There are certain myths prevalent in our culture. For example, that there are huge alligators in our sewer systems, flushed down toilets as babies by tourists returning from Florida. That great spiritual leaders actually need you to send them your life's savings. That you can pick up a working girl on a street corner and she'll turn out to have the looks and personality of Julia Roberts. That there isn't much of an audience for bodybuilding, particularly bodybuilding for women. Of all these myths, the last is probably the farthest from reality - as demonstrated by the outstanding success of the recent Arnold Weekend in Columbus, Ohio and the terrific turnout for women's bodybuilding and fitness.
They have been working toward this for years, but Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Lorimer have finally managed to take over the entire city of Columbus. Mayor Michael Coleman - who knows a good thing when he sees it - was on stage helping Arnold give out bodybuilding trophies. The hotels are full of bodybuilding fans, as well as devotees of the martial arts and gymnastics events that are now part of the weekend of events. The Arnold Expo at the Convention Center has grown to feature 600 vendors, as well as hosting prejudging for the female bodybuilding and fitness contests, with the main hall flanked by venues for martial arts competition and demonstrations on one side and gymnastics on the other.
The Convention Center floor is so jammed with people nowadays that you'd be advised to try and attend The Expo on Friday rather than Saturday. The weekend crowds are not recommended for the claustrophobic. With no event like this taking place, a dog can sleep soundly in the middle of a downtown Columbus street on the weekend. But this weekend traffic was so heavy that even with the shuttle buses available to go from hotel to Convention Center to the Veteran's Memorial Auditorium many chose to walk.
Maybe Jim Lorimer ought to use his pull with City Hall to get the downtown streets made wider. Don't laugh - he could probably do it, given the increasing importance of the Arnold Weekend to the city.
The Arnold Classic has always been hugely successful and easily sells out each year. But the entire auditorium was also sold out the day before for the Ms. International and Fitness International contests. So who says there is no audience for female physique? Well, maybe not for most - how don't know how to promote female contests the way Arnold and Jim do.
Last year's Arnold was also an outstanding success -but I did have one major complaint --- the stage lighting. At the 2000 event, television was in charge of lighting the stage. It should come as no surprise that (1) television doesn't know how to light for bodybuilding and (2) television doesn't really care for or respect the bodybuilding physique. They prefer colored, flashing lights and special effects because they don't realize the audience is interested in SEEING THE BODIES. Nor do they seem to care that the evening show in pro events is still being judged and the judges need to be able to see the competitors in order to score them.
This year there was none of that. The lighting was bright and clear. as you can see from the photos. (Except, of course, for the "smoke" effect introduced on stage, a photographer's nightmare that unfortunately seems to have become the standard for major bodybuilding contests.) But the excellent lighting this year represents a major breakthrough, since the most criticized aspect of the Arnold contests has always been the lighting, going back to the beginnings of this event. I have some reservations about the other aspects of how the Ms. International was conducted (see my contest report) but improvement in this area is a matter of the IFBB setting specific standards that ALL promoters are required to adhere to.
There have been other improvements that are behind-the-scenes so audience doesn’t see them, but which are representative of the quality of organization you see these days at the Arnold. For example, journalists and photographers used to complain of overly-zealous and often inappropriate interference by various "security" people, which frequently made it difficult to get your job done. Nowadays, there is none of this. Jim Lorimer's people backstage seem to be intent on helping rather than hindering, and whatever confusion or conflict that occurs in the press "pit" is handled smoothly and intelligently by P.R. dude Mike Lorz and his staff, who seem to understand what public relations is really all about.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he has always intended to make his weekend of competition in Columbus the standard by which all other similar events are judged. He and Jim Lorimer have done so. The level of organization, the respect with which the women competitors are treated, the increased prize money available to the women and the success of the promotion and publicity efforts that draw such huge crowds to Columbus every March have set an example that is going to be difficult for Joe Weider and Wayne Demilia to match at the annual Ms. Olympia in Las Vegas.
But I’m glad to see that somebody is forcing them to make the attempt.
And for all those promoters and federation officials who still believe that you can't draw crowds and make money with female physique events - try spending a weekend in Columbus at the beginning of March and see how wrong you are.
And, by the way, when it comes to debunking myths - don't expect to find huge alligators OR Julia Roberts in your local sewer, either.
Bill Dobbins