“He had influenced a lot of people in his life and I thought, ‘you know what, a guy exercising ‘til his 80s, bodybuilding in his 70s on stage, that’s passion right there,’” said Corey Arsenault, organizer of the P.E.I. Physique Championships.
When he was growing up, Heckbert was teased for his small frame, said Gallant. At age 16, he got his first set of barbells and began building up his body, no longer wishing to be known as “that little guy.”
“He was just always about bodybuilding and inspiring people,” said Gallant. “He worked out with my husband and a lot of different people that he brought into the gym to show them the way to do it and to make sure they were on the right track.”Although Gallant said she took after her mother – a supporter of Heckbert, but not much of a gym-goer herself – some of Heckbert’s other family members inherited his passion for fitness.
Throughout his life, Heckbert expressed an interest in competing in the sport but never did. That changed in 2005 when Gallant encouraged him to finally take the plunge.That year, he entered the Atlantic Classic Championships in Moncton; his family eagerly watched, beaming with pride.“He was so just in his glory, at that time,” said Gallant.
“I remember seeing him in the gym when I was probably 15 years old, and he was a freak,” said Arsenault. “It was clear that he lived this lifestyle all his life and, at 70, was in better shape than men half his age and worked his butt off and did everything to keep healthy.” “When you’re a young guy and you see older guys, you think, ‘OK, there’s the older guy,’ and I don’t mean that in a bad way,” he said. “But then when you get older, you realize how hard it is as we get older. You realize how special he was.”
“He had influenced a lot of people in his life and I thought, ‘you know what, a guy exercising ‘til his 80s, bodybuilding in his 70s on stage, that’s passion right there,’” said Arsenault. “It was kind of a way for us to honour him and have an ongoing award that we could give to someone who shows that same passion and exuberance over the sport.”
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