robert Posted October 30, 2005 Share Posted October 30, 2005 Hello my Vegan Friends, I just returned home from the INBA World Natural Bodybuilding Championships that were held in Sacramento, California. When I get a chance I'll post photos like Daywalker did, images before the contest, ones from on stage and after the show. I'm without a computer these days so it may take me a bit longer but they'll be up sometime this week. Megan and I left Corvallis on Friday afternoon and arrived in Sacramento around 11PM. We had some very interesting events take place that night that I'm sure she will explain sometime in the future. Neither one of us slept real well, but of course I was excited so I was energetic leading into the contest. The contest has an intimidating name "World Natural Bodybuilding Championships" but it was actually a pretty small show. There really wasn't anything too intimiadating once I arrived. In fact, I thought there were going to be 10 contestants in my category or "class" which I was excited about; but when I got there, I learned that they split it up into many sub categories and there were only actually 2 bodybuilders in my class. There was of course, Me, and a Professional wrestler with the WWE, formerly WWF for 16 years who just retired a few months ago. He wrestles with all the famous guys you've seen on TV over the past decade and a half like The Ultimate Warrior, the Iron Sheik, and all the current guys like Kurt Angle, etc. His real name is John, a great guy and he was quite a bit bigger than me. he cut down from 240 pounds to 188 on contest day. I cut down from 187 pounds to 173 on contest day. So although I was pretty ripped and in probably the best shape of my life, I came in 2nd. I really wish there would have been more in my class because I think I probably would have been in the top 2 or 3 even if there were 5-10 of us like I thought there would be. This pro wrestler was just bigger and better so I took 2nd, which I guess would be technically last place in my category But at the same time it is also 2nd place at the World Natural Bodybuilding Championships. They split us up into categories of Novice and Open and within those groups have short classes and tall classes (they don't go by weight classes in the INBA, they do in the INBF). They also have age categories, a physically challenged category, and many women's categories like Bodybuilding, Fitness, Figure, Model Search, Divas, etc. There were only 30-40 athletes total, if that and were in lots of different classes, and of all ages. So shows are bigger than others and this is at the end of the bodybuilding season so we had a low turnout. Topher wasn't able to make it, neither was VeganMadre, but Megan and I had a great time. It was about an 8-hour drive there and 8 hours back. We left last night around 10PM and made it back home around 5:30AM and I slept all the way until nearly 2PM. I'm at the library now. I've only seen a few of the photos, but Megan is putting them on her computer and I'll share them soon. Thanks again for the support. I guess it was a day of 2nd places for the Vegan Bodybuilders competing. Alex and I both came up short, but I'm sure we both had an awesome time and we'll get back up on stage next year. For both of us, now it's time to EAT!!!! Thin Thin 2nd Place Him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daywalker Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 Awesome Robert! Congratulations! Thank you for the cool report I've been looking forward to this as much as my own results!! Now i'm looking forward to see the pics But as i've seen your pictures from thursday, i can wait a little longer for i know you were in top shape! The guy who placed 1st in my class also had to lose a lot of weight - 60lbs, he said. I don't know, i'm rather in good shape all year. How were they testing the athletes? I really wish there would have been more in my class because I think I probably would have been in the top 2 or 3 even if there were 5-10 of us like I thought there would be. This pro wrestler was just bigger and better so I took 2nd, which I guess would be technically last place in my category Everyone who doesn't make it to the stage can't win. You were better than every single bodybuilder who didn't compete - many don't even start the preparation because they're afraid they'll suck, others quit the diet after a few weeks. YOU had the guts to dare it, YOU had the discipline to go through the diet! YOU deserve your place!It's not your fault that there were no more athletes. There was only one judged better, that's the result! Thanks again for the support. I guess it was a day of 2nd places for the Vegan Bodybuilders competing. Alex and I both came up short, but I'm sure we both had an awesome time and we'll get back up on stage next year.You bet i had a great time! It's kind of stressing but i wouldn't want to miss it! I'm only glad that the next contest is in three weeks not next weekend For both of us, now it's time to EAT!!!!*lol*You won't believe - or maybe, you would - the amount of food i ate since yesterday night I rewarded myself by a non-diet-day today Tomorrow the diet continues, as i have three more shows to go this season Did i mention that i'm looking forward to the bulking period in winter? Thin Thin 2nd Place Him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veganmadre Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 I rewarded myself by a non-diet-day today Daywalker, that hopefully means you had K-oz's vegan tiramisu!!!! Robert-awesome awesome. I totally wish I could fund you personally to return to California to give me another chance to meet with you! But, given I couldn't even afford this trip, that possibility seems nil. I'm very excited for your movie! What a multi-talented guy you are! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 Everyone who doesn't make it to the stage can't win. You were better than every single bodybuilder who didn't compete - many don't even start the preparation because they're afraid they'll suck, others quit the diet after a few weeks. YOU had the guts to dare it, YOU had the discipline to go through the diet! YOU deserve your place!It's not your fault that there were no more athletes. There was only one judged better, that's the result! Exactly Well done Rob. I am surprised that they didn't bunch together some of the groups which had less people in, to make it more of a competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted October 31, 2005 Author Share Posted October 31, 2005 Alex, Thanks! That is a great way to look at it! I was kind of thinking along the same lines. It does take a lot of guts to go through the whole process because you don't just represent yourself that day, you represent what you've worked hard at for weeks, months or years and you want to be proud of what you've put together. Yeah, I'm excited to see the photos and post them because this is what I looked like 2 days before the contest, you can image the pro wrestler looked pretty good to beat me! He was such a nice guy, I don't mind my 2nd place. http://myspace-032.vo.llnwd.net/00281/23/06/281636032_l.jpg Thanks VeganMadre, Sorry we didn't get to meet up, we'll have to next year and I think Topher will be up on stage with me in California as well. Maybe he'll be the guy beating me and keeping me in 2nd place! Thanks Richard, Yeah, I was saying the same thing..why didn't they clump us together more. But that is just how they do it sometimes. Last time I was in Sacramento to compete there were 15 in my category and they split us in two, 8 in one class and 7 in my class. I was 4th palce in that contest, but it was a lot of fun because there were so many of us. Just two isn't quite as fun but this pro wrestling guy was awesome and we entertained the crowd really well. I almost knocked him off the stage in the posedown. The judges we're concerned we'd fall off the stage and land on their table! Multiple judges told me it looked like I "worked the hardest" up on stage. I was flexing so hard, I think there was spit flying out of my mouth and my legs were shaking. It was really really fun! P.S. I posed to ALL VEGAN MUSIC and a few seconds of audio clips from Jack Black, and a few other celebrity voices. I wore Royal Blue posing trunks in the morning and HOT PINK colored trunks for the Finals Photos coming in the next couple of days I hope. -Thin Thin Have To Do Laundry Cause All My Clothes Are Tan Colored Him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 well done rob. its a damn fine result. and i agree that you are looking the best you have ever done. keep up the hard work jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daywalker Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 you don't just represent yourself that day, you represent what you've worked hard at for weeks, months or years and you want to be proud of what you've put together.Exactly!That's the same word for word i said yesterday! P.S. I posed to ALL VEGAN MUSIC and a few seconds of audio clips from Jack Black, and a few other celebrity voices.Oh yes!I forgot to mention that! I posed to all vegan music, too! I chose Richard's track "meat" from his chrysander page - check it out if you haven't yet! It's an awesome song And look at my pics while listening, that way you can imagine how it was when i was on stage -Thin Thin Have To Do Laundry Cause All My Clothes Are Tan Colored HimHehe My washing machine is working hard right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 Great result Rob, 2nd in the worlds, is 2nd in the worlds, doesn't matter about numbers, at that point you were 2nd best in your class. The rest just didn't cut it, so didn't show! & you saying you were in the best condition of your life shows you where the real contest is anyway. You can't control who enters, their size, shape, condition, but YOU came in better than before, so in the REAL contest, you came in 1st against the previous versions of you! That's being a real winner mate!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesty leroux Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 You rock rob! And if there were more competitors you woulda still been in the top! And you really do look great, bigger than before! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROBBIE Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 Hi Robert well done just to get in that condition is worth 1st place great going mate-VEGAN=POWER-ROBBIEx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelhobson Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 There was of course, Me, and a Professional wrestler with the WWE, formerly WWF for 16 years who just retired a few months ago. From what I have seen in documentaries and read about the WWE, steroids are pretty much mandatory. What was this guy doing in a natural competition anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 Congrats, Robert!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daywalker Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 From what I have seen in documentaries and read about the WWE, steroids are pretty much mandatory. What was this guy doing in a natural competition anyway? The regulations of the WNBF require the athletes to be training natural for the past seven years, not to be life-time steroid free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelhobson Posted October 31, 2005 Share Posted October 31, 2005 From what I have seen in documentaries and read about the WWE, steroids are pretty much mandatory. What was this guy doing in a natural competition anyway? The regulations of the WNBF require the athletes to be training natural for the past seven years, not to be life-time steroid free. Still doesn't seem fair! Good work Rob and Alex for standing up and competing with these guys. First place next time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted November 1, 2005 Author Share Posted November 1, 2005 Thanks for all the comments! I just got back from working a graveyard shift (my first one ever) and then I slept from 9AM-4:30PM. I go in again tonight to work from midnight-noon, so a 12-hour shift. I gotta make up time for the days I took off to compete. Michael, You are right that "MOST" guys in Pro wrestling use some sort of performance enhancing drugs. This guy John Blake (wrestled under the names Psycho, Pitbull, Johnny Blake) is all natural for at least the last 5 years. The INBA has us polygraph and urine tested to be drug-free for at least the past 5 years and most of us have been drug-free for LIFE. This guy John is totally awesome and I'd bet he is lifetime drug-free as well. He talked about many of wrestlers using steroids, giving me the names of the guys who used the most, and some of the ins and outs of the business. As ALL of you should know by now, for 13 years that is the job I wanted to have; to be a pro wrestler for the WWF. So we had a great time chatting. I will get photos up soon. I go to work soon and will be there for 12 hours and then sleeping the next 8 hours after that but sometime in the next couple of days I'll get some contest day photos up here to view. Thanks again for all the support. I worked very hard for this contest, harder than I have for any other one in the past, and I agree that if there were more, say 5-10 athletes in my class, I still would have been top 2 or 3. I had feather lines in my legs which is hard for natural bodybuilders to get because it represents an extremely lean physique. I'll be bigger and better in 2006! -Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROBBIE Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 Hi Robert it,s shame you can,t get anymore show,s in with the condition you are in but I know what you mean by the finacial aspect of competiting I have 2 more show,s to do this year and a guest spot 3weeks time the WABBA Mr Britain 4weeks time NABBA Mr Britain 5weeks the London Animal Aid Vegan fair[guest spot] so this 9 shows 2 guest spots I will have spent over$2.000 its going to be a lean Christmas this year Next year if I don,t get sponsorship I will not be competiting people outside of the game do not realize how much we have to put into getting ready for a show mental/physical/finacial etc etc.For the life of me I can,t understand why the Vegan companies have not picked us up and given us support as we are both excellent role models for a Vegan lifestyle.VEGAN=POWER-ROBBIEx ps Hope all goes well with your movie and you make mega buck,s Rx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted November 1, 2005 Author Share Posted November 1, 2005 Robbie, Best of luck in your shows! Man, I know exactly what you mean. It is very expensive to compete when you consider all of the things involved and that we usually start to prepare 8-16 weeks before the show. I wish more companies would sponsor vegan athletes like ourselves. I've tried with many and come up short nearly everytime. I've been lucky to get some sponsorship from a few companies over the years, but far less than what I had hoped. That is why I like to sponsor vegan athlete with Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness. We don't have much money but we've officially sponsored a few athletes so far, paying for their entry fee, providing them with clothing and supplements and promoting them through websites and stuff like that. I hope more of us will get some sponsorship money and endorsement stuff in the coming years. That is the main reason why I haven't competed very much, I simply can't afford it. Best of luck to you and keep us updated on your contest results. -Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 I agree man. Has anyone contacted vegan companies to ask about sponsorship? I think Robert mentioned something about it before, and it not working out. It seems really weird that they wouldn't support you. A few thousand dollars a year isn't that much for advertising, in the big picture. EDIT: posted at the same time as Rob ^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted November 1, 2005 Author Share Posted November 1, 2005 Hey Richard, Yeah, it is too bad. I have failed over and over when trying to get sponsorship in the past. I even had my father, Dr. Peter Cheeke look over my proposals before I sent them out to various companies. One of the main problems is pretty sad. A lot of the companies I was trying to connect with were food companies and the thing is, many of them are not owned by vegans or vegetarians. They sell vegan products like mock meat foods (flavored tofu, etc.) but they have no interest in having a vegan representative; that is the last thing they want. They sell so many of their products to non-vegans who are just looking for a substitute lower in cholesterol or fat and having a vegan representative would actually hurt their reputation. I didn't realize that at first, but now I know. So now I have to look deeper into the companies to find out which ones are TRUE vegan companies and which ones are more like a trick, making money off non-vegans. I don't blame them and in fact they are helping with veganism by selling vegan foods, they just don't always have all the right morals behind their companies. I actually haven't tried to get any sponsorship in nearly 2 years, yet during the past two years I've been sponsored by multiple companies. Sometimes things fall into place like that, other times it takes a lot of work. I will attempt to get sponsored by companies again later on this year and early next year. -Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 I'd have thought that Vegan Society, Vegetarian Society or maybe even Peta would want to be represented by you? But I dunno if they really sponsor anyone / anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kadett8 Posted November 1, 2005 Share Posted November 1, 2005 robert, thats absolutly great!congratulations matei'll spread it! felix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted November 2, 2005 Author Share Posted November 2, 2005 I just signed up for photobucket today because I know so many people use it and it seems easy. So I'll go ahead and test it out. Here are a few Pre-Contest photos and I'll continue to add more in this thread as well, including come contest photos: http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/pre1.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/pre2.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/pre3.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted November 2, 2005 Author Share Posted November 2, 2005 Photobucket Rules! I'm always afraid to try new things like using websites, cell phones, etc. because I'm afraid I won't know how, but it was totally easy! Now I just need to learn how to properly use a remote control. Wow, those photos were really big, at least on this computer screen I'm working from. So these should be a bit smaller. Now that I take a look at my photos, I'm not sure if I really am in my best-ever shape, but I still feel like is in pretty good shape: http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/pre4.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/pre5.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/pre6.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted November 2, 2005 Author Share Posted November 2, 2005 Ok finally! Here are some contest photos of Me and my Pro-Wrestler competitor! He is about 15 pounds heavier than me, but please note he is closer to the camera lense in most photos which makes him dwarf me even more So here are a few from the contest. I will work hard in the off-season to get bigger and bigger. I feel pretty small once I cut down for contest conditioning. http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest3.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest1.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest2.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest4.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest5.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest6.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest7.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted November 2, 2005 Author Share Posted November 2, 2005 Here are the final result photos. Me in 2nd place and photos taken after the show up on stage. Thanks to Megan for taking all the photos. Topher took the pre-contest photos from outside and in the gym. Megan took all the pre-contest ones at the hotel room, and all the photos from the competition. Thanks Team! I'll just have to get bigger and better and go back to compete many times next year! Thin Thin PhotoBucket Is Totally Awesome Him http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest8.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest9.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest10.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest11.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest12.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest13.jpg http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c210/VeganBodybuilder/contest14.jpg Thanks again for all the support. I will continue to improve. -Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now