2009 Olympia Blog

Well, today might be a slightly quieter day than normal, only due to the fact that many of us bloggers are travelling to Vegas this afternoon.

Watch for updates and lots of photos tonight, though!  This does not mean, however, that you won’t see anything else today, as there might be a few new posts before we leave, and also some photos by SecondFocus which may sneak in while we’re airborne (Ian is already in Vegas - arrived yesterday).

So, don’t give up on us - the next 3 days are going to be cRaZy, and we’ll post everything we can right here throughout the day each day for all to enjoy!  =)

After Party Briefing.

Okay so now we have all these great parties on the roster but which ones do we hit first on what days, how do we get tickets, most importantly, WHO’S GOING TO BE THERE?

Friday Night:
PRO-PTA ( Pro Personal Trainers Association) will be hosting their VIP party at Hidden Secrets Located at 5285 Dean Martin Way (Old Industrial Way), Phone (702) 307-2386.

Tickets can be purchased at the PTA Booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM.

Tickets Prices:

    * VIP Couple package for both nights $65.00
    * VIP Couple for one Night Friday or Saturday $35.00
    * One VIP Ticket for both nights $35.00
    * One VIP Ticket one night $15.00

VIP Pass:

    * No Waiting In Line
    * Free Parking
    * Appetizers
    * IFBB Pros

Important Note:
The price above is for only pre-ticket sales. Cover at the door will be $20.00 per person and will not guarantee VIP Access, also you will be waiting in line… NO APPETIZERS AND YOU WILL PAY FOR PARKING.
This event will go on both Friday and Saturday Night.
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Saturday Night:

BSN/ Bodybuilding.com
The OFFICIAL Olympia After-Party happens at the Risque located inside the popular Paris Hotel on Saturday, September 30th, from 10:00 pm to 3:00 am
Here is the really cool part. By having a bodyspace account, you might get a FREE pass for it ; Bring your personal BodySpace address to the Bodybuilding.com booth at the Olympia Expo held in the Las Vegas Convention Center as proof of your Bodyspace page.
The first ten (10) BodySpace members to bring their BodySpace personal address (URL) to the booth will each get one (1) “go right to the front of the line wristbands to the best party of the year! The expo doors open at 10:00 a.m., so be there first and get your free pass to the bash on Saturday night.
Everyone that brings their Bodyspace address to our booth during the weekend will be entered into a drawing for 2 V.I.P. passes to the BSN/Bodybuilding.com Olympia Afterparty. The winners will be announced at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday at our booth.
The Who’s Who of our industry will be there including but not limited to:
The After Party guest list will include 8-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, WWE Superstar Triple H, Monica Brant, the Girls of BSN, and much more.

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Exclusive Vyotech VIP After Party at the Tangerine Restaurant from 10pm-3am - Wristbands will be given out at the Vyotech booth!

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Party With The Pros: The Olympia After-Party, where VIP ticket holders mingle with fitness, figure and bodybuilding stars, takes place after Saturday night’s show.

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Does this seem like a lot of awesome parties to hit? Well of course, with this many stellar companies on the roster you know each one is going to be striving to be the party of the year!! My goal is to hit each one and let you know who was where and what trouble we got into!

The first competition was held today in combined men’s and women’s body costume posing. Okay, maybe not!

Actually, I am already in Las Vegas and had to make a stop at Caesar’s. By the way the pools at Caesar’s are great. The weather here is hot, the sky is clear and the Olympia is in the air.

I saw a few folks coming in at the airport and the cab drivers, hotel staff people and tourists are already talking about the “bodybuilding competiton”. This is big news even in Las Vegas. So be prepared for a lot of fun and if you were not going to see any of it live, change your mind and join all of us from Bodybuilding.com here at the Olympia!

Hey everyone, the mass game at the Olympia is getting more and more intense, it seems that this is the current physique that the judges favor, or at least, a hybrid of aesthetics and mass, I am here simply to shed some light upon the guys of now, who are actually hitting the stage at near 300lbs, here are some:

Markus Ruhl

Art Arwood

Dennis James

These guys have been criticized for their distended mid-sections, which maybe costs them a place, here are the two major hybrids, who coincidentally, always top the Olympia tables:

Ronnie Coleman

Jay Cutler

Here is a brand that has intrigued me for over the past year. Why? It seems every time I look, I see another top athlete endorsing the product line, which normally doesn’t phase me.

However, with names like Shawn Ray, Melvin Anthony, Bill Wilmore, Mary Lado, Christine Pomponio-Pate, and Mary Jo Cooke, it stands to reason something exceptional might be going on!

Most recently, I became even more interested when my good friend and colleague, Joe Pavlik joined the company. I’ve worked with Joe on many different projects, and know he has the brains to me a major player in our industry.

Vyotech Nutritionals

Booth info:

3 Booths Total:  Vyotech Nutritionals, Muscle Fantasy League, Body Sculpture

Key Execs that will be attending:

- Vince Kandis, CEO
- Spiro Kandis, President
- Tony Vercillo, CFO
- Joe Pavlik, Senior Vice President
- Shawn Ray, Athlete Representative/Spokesperson

Products Featured:

- Oryx Goat Whey: “The World’s Perfect Protein (The industries first whey protein made from the world’s finest goats milk.)
- Body Sculpture for Women:  Fat Loss Breakthrough that works to shape the body while you lose weight.
- Body Sculpture Tightening & Toning Cream, a colorless, odorless non-greasy lotion that works from the outside.

- Nitrobolic Extreme:  Next generation pre-workout NO formula with 4 forms of arginine (including AAK) and the newly discovered arginase inhibitor L-Norvaline.
- Ab-Solution Plus with Aminophylline: Futuristic Topical Fat Loss Lotion with yohimbine & forskolin.

Athletes Featured:

Free autographs from Shawn Ray, the 13-time Olympian Shawn Ray!

Melvin Anthony, IFBB Pro

Bill Wilmore, 2005 NPC Nationals Champion & IFBB Pro

Mary Lado, 2006 Ms. Figure International

Christine Pomponio-Pate, #1 Ranked Figure Competitor in the World

Mary Jo Cooke, New IFBB Figure Pro
Travis Bageant & John Brzenk, World Arm Wrestling Champions
11 of “The Benchwarmer Girls including Shay Izzo, Yvette Nelson, Carrie Stroup, Mary Riley, Lana Kinnear (seen @ Benchwarmers.com)
Richard Sandrack aka “Little Hercules, The World’s Strongest Boy
BodySculpture Spokesmodel Katie Cleary from the TV show “Deal or no Deal

Promotions/Samples:

Live Sampling of:
- Nitrobolic Extreme
- Oryx Goat Whey Chocolate & Vanilla

Brand Sponsored Events (parties or giveaways etc.)

- Free Limited Edition Oryx Goat Whey “GO GOAT T-Shirts
- Free Benchwarmer Girls Collector Cards
- Live Arm Wrestling Challenge with World Champions Travis Bageant & John Brzenk
- Meet Body Sculpture Spokesmodel Katie Cleary at the Body Sculpture Booth

Exclusive Vyotech VIP After Party at the Tangerine Restaurant from 10pm-3am - Wristbands will be given out at the Vyotech booth!

When I first read Testosterone Magazine back in 1998 (when I worked for MET-Rx), I knew the people behind the magazine and the Biotest supplement brand would surely shake things up.

Now, after over eight years in business, I think I was right.  I’ve personally had the opportunity to work with Biotest on several projects, and can say with conviction that when Founder and CEO, Tim Patterson wants to attack a segment of the market he brings in the BIG GUNS. It looks as if one of those ‘attacks’ is about to take place…

This year’s Olympia will become the first ‘live’ introduction of PROJECT SUPERHERO, a key factor in Biotest’s HOT ROX Extreme go-to-market strategy.

PROJECT SUPERHERO is a new approach to body transformation. For this Project, Biotest will completely supervise the diet, exercise and supplement programs of three advanced athletes. The goal of PROJECT SUPERHERO is to prove that even national level athletes need a secret weapon to go beyond their previous best. Come by and check it out.

Key Execs:

- Brandon Masters
- Greg Guss
- Frank Fontanilla
- Pete Ciccone

Featured Products:

This year, Biotest will feature their re-tooled HOT ROX Extreme and SPIKE Shooters, their new Energy Drink.

Featured Athletes:

- IFBB figure pro, Gina Aliotti, who will be making her Olympia debut…
- NPC National level veteran, Stan McQuay
- Jelena Abbou, IFBB Figure Pro
- NPC Los Angeles figure Champion, Meriza Goncalves
- ESPN 2’s Amanda Carrier, Rachel Niggli, Suzanne Reed, Tracy Kay, Dan Abell and Guillermo Escalante
- Luke Andriotti
- T-nation’s own Christian Thibaudeau

And don’t forget, UFC celebrity and extreme shredded, George “Rush” St. Pierre!

Promotion/Samples:

- HOT ROX Extreme Samples
- Ice-cold SPIKE Shooters

Biotest will be also giving away a Brand New Suzuki GSXR Motorcycle!

If you aren’t yet playing this year’s Muscle Fantasy League, you’d better hurry - 2 more days before registration closes!   Guess who will win the Mr. Olympia, and compete for prizes!

Read more about it here:
http://www.flexonline.com/news/153

Sign up here:
http://www.musclefantasyleague.com/

Yes, the news is true…

In the 11^th hour, the defending Figure Olympia champion has pulled out of this year’s competition! She has not been reached for comment, so we are not sure her reasons. The article can be found at Flex Online.

Davana Medina

Travel Advisory: Upcoming Weekend Road Closures on I-15.

September 29th through October 29th timeframe. I wanted to inform you that there will be road construction that may cause delays if you are driving from Southern California to Sin City for the Olympia.

CalTrans will be shutting down portions of I-15 on weekends beginning Sep 29th - Oct 29th, however, detour routes will be available. During construction, crews will be replacing damaged pavement, adding a northbound truck-climbing lane and improving the roadway’s shoulders and guardrails. These road closures may add hours and miles to your driving journey.

To accommodate traffic going to and from Las Vegas, Caltrans will start its lane closures and work on northbound I-15 lanes (headed toward Las Vegas) at 11 p.m. on Fridays and end work on northbound lanes by 5 a.m. Monday. Work on southbound lanes (toward Los Angeles) will start at 9 a.m. on Friday and end by 1 p.m. Sunday. This schedule is designed to avoid peak travel times between L.A. and Vegas. For an update on construction, call the CALTRANS hotline at (800) 427-ROAD or go to www.caltrans8.info. To help avoid the construction and make your Vegas trip easier.

So if you are planning on traveling to Las Vegas for the Olympia via automobile during the road work, please allow extra time to get to your designation and most importantly, drive safely.

Today, a brand new Viva La Fitness podcast was released. This podcast is hosted by BB.com fitness couple Maria Kang and Louis Dorman, and is the 5th episode in their series of fitness related shows.

My Thoughts
Even though this is suppose to be a special Olympia edition podcast, only about 2 minutes is used to talk about the Olympia. Most of this time is only talking about the expo, and how they like the free protein bars and taking pictures with all the fitness models. Besides the small time they spend on the Olympia, they “try” to cover a lot of topics. Only one of their topics is really worth anything, and that is when Maria talks about a serious subject that has affected her… eating disorders. Besides this section, prepare for an all out crazy podcast. If you can keep up with the randomness and their inside jokes, take a listen…

Viva La Fitness, Olympia Podcast Overview:
Length: 22:32

Moving Away
The podcast starts out with both Maria and Louis talking about how they are moving away from California, and off their separate ways. For Maria, she just moved to Sacramento and is visiting Malaysia this week, while Louis is moving back to Arizona. Maria never really says why she is moving, or for how long, or if it’s just a vacation. I found it very odd early on in this episode. As for Loius, he is moving back his home state of Arizona to be closer to friends and family. He stated that he didn’t like all the dirty hippies in San Francisco (even though he actually lives an hour away), so he wanted out.

Gonads & Dirty Hippies
Things started to get weird at this point. The word gonads is mentioned by Louis, which sparks a conversation between him and Maria to what gonads actually are. Well, you can see where this is going to lead… with Louis graphically explaining his definition to Maria, and then telling her he was going to show her exactly what he meant. As for the dirty hippies, I explained this above, but the topic also comes up later at an inappropiate time.

FitnessCure.com
The website of FitnessCure.com was mentioned several times throughout the episode. This is a new website that Maria is running in order to promote fitness and health to everyone. As it states on their site, it is “a cure for the common couch potato.” If you are interested make sure you check it out. It is a great site for support, recipies, motivation, and fitness tips. Also, make sure to check out Maria’s personal webiste and Louis’ personal website.

Bulimia/Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
This is the main bulk of the podcast, as Maria explains her past experience with this eating disorder. It takes a more serious note here, but Loius keeps making remarks that Maria did not approve of. Definately check it out if you have time, as it is difficult to explain in this blog! They also reference a bb.com forum thread about eating disorders that can be found here.

NBC’s “The Biggest Loser”
Because Maria works with 24 Hour Fitness, an active sponser of The Biggest Loser TV show, they spend some time speaking about the new season and promoting the show. Both Maria and Louis talk about their predictions for the season (even though Louis is just rambling about nonsense). I believe there has been only one episode this season, so make sure you check it out if you like watching people losing weight!

We’ve seen the prize money available to the men, so let’s now contrast that to the money awarded the ladies…

Sorted by contest, ranking, and dollar amounts (USD):

Ms. Olympia

Placing - 2006 Prize Money
1st place $30,000
2nd place $18.000
3rd place $10,000
4th place $7,000
5th place $4,000
6th place $2,000

Fitness Olympia

Placing - 2006 Prize Money
1st place $23,000
2nd place $14,500
3rd place $9,500
4th place $6,500
5th place $4,500
6th place $2,000

Figure Olympia

Placing - 2006 Prize Money
1st place $20,000
2nd place $10,000
3rd place $8,000
4th place $4,500
5th place $3,500
6th place $2,000

While many fans can name every bodybuilder to ever win the Mr. Olympia, lets take a look at 25 years of women’s bodybuilding history:

YEAR - PLACE - WINNER

2005 - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - Yaxeni Oriquen

2004 - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - Iris Kyle

2003 - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - Lenda Murray

2002 - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - Lenda Murray

2001 - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - Juliette Bergmann

2000 - Las Vegas, Nevada, USA - Valentina Chepiga (HW) & Andrulla Blanchette (LW)

1999 - Secaucus, New Jersey, USA - Kim Chizevsky

1998 - Prague, Czech Republic - Kim Chizevsky

1997 - New York, New York, USA - Kim Chizevsky

1996 - Chicago, Illinois, USA - Kim Chizevsky

1995 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA - Lenda Murray

1994 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA - Lenda Murray

1993 - New York, New York, USA - Lenda Murray

1992 - Chicago, Illinois, USA - Lenda Murray

1991 - Los Angeles, California, USA - Lenda Murray

1990 - New York, New York, USA - Lenda Murray

1989 - New York, New York, USA - Cory Everson

1988 - New York, New York, USA - Cory Everson

1987 - New York, New York, USA - Cory Everson

1986 - New York, New York, USA - Cory Everson

1985 - New York, New York, USA - Cory Everson

1984 - Montreal, Canada - Cory Everson

1983 - Warmister, Pennsylvania, USA - Carla Dunlap

1982 - Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA - Rachel McLish

1981 - Philidelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - Kike Elomaa

1980 - Philidelphia, Pennsylvania, USA - Rachel McLish