2003 GNC Show of Strength – By bigshug

Well, the year’s last pro show and it was a shocker to say the least. First off I’d like to give props to all of the competitors who entered – that in itself is an accomplishment just going through the rigors of heavy training and intense dieting. That said, I’ve read all the articles and seen all the pictures so I’ve formed opinions of my own about the individual placings…and of course, I ain’t pullin’ no punches, baby. So, without further adieu here we go…

I’m psyched, first off, that another show has emerged as a big money pot for our beloved athletes. The GNC offers over $310 grand in money and prizes and so gives the top contenders another venue to line their pockets. To say pro bodybuilders (hell, and fitness and figure competitors too) are under compensated is an under statement to say the least. There are NO harder working, harder training, harder dieting people in the world and yet decidedly overweight and out of shape PGA tour players SMOKE them in terms of prize money. So, this is at the very least another chance for someone to pick up a hundred thousand dollars and strut their respective stuff as well. The challenge now is for the Ironman – the biggest joke in bodybuilding – to come off of some more loot lest they go the way of the dinosaur as newer shows offer more money. C’mon, the ten thousand offered by that show barely offsets the cash it takes for contest prep and travel expenses. But, that’s a different article entirely; so I digress and show you the top fifteen placings and discuss what’s relevant to this year’s show.

1) Dexter Jackson
2) Jay Cutler
3) Kevin Levrone
4) Dennis James
5) Gunter Schleirkamp
6) Darrem Charles
7) Chris Cormier
8) Melvin Anthony
9) Toney Freeman
10) Johnnie O. Jackson
11) George Farah
12) Rodney St. Cloud
13) Aaron Maddron
14) Stan McCrary
15) Claude Groulx

HOLY SHIT! Dexter Jackson finally gets the nod from the judges. How the blade managed to be the best conditioned at the Olympia AND come in bigger and in the same condition is beyond me. Whatever magic he conjured for this showing certainly paid off. Dex was unstoppable from the moment he stepped on stage. Those of us who felt he should have placed ahead of Jay at the “O” were given our just desserts here. Dex had no flaws on this day. From head to toe he was sliced and diced and his freakin’ shoulders looked like they’d been groomed by a snow cat. His back showed more detail, his glutes and hamstrings were striated and shredded…MAN! Dexter has shown himself to be a force to be reckoned with. Can he beat Ronnie at next year’s “O”? Nah. No one, and I mean NO ONE can beat Big Ron at his best but Dex can beat everyone else and as long as these other pros coast in on hype and cockiness, the blade will keep stackin’ tha paper, baby.

Another disappointing showing from Iron Jay. While no one can deny that he cashed in during the 2003 season, his frequent public appearances and rigorous show schedule took it’s toll on him. His signature quads were smaller, his conditioning was less than 100%. Jay was big and full but judging from pictures from the show he actually looked the same size as Dexter and Darrem in some of the callouts. His quads which normally blow the competition away were smaller and his back, which is already seriously lacking in detail, was decidedly soft particularly in the lower area. Jay needs to calculate his paydays a bit more intelligently. Sure he won a lot of shows, but take all the others and add them together and they don’t come close to what he could have raked in had he taken first here and at the “O”. Jay’s cockiness and momentum, it seemed, were not enough to put him in first here and this trend WILL continue unless he stops spreading himself so thin and starts concentrating on the biggest shows.

Kevin Levrone. I can’t even believe this placing. Big ups to Kevin for competing in light of his very recent triceps tear but he still looked far from the Kevin of old and I still say this placing was politically based. Kevin looked small and, not to beat a dead horse, his quads were pitiful by comparison. No quad sweep to be found. Kevin touts being able to get into show condition in a matter of months and his physique shows it. If he wants to be a rock star he should do just that and leave the bodybuilding to people whose hearts are still in it. His back was lacking size and detail and he was looking small standing next to Dexter and even Chris who was also less than perfect. I know the whole bodybuilding thing should be for yourself and all that, but Kevin has a strong fan base who are continually wishing he’d get his shit straight and come in big like he did in the early nineties. A fan base who, I might add, will most likely tire of his lackluster performances and drop him quick, fast and in a hurry. Once Kevin’s sponsors start backing out I’m sure he’ll wish he’d concentrated more on his bodybuilding career versus his singing one. Kevin is already a bodybuilding superstar and breaking into the music scene is risky at best. HEY KEVIN! I’ve heard FulBlown…don’t quit your day job, bro.

Dennis James was another to storm the scene as of late and his working with Chad Nicholls has paid off in a big way. However, the menace was suffering the effects of travel and intense dieting and was a little green around the gills come show time. Somehow he still managed to keep his conditioning and size to a certain extent although it was obvious that he was not able to maintain his Olympia form with sickness clawing at his physique. Still, Dennis has shown that he too is a force to be reckoned with placing fourth both here and at the “O”. Look for great things from the big Thailand resident in 2004.

The great white hype is next. Now, I LIKE Gunter. I think he’s one of the nicest most down to earth bodybuilders out there and he appreciates his fans 100%. BUT, and I can’t seem to get some others to understand this, this is NOT a personality contest. It’s a physique contest where the people with the best symmetry, conditioning, etc. should be rewarded accordingly. Not today though. Gunter, coming off of a fairly recent staph infection in his quad, looked awful. Thick, blocky waist. No detail. You name it and Gunter was lacking in it. I don’t think this was a good showing for him because he’s looked better – particularly at last year’s GNC – but on this day he was decidedly off and the judges rewarded all the hype surrounding him with a fifth place finish – one Darrem Charles should have won. Hopefully Gunter will make the necessary improvements in his physique so that he’ll really DESERVE top five finishes. Look for him to work his arms a bit more and widen his back and shoulders to take away from his comparatively large waist size. Gunter’s a good bodybuilder and his charisma really takes him a long way but he, like Jay, needs to come into the show in shape versus hoping momentum and hype will get them where they want to go.

So there you have it. Top five as I see them. Other noteworthy placings included Cormier, who had withdrawn from the “O” due to a stomach virus, in seventh. Chris is another who hopes his muscle bellies and symmetry will somehow place him higher than his party lifestyle will allow. Chris needs to give up the party life and concentrate on bodybuilding lest Muscletech kick his ass to the curb and force him into a life filled with, “Would you like fries with that?” Other up and coming pros to watch for are Melvin Anthony who is one of the best posers out there, Johnnie Jackson whose thickness and muscle density will rival Ronnie’s once he puts on some more size and Toney Freeman – a guy who isn’t trying to put on too much size too quickly.

I’ll end by saying that Darrem was robbed here at the GNC. His conditioning was much better than Gunter’s and if you’ve ever seen him pose he’s freakin’ amazing to say the least. Darrem has shown that he can beat the big boys as evident early last year when he beat Marcus Ruhl in an early show. The uneven placings this year show the inconsistencies in the judges criteria but, on a different note, also shows that some of the judges are starting to reward athletes for their physiques and not just giving it to the size freaks. 2004 promises to be an interesting year with Victor Martinez also storming to scene, some of the old guard will find themselves out of the top ten if they don’t start taking things seriously. You’ll read it here folks…

Copyright 2003 BeyondMass.com