Howie:
I started competing in 1980 at 16 yrs old. This is when teen divisions had up to 50 entrants!
And later on, most area, local and state NPC shows easily had 100+ entrants.
It was much tougher then.
I competed in nearly 60 shows, have about 20 trophies.
Won ANPPC Natural CT in 1995
Won Tall Class in AAU Collegiate Illinois in 1990
Won ANPPC Natural Colonial States in 1994
Took me 2 years to get trophy at first. Went in shows way too big for me, in some of which I stood next to Jeff King, Victor Ter ra, Vinny Cuonzo, Charles Durr (RIP)etc!
Conn? and the old AAU? wow, I grew up in Portsmouth NH ( moved in 81 went into the USMC)
I did my first show in 1978, the AAU Mr Eastern Seaboard,Greewich, Conn, 38 teens and I placed and got my first trophy.
Chris Dickerson was there and gave out the trophies. Mike Katz was the promoter and there were a lot of the Pumping Iron guys there as well. It was my first BB show and I figured it was a "normal" or typical regional event.
I didn't even bring a camera and figured I would most of the same guys around all the time...wrong
From 1979 - 81 I entered the AAU Mr NH each summer and got 3rd every year. Not bad consider there would always be over 10 guys in my ht class each yr and I barely knew what a steroid was then , never mind use any.
I was in the 1980 Mr Bay State in Worster Mass, Victor Terra won the short class and future IFBB pro Mike Quinn was a mere 19 and looked massive even at that age. I remember seeing Quinn pumping his arms and delts back stage, man he looked intense as hell. The overall was won by a great New Engalnd physique named Richard Warfield.
Great show and I placed 6th out of 22 guys in the Medium tall class. I wasn't ripped enough , but looked ok and held my own. Len Archinbeaux ( spell?) was the guest poser , had a Zane like physique and looked so damn ripped.
I remember he posed to the theme from Star Wars and the promoter held up a cassete player/recorde to the microphone and he was rhe only on that posed to music.
I chugged a few choc milks right after the show , felt good for a few seconds, then puked in the parking lot hehe.
Those were the days....Howard
