These are all things going through their minds and they had only a few hours before the evening Finals would commence. But most of these men had been through it all before. But this was was Roelly Winklaar’s first professional show, let alone the 2010 Arnold Classic.

The Netherlands resident did not appear satisfied afterwards but remained positive. “I feel good,” he said. “I did my best.” Winklaar made the second call-out and for a rookie, that was quite an accomplishment in itself in a line-up as deep as this one was. “If I don’t make the top six, I’ll try again,” he said.

After the introductions and individual posing routines, six men remained in their posing trunks while the rest packed up. Winklaar joined his trainer Sibilla Peeters in the audience and when asked, said that he had no idea where he had placed at that time. His mood may have been brighter if he knew that he did in fact finish seventh, ahead of Hidetada Yamagishi, Melvin Anthony, Robert Piotrkowicz, Tarek Elsetouhi, Johnnie Jackson and Sergey Shelestov.

A week later at the Australian Pro, Winklaar qualified for the Mr. Olympia by taking third place. And just recently, he was signed by Muscular Development magazine and appears on the cover of their upcoming issue.

Things are certainly looking up for Winklaar and even if he decides not to compete again right away, his future looks very bright, indeed.

At 5’6″ and 226 pounds, Rockel came into the Arnold looking to be in excellent condition and stood well against some steep competition. When you have a line-up that included the defending champion Kai Greene, Phil Heath, Branch Warren, Dexter Jackson and Toney Freeman, breaking into that circle of consistent top six men was an accomplishment in itself.

The last time that Rockel stood in the winner’s circle came at the 2006 Australian Grand Prix. For him to do that again, he may have to compete in some of the smaller shows such as the Europa, New York Pro and Atlantic City Pro. But there will come a time when Rockel’s proportioned physique will be recognized in the more prestigious shows and not just in the top 10 or six.

But 2009 was a totally different one, in that two great stories culminating in championships were as different as they can be. Jackson chose not to defend his Arnold title and train a full year to concentrate on winning another Sandow, so the field was wide open.

Many of the big names made the same decision as Jackson, such as Jay Cutler, Dennis Wolf and Phil Heath. That meant that three men who had to sit out the 2008 Olympia due to injury would be making their comeback at the Veteran’s Memorial in Columbus, Ohio.

Kai Greene blew everyone away with a posing routine that is hard to describe in words, and deservingly took home the crystal trophy. The runner-up was Victor Martinez, while third place winner Branch Warren won the ‘Most Muscular’ award. This set up one of the deepest line-ups in Olympia history.

Cutler came into Las Vegas looking phenomenal and could not be denied his third O. It was quite an accomplishment after being dethroned by Jackson a year earlier, coupled with all the criticism that he received from the fans due to his thick body shape. Warren looked even better than he did at the Arnold and finished second, while Jackson fell to third. Greene placed fourth and definitely looked less sharp than he did a few months earlier. Heath dropped two places from his ’08 finish while Martinez made the top six despite going through a personal family tragedy leading up to the show.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was Wolf not even placing. For a guy who was being spoken of as a possible favorite the last two years, this was quite a drop off.

As exciting as 2009 was, bodybuilding fans can only imagine what the upcoming year has in store. Greene will defend his Arnold title while Jackson, Heath and Warren will look to knock him off. That will give us a good indication of what’s in store for September and the Super Bowl of bodybuilding.

Photo by Franciso Pillari

In search of her pro card, Moyer went down to Atlanta in November and found the going tough. Competing in a field that included a much deeper and seasoned line-up, she did not place (sharing 16th with 13 other women) in the Figure D Class, which was won by Amy O’Neil.

Moyer has a long career ahead of her and just gaining the experience at the Nationals will assist her as she goes further. She has one NPC-sanctioned win under her belt and that is quite an accomplishment in itself. If she should successfully defend her crown on July 18 in Pennsylvania, that will be a huge boost and career move for Moyer.

This is part of an exclusive series by MuscleSport Mag on the 2009 NPC Bill Grant Classic, for which we are one of the show’s official sponsors. The show will take place on Saturday, July 18 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Dennis James may have just celebrated his 40th birthday, but has kept himself in top condition by competing in numerous contests every year since 2000. That year, he did six shows. DJ has only won one professional show (’01 IFBB Grand Prix Hungary), but done well enough to qualify for the Mr. Olympia nearly every year. His best finish came in 2003 when he took fourth place. Last year, James finished eighth.

Just last month, he finished as Evan Centopani’s runner-up in the New York Pro. His physique was outstanding but he lost out to the Trumbull, Connecticut native in his inaugural pro show.

Under the radar? That may be just the edge that James needs to sneak up on the competition and find himself in the $30,000 and over prize money range. He may not have what it takes to bring home the Sandow, but a top six placing against a line-up as deep as this one is going to be would be quite an accomplishment.

Taking nothing away from the three that finished ahead of him, Samuel had to look at them and feel as if he may have missed a golden opportunity to win his second show of the year. Evan Centopani won his first pro show right out of the gate, Dennis James was the runner-up in Manhattan and finished two places behind Samuel at the Arnold Classic in March and Markus Ruhl had not competed in two years. 

If Samuel came in shape, he very well could have won this show. As it was, he was lucky to finish ahead of Hidetada Yamagashi and may have only on reputation. 

It doesn’t get any easier come September with a stacked line-up at the Mr. Olympia. Samuel, 34, needs to do better than last year’s seventh place finish but will find it hard. Yes, he has had a good year with the early win, a fifth place at the Arnold and a runner-up position at the Australia Pro Grand Prix, but that’s what makes his New York Pro result even more frustrating. 

Samuel has shown that he can hang with the big boys and  a force to be reckoned with in the ‘second tier’ shows. His next few times on the stage will go a long way in determining his legacy.

In the women’s bodybuilding, the crowd did not agree with the judges decision as far as some of the placng in the top six went. It was hard to argue with Kyle gaining the win, but both Heather Ambrust (fourth) and Dayana Cadeau (fifth) received what could only be described as surprised reactions from the fans when their names were called. 

It was hard to tell the difference between Hendershott’s routine and when her name was called as the winner. The energetic blonde, who also won the competition in 2005, reacted so emphatically and was definitely a fan favorite. 

Originally from Lithuania but now a resident of Hicksville, New York, Raudioniene was stunningly beautiful and made an improvement from her third place finish at the 2008 Figure Olympia.

Dena Westerfield, who was our guest this past week on MuscleSport Radio, finished in ninth place in the Ms. International. She looked smooth during her posing routine in her first foray in Columbus, and a top 10 placing is quite an accomplishment.

There are times where your actions come back to haunt you. Rubbing your opponent’s nose in it in the NFL is perhaps the dumbest act in all of sports, especially when there is a good chance that you will see each other again in a few weeks during the playoffs.

In the waning moments and following the Titans’ 31-14 victory over the Steelers this past Sunday at LP Field in Tennessee, a few of the victorious players decided to make a statement. Keith Bullock, LenDale White and Jevon Kearse got their hands on some of the ‘Terrible Towels’ that were being waved earlier in the game in the stands by Pittsburgh fans. Stomping on the towels, as done by Bullock and White, was bested by Kearse blowing his nose in one.

Not only does this show disrespect for your opponent and the game itself, but by a few acting like complete assholes on national television takes away some of the accomplishment that just took place. The Titans, who improved to 13-2 with the victory, wrapped up home field throughout the playoffs in the AFC and earned a first round bye.

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Bullock actually had the balls to be defiant when called on his immature actions. “I saw a bunch of them waving around our stadium, so I said that I need to get my hands on one of those,” he said to reporters. “I don’t care. Once it gets down to the playoffs and stuff like that, it just is what it is.”

This is the second time since last month that White has made a spectacle of himself. Following the Titans’ first loss of the season to the Jets, the running back bitched and moaned about only getting three touches and that he “didn’t care.”

Tennessee head coach Jeff Fischer has done a tremendous job, but needs to keep his players in check if he has aspirations on making it to Super Bowl XLIII. How appropriate would it be if the Steelers come back to Tennessee when the money ism on the line and have a chance to stick it up the Titans’ asses?

Bodybuilding is different from many other sports. Winning a competition is a self-gratifying accomplishment, one that differs from team sports. There are no other players, coaching staff or front office to thank. But there are special people behind the scenes that are there with the athletes every step of the way, from that first workout in preparation to the night of the contest.

Chris Dickerson had someone that fit that description, and then some.

“My parents divorced when I was just a kid,” he said. “I’m one of triplets, so I never had an older brother. Bill Pearl was like a father, older brother and coach to me.”

Pearl, the legendary bodybuilder from the 1950s and ‘60s, was a mentor to a young Dickerson, who began training at the age of 23. “I emulated [Pearl] even with the big plaid shorts he wore,” said Dickerson. “He influenced me in many ways.

“Winning was for myself, but also to please him.”

One of those victories came in 1970 when Dickerson won the Mr. America title, which he still views as his most gratifying win during his illustrious career. “That one broke the color barrier,” he proudly stated.

12 years later, Dickerson won the biggest trophy the sport holds, the Mr. Olympia crown, at 43 years of age. The contest in London pitted Dickerson against greats like Frank Zane, Tom Platz, Bertil Fox and Samir Bannout. Defeating names such as those – especially in his forties – was a statement for Dickerson, and the moment that his mentor Pearl suggested be his last competition.

“It was a bad decision to compete again,” Dickerson recalls. “I did it on my own without Bill. You never outgrow your coach.”

Sitting out the 1983 Mr. Olympia won by Bannout, Dickerson trained for the following year’s show, and felt confident going in. “With Samir winning, I thought I’ve always beat him before,” he remembered. “When I look back on it, it was a mistake, the low point of my career.”

Dickerson, 69, finished in 11th place in 1984, which was the first of eight consecutive titles won by Lee Haney. Dickerson later went on to compete in couples competitions and the Masters class, finishing in fourth place in his last contest in 1994.

Many people attribute Dickerson’s strong posing routine to his Olympia win, and that is something that he feels today’s bodybuilders lack. “I watch these guys and they’re huffing and puffing after two poses,” he said. “We were in better shape. I think we made more of a sport of it.

“We didn’t have the human growth hormone, we weren’t doing insulin, balancing this and that” he continued. “Nowadays, you have to practically be a chemist.”

Dickerson has been recognized time and time again since hanging up the posing trunks. He has been inducted into the NABBA Hall of Fame, IFBB Hall of Fame and, most recently, the Ben Weider Hall of Fame. Even with all of these accolades and awards, there is still one old little trophy from 43 years ago that means the most to Dickerson.

“It’s an ugly little thing. Wooden with a brass Adonis on top,” Dickerson described his 1965 Mr. Long Beach 3rd Place piece. “That little trophy just triggered it.”

And whom, of course, do you think pushed him into entering? “Bill (Pearl) encouraged me to go in.”

Who else? That’s what mentors are for.

For more information on the great Chris Dickerson, visit his official website, www.chrisdickerson.net.

Most athletes have the luxury of something called an ‘offseason.’ You know, the winter in baseball and the spring for football. A time of the year to recover from all the work that you put in. That is the case in most sports.

Not in bodybuilding, which is a 12 month, seven days a week commitment. To prepare for a competition, especially one with the magnitude of Mr. Olympia, there isn’t a day to waste. Kevin English has to get down approximately 70 pounds to his contest weight of a little over 200.

“Usually when people see me on stage they think that I’m about 20 pounds heavier,” the 5’4” Great Neck, New York native said. No wonder with the mass that he possesses.

In September, he was on bodybuilding’s largest stage at the 44th Mr. Olympia contest, which took place at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. It was English’s rookie ‘O,’ and he finished 16th out of 19 competitors. Earlier in the day, he was the first runner-up in the 202 Showdown, which pitted the smaller bodybuilders against one another.

Two days prior to the show, English felt confident that he was going to do well. “Me being a newcomer, I sat back for many years and observed,” he said. “It took much to get here so I’m not here just to compete. I’m definitely here to place well.”

English trains at Bev Francis’ Powerhouse Gym in Syosset. The former female bodybuilder and powerlifter runs a place that local lifters are honored to work out at, and she is also a promoter for the New York Pro, the contest in which English finished second this year, giving him his Olympia qualifier.

Earlier in the year, English took first place at the Shawn Ray IFBB Men’s 202 and Under Pro, which was a great accomplishment for the 34 year-old. Realizing that even an individual sport such as bodybuilding requires a ‘team’ concept, English said, “If you look at any sport, teams have coaches and a staff. I got myself a phenomenal trainer named Dr. Michael Camp and a nutritionalist. We came up with a great plan about a year ago to get ready for this show (Mr. Olympia).”

Being the only competitor of the 19 from Gotham City, English knew he had a big responsibility to his hometown. “New York pride means everything,” he said. “I have to come in here and I have to represent at the same time.”

Being one of the shorter men on the stage does not bother English. In fact, he views it as an advantage. “I feel that me having small joints and a tiny waist, I think that whole illusion is going to make the appearance of me looking a lot bigger that what I actually am.”

Being bigger is the name of the game, and height is not really an issue. Of the 19 men who competed, only one was six feet or taller. Standing tall in bodybuilding holds a different meaning. One that English has done extremely well in a short period of time.

“I don’t just want tom walk on the stage,” he said of contest time. “I want to do damage and place well.”

So far, so good.