TheBodyguard’s BodyBlog

After dinner and a familarization with the layout of the casino and hotel where the majority of the Olympia Festivities would be happening I decided to take the shuttle over to the strip for the evening my pride in being a BodySpacer/Bodybuilding .com Member was well represented as for the most part save for the "O" it’self and the After Parties I dressed in Bodybuilding.com gear.

At this point I have been Bodybuilding for 20+ yrs and at 5′4" I’m about 220lbs (Yeah I know my page says 5′5" but that is because the nurses at my doctors office either need to learn how to measure or they need new equipment!) at any rate I look the part and with the Bodybuilding.com logo stretched across my back I was fielded alot of questions which was cool I’m sure anyone who appeared to be involved in some way had their fair share.

I boarded the shuttle and headed off to the drop off point at the Tropicana from there up and down the strip via the tram, I basically wanted to refamiliarize myself where everything was and look for changes etc as it had been a few since I had been there. I basically layed out my plan for the following day as I was going to have one full day of the Vegas strip before it was all about the "O" and all of its related glory.

As the shuttle and tram zipped along and I revisited various familiarities I kinda of lost my self in thought harkening back to my youth and holding my Mom’s hand as she took me and my dreams to the various Bodybuilding shows of the era, I have a great Mom she was a Fan of Bodybuilding she knew all the Golden Era Guys through the Bodybuilders of the 80’s she knew who everyone was and what they won and well it was just great! A while back I wrote a blog about how Bodybuilding had made a connection between me and my dad http://blog.bodybuilding.com/TheBodyguard/2008/02/26/oct-1978/ and that was my focus but I’d be remiss if I didn’t reflect on my Mom at this point for when I was small and weak she held my hand and Bodybuilding made us close now that she is old and weak I hold her hand and well Bodybuilding made us close, I am blessed to have had Bodybuilding and my parents, (About right now you should be temted to call yours and, you should).

As the neon of the Vegas Night became a blur I wandered about familiar haunts still feeling child like remembering all my Magazines and posters remembering sleeping on my weight bench or on the floor inbetween my squat racks yeah I was that into it. Still I just couldn’t get into the Vegas Night Life. I was just to into and excited about what was going to happen this weekend.

So after hours of recollections and mapping out my day for tomorrow I decided to head back and begin analyzing the competition and making my final predictions for how all was about to unfold. Tomorrow I promised myself I would concentrate on just having a good day on the strip I had to be honest with myself I had just arrived hours earlier and I was feeling overwhelmed and excited beyond explanation to be here I had been looking forward to this all yr. I have literally been not just a Bodybuilder but a fan a hardcore fan I love Bodybuilding with a passion.

A passion that hasn’t died or changed since I was a young boy learning for the first time it was possible to look like the Heroes on the pages of Marvel Comics and dammit I was so glad to be here I loved the fact this was Vegas and the greatest show on earth was about to unfold this weekend and I was going to be part of it. Some may laugh or think my bavado about my elation over being here is silly but I have no shame when it comes to my passion Bodybuilding has done so much for me enhanced my life in ways you wouldnt belive without it I may not even be here to write these passages but that is a story for another day and most certainly another blog, But I will share this Bodybuilding is the only thing in my life that hasn’t let me down everyday I enter a gym and wrap my hands around the cold steel bar and feel it slowly warm to my touch I know one thing more than any the Iron is always there for me and the Iron is forever someday I’ll write of the true meaning of that bit of reflection.

But for now my concentrations lay elsewhere I felt energized yet tired but eager to just wake up and enjoy the strip in the desert heat tomorrow I was feeling like a kid but still man enough to appreciate all that I had remembered I picked up the phone in my suite "Hello Mom? I’ts me I’m at the Olympia!"

As the desert air began to cool and the gaming continued down stairs I lay in bed thinking to myself I wouldnt rather be anywhere else in the world tonight than right here a day out from the pinnacle of Sport Entertainment sorry WWE you aint got nothing on the IFBB!

To be continued………….

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 4:33 pm and is filed under Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.