THE ORIGINAL 212 CHAMP

 Shawn Ray: In The Valley of the Giants

The introduction of a lighter bodyweight class for pro bodybuilders in 2008 (originally for bodybuilders under 202 pounds, the limit was raised to 212 pounds in 2012) really injected fresh life into the bodybuilding scene. The new division has allowed lighter guys to flourish and not get lost in the size shuffle that can happen in the open class. And it is true that in these past few years the 210/212 Olympia Showdown guys have in depth outshone condition-wise their heavier Mr. Olympia compatriots. But turning the clock back to the ‘90s one sub 212-pound guy who never got lost in the size shuffle was MD’s own Shawn Ray.

SHAWN’S DIRTY DOZEN

Apart from his Olympia debut of 1988 (when he finished 13^th out of 20 entrants) in 12 successive Olympia spanning 1990 through 2001 he was never out of the top five: an unprecedented record. A resume all the more remarkable when considering that the winner of the 1987 NPC Nationals Light Heavyweight and overall titles was born into an era which saw Lee Haney’s 245 pound Olympia reign coming to an end and Dorian Yates’ 260 pound Olympia domination taking hold. During those years the Californian’s bodyweight high was 218 pounds in taking fifth at the 1998 Olympia, with his low being 202 pounds at his 1988 debut.

During that run he beat mass monsters like Mike Christian, Achim Albrecht, Kevin Levrone, Paul Dillett, Nasser El Sonbaty, Mike Francois, Ronnie Coleman, Jean Pierre-Fux, Markus Ruhl and Gunter Schlierkamp. In fact in his 14 season pro career the only guys Ray never finished ahead of were Lee Haney, Lee Labrada and Dorian Yates. In addition the only man lighter than himself to ever finish ahead of him (putting aside his 1988 Olympia “debacle”) was Labrada.

So what did the loquacious one bring to the stage to see off the growing band of mass monsters and still be competitive with those that beat him, Haney and Yates? Well, at 5’7” he had full muscle bellies from head-to-toe, distributed proportionately throughout his frame, set off by razor sharp condition and just about perfect skin tone. When he stood next to 270-pound hulks like El Sonbaty of Dillett it was impossible to take in that he was some 60 pounds lighter. Shaw Ray proves that bodybuilding is in many aspects an illusion and that full blown separated muscularity can make sheer size unimportant and level the playing field.

SHAWN HITS THE FRONT

I first met Shawn in 1988 when he was undergoing a tour of the Britain and I was launching the premier issue of MuscleMag UK. We hooked up for a photo shoot and before you could say, “Is Shawn Ray photogenic?” he was gracing the cover of aforesaid debut issue. During that initial meeting I discovered he could do a mean impersonation of Michael Jackson and that he could talk …. Boy could he talk.

When I moved to the Weider offices in LA in 1992 one of the earliest visitors was Shawn. He arrived to discuss a new contract with Joe Weider and brought with him a tall good-looking dude who obviously worked out somewhat. It was Dennis Newman who two years later won the overall at the USAs and was talked about as a future Mr. Olympia, before almost immediately being stricken with leukemia. Anyway when Shawn came out of his contract talks I asked him. “What did Joe say?” He replied, “I don’t know – he just squeaked.” Joe was good at squeaking when he needed to.

On another occasion, in 1996, Shawn came into the office showing off his newly shaved head look (Shawn was shorn). We went into the art room and a few minutes later Joe walked in and the duo began to converse, the Master Blaster asking Shawn when his next contest was and anther myriad of questions. Shawn duly left and Joe turned to me and said, “Who the hell is that guy?” He didn’t recognize our subject with his new gleaming dome.

Shawn called it a flexing day after the 2001 Olympia and today is a mainstay of MDs online and print operation. So ask him whether he would have competed in the 202/212 class if it existed in his day and you’ll get the following answer. “I wouldn’t have competed in the separate lighter weight division due to the fact that in 13 years on the Olympia stage I had already proved I was the best bodybuilder under 220 pounds “Plus, pro bodybuilding is a business in which the dollars determine your strategy. While I always competed to be number one in the Mr. Olympia, the fifth place prize money [$30,000 in 2001, $40,000 today] was always more than what first-place prize money is today in the 212 pound division!’

Which is the cue for a debate on why the 212 guys deserve more. Ya can always count on Shawn to stir the discussion.