OLD DAY vs NEW DAY BB CONTESTS

[stuntmovie]

INTRODUCTION:

This may be a very short topic but it could be of general interest to a handful of current-day GetBiggers.

And some of the older-farts on this Board may be interested enough to contribute to it and keep it alive for a couple of weeks at least.

Old farts meaning WES, and Mr. MB (is he still alive on this Board?) and possibly even HOwARD and other elder gents whom I am unaware of whose view may be somewhat different than my own.

SO with that said .....

ONCE UPON A TIME ....BB contests and the events surrounding BB contests were immensely different but .... somethings never change as evidenced on this GetBig Board.

HATRED has managed to remain in vogue!

And HATRED is the one thing that has not changed ... nor will it ever!

But it's "wierd" (thank you JNN) that HATRED added to it's popularity over the years.

SO let's go back in time and see how it all started ....

[Royalty]

Hatred on message boards? Or hatred at the contests?


If your are referring to contests:

Yates & Wheeler hated Shawn Ray at different points
Mentzer hated Arnold
Titus & Kamali hated each other
Mike Quinn hated Strydom
I heard that Phil Hill punched Ron Love at a show
Lots of guys hated George Farah

[stuntmovie]

ROYALTY .... You're getting way ahead in time.All of whom you mentioned come into the story many years later.

I will say generally disliked (more accurate term than' hated') all around, but never at a contest simply because the only 'fans' at that contest were fellow gym members and contestant family members. And needless to say ... You could not be disliked on message boards because there was such thing back then.

BACK TO THE STORY ....

For me it all started when I met STEVE REEVES. I might have been five years old or possibly even six. I was sitting at the water's edge of Lake Tamescal (I think it was Tanescal ... that lake in the Oakland Hills across from the city of San Francisco).

Steve and my dad had known each other earlier and Steve tapped me on my head and said, "Get big, kid!".

So my idea of getting big was to climb every tree I came in contact with.
And Golden Gate Park was just a few blocks away.

So I climbed trees until I as old enough to join the neighborhood gym owned by Bill Stathis at that time.

My goal was to be the strongest kid in school (achieved that) and do stuff that required a lot of strength and stamina without getting "muscle-bound" because too much muscle would hinder your athletic ability ... a belief that was held in high esteem by anyone who never stepped inside a gym nor lifted anything heavy.

BTW... gyms were very unpopular and almost non-existent compared to today and if you wanted to join one you'd have to join the YMCA.

But that eventually changed.

So now we jump forward a few years or so ....

[funk51]

ROYALTY .... You're getting way ahead in time.All of whom you mentioned come into the story many years later.

I will say generally disliked (more accurate term than' hated') all around, but never at a contest simply because the only 'fans' at that contest were fellow gym members and contestant family members. And needless to say ... You could not be disliked on message boards because there was such thing back then.

BACK TO THE STORY ....

For me it all started when I met STEVE REEVES. I might have been five years old or possibly even six. I was sitting at the water's edge of Lake Tamescal (I think it was Tanescal ... that lake in the Oakland Hills across from the city of San Francisco).

Steve and my dad had known each other earlier and Steve tapped me on my head and said, "Get big, kid!".

So my idea of getting big was to climb every tree I came in contact with.
And Golden Gate Park was just a few blocks away.

So I climbed trees until I as old enough to join the neighborhood gym owned by Bill Stathis at that time.

My goal was to be the strongest kid in school (achieved that) and do stuff that required a lot of strength and stamina without getting "muscle-bound" because too much muscle would hinder your athletic ability ... a belief that was held in high esteem by anyone who never stepped inside a gym nor lifted anything heavy.

BTW... gyms were very unpopular and almost non-existent compared to today and if you wanted to join one you'd have to join the YMCA.

But that eventually changed.

So now we jump forward a few years or so ....

so steve reeves prophet-sized a getbig website in the late 40's already... little did he know what he started.

[Nether Animal]

Hatred on message boards? Or hatred at the contests?


If your are referring to contests:

Yates & Wheeler hated Shawn Ray at different points
Mentzer hated Arnold
Titus & Kamali hated each other
Mike Quinn hated Strydom
I heard that Phil Hill punched Ron Love at a show
Lots of guys hated George Farah

This happened. He blindsided Love though, and it was quickly broken up. Ron was a Detroit cop and probably would have held his own.

[stuntmovie]

Mr MB's version of this story wold be vastly different simply because he saw it all from the south end of California .... and my story occurs more in the middle of the state or more accurately Northern California and various islands within the mid-Pacific.

So here is where the long term difference lies ....

In the days of yore .... a bodybuilding contest would be held in a YMCA on a basketball court with a lightbulb hung from the net.

The contest would last for roughly 20 minutes because there were only 4 to 6 contenders.

Someone would collect $3 (max) at the door unless someone wanted to play basketball on the other end of the court. He was allowed to enter for free.

Contestants were not allowed to use any oil to 'enhance' their physique, but the wisest of the wise had the 'secret of enhancement' .... and they aways seemed take home the first place $3 trophy.

The 'enhancement secret' was to apply a thick mixture of baby oil and iodine prior to taking a hot shower and then patting dry. This would allow the mixture to soak into the skin and stay there incognito until the 'enhanced contender' started sweating while posing undernearth the 'heat' of that 100 watt light bulb a couple of feet above his head.

Four years of such events and the list of contenders either remained the same of increased by 2 - 3.

Oh yea! ... There was no entry fee but each contender had to possess a valid AAU card ... the price of which I have completely forgotten.

Once the awards were 'awarded' someone in the room wold ask everyone to fold up their chair and place it in its proper place against the wall.

And then the basketball players took over the whole damn court once again.

Next up .... How the contest itself was conducted and what the hell was happening in Southern California.

[wes]

My first powerlifting contest was in 1974 in the Boston YMCA`s basketball gym.

We waited until after midnight to see the bodybuilding contest...........I saw Lenny Archambault and a young but huge Manuel Perry.


Conterst had one bulb suspended on the basketball hoop.........created great shadowy effects and made even bad guys lok fairly decent.


It was also the first time I got my name in Muscular Development magazine in the contest results section.

I got 3rd. but had the highest bench press in my class.


Today bodybuilding and certain powerlifting orgs suck ass.  

[wes]

We used to take Niacin and mix baby oil with iodine.

Been using baby oil for a different reason these days!!  LOL 

[wes]

I`ve got tons of stories that I will add to this thread even though I type with one finger.........and to think I went to a business orientated high school..........damn that reefer!!   

[stuntmovie]

WOW, WES! Thanks for pitch'en in. I sorta-kinda know ya would.

ANd yea! ... I  did forget to mention Niacin.

It appears that you discovered our secrets many years later.

Is Mr MB still alive and punp'en iron?

[wes]

Some of the guys that made it in the sport that I saw at Mt. Park amusement Park in Holyoke Mass..........the birthplace of Volleyball.   '

Pete Caputo
Joe Ugolik
Ray and Mike Mentzer
Dave Mastorakis ( close personal friend of mine with more to come on him later)
Mike Katz
Ed Jubinville
Charlie Thomas
Stanley Blinder (Tied him in a deadlift for reps contest whicjh made me feel cool because he had opplaced in the mR. Universe)

Guys that I trained with at times:
Jeff King
MattDufresne
Pat Hayes
Artie Prince
Richard Roy
Moe Roy
Jim Jarvis
Joe Gomes
Chris Gordon of PI fame
Chris Aceto
Larry Tyler
Ray Wilson
Rick Samson


Lots more too........look these guys up on musclememory.com........ .....no slouches

[wes]

WOW, WES! Thanks for pitch'en in. I sorta-kinda know ya would.

ANd yea! ... I  did forget to mention Niacin.

It appears that you discovered our secrets many years later.

Is Mr MB still alive and punp'en iron?

I love these kinds of threads stunt.........MrB....no clue.

We should Coach (Joe Marino) in here he trained with some true legends of the game.


Here`s hoping him and tommywishbone will contribute.

[DroppingPlates]

Back then you had no internet/'social' media, which has made a huge impact on how certain individuals present themselves. No wonder why someone like Phil is the most hated 'O winner so far...

[wes]

Back then you had no internet/'social' media, which has made a huge impact on how certain individuals present themselves. No wonder why someone like Phil is the most hated 'O winner so far...

Very good point my brother.

[stuntmovie]

OK, here is how the contest was conducted.

Someone had to find a lightbulb and  the long extension cord and then go searching for a ladder. Simpeenough but usually never thought about until 20 minutes before the contest.

ANd then someone had to display the trophies (usually just medals to be worn aroung the neck) and make sure that someone was stationed at the door to collect the $3 admission fee which meant we would end up with a $60 profit if someone donated the trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place plus best arms, best chest and most muscular.

The contestants had threewoundsto contend with.

First waste RELAXED ROUND which no longer exists today. Front, side, back, and side.

Second round was individual posing. with music if someone brought a tape machine.

This round was kiid of like today's pose down event.

AN then the judges would gather together and make the decision which usually took no longer than five minutes.

And the awards were made within a minute or two.

Arrive by 7 and you were out by 8.

But down south ... things were different .....

[wes]

OK, here is how the contest was conducted.

Someone had to find a lightbulb and  the long extension cord and then go searching for a ladder. Simpeenough but usually never thought about until 20 minutes before the contest.

ANd then someone had to display the trophies (usually just medals to be worn aroung the neck) and make sure that someone was stationed at the door to collect the $3 admission fee which meant we would end up with a $60 profit if someone donated the trophies for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place plus best arms, best chest and most muscular.

The contestants had threewoundsto contend with.

First waste RELAXED ROUND which no longer exists today. Front, side, back, and side.

Second round was individual posing. with music if someone brought a tape machine.

This round was kiid of like today's pose down event.

AN then the judges would gather together and make the decision which usually took no longer than five minutes.

And the awards were made within a minute or two.

Arrive by 7 and you were out by 8.

But down south ... things were different .....

Sounds chintzy but wasn`t it so much better then Bill?

[residue]

Back then you had no internet/'social' media, which has made a huge impact on how certain individuals present themselves. No wonder why someone like Phil is the most hated 'O winner so far...

back then if you wanted to criticize someone you did it to their face, and risked getting punched in yours.

[stuntmovie]

WES said, "Sounds chintzy but wasn`t it so much better then Bill?"

And I say, fook yea!"

But so was just about everything else!

[wes]

WES said, "Sounds chintzy but wasn`t it so much better then Bill?"

And I say, fook yea!"

But so was just about everything else!

Very true my friend.............sad but trrue alsoi. 

[DroppingPlates]

back then if you wanted to criticize someone you did it to their face, and risked getting punched in yours.

These days they start randing in long winded youtube videos and block each other on 'social' media

[TheShape.]

That's incredibly cool you got to meet Steve Reeves "Stunt", as a young man myself I still aspire to his build.

[wes]

That's incredibly cool you got to meet Steve Reeves "Stunt", as a young man myself I still aspire to his build.

I make Steve look ugly!  LOL 

[stuntmovie]

The Los Angeles area was always way ahead of the game with it came to all things bodybuilding or fitness wise.......

Even way back in the late 1800's that part of early California was considered to be the region in which to recover from numerous illnesses and that alone started a major migration westward ... only to be enhanced by the discovery of gold up north a bit later.

Much later the warm weather that the LA region offered became a major factor.

And add MuscleBeach to that mixture and LA was the place to be for all lifters of heavy things.

So all forms of bodybuilding contests occurred in the LA basin. ON the beach or in such places as the Embassy Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles.

That's where bodybuilding history as most GetBiggers should know it .... was made.

Instead of the 4 to 6 bodybuilding contenders that entered the shows up north, you could always count on 10 to 12  contenders striving for a plastic trophy down south.

And in most of those events ... the same ten to 12 contenders stood on that posing platform.

The lighting was always better and the fans were always larger and  the contests were always longer and there was a decent bar across the street  that offered generous sized cocktails for 60 cents each.

So everyone was pretty damn happy except for rare occurence of getting pulled off the stage with a 'backstage hook' or getting hit by a rotten tomato if one did not meet the contest standards.

And everyone seemed content when some Hollywood starlet wannabe would enter with her arm wrapped Gene Mozee who was heading to the MC stand to conduct the evening performance.

Or to see and possibly talk with Mac Bachelor and PAT Casey and Don Howorth who had massive debts which looked like they would rip through his light blue cashmere sweater (very popular back then).

ANd Bill Peanuts West and George Frenn and Bill Pearl and Reeves and Eifferman and so damn many others who were or would be famous within the world of lifting heavy things way before the likes of Arnold and Franco and many others whom most Getbiggers are only familiar with.

This is where it all started. And it started small. And the vast majority of most everyone on this planet had no idea what it was all about except for family members, gym members, and those who lifted heavy thnigs ... or those who wanted to.

And a lot of those who knew nothing .... disliked it very much!

And that seems to be contagious.

But it did manage to add to the popularity of the game.

[wes]

^Some legendary names of the "Iron Game" right there ^

[stuntmovie]

WES,  regarding Legendary names!

I've had the opportunity to meet and greet and train and work with the vast majority of of these so called Legendary individuals as well as those behind the scenes who were actually more legendary than those of legendary renown today.

All in all.... it's been an enjoyable experience,,,,, the good experiences as well as  the bad .