The 50th Mr. Olympia - 50 Things We Learned
The 50th Mr. Olympia
50 Things We Learned
The 50thy staging of Joe Weider’s Mr. Olympia and the adjoining Weekend events was a vast enterprise and a resounding success for a historic occasion. Here’s some things I learned and remember from the hectic musclefest.
1) That Phil Heath even not in his best shape has too much going on – in terms of thickness, detail, muscle roundness, shape and balance – to be beaten by his current rivals.
2) That Phil Heath needs to equal, or surpass, the physique he presented at his first Olympia victory in 2011 to really start to nail down his legacy.
3) That Kai Greene has tried every which way this past three years to beat Heath (he tried streamlined in 2012, big as a house in 2013, and somewhere between the two this year, with a bit of attempted intimidation thrown in) but just couldn’t get it done.
4) That over the past eight years Heath and Greene have now met 13 times, with the score now standing at 10-3 to Phil. In fact the last time The Predator triumphed was at the 2010 Arnold.
5) That at age 39, third placed Shawn Rhoden is still able to make improvements and is still a WIP
6) That in the crucial two-man comparison for third and fourth place between Shawn Rhoden and Dennis Wolf, the latter (IMO) should have won that battle due to all round greater size and thickness from the side.
7) That Dennis Wolf is still dogged by being too depleted at the prejudging (where his torso from the front and biceps seemed to lack their normal size) and then coming in on Saturday as full as Yankee Stadium on Derek Jeter’s last night. If he fixes that delay, then look out!
8) That it would have been cool to have the top four intermingle in two-man comparisons, to give a real mano a mano feel to proceedings. In particular it would have been good to see Wolf next to Heath. He did get to stand next to Heath as a barrier between the champ and Greene when that twosome had their spat but that was with one pose to go.
9) That at the Superstar Seminar held the morning after the contest, Phil Heath did a hysterical posing impersonation of Dexter Jackson, and then Jackson did an equally outrageous impersonation of Heath. They should take this on the road.
10) That while the impersonations ensued all the competitors on the panel turned around to watch the Heath and Jackson antics going on behind them, with the exception of Kai Greene who just ignored it.
11) That one of the hidden treasures of the Olympia Weekend is the morning after Superstar Seminar when all the competitors are happy and fat, full of ice cream and pizza, and let their hair down. Prompted by Bob Cicherillo the repartee is much more entertaining than the press conference.
12) That many were left scratching their head to see William Bonac marooned down in 15th place – I had him just in the top ten.
13) That the Men’s Physique division, which will commence its fourth year in 2015. has now established itself with outstanding competitors and rivalries, as in the likes of champ Jeremy Buendia, Sadik Hadzovic (who would have been my pick), Jason Poston, Matthew Acton and Steve Cooke. Plus we’ll see if 2013 champ Mark Anthony (who finished sixth) can win the title back next year.
14) That the Women’s Physique Division is a raging success and that last year’s champ, Dana Linn Bailey, was graciousness itself in accepting second place. Seldom have we seen a precontest favorite accept a runner-up spot so well. Kudos to Dana.
15) That after last year, Women’s Physique winner Juliana Malacarne went back to the drawing board, streamlined her bodybuilding division physiques and was crowned this year’s champ.
16) That, despite a virulent stomach bug, 212 champ Flex Lewis has a stranglehold on this division --- if he continues as a 212er?
17) That 212 runner-up Eduardo Correa was the most ripped bodybuilder of the weekend. In fact he was beyond ripped, maybe “slashed” is a better term.
18) That the 212 guys continue to outdo the open guys for in-depth down-the-line quality condition.
19) That Branch “I don't give a damn what anybody thinks” Warren proved with his sixth place finish that the view that he is a battle weary warhorse no longer applies.
20) That Roelly Winklaar remains the Yo-Yo man of bodybuilding. Seventh last year (he should have been higher) he slumped to 12th this year, and although he maybe has the best arms around, this time out he had too much around the midsection.
21) Best posing from the men was JoJo Ntiforo (16th) posing to the Conquest of Paradise from the movie, 1492. Every move was synchronized in time with the music and he hit his shots in time to the peaks of the soundtrack. Every transition was classily executed and the whole routine just flowed. Great stuff. This is how all the guys should pose.
22) That speaking of posing, the ladies of the Women’s Physique Division really can teach the men how best to display a muscular body during the posing round.
23) That Jose Raymond’s fan club continues to swell. The Boston Mass imbues hardcore credentials, an image not hurt by the addition of that rugged Hercules like beard – meaning his face was the only place he wasn’t cut.
24) That, judging by her re-invented physique, Figure champ, Nicole Wilkins, took a hard road approach to winning her fourth title.
25) That Bikini champ Ashley Kaltwasser’s repeat victory makes her the first ever two-time winner, and she competed in the biggest field (27) of any of the Olympia divisions. I still don’t know how to judge this class – they all look terrific to me.
26) That the brilliance of Oksana Grishina was finally rewarded by her winning the Fitness Olympia title. The grace, agility, flexibility and choreography of her routines would attract mainstream attention.
27) That is was bitter-sweet to see eight-time Fitness Olympia champ Adele Garcia retire onstage (injury ended her participation this year) at the division’s finals and receive a standing ovation that brought her to tears.
28) That we must recognize 10-time Ms. Olympia champ Iris Kyle as the best competitor in bodybuilding history. Think about it, ten Olympia titles! Iris retired after her latest victory and her record will never be broken by anyone across all Olympia divisions.
29) That condition wise this was the best Steve Kuclo (9th) we have seen.
30) That by the overall look and improvement curve of the Men’s Physique Division, many are tottering on the edge of being bodybuilders.
31) That isn’t it time to do away with those board shorts in the Men’s Physique Division and come out with some other apparel (not bodybuilding posing trunks) that allow thigh development to be shown? A lot of these guys have good quads and hams.
32) That Olympia promoter Robin Chang is an organizational genius. I was involved in the management of the Olympia from 2004 through ‘08 and saw first hand what a mammoth task it was. Now it is so much bigger I'm in awe of how Robin pulls it all together.
33) That at the 50th Olympia, created by Joe Weider, Flex Lewis hit the right note by having the Master Blaster’s voice purring out at the beginning of his routine.
34) That at nearly 45 years of age fifth placed Dexter Jackson continues to defy the aging process. At the Superstar Seminar, when asked about possible retirement, he almost screeched, “Retirement? I’m still top five in the world -- why would I retire?” He then said, “Put it this way I train one hour a day and then spend the rest of my day driving around and playing X-box. You get me another job that pays as well with that schedule and I may consider it.”
35) That the onstage face off between Kai Greene and Phil Heath was the most dramatic confrontation in Olympia history, eclipsing the Arnold/Mentzer brouhaha of 1980, in which they never really got close to each other and occurred out of public view in the locker room.
36) That the bad feeling between the duo was real. The issue exploded at the press conference when, while Phil was saying he would dedicate his hopefully upcoming victory to his late father, Kai interrupted and shouted, “You should have dedicated it to him these last three years.” As I posted elsewhere, I spoke to Phil, Kai, George Farah, Hany, Bob Chick and I can assure everyone the altercations (verbal at the press conference and physical at the prejudging) were spontaneous and unscripted. Prior to the press conference Bob reminded all the athletes that NBC were filming so try to be lively and entertaining, that's all. As far as it being pre-arranged can you imagine Phil saying, "Yeah, great idea Kai, I'll start talking about dedicating this win to my late father and you interrupt and disrespect his memory -- that'll be real cool.”
37) That despite the handshake and hug Heath and Greene at the conclusion of the contest these two are not yet ready to run off the Hamptons to open a quaint tea shop just yet. At the next day’s Superstar Seminar when questioned about Greene, Heath said, “Kai gave me my hardest fight, he is a legend. Cheering for Kai is cheering for bodybuilding.” When Kai was asked for his assessment of Phil and furthermore what he had said to the champ in that face-off moment. He replied, “Nice posing suit Phil.” He then began an entertaining monologue that had nothing to do with Phil. Hmmm.
38) That is was great to see the Dominican Republic clan, Victor Martinez (8th), Juan Morel 10th) and Jon DeLaRosa all showing up in shape and having fun hanging out together. Really stand-up guys.
39) That if 16th placed Ibrahim Fahim adds some leg mass, he will move up the ranks swiftly.
40) That Big Ramy in seventh continues to be an enigma. Having hit the scene with the force of a hurricane in 2013 the wind has been taken out of his sails a bit this past year. A chest infection didn’t allow him to peak for May’s New York Pro (although he won it) and a torn hamstring derailed a 100% effort at this Olympia. Will he fulfill what his 2013 potential seemed to be? Watch this space – in Ramy’s case a whopping 285 pound space.
41) That Women’s Physique competitor Jilly Reville is one helluva fighter. Shortly after last year’s Olympia she suffered mini-stroke and it was found it was caused by a congenital heart defect (hole in the heart), which necessitated open-heart surgery. They were dark days for Jilly and her family but a year after that trauma she’s eighth in het Olympia division. The lady is an inspiration.
42) That at age 43 Johnnie Jackson(11th) took part in his 11th Olympia and he remains one of the friendliest pros around. We drove together to the Convention Center Saturday morning and he spoke of his family and his service during Desert Storm. One story was particularly funny and I’ll relate it at a later date.
43) That Fred Smalls hit the target big time with a breathtaking posing display that brought the house down. Another great guy.
44) For old codgers like me it was heartwarming to see all the former stars, Arnold, Franco, Samir, Lee Haney, Ronnie, Jay Cutler, Shawn Ray, Berry DeMey, Lee Labrada, Mike Christian and Dennis James, and also seeing Jim Manion being presented with the Joe Weider Icon award. But the best part was what happened and what was said among the group backstage – I’ll tell the story in due course.
45) That watching the great one Ronnie Coleman hobble onstage on crutches, the result of both hips being replaced a few weeks ago, I couldn’t resist connecting his surgery to the fact that he recently celebrated his ninth child.
46) That Arnold still calls the tune. He, Franco and Betty Weider arrived just as David Pecker had finished his opening speech at Saturday’s finals and the open guys were about to come on for their individual posing. Arnold & Co were scripted to go on 90 minutes into the show but he insisted he wanted to go on immediately –he had another Vegas appointment. And so they went on.
47) That it has to be recognized that emcee Bob Cicherillo did a fabulous job all weekend. He had to be particularly quick on his feet and tongue to handle the repercussions of the previous Arnold episode. Can you imagine standing in front of a 10,000 crowd, being watched by a worldwide web audience, with NBC taping for delayed broadcast and being told the schedule had been thrown out the window and you had to “wing it.” Jeez I couldn’t do it, certainly not without wearing my brown pants. Great job, Bob.
48) That Betty Weider is still poise and elegance personified, and her onstage speech warmed the heart. My wife, Anne, and I ( particularly Anne) have come to know her well. We love the woman.
49) That Kai Greene and Rich Gaspari have a lot in common. Say what? Both finished Olympia runner-up three consecutive times to the reigning champ. Richie did it from 1986 to 1988 behind Lee Haney. Of course Jay Cutler holds the second place finish record, being runner-up a total of six times, to three different champs: Ronnie Coleman, Dexter Jackson and Phil Heath.
50) One of the delights of this Olympia was seeing Mike Christian (best Olympia placing, third in 1986) again. Hadn't seen him for about 15 years. He just disappeared from LA, and given his turbulent past I feared that he was in a bad state. Well I found out the state he was in was Texas and he looked great. As soon as he saw he me he came across with that big smile and just about lifted me off my feet. He's the same old Mike -- the Clown Prince of bodybuilding.
51) That having seen every Olympia since 1982 (apart from 1989 and 2013) the 50th rendition was all round the most interesting and dramatic of them all. And the scale of all the activities onstage and at the Expo is off the charts. It was a great Olympia weekend.
52) That Team MD killed it at the Olympia. Great working with (in no particular order) Steve Blechman, Adina Zanolli, Shawn Ray, David Baye, Dan Ray, Darrell Loveless, Nick Del Toro, Jordan Blechman, Chris Hobrecker, Nate Childers and Louis Uridel. If I’ve forgotten anybody I apologize. Time to hit the sack.
Well, that more than 50, but my math never was that good. I’ll probably follow up with some more highlights this old brain has forgotten. Meanwhile feel free to give us your outstanding or not outstanding moments from the 2014 Olympia Weekend.