Post by cavemuscle on Aug 27, 2006 16:17:16 GMT -5
OK this was my first time attending a "big" show so bear with me.
Everyone seems to have covered and commented on the Pro's. Bodybuilding.com webcast it so, enuf said there.
Really realy good: Just getting to be there with a friend who has doen enough and been a judge in enough of them to fil me in on what the judges liked and disliked. Moreover, he kept working on building me up, making me feel like I was a part of what was going on instead of my old mindset of being the outsider. Ben went so far as to demand I wear my UnderArmor tee, size a very tight medium and to stand up straight and be proud that I look better than ninty percent of the 51 year olds on the planet. That gave me the courage to introduce myself to various vendors and tell them how much I liked and used their particular product and hoped to continue to do so as I entered the competitive arena (politics, politics). In return I got a lot of positive, "keep us informed of your progress" and a ton of swag (2 bags full).
The show itself:
Best moments : The Branchster skipping like a kid down the rows to catch up with Steve Blechman of MD, then Branch being mobbed and pinned agains the lobby wall by twenty or so demanding fans while his wife looked on, bored.
Figure fans who have NEVER walked in heels before that night (clunk, clunk, clink, oops)
Kendra Elias winning overall womens bodybuilder, while her husband Mike pridefully looks on.
Mike Ergas. Cooolness personified. working his booth and having fun. Ditto for Jorge Bettancourt
Matt Duvall in the audience. Literally as big as the houses he builds.
Dave Fisher, Kicking ass and taking names on the comeback trail.
Angry Bob Chic handing King Kamali his most popular check. Friends helping friends.
The gal in fitness with no arms and still came in second, dedicating her win to her mother who is recovering from a stroke.
Scary moment on stage. Ed and Betty Paraiso lip syching a duet. Betty is a head taller and has almost as deep a voice as her husband.
Problems: everything was in one big VERY LOUD ROOM. Show, vendors, jeep pull, arm wrestling, pro style wrestling, powerlifting, rock climbing all competed with each other. Some pros were said to have complained about the carnival atmosphere . That evening it was worse with the cash bar open. Drunk teens heckling the contestants and stealing reserved seats, then making homophobic comments at other attendees. Moreover, with the pro show visible to the rest of the room, why bother selling reserved seats? Ed and Betty Promised a new venue next year to resolve the issues
No program available to the tickets sales people. We assumed like most contests, Pros would be last. WRONG. they were first so the webcast could get maximum ratings. Lost of folks missed all or part of the Pro show.
Real letdown. Lance placing second in Masters. Something was really wrong, in his poses he shook like a leaf. Ben presumed it might be sodium depletion. I was literally the only one cheering him.
Ben's words of advice to me. People are looking at you. Drop some of that reserve and self consciousness and let them DO NICE THINGS FOR YOU. Look at yourself and realize that unlike so many who secretly desire and worship, you decided to make yourself into that thing you want to be. Let others have a real part in that. If you do, great things can happen.
An awesome, magical weekend, preceeded by the second worse drive to Dallas in my life. I left at 3 pm, did not get to the hotel until after 8. Everydamn road was backed up due to wrecks or Texas Rangers baseball traffic.
More later after some sleep (too many power drinks from the EAS booth)
Brock
Everyone seems to have covered and commented on the Pro's. Bodybuilding.com webcast it so, enuf said there.
Really realy good: Just getting to be there with a friend who has doen enough and been a judge in enough of them to fil me in on what the judges liked and disliked. Moreover, he kept working on building me up, making me feel like I was a part of what was going on instead of my old mindset of being the outsider. Ben went so far as to demand I wear my UnderArmor tee, size a very tight medium and to stand up straight and be proud that I look better than ninty percent of the 51 year olds on the planet. That gave me the courage to introduce myself to various vendors and tell them how much I liked and used their particular product and hoped to continue to do so as I entered the competitive arena (politics, politics). In return I got a lot of positive, "keep us informed of your progress" and a ton of swag (2 bags full).
The show itself:
Best moments : The Branchster skipping like a kid down the rows to catch up with Steve Blechman of MD, then Branch being mobbed and pinned agains the lobby wall by twenty or so demanding fans while his wife looked on, bored.
Figure fans who have NEVER walked in heels before that night (clunk, clunk, clink, oops)
Kendra Elias winning overall womens bodybuilder, while her husband Mike pridefully looks on.
Mike Ergas. Cooolness personified. working his booth and having fun. Ditto for Jorge Bettancourt
Matt Duvall in the audience. Literally as big as the houses he builds.
Dave Fisher, Kicking ass and taking names on the comeback trail.
Angry Bob Chic handing King Kamali his most popular check. Friends helping friends.
The gal in fitness with no arms and still came in second, dedicating her win to her mother who is recovering from a stroke.
Scary moment on stage. Ed and Betty Paraiso lip syching a duet. Betty is a head taller and has almost as deep a voice as her husband.
Problems: everything was in one big VERY LOUD ROOM. Show, vendors, jeep pull, arm wrestling, pro style wrestling, powerlifting, rock climbing all competed with each other. Some pros were said to have complained about the carnival atmosphere . That evening it was worse with the cash bar open. Drunk teens heckling the contestants and stealing reserved seats, then making homophobic comments at other attendees. Moreover, with the pro show visible to the rest of the room, why bother selling reserved seats? Ed and Betty Promised a new venue next year to resolve the issues
No program available to the tickets sales people. We assumed like most contests, Pros would be last. WRONG. they were first so the webcast could get maximum ratings. Lost of folks missed all or part of the Pro show.
Real letdown. Lance placing second in Masters. Something was really wrong, in his poses he shook like a leaf. Ben presumed it might be sodium depletion. I was literally the only one cheering him.
Ben's words of advice to me. People are looking at you. Drop some of that reserve and self consciousness and let them DO NICE THINGS FOR YOU. Look at yourself and realize that unlike so many who secretly desire and worship, you decided to make yourself into that thing you want to be. Let others have a real part in that. If you do, great things can happen.
An awesome, magical weekend, preceeded by the second worse drive to Dallas in my life. I left at 3 pm, did not get to the hotel until after 8. Everydamn road was backed up due to wrecks or Texas Rangers baseball traffic.
More later after some sleep (too many power drinks from the EAS booth)
Brock
