Relations and Management. He later became an Industrial Relations Officer attached to the Guyana Mines, Metal & General Workers’ Union.His first competition was in 1958 when he traveled all the way to the city to participate in the Mr. Muscle Beach competition, placing second. In the same year, the young, strong and determined Barker also won the Junior Mr. Guyana title.One year later at the same show (Mr. Muscle Beach) Barker copped 3rd place. In 1960, still a junior athlete, he was the second runner-up in the junior Mr. Guyana contest; in 1961 he was runner-up and in the same year in Linden, he placed 2nd in the Mr. Mackenzie show.But just how did Samuel Barker Jr., a father of seven children (three boys and four girls) get involved in bodybuilding?“I came from Wismar, and in those days it was forbidden for boys from across that way to be over here competing in almost every game, because we were considered lesser mortals. You had to be very strong in mind to venture over here (Mackenzie).We used to come across to Mackenzie with the Scouts group and one day there was a group of guys lifting weights and I decided to lift with them. I was not holding my own at the time, but I still persevered.”Barker recounted that one day a weightlifting exercise was taking place at the Mackenzie All-Age School and because of where he was from (Wismar), he was prohibited from entering the school yard.“I stood outside and observed attentively then I went back to my gym and practiced the same things that I saw the men doing. Soon after I met a friend, Desmond Holder, a school teacher, and we had a talk about the sport. Subsequently, one day we took some weights from a gentleman named Patrick Long and we started to workout, doing the things that we saw the chaps doing.I think we were lucky, as one day a man passed our way with a very good book about the sport and left it with us and as you can imagine, it became a prized possession for us.”Barker recalls that in those days, the training was far stricter and more cumbersome but he was not a quitter so he continued to train hard.“I think it’s because of my genes. I started to bulk up quick. I then encountered the legendary Claude Charles who as it turned out assisted me quite a lot.”Samuel Barker (third left) posing with some of his powerlifters following a competition in 1994. From left: Lindsley Halley, Sharon Ward, Nadine Bovell, Jeffrey Gill and Jafar Mohamed.Barker said he had some conversations with Mr. Guyana 1958, Mr. Bobb, who knew very little about the intricacies of the sport and seemed quite reluctant to help, but when Claude Charles went to Linden in search of work and came into contact with him (Barker) and others, Charles started to give them tips and guidance on different exercises.“Claude Charles it was who said to me you should go and compete at Mr. Muscle Beach. He gave me more tips on how to po