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2003/11/07, 03:33 PM
After several set-backs this last week and a half, finally, it's here: my Olympia article! Let me know what you think, and there's a URL for pics at the end of it...
I’ve been in the weightlifting and fitness industry for quite some time, and I’ve seen my share of expos and competitions, including several Olympias. But nothing could prepare me for what I would experience this past week at the 2003 Olympia in Las Vegas. Since I live in The Entertainment Capital of the World, I was asked to emcee the events at the Animal booth at this year’s Olympia expo. What follows is my account of one of the best weekends of my life.
First off, though, I want to get out of the way the one negative aspect of the weekend. The expo was held in the brand new convention center at the Mandalay Bay - it was spacious and beautiful. But, overall, this was one of the most mind numbing Olympia expos that I have ever attended. If it weren’t for the Animal Cage, it would have been BORING! The hall was filled with fly-by-night, never-heard-of-before companies, pan handling their snake oils. And the large companies in attendance had small and lackluster booths. They had almost no spokespersons readily available; and the aspects of previous years such as tons of free samples, magazines, t-shirts, and autographs were basically non-existent. But such was not the case with Universal.
Universal had one of, if not the, largest booths in the show – 1600 square feet of Animal! On one end, the beautiful Monica Brant was signing autographs, right next to the Animal gear shop, which carried all of the Animal Products and their famous t-shirts, my favorite one being “Squat til you puke!” On the other side was the Cage. This was an area of gym equipment surrounded by a 10-foot high chain link fence. It was here where much of the action took place. The bench press competition was probably the most talked about event of the show. Here, men could bench their body weight, and women half their weight, for reps in order to win Animal products. The record was a woman who benched 70 pounds for 70 reps! Special seminars were held in the Cage as well. I had my work cut out for me for the rest of the weekend; my job was not only to emcee each of the special events within the cage, but to also keep the “pump” of the crowd going at and around the cage in between sessions, and to keep them interested. Plus, I got to hang out with some of the most awesome men and women in the industry, and definitely the best booth at the show.
The first day of the expo, Friday, started out with all of the tranquility of a nuclear explosion. Starting off with two strength demos, we moved rapidly into discussion forums. These included “Keys to nutrition” by IFBB pro John Hnatyshak, “Foundations of Bodybuilding” by NPC bodybuilder Andrew Giordonello, and “The Bench” by powerlifting and bodybuilding champ Joe Ladnier, who ended up doing a 625-pound bench during the seminar! At the end of each afternoon for both Friday and Saturday were my favorite sessions: a bodybuilding and powerlifting Q & A, where all of the Animals were gathered to sit, talk, and answer questions by anyone who wanted to come in and ask.
Saturday started off with even more intensity than Friday! All-natural powerlifter Paul Vargo blew up a 635-pound bench press for the screaming crowd like it was nothing! In the middle of warming up and getting psyched, Paul would answer questions from the crowd and remarks about his technique, while I explained the aspects of powerlifting, the equipment he was using, and pumping the crowd up a lot to really support Paul in the lift. It was nothing short of extraordinary. Afterwards, Paul did a Q & A about the bench press. Following this was a bicep curling competition, where, again, men and women could show their strength to win valuable Animal products. The coolest thing was a little 100-pound 9-year-old girl who curled a 25-pound barbell for 130 reps! And there I was, counting every rep of every comp, and keeping the crowd going in between! One more seminar with the public by the Animals, and we were done for the day. But the night was yet to come…
I picked up my tickets to the Mr. Olympia from my rep, Alex, and went home to shower and change my clothes. My friend, Lacy, came and picked me up at my house, and we were off to the show. The finals were being held in the Mandalay Bay Events center, a huge, indoor arena. Because of traffic, we were late for the first 15 minutes of the show, but, as we came to find out, the best parts of the show hadn’t even begun. And the seats were incredible – 3rd row from the floor!
There were only 16 competitors overall, and, of course, they each did an individual routine. Everyone had a massive and impressive physique, and they’re posing routines were all fantastic and got the crowd really going. But there was one thing that I did notice: the competitors were overall quite smooth; not the usual ultra ripped, paper-skinned look that I have seen in the past.
On an individual note: Gunter was HUGE! When he did his rear lat spread, I swear you could have landed a 747 on that back; and he loved working the crowd. But he was just not as cut and tight as he was last year. Kevin Levrone, on the other hand, was just not into it, and you could tell. He was just going through the motions, and not well at that.
After the individual posing, Wayne DeMilla came out on stage along with Joe and Ben Weider to do some special award presentations prior to the final pose down. A British bodybuilder by the name of Simon Robinson was brought out on stage to do a guest posing routine. But he had a very inspirational story: six years ago, Robinson was involved in a horrible car accident. Both of his lungs had collapsed, and he had numerous other severe injuries, one so bad that doctors had to amputate his right leg just above the knee. Well, he came out on stage (with a prosthetic for his right leg) and dominated the show! He didn’t have much mass, but his symmetry and tightness were out of control. He had a physique that reminded me of Frank Zane. So, after Robinson finished his posing routine, Joe Weider gave him an honorary Mr. Olympia medal. An extremely moving story, and Robinson received a long-standing ovation.
If that weren’t enough, after they called all 16 Olympia competitors out on stage, DeMilla then mentioned that the Olympia participation medal that is given to all competitors was going to be presented by some one special. As DeMilla announced “The greatest bodybuilder of all time…” we knew who it was – Arnold Schwarzenegger! As the new governor-elect came out on stage, the arena went nuts! He gave a great speech how this is the best time in history to be involved in bodybuilding, and how it is booming all over the world. He then presented the medals.
Next, DeMilla then called out 8-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney, and presented him with a bodybuilding lifetime achievement award. Haney came out with his wife, and gave another moving speech. Finally, for a similar award, as well as a Pioneer of the Industry medal, DeMilla called out one of my favorite bodybuilders of all time, Franco Columbo. When Columbo got to the microphone, he said, “This is great! I finally win something, and Arnold gets nothing!” The crowd roared with laughter, and then the 6’1” Arnold comes out and stood behind the 5’4” Columbo. As Columbo continued his acceptance speech, Schwarzenegger pretended to do sign language interpretation of Franco’s speech. As the crowd continued to laugh, Arnold leans over to the microphone and says, “Thank you, Franco. You can stand up now.” More laughter from the arena, as these two greats left the stage.
After dismissing the last four places, DeMilla called out places 12 through 7. Then, the most exciting part of the show, the final place pose down! Like I said before, Gunter’s back was unbelievable; Cutler’s mid-section was fantastic; and Coleman’s shoulder girdle was completely out of control. And then, it came down to the last six places, the top three I called a month prior to the show: Levrone; Gunter (which the crowd booed tremendously!); Dennis James; Dexter Jackson; Jay Cutler; and Ronnie Coleman. Coleman then gave a great acceptance speech, thanking God (in which he said, “If you don’t know God, you gotta give Him a try.”), his mom, family, and friends. One thing that I must admit, though – Coleman looked great. The problem with Coleman is that his physique has not deserved the O for the last three years, and the public knows it. This year, however, he definitely and easily deserved a place in the top 3. But he has lost much of his fan base because of the “victories” over the last few years, and, as an unfortunate result, did not receive the fan support when he won this year.
Since Alex was staying at the Mandalay Bay, Lacy and I hooked back up with him after the show. Everywhere we went, people came up and told us how much they loved the Animal booth, and how it was the best at the expo; we weren’t even in our Animal clothes, and these people still recognized us. Alex then informed me that he was invited to a private party at the Foundation Room, and wanted to know if Lacy and I would accompany him. Twist my arm some more! Now, let me explain this place: 65-stories up, over looking the fabulous Las Vegas Strip on top of the Mandalay Bay is a very private, members-only club called the Foundation Room. Very exclusive and very nice (wood-paneled walls, etc.), this club even has a restaurant and a hug outdoor balcony looking out over Vegas. So, the three of us take the private elevator up to the club, and Alex asks for directions to this party. The host pointed to a small, private room, and off we went. I soon find out that the private party was for Monica Brant’s birthday! There were less than a dozen of us in this room, and Monica was looking absolutely stunning as usual. So, between the private room, the club, and the balcony, we hung out there for quite some time. And, as an additional bonus, we came off Daylight Savings Time at 2am, so we ended up having an extra hour for the fun.
It’s amazing how long it takes to get to Olympia week every year, and then how it flies by like a tornado. This last week was absolutely fantastic, and, thanks to Universal, I’ll remember it for a long time. And now, to start planning for next year…
To see some of what happen, take a look here:
http://members2.photofun.com/rev8ball/Olympia2003
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Michael
Trample the weak; hurdle the dead!
Chaos, Panic, Disorder.... Yes, my work here is done!
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