Ken Sprague, owner of GOLDS gym in Pumping Iron

[HowieW]

I am sure many of you here will know of the original Venice GOLDS where most of the training scenes of Arnold and the gang were filmed in Pumping Iron. The guy that owned the gym at that time and former contest promoter is Ken Sprague. I teach in the chemistry /physics in the room next his at my school.
He is a colorful guy, now in his 60's and respected math teacher.
Ken has a boatload of great tales about Arnold and the old GOLDS gang.
He is NOT involved in bodybuilding any longer, he feels it has "gone off the cliff". 
Anyhoooooo, it is pretty cool to see his original posters from meets with Arnold as guest poser and related stuff.
Howard

[xpac2]

I am sure many of you here will know of the original Venice GOLDS where most of the training scenes of Arnold and the gang were filmed in Pumping Iron. The guy that owned the gym at that time and former contest promoter is Ken Sprague. I teach in the chemistry /physics in the room next his at my school.
He is a colorful guy, now in his 60's and respected math teacher.
Ken has a boatload of great tales about Arnold and the old GOLDS gang.
He is NOT involved in bodybuilding any longer, he feels it has "gone off the cliff". 
Anyhoooooo, it is pretty cool to see his original posters from meets with Arnold as guest poser and related stuff.
Howard

Have him join here and post some stories

[HowieW]

Have him join here and post some stories

I don't know if he wants to post here but I can tell you some funny tales he has told me.

He told me last year about how Ken Waller and a couple other guys actually pantzed ARNOLD as he was crossing the street in front of GOLDS . Right in the middle of traffic.

For a lot of somewhat serious reasons, I would not want to post some of the more risque or negative stuff he has told me , I prefer to stay positive these days.  Besdides I have learned a wealth of really great , funny cool stuff and tales about the GOLDS bunch, that many young guys would get a kick out of.

[Sir William Idol]

what the hell is up with your school?  is it some sort of haven for ex-bodybuilders-turned-teachers?    all the teachers at my high school looked like if they touched a weight they might break out in hives.  monster allergy to exercise.

[HowieW]

what the hell is up with your school?  is it some sort of haven for ex-bodybuilders-turned-teachers?    all the teachers at my high school looked like if they touched a weight they might break out in hives.  monster allergy to exercise.

LOL, I know , I know, and most teachers here fall into that mode. I think it has a more to do with the fact that the Atlanta suburbs are pretty big and folks come from all places. Our head football coach actually got drafted in the 7th round and played for the NY jets back in the 70's.

[The Master]

LOL, I know , I know, and most teachers here fall into that mode. I think it has a more to do with the fact that the Atlanta suburbs are pretty big and folks come from all places. Our head football coach actually got drafted in the 7th round and played for the NY jets back in the 70's.

So Howard, can you give us some stories?

And what is this dude's opinion of Arnold and his gang? Does he know what kind of cycles they took?

[Sir William Idol]

LOL, I know , I know, and most teachers here fall into that mode. I think it has a more to do with the fact that the Atlanta suburbs are pretty big and folks come from all places. Our head football coach actually got drafted in the 7th round and played for the NY jets back in the 70's.

hahah, whats the over/under on how many times that guy mentions his football career in a given day?

[knny187]

Howie is a DS

[Spike]

does Ken still have all the rights to Golds merchandise??

[HowieW]

So Howard, can you give us some stories?

And what is this dude's opinion of Arnold and his gang? Does he know what kind of cycles they took?

I will happy to  post some of the funny, neat, cool tales he has told me in the 4 years I have known him.
As for drugs it was just decca, test, d-ball , not much else as far as he knows or has said.
I really don't ask him too much about that. Ok, to quote him about his time back then at GOLDS;
" It really was some of the most fun I ever had in my life . But overall it was a lot of wacky stuff and some really intense, serious training in the gym. It was all of us being a bunch of carefree, juvenille muscleheads in overgrown bodies."

As for our former jet /head coach, is it were not for his plaque and retired HS jersey on the school wall near the wt room, you might never know he was a great player. He is a really humble , decent guy, that cares about his players first and formost.

[Bob Bonham]

ask ken how he screwed manion and sold golds to pete grimkowski and crew instead after jimmy and family left his job and moved to cal.

[The True Adonis]

ask ken how he screwed manion and sold golds to pete grimkowski and crew instead after jimmy and family left his job and moved to cal.

M E L T D O W N !!!

[youandme]

M E L T D O W N !!!

I concur

[jwb]

ask ken how he screwed manion and sold golds to pete grimkowski and crew instead after jimmy and family left his job and moved to cal.

This guy screwed over Jim Manion?

Give him a fucking medal!!!

[Tre]

I will happy to  post some of the funny, neat, cool tales he has told me in the 4 years I have known him.

Screw that.  Just post some more great pics of your wife for us.   

[davidpaul]

Howie is a DS

what is a DS?

[HowieW]

ask ken how he screwed manion and sold golds to pete grimkowski and crew instead after jimmy and family left his job and moved to cal.

I have no idea about how Manion was involved but I can tell you this. he told the reason why he sold the gym to Pete G. was that he felt he really needed it at the time. Ken claims part of the reason he sold out to Grymkoski was as a personal favor to Pete who was going thru a bad patch at the time. He also felt Pete would keep the GOLDS as a bodybuilder friendly place , etc.
I know Ken made a few business enemies , but I uess that goes with the territory.
As for Jim Manion, , it looks like he ended up making some good moves and decsions in his bodybuilding involvements, regardless of any gym business deals . Oh, , He did tell me that Grymkoski would get all jacked up out partying and had a key to the original GOLDS Ken gave him. Before shows he would come in all wired and hyped and literally train the same body part on endless sets all night.


Ok Tre here is a face shot of wifey
I am headed out for a movie with wifey. I will try and post some fun, intersting stuff this weekend.
Later, Howard

[FREAKgeek]

For a lot of somewhat serious reasons, I would not want to post some of the more risque or negative stuff he has told me , I prefer to stay positive these days. 

come on,

do it.

[thisiskeith12]

LOL, I know , I know, and most teachers here fall into that mode. I think it has a more to do with the fact that the Atlanta suburbs are pretty big and folks come from all places. Our head football coach actually got drafted in the 7th round and played for the NY jets back in the 70's.

Yeah my 9th grade high school football coach played for the Jets in the early 90's for almost a full year then he was cut. The 2 assistants he hired that year  and after both left one played fullback for the Minnesota Vikings and the other played Tight End for the New England Patriots. Keith Miller, or Coach Miller, as we called him, went to Colorado and was on the sidelines during Kordell Stewart's famous hail mary pass if you remember in 1995.

[thisiskeith12]

Coach Miller also was a big fan of classical music, we ridiculed him about it a lot but he said it relaxed him before games. Here's 2 articles about him...

http://enews.coloradomtn.edu/index.cfm?method=c.artDetail&artID=1603

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/DallaCosta/2006/04/07/1524558-sun.html

Here's one on Coach Young being signed with the Chargers..

http://www.chargers.com/news/headlines/news-100572480017849.htm