What’s everyones take on Shawn Ray, I always liked him and thought he should have won a Sandow as well.
[quote]Qaash wrote:
What’s everyones take on Shawn Ray, I always liked him and thought he should have won a Sandow as well.[/quote]
I liked Ray a lot too. He was a bit like Wheeler in that he had a balanced, aesthetic physique where no one body part or group of muscles overpowered the rest, but he wasn’t carrying the relative level of mass that Yates and Coleman had and he was giving up about 4 inches of height to them as well.
[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Yea Flex was the favorite going into the show. So all the hype was on him.
Flex Magazine said in a recent issue that the show was Flex’s for the taking in 97 but he backed out of the olympia? Anybody around when this happened or remember this? They said something around the lines that he wasn’t prepared to take the spot of Mr. O. lol ?[/quote]
“No, he didn’t compete at the '97 O . . . that was the year he claimed to have been in a fight w/some would-be car-jackers, whom he successfully fought off, but broke his hand in the process, and therefore could not compete against Dorian.”
I suppose you could construe that to mean that Flex was making an excuse not to compete because he “wasn’t ready to take the O.” I’ve read that he didn’t seem to take it as seriously as some of the other top competitors so I guess there is precedent to question his mentality, but if anything in my experience as an athlete/with other athletes, the guys like that blow off practice and such, not the competition itself.
[quote]Qaash wrote:
What’s everyones take on Shawn Ray, I always liked him and thought he should have won a Sandow as well.[/quote]
I think he looked great damn near every year, and after Yates starting tearing shit and blatently lost symmetry, I think he should have taken it. He finished second in '96 which was probably the year he most deserved to take it.
[quote]red04 wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Yea Flex was the favorite going into the show. So all the hype was on him.
Flex Magazine said in a recent issue that the show was Flex’s for the taking in 97 but he backed out of the olympia? Anybody around when this happened or remember this? They said something around the lines that he wasn’t prepared to take the spot of Mr. O. lol ?
“No, he didn’t compete at the '97 O . . . that was the year he claimed to have been in a fight w/some would-be car-jackers, whom he successfully fought off, but broke his hand in the process, and therefore could not compete against Dorian.”
I suppose you could construe that to mean that Flex was making an excuse not to compete because he “wasn’t ready to take the O.” I’ve read that he didn’t seem to take it as seriously as some of the other top competitors so I guess there is precedent to question his mentality, but if anything in my experience as an athlete/with other athletes, the guys like that blow off practice and such, not the competition itself.[/quote]
Yes I agree I know of a lot of old teammates that would half-ass practice and stuff but come game-time it was all business. Maybe he thought he wouldn’t be 100% so he didn’t compete. As bodybuilders know you always want to come in at the same level of your last comp or better. You don’t want to digress or the judges just slough you down a few places and your career is over. lol
@Quaash: Shawn was awesome! I liked that guys physique but as others said, his height just didn’t allow him to pack on the mass like Dorian/Ronnie or some of the other contenders.
I was at the Excalibur in southern california last december and shawn was there. I was in the bathroom taking a piss and guess who walks in and takes a piss a couple urinals down. Shawn Ray. lol So one of my claims to fame so far is that I’ve “taken a piss” next to Shawn Ray. lol 
Gerdy
[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
red04 wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Yea Flex was the favorite going into the show. So all the hype was on him.
Flex Magazine said in a recent issue that the show was Flex’s for the taking in 97 but he backed out of the olympia? Anybody around when this happened or remember this? They said something around the lines that he wasn’t prepared to take the spot of Mr. O. lol ?
“No, he didn’t compete at the '97 O . . . that was the year he claimed to have been in a fight w/some would-be car-jackers, whom he successfully fought off, but broke his hand in the process, and therefore could not compete against Dorian.”
I suppose you could construe that to mean that Flex was making an excuse not to compete because he “wasn’t ready to take the O.” I’ve read that he didn’t seem to take it as seriously as some of the other top competitors so I guess there is precedent to question his mentality, but if anything in my experience as an athlete/with other athletes, the guys like that blow off practice and such, not the competition itself.
Yes I agree I know of a lot of old teammates that would half-ass practice and stuff but come game-time it was all business. Maybe he thought he wouldn’t be 100% so he didn’t compete. As bodybuilders know you always want to come in at the same level of your last comp or better. You don’t want to digress or the judges just slough you down a few places and your career is over. lol
@Quaash: Shawn was awesome! I liked that guys physique but as others said, his height just didn’t allow him to pack on the mass like Dorian/Ronnie or some of the other contenders.
I was at the Excalibur in southern california last december and shawn was there. I was in the bathroom taking a piss and guess who walks in and takes a piss a couple urinals down. Shawn Ray. lol So one of my claims to fame so far is that I’ve “taken a piss” next to Shawn Ray. lol
Gerdy[/quote]
LOL…I ran into him at the New York Pro last year, he was with the wife and kid, so I let him be…saw Dexter that year to…they are both short guys, but wide as all hell.
[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
I was at the Excalibur in southern california last december and shawn was there. I was in the bathroom taking a piss and guess who walks in and takes a piss a couple urinals down. Shawn Ray. lol So one of my claims to fame so far is that I’ve “taken a piss” next to Shawn Ray. lol
Gerdy[/quote]
And to think most people feel dwarfed in the restroom for totally different reasons…
[quote]red04 wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
I was at the Excalibur in southern california last december and shawn was there. I was in the bathroom taking a piss and guess who walks in and takes a piss a couple urinals down. Shawn Ray. lol So one of my claims to fame so far is that I’ve “taken a piss” next to Shawn Ray. lol
Gerdy
And to think most people feel dwarfed in the restroom for totally different reasons…
[/quote]
LOL!
Ya shawn is not soo much the bodybuilder anymore. more like the businessman. he was in a suit and tie. lol
Quaash: Ya I’ve had the opportunity to see these guys in real life: Dennis Wolf, Silvio Samuel, Joel Stubbs (talk about wide!), Shawn Ray, Stan McQuay, Bob Chicharillo, Jay Cutler, Hidetada Yamagishi, Jerome Ferguson, Luke Wood, Flex Lewis, Milos Sarcev,and Kris Dim.
You don’t realize how big these guys are until you are next to them.
Some of my stories are pretty cool.
Wolf: saw him training at koloseum gym in fullerton
samuel: same
Stubbs: I was walking up some stairs at kiloseum and he was coming down. He stopped and turned sideways so we could both fit. lol
Ray: bathroom
McQuay: saw at the Cal spectating
Chicharillo: every contest I’ve been at he was at the bodybuilding.com booth. He came backstage and talked to all of us teen competitors, a really cool guy.
Jay: met at the contra costa, he was the guest poser. myself, a friend of mine, and jay talked for a good 10 minutes as everybody was leaving. Talk about an awesome guy!
Hide: koloseum gym
ferguson: cal state competition
lewis: cal state comp
milos: owns the gym I train at when in fullerton
Kris dim: He was at the cal state and I was sitting down. There was a guy there with a hyoooge GH belly and I made a joke about it, this guy sitting to my left laughed and made another joke, I turn and look. It was kris dim sitting with Milos,lewis,wood, and the koloseum gang. lol
so those are my encounters with the pros. lol
Gerdy
Gerdy do you live around Pomona?
Are you in college?
[quote]Brendan Ryan wrote:
Gerdy do you live around Pomona?
Are you in college?[/quote]
yes I’m in college and am moving back to Fullerton in a couple weeks…
Gerdy
[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
red04 wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
I was at the Excalibur in southern california last december and shawn was there. I was in the bathroom taking a piss and guess who walks in and takes a piss a couple urinals down. Shawn Ray. lol So one of my claims to fame so far is that I’ve “taken a piss” next to Shawn Ray. lol
Gerdy
And to think most people feel dwarfed in the restroom for totally different reasons…
LOL!
Ya shawn is not soo much the bodybuilder anymore. more like the businessman. he was in a suit and tie. lol
Quaash: Ya I’ve had the opportunity to see these guys in real life: Dennis Wolf, Silvio Samuel, Joel Stubbs (talk about wide!), Shawn Ray, Stan McQuay, Bob Chicharillo, Jay Cutler, Hidetada Yamagishi, Jerome Ferguson, Luke Wood, Flex Lewis, Milos Sarcev,and Kris Dim.
You don’t realize how big these guys are until you are next to them.
Some of my stories are pretty cool.
Wolf: saw him training at koloseum gym in fullerton
samuel: same
Stubbs: I was walking up some stairs at kiloseum and he was coming down. He stopped and turned sideways so we could both fit. lol
Ray: bathroom
McQuay: saw at the Cal spectating
Chicharillo: every contest I’ve been at he was at the bodybuilding.com booth. He came backstage and talked to all of us teen competitors, a really cool guy.
Jay: met at the contra costa, he was the guest poser. myself, a friend of mine, and jay talked for a good 10 minutes as everybody was leaving. Talk about an awesome guy!
Hide: koloseum gym
ferguson: cal state competition
lewis: cal state comp
milos: owns the gym I train at when in fullerton
Kris dim: He was at the cal state and I was sitting down. There was a guy there with a hyoooge GH belly and I made a joke about it, this guy sitting to my left laughed and made another joke, I turn and look. It was kris dim sitting with Milos,lewis,wood, and the koloseum gang. lol
so those are my encounters with the pros. lol
Gerdy[/quote]
I’m hating on you right now…in a good way
[quote]Qaash wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
red04 wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
I was at the Excalibur in southern california last december and shawn was there. I was in the bathroom taking a piss and guess who walks in and takes a piss a couple urinals down. Shawn Ray. lol So one of my claims to fame so far is that I’ve “taken a piss” next to Shawn Ray. lol
Gerdy
And to think most people feel dwarfed in the restroom for totally different reasons…
LOL!
Ya shawn is not soo much the bodybuilder anymore. more like the businessman. he was in a suit and tie. lol
Quaash: Ya I’ve had the opportunity to see these guys in real life: Dennis Wolf, Silvio Samuel, Joel Stubbs (talk about wide!), Shawn Ray, Stan McQuay, Bob Chicharillo, Jay Cutler, Hidetada Yamagishi, Jerome Ferguson, Luke Wood, Flex Lewis, Milos Sarcev,and Kris Dim.
You don’t realize how big these guys are until you are next to them.
Some of my stories are pretty cool.
Wolf: saw him training at koloseum gym in fullerton
samuel: same
Stubbs: I was walking up some stairs at kiloseum and he was coming down. He stopped and turned sideways so we could both fit. lol
Ray: bathroom
McQuay: saw at the Cal spectating
Chicharillo: every contest I’ve been at he was at the bodybuilding.com booth. He came backstage and talked to all of us teen competitors, a really cool guy.
Jay: met at the contra costa, he was the guest poser. myself, a friend of mine, and jay talked for a good 10 minutes as everybody was leaving. Talk about an awesome guy!
Hide: koloseum gym
ferguson: cal state competition
lewis: cal state comp
milos: owns the gym I train at when in fullerton
Kris dim: He was at the cal state and I was sitting down. There was a guy there with a hyoooge GH belly and I made a joke about it, this guy sitting to my left laughed and made another joke, I turn and look. It was kris dim sitting with Milos,lewis,wood, and the koloseum gang. lol
so those are my encounters with the pros. lol
Gerdy
I’m hating on you right now…in a good way[/quote]
+2.
I’m pretty sure I saw a professional bodybuilder or an extremely large ameteur one time at Disney Quest @ Disney World, but it was my freshman year in highschool, way before I was interested in anything to do with bodybuilding.
LOL i’ve been farely lucky so far. Being in socal and lifting in Koloseum Gym helps a lot.
lol
Gerdy
Shit bro, it’s wasy to find pro BBs in California. Just go to some shows! haha
Especially the Ironman.
Only time I see big dudes around here is in Columbus during the Arnold =p
[quote]Brendan Ryan wrote:
Shit bro, it’s wasy to find pro BBs in California. Just go to some shows! haha
Especially the Ironman.[/quote]
Southern California is FULL of bodybuilders, pro’s, amateurs, etc.
Between Venice Beach and Koloseum in Fullerton. There is a lot of promotion and notoriety here.
Gerdy
[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Brendan Ryan wrote:
Shit bro, it’s wasy to find pro BBs in California. Just go to some shows! haha
Especially the Ironman.
Southern California is FULL of bodybuilders, pro’s, amateurs, etc.
Between Venice Beach and Koloseum in Fullerton. There is a lot of promotion and notoriety here.
Gerdy[/quote]
Does that mean you’re not considered quite as much of a weirdo as I am in PA? Haha…
[quote]LankyMofo wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Brendan Ryan wrote:
Shit bro, it’s wasy to find pro BBs in California. Just go to some shows! haha
Especially the Ironman.
Southern California is FULL of bodybuilders, pro’s, amateurs, etc.
Between Venice Beach and Koloseum in Fullerton. There is a lot of promotion and notoriety here.
Gerdy
Does that mean you’re not considered quite as much of a weirdo as I am in PA? Haha…[/quote]
Have you ever been to Hollywood or Venice beach?
If you haven’t, you will see that bodybuilders are not the only “WEIRDO’S” walking around. lol
It’s funny how hollywood is portrayed to people in other states/countries as a place of milk and honey when in fact it is filled with drugs/prostitues. lol
There are only a few nice places in hollywood. lol
Most is filled with freaks trying to get noticed to be in some movie. Or score some drugs. lol
Gerdy
[quote]Dirty Gerdy wrote:
LankyMofo wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Brendan Ryan wrote:
Shit bro, it’s wasy to find pro BBs in California. Just go to some shows! haha
Especially the Ironman.
Southern California is FULL of bodybuilders, pro’s, amateurs, etc.
Between Venice Beach and Koloseum in Fullerton. There is a lot of promotion and notoriety here.
Gerdy
Does that mean you’re not considered quite as much of a weirdo as I am in PA? Haha…
Have you ever been to Hollywood or Venice beach?
If you haven’t, you will see that bodybuilders are not the only “WEIRDO’S” walking around. lol
It’s funny how hollywood is portrayed to people in other states/countries as a place of milk and honey when in fact it is filled with drugs/prostitues. lol
There are only a few nice places in hollywood. lol
Most is filled with freaks trying to get noticed to be in some movie. Or score some drugs. lol
Gerdy[/quote]
I second this. When I was in Venice it felt like the Twilight Zone.
Awesome.
I really want to live out there someday and train at Gold’s and eat at the Firehouse etc.
[quote]Brendan Ryan wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
LankyMofo wrote:
Dirty Gerdy wrote:
Brendan Ryan wrote:
Shit bro, it’s wasy to find pro BBs in California. Just go to some shows! haha
Especially the Ironman.
Southern California is FULL of bodybuilders, pro’s, amateurs, etc.
Between Venice Beach and Koloseum in Fullerton. There is a lot of promotion and notoriety here.
Gerdy
Does that mean you’re not considered quite as much of a weirdo as I am in PA? Haha…
Have you ever been to Hollywood or Venice beach?
If you haven’t, you will see that bodybuilders are not the only “WEIRDO’S” walking around. lol
It’s funny how hollywood is portrayed to people in other states/countries as a place of milk and honey when in fact it is filled with drugs/prostitues. lol
There are only a few nice places in hollywood. lol
Most is filled with freaks trying to get noticed to be in some movie. Or score some drugs. lol
Gerdy
I second this. When I was in Venice it felt like the Twilight Zone.
Awesome.
I really want to live out there someday and train at Gold’s and eat at the Firehouse etc.
[/quote]
Firehouse is AWESOME! 
I was born and raised in central cali which is mostly agriculture and cattle ranches. I love socal and lived down there last year and am moving back in a little over a week. I can’t wait. Sorry, not that you guys care, but I’m stoked on that! lol
Gerdy