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2005/10/20, 01:24 PM
My account of the 2005 Olympia weekend - take it for what it’s worth…
First, the not-so-good about the expo:
The Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) is a beautiful facility. It has been completely re-vamped and modernized, even including a diverse food court. It is a great place to hold any convention, any convention except the Olympia. While other shows are just conventions, the O is a spectacle. It works well in Vegas because of the glitz, the glamour, and the lights. When people come here, they expect their senses to be inundated with extravagant sights, sounds, and smells; something they got at the Mandalay Bay, but not at the LVCC.
The booths, except for a very few (like two or three), were pretty lack-luster. And on top of that, Universal’s Animal Cage was absent, which was the result of a total unfortunate turn of events.
What was really weird, though, was the atmosphere amongst the industry. Over the last few years, there has been the normal grumbling about “how big is too big” when it comes to physiques. But for the first time, there was quite the widening chasm between the two camps. On the one hand, you had the mass-monster supporters, a.k.a. Ronnie, et al, though I must admit, their numbers are dwindling. On the other side, you had the “aesthetically pleasing” crowd, and they are becoming much more vocal. Dexter Jackson looked great, and, with that first place title from this year’s Arnold, his type of physique is gaining ground. Though he never said anything directly, you could tell why he didn’t enter this year’s O. Lee Labrada even told me that he believes that there is a strong movement within the industry to go back to the smaller, yet tighter, physiques. And, if it ever wants to be recognized as a legitimate sport, he said that bodybuilding must start serious drug testing in the pros. First Mr. Olympia Larry Scott told me that bodies must get under control, because now, a lot of the competitors “look six months pregnant.” Another former Mr. O, Sergio Oliva, stated, “these guys look like they’re having a baby!” But the clincher came with Lee Priest, who, by the way, finished only third to Jackson at the Arnold. When asked why he wasn’t competing in this year’s O, he advised, “I’m not competing in that until they change the rules.”
Now for the good:
Even though there seemed to be fewer booths than last year, it was much more spread out, and had a better lay out, allowing for much easier navigation of the expo, and less frustration when trying to get info at a booth. Also, the vendors were much more liberal with the handing out of free samples, magazines, t-shirts, and the selling of their products at below wholesale prices. It was like Halloween – I basically just walked up and down the aisles with my convention bag open, and everyone just kept throwing stuff in.
The men’s competition:
I have access to the private suite box seats at The Orleans, so my view was fantastic. Plus, the booth also has twin plasma screen HDTVs, so I was able to see every angle.
Before the competition began, Gene Rychlak was to attempt a world record 1,015-pound bench press, under which federation’s jurisdiction was unknown. He was to start with 900, and when he walked out on stage, I almost got up and left. His bench shirt was over his elbows, and, basically, rolled up into almost a band that traveled from one elbow to the other, right over his chest. He pressed the weight, with both side spotters never taking their hands off of the bar, but missed the lockout by about 3 or 4 inches, and his spotters had to rack it. He came out about half hour later to press the 1,015. Again, his shirt looked like a rubber band. As he went to descend with the weight, the left spotter again had his hands on the bar, but the right spotter took his hands off and stepped back! At that time, the weight came crashing down into Gene’s right rib cage. He ended being taken out on a gurney by paramedics.
The men’s comp was bizarre as usual. Last year, AMI (the company that runs the O and owns Flex, Muscle & Fitness, etc.) started the “Challenge Round,” where each of the top five competitors challenge the remaining four to an individual pose. Last year, Coleman only beat Cutler by one point, and took the title. So, not surprisingly, this year it was decided that the Challenge Round would not count towards the final numbers, but would be a separate prize ($25k). Not only that, but it would be judged by five of the previous Mr. Os. During this round, Coleman was in obvious discomfort. It was apparent that he was having some difficulty, and, on a few occasions, off the microphone asked the announcer (Triple H) to take a moment for a breather. On more than one instance, I thought he was going to pass out. But in the end of this round, last year’s third place O winner, Gustavo Badel, beat everyone, including Coleman, and took the $25k. When the judges announced Badel as the winner, Coleman became very agitated, and I thought he was going to walk off the stage; it was very apparent that Coleman did not agree with the judges’ decision.
“The rules are to be different, starting this year,” we were told by the officials. “No more thick waists or bloated guts.” In the end, though, it was no different. When they announce the final five, I predicted their final spots perfectly: Coleman, Cutler, Badel, Gunter, and Martinez. However, that’s not how I would have judged it. Coleman, to put it bluntly, looked like crap. He was in the worst shape in all eight of his comps; I would not have even put him in the top five. As one of my employees commented, “He looks lumpy.” The top two spots, in my opinion, were a toss up between Gunter and Gustavo. And there were several other competitors that didn’t make it into the top five that I could have easily placed there.
I’ve always heard the muttering in the industry about the two different opinions in size, shape, symmetry, etc. But this year, it was very loud. The sides have been chosen, the allies have been gathered. I am very concerned about the course of pro bodybuilding over the next year. Some have suggested that maybe the Arnold will be for the statuesque, and the O will be for mass. But my fear lies deeper than that. With as much vocal and blatant disapproval that I witnessed during this weekend, we could witness in the near future an actual split between the two lines of thinking, a virtual civil war in the fitness industry. All involved must realize that no matter how popular they are, outside of our very small little world of fitness, no one knows who we are. The world by large has no idea who Coleman or Weider is, not like Gordon, Woods, or O’Neal. They must realize this, swallow their pride, and do what is necessary for the industry, before there is no industry left.
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Michael
Powerlifters -
We eat raw meat, and sleep naked in the snow...
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