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- Joined
- May 18, 2003
- Messages
- 374
Hey all
I am back from Russia. It was a great trip and the best amateur show I have participated in. The standard was extremely high for all catagories. I think there were 65 countries competing and most catagories had about 40 or more competitors. The hotel and venue for both the prelims and finals was awesome. The hotel had gym, sauna,steam, massage and solarium free for all competitors plus it had services such as money exchange, transport, 6 restaurants, shops etc...all under one roof. They even had a guy playing piano in the lobby and during the dinner times and a huge sculpture (about 2 stories tall) of a body builder doing a classic greek god type pose in the lobby of the hotel.
At the prelims, which was in the same building, they had wide flat panel screens in the pump room so we can watch the action onstage while warming up. The pump room was huge and had many mirrors, weights, water etc... for the final there was a laser show, russian dance/ballet routine, actors doing some kind of greek god performance and huge screens on each side of the stage so you could see if you were in the back of the ultra modern high tech theatre. The theatre was glass and beech wood inside and had a huge new pipe organ that they used during the performances...The contest flowed smoothly and was very well organised. The Russians did it very well. The food, tours and entertainment was also very good. For the finals the buses were police escorted to the theatre to make a big deal out of it all and the media were there. I saw Ronnie C. and Tommie Thorvildson on a Russian game show later in the evening while doing cardio of course LOL. All amateurs got to see the Russian Pro Grand Prix free of charge. I am sooooo tired now.
The post contest banquet was ON:
Tables decorated with lots of flowers and crystal, wide screen monitors around the stage so you can see the performances from all over the banquet hall.
Food:
beef, glazed pork, chicken, smoked ham
smoked salmon & tuna
caviar
stuffed grape leaves
stuffed olives & egg plant
russian foods (cheeses, soups and potato)
several types of pasta salads with seafood
Russian desserts
homemade breads
fruit platters
cheeses
two types of Vodka
red and white wines
beers
Several bands the first one was big band jazz from Cab Callaway to Gershwin the band was a 16 piece orchestra...next was the rock/pop band and then when everyone was buzzed from Vodka out came the the Russian Folk band dancers and singers which was AWESOME. They did the Russian dances with the kicks and had on the traditional clothing of Russian men and women farmers and workers...thats when the party started going OFF. People were droppin down to the damn floor and kicking their legs up...women were spinnin in circles yelling. The place went into a frenzy......and I went to bed.
Oh one thing that was strange...this show is drug tested...so there were a few athletes that placed top 5 that did not show up for the testing...They actually stopped the music and announced that they had 10 minutes to report to doping control and announced their names, countries and the country presidents names. So doping control at the Worlds is NO JOKE. Top 5 in EVERY catagory was urine tested and the contest also has the option to do random tests during the competition.
MonstaDwarf my Aussie room mate earned 10th place. I watched his catagory very closely and took many photos both in the warm up area and onstage. MonstaDwarf aka Neil was full, hard and ready. He also displayed the best posing and personality onstage. He did get a warning for something he was doing onstage but I cannot remember exactly what it was about. I think Neil came in at 70.0 kg. It was fun watching Neil do his competition prep program (he is VERY strict and precise)...and I know Neil got a laugh out of mine because he said he never seen a person take things so relaxed; especially when I thought I was doing it hard on the diet and cardio. According to Neil I also never sleep, which might be true but I never noticed it until I spent time with someone else going through the same process.
My opinion is that for Neil to move up in his catagory he will have to either come in at a heavier catagory or come in with the striated quads and glutes at 70 kg.
The heavyweights was a mess...the standard was so high they decided to create a new catagory starting next year for superheavy weights. I weighed in at 98.7 kg (about 218) and was the lightest onstage at about 99.8 kg (I did MAD cardio everyday up until prejudging for at least an hour or more to drop more fat and water, my goal was to come in depleted but hard...I left Australia at 103 kg). However, not to worry about being flat because the idea must have worked, this was the first time that Neil, the IFBB Australian,British & South African team presidents said...I looked good, held my own onstage and was in the best shape they had ever seen me in (instead of....your too smooth). All that is fine except the Russian guy on my right was 110 kg (242 lbs) . The other Russian, who was an amateur, also did the Russian Pro Grand Prix....Yep thats right...he stood next to Ronnie C in call outs...then rocked up to do the amatuer Worlds in my division. I had to take him on in the past when the judges made me do symmetry comparisons against him and some other Russian. The call out was like: Sergey Pecsdanokov , Uri Bicpepumplinkadov and number 164 in the centre....number 164 Australia take the centre please...they had to call me twice cause I was standing there with my mouth hangin open thinking these people must be out their damn minds....
For me to improve I have to come in even harder and now due to the new catagory I can possibly stay at the same weight 100kg and focus on higher quality muscles more full round completeness to produce a very athletic look. Pics will be posted shortly.
So its over and I am happy (I dont even want to see another chicken breast or cardio cross trainer).
Canada had a good team that was VERY competitive but I dont think they made the finals in any catagory.
The Americans did not participate...again.
The next IFBB World Amateur Champs is in Shanghi China.
Thank you to everyone for your encouragement
ps..the rumor is true...Russian women are beautiful
I am back from Russia. It was a great trip and the best amateur show I have participated in. The standard was extremely high for all catagories. I think there were 65 countries competing and most catagories had about 40 or more competitors. The hotel and venue for both the prelims and finals was awesome. The hotel had gym, sauna,steam, massage and solarium free for all competitors plus it had services such as money exchange, transport, 6 restaurants, shops etc...all under one roof. They even had a guy playing piano in the lobby and during the dinner times and a huge sculpture (about 2 stories tall) of a body builder doing a classic greek god type pose in the lobby of the hotel.
At the prelims, which was in the same building, they had wide flat panel screens in the pump room so we can watch the action onstage while warming up. The pump room was huge and had many mirrors, weights, water etc... for the final there was a laser show, russian dance/ballet routine, actors doing some kind of greek god performance and huge screens on each side of the stage so you could see if you were in the back of the ultra modern high tech theatre. The theatre was glass and beech wood inside and had a huge new pipe organ that they used during the performances...The contest flowed smoothly and was very well organised. The Russians did it very well. The food, tours and entertainment was also very good. For the finals the buses were police escorted to the theatre to make a big deal out of it all and the media were there. I saw Ronnie C. and Tommie Thorvildson on a Russian game show later in the evening while doing cardio of course LOL. All amateurs got to see the Russian Pro Grand Prix free of charge. I am sooooo tired now.
The post contest banquet was ON:
Tables decorated with lots of flowers and crystal, wide screen monitors around the stage so you can see the performances from all over the banquet hall.
Food:
beef, glazed pork, chicken, smoked ham
smoked salmon & tuna
caviar
stuffed grape leaves
stuffed olives & egg plant
russian foods (cheeses, soups and potato)
several types of pasta salads with seafood
Russian desserts
homemade breads
fruit platters
cheeses
two types of Vodka
red and white wines
beers
Several bands the first one was big band jazz from Cab Callaway to Gershwin the band was a 16 piece orchestra...next was the rock/pop band and then when everyone was buzzed from Vodka out came the the Russian Folk band dancers and singers which was AWESOME. They did the Russian dances with the kicks and had on the traditional clothing of Russian men and women farmers and workers...thats when the party started going OFF. People were droppin down to the damn floor and kicking their legs up...women were spinnin in circles yelling. The place went into a frenzy......and I went to bed.
Oh one thing that was strange...this show is drug tested...so there were a few athletes that placed top 5 that did not show up for the testing...They actually stopped the music and announced that they had 10 minutes to report to doping control and announced their names, countries and the country presidents names. So doping control at the Worlds is NO JOKE. Top 5 in EVERY catagory was urine tested and the contest also has the option to do random tests during the competition.
MonstaDwarf my Aussie room mate earned 10th place. I watched his catagory very closely and took many photos both in the warm up area and onstage. MonstaDwarf aka Neil was full, hard and ready. He also displayed the best posing and personality onstage. He did get a warning for something he was doing onstage but I cannot remember exactly what it was about. I think Neil came in at 70.0 kg. It was fun watching Neil do his competition prep program (he is VERY strict and precise)...and I know Neil got a laugh out of mine because he said he never seen a person take things so relaxed; especially when I thought I was doing it hard on the diet and cardio. According to Neil I also never sleep, which might be true but I never noticed it until I spent time with someone else going through the same process.
My opinion is that for Neil to move up in his catagory he will have to either come in at a heavier catagory or come in with the striated quads and glutes at 70 kg.
The heavyweights was a mess...the standard was so high they decided to create a new catagory starting next year for superheavy weights. I weighed in at 98.7 kg (about 218) and was the lightest onstage at about 99.8 kg (I did MAD cardio everyday up until prejudging for at least an hour or more to drop more fat and water, my goal was to come in depleted but hard...I left Australia at 103 kg). However, not to worry about being flat because the idea must have worked, this was the first time that Neil, the IFBB Australian,British & South African team presidents said...I looked good, held my own onstage and was in the best shape they had ever seen me in (instead of....your too smooth). All that is fine except the Russian guy on my right was 110 kg (242 lbs) . The other Russian, who was an amateur, also did the Russian Pro Grand Prix....Yep thats right...he stood next to Ronnie C in call outs...then rocked up to do the amatuer Worlds in my division. I had to take him on in the past when the judges made me do symmetry comparisons against him and some other Russian. The call out was like: Sergey Pecsdanokov , Uri Bicpepumplinkadov and number 164 in the centre....number 164 Australia take the centre please...they had to call me twice cause I was standing there with my mouth hangin open thinking these people must be out their damn minds....
For me to improve I have to come in even harder and now due to the new catagory I can possibly stay at the same weight 100kg and focus on higher quality muscles more full round completeness to produce a very athletic look. Pics will be posted shortly.
So its over and I am happy (I dont even want to see another chicken breast or cardio cross trainer).
Canada had a good team that was VERY competitive but I dont think they made the finals in any catagory.
The Americans did not participate...again.
The next IFBB World Amateur Champs is in Shanghi China.
Thank you to everyone for your encouragement
ps..the rumor is true...Russian women are beautiful
