My name is Ferlan C. Bailey, I stand at 5’11” and am currently weighing in at 240lbs. But before I tell you about my current journey I need to tell you where I come from. I was born on the island of Grenada, where I lived until the age of 13 when I moved to Orlando, Florida where I still reside. I grew up surrounded by the beauty of the land and the hard work of my family. My family did just about everything that was needed on the island; if someone needed a ride then they were the cab service, if someone died then they were the mortician, if someone needed a car fixed then they were the mechanics…no job was too great and no need was too small. Growing up watching this work ethic has given me the perfect examples of dedication, strength and perseverance that are the foundation of my life and my bodybuilding journey.
My journey as a bodybuilder began 5 years ago in 2010 where I first competed in the NPC Battle on the Coast where I won the Heavy Weight class and the Overall for the show and then the NPC MidFlorida Muscle Classic where I won the Heavy Weight Class. It is safe to say that after going to shows for many years and to finally compete in one that I was hooked and realized I wanted to succeed in this sport. In 2011 I competed in the NPC Hurricane Bay where I won the Heavy Weight class and the Overall and then made the 1st call out in the Heavy Weight class at the Southeastern USA. I took 2012 off from competing so that I could put on some size and also pursue another goal of becoming a firefighter. After conquering that goal and then going on to get hired on by the City of Eustis, Florida I was able to refocus back on competing. So in 2013 I competed in the NPC Battle on the Coast where I won the Heavy Weight over 35 and the Masters overall classes and then competed in the Team Universe that same year where I made 1st call out in the Heavy Weight over 35 class. Last year I competed in the NPC MidFlorida Muscle Classic where I won the over 40 and open for the Heavy Weight class as well as the Masters overall and Overall for the show, made the 1st call out at Team Universe in the Heavy Weight over 35 and over 40 classes and then competed in the Heavy Weight class over 35 and over 40 at the North American Championships.
As you can see my journey has had its ups and downs but through it all I have relied on the core values instilled in me by my family to push through the disappointments and keep driving towards my goal of being an IFBB Pro. I am continuously learning more about myself and attempting to grow as a person so that once I achieve my goal I will not only be able to celebrate my victory but also be able to celebrate who I’ve become. It is completely about the journey; that is where the true victory resides…everything else is just icing on the cake.
