BODYBUILDING

Photo by Lester Murray STRONGMEN IN ACTION - Kilgore natives Mickey Morris (right) and his oldest son Daniel have a little fun with a Voltzwagon Beetle, lifting it off the ground outside the offices of the Kilgore News Herald. The father-son duo will perform this weekend in Austin in the East Texas Shredder Classic, a bodybuilding competition. Mickey Morris is 52; Daniel is 23. Mickey is a seasoned bodybuilding competition veteran. It will be Daniel's first-ever show. Kilgore bodybuilder Mickey Morris is used to the pressure of competing under the spotlight of shows with hundreds of equally-good opponents, and he normally gets lots of support from his family.

This time, a member of his family will be out there with him.

Mickey and his oldest child, son Daniel (23), will participate this weekend in the annual East Texas Shredder Classic, a bodybuilding show in Austin that boasts not only some of the best bodybuilders in the state, but some of the best from across the nation.

Mickey, 52, is old-hat in Austin - he makes the trek to compete there every year. But a lower-back injury had the multi-time winner considering not competing in this year's classic - until he got a call from Daniel in Arkansas.

"I had pretty much decided to go ahead and compete, and was getting ready when Daniel called me and asked...for my eight-week workout," Mickey explained. "I was wondering who wanted it, and he told me, 'It's for me.'"

The news that his son, long a fan but never a participant, was going to take part in the competition, renewed Mickey's competitive fire. "Man, I was fired up after that," he said Thursday. "I was all over the house."

Mickey, currently weighing in at 197 pounds, will compete in the masters II (over 50) and the open heavyweight, nothing new for him. Daniel will compete in the novice heavyweight.

He said Thursday he does have a little bit of anxiety about simply the newness of being out there on stage, but believes being so familiar with his father's routine will help.

"I'm sure I'll have some nerves going when it's time to go out there," he said, "but I'm ready."

Daniel lives in Danville, Ark., and he and fiancee Kayla Peek made the fivehour

trip down to Kilgore Thursday afternoon. They'll travel with Mickey today down to Austin, compete on Saturday evening, and return Sunday.

Daniel has been getting ready for eight weeks, he said, eating six little meals a day - things like egg whites, tuna, and grapefruits. He's dropped 20 pounds.

Mickey has been preparing for about 12 weeks at Elite Gym in Longview, and says after the classic and a Longview show in June, he'll take it easy for a while.

"I'll go back to being a regular person," he laughed.

Find out how the Morrises did in Tuesday's News Herald sports section.