2009 Arnold Blog

ASF Heads to Qatar for IFBB World Amateur Championships, International Congress

Representatives of the Arnold Sports Festival will travel to Doha, Qatar next week to promote the IFBB Arnold Amateur Bodybuilding Championships and related Arnold Sports Festival events. Weekend co-producer Jim Lorimer and other staff members will attend the International Federation of Bodybuilding Men’s World Amateur Bodybuilding Championships and International Congress, Nov. 1-5.

Jim Lorimer and Bob Lorimer, promoter of the Arnold Amateur Bodybuilding Championships, attended the same event in 2008 and recruited more than 40 nations to send competitors to the Arnold Sports Festival. More than 60 countries are expected to participate in 2010. [ Read More ]

The Arnold Sports Festival will host skateboarding for the first time when the Cow Town Showdown and related activities are held at Veterans Memorial on Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7.

The skateboarding contest will feature exhibitions by top professional; a Top of the Shops super contest among skateboarders from the top skateboarding shops in the U.S.; beginner and advanced amateur competitions; and a trade show featuring the top brands, trends and products in the industry.

"We are excited to finally add skateboarding to the Arnold Sports Festival," said Jim Lorimer, co-producer of the event. "Skateboarding is a tremendously popular activity, and we strongly believe it will be a big success at our Weekend."

The Cow Town Showdown Means Skateboarding at the Arnold Sports Festival. Skateboarding activities will be held at 9 a.m. each day indoors at Veterans Memorial.

"The Cow Town Showdown will not only feature many top professionals, but future pros from all over the Midwest will be on hand to showcase their talents," event co-chair Tedd Cookerly. "And, in future years, we think this will grow into one of the top skateboarding competitions in the country."

For more information, contact event chairs Wally Carl at 614-561-5437 and Tedd Cookerly at 614-678-4615 or at cowtowncontest@gmail.com

NA Strongman’s Dione Wessels Celebrates Amateurs

Dione Wessels has always modeled a unique perseverance when it came to her desire to participate in sports. As a youngster growing up in Lithia Springs, Georgia, Wessels was a tomboy with a passion for competition. She excelled at athletics throughout elementary and high school and was identified as a top flight track & field competitor by her junior year.

Wessels’s did so well at sports she elected to try her hand out during try outs for the Lithia High School Football team. The coach quickly instructed the players to “hit her just like she was a boy.” They did and a humbled Wessels’s returned with a renewed vigor to her track & field training.

[ Read More About Dione Wessels ]

North American Strongman, Inc., the premiere governing body for amateur strongman athletes, will join forces with The Arnold Sports Festival to present the 2010 Arnold Amateur Strongman. The event will be held Friday, May 5 and Sunday, May 7 at The Greater Columbus Convention Center.

The competition will feature a selection of up to 50 amateur strongman athletes from around the world. Ten top amateur strongmen from the United States and Canada are expected to compete, including Texas’s Ryan Bracewell and Dan Harrison of California.

[ Read More About Amateur Strongman ]

The Arnold Classic also know as the Arnold Fitness Weekend or Arnold Sports Festival has now been around for 20 years. It is know as one of the most extravagant and prestigious events in the industry just behind the Olympia.  

The Arnold Classic includes has expanded over the years to include the Ms. International, Fitness International, and Figure International competitions as well as the Arnold Classic men’s bodybuilding. Now it has expanded into a whole weekend of multiple sports events such as gymnastics, cheer leading, dance, fencing, table tennis, yoga, martial arts, strongman competitions, archery, wrestling, power lifting and many other sports.

Learn more about the Arnold, see who the winners were each year as well as what events have been involved every year.

2009 Arnold Classic
2008 Arnold Classic
2007 Arnold Classic
2006 Arnold Classic
2005 Arnold Classic
2004 Arnold Classic
2003 Arnold Classic
2002 Arnold Classic
2001 Arnold Classic
2000 Arnold Classic
1999 Arnold Classic
1998 Arnold Classic
1997 Arnold Classic
1996 Arnold Classic
1995 Arnold Classic
1994 Arnold Classic
1993 Arnold Classic
1992 Arnold Classic
1991 Arnold Classic
1990 Arnold Classic
1989 Arnold Classic

Thirteen of the greatest pound-for-pound deadlifters in the world assembled on the Main Arnold Expo stage. The MHP Strongman Challenge got the crowd fired up for some big time earth movers, then the set was quickly changed for the IPF GNC Pro Performance Deadlift Competition. Backstage was crazy. All of the pro strongmen were getting changed, hanging out and talking with one another, meeting some of the deadlifters, etc.

You had probably 25 of the strongest men in the world assembled right there in the back stage area. There were so many freaks around that the air was electric with what was happening.
The Warm up area was a bit cramped with all of that mass in one area, but things were running right on time and the warmup pace was fast. The show started right on time with the ladies and the fireworks started immediately.

[ Read More About Pricilla Ribbic ]

Jim Boyd has enjoyed every Arnold Pump & Run he has ever run. He competed in his 4th annual competition in 2009 as runner #257 and this time he led his entire family through the streets of Columbus. Boyd’s physicality sets him apart from many of his fellow Pump & Runners.

With a background in lifting and bodybuilding, Boyd has an upper body that would rival many of the competitors on the Arnold Amateur stage. As a Phys Ed Teacher in Hermitage, Pennsylvania, he inspires his entire student body to shape up their family and their community.

[ Read More About Jim Boyd ]

Ali Sonoma returned to California following her championship win at the 2009 Arnold NPC Bikini Competition.

Sonoma’s spectacular beauty wowed every Arnold Fitness Fan and many will be happy to have the opportunity to learn more about her.

[ Read More Here ]

Randy Couture was welcomed by an oversize banner featuring his likeness as an athlete and an actor. Randy Couture, who began bow-hunting in his native state of Washington at the age of ten, posed with the Meigs High School Team while holding their Team Spirit Award.

The Team Spirit Award was presented for the team’s overall enthusiasm throughout the competition. Couture congratulated and recognized many of the individual archers.

[ Read More ]

Nine deserving scholarship winners from across the United States were identified from the ranks of more than 17,000 athletic participants at the 2009 Arnold Sports Festival.

The Arnold Sports Festival namesake, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, joined a Columbus Rotarian for nearly each of the $2,000 scholarship presentations.

Steve Sundre, Columbus Rotary Scholarship Committee Chair, said, “Columbus Rotary is delighted to partner once again with the Arnold Sports Festival in recognizing academic and athletic excellence. These young people further the Rotary “Service Above Self” commitment, serve as role models for their peers, and are deserving of recognition. We are pleased to join with the Arnold Sports Festival to highlight their accomplishments and invest in their futures.”

Scott Brown, Executive Director of Columbus Rotary added, “The Arnold Sports Festival brings attendees from all over the world to Columbus, Ohio. As a worldwide service organization, it is natural that Columbus Rotary welcomes these visitors to our community. We are also pleased to be able to recognize scholar athletes for their accomplishments both physically and educationally through our scholarship awards.”

[ Read About the Winners ]

This is what happens when a behind the scenes interviews go bad.

Just watch how the interviewer becomes the interviewee.

So to lay it out for you Isaac Hinds is supposed to be getting interviewed by Tiffany Forni, but when the camera turns on and Tiffany gets cold feet Isaac has to pull (try to pull, i guess) this one out of he water. Just watch it already.