Highlights of the Mr. America Contest

by the Editor

LAST issue of Iron Man carried a Flash Report of the Senior Nationals and the Mr. America contest but we'd like to give you a few more details, especially of the Mr. America contest, as the lifting is thoroughly covered in Lifting News, which all readers should have read by now.

We wish that all our readers could be with us at these big annual events. This year the meet was staged at the Embassy Auditorium in Los Angeles. Originally it was planned to hold the meet at the Greek Theatre where previous Sr. Nationals have been held, but remodeling was in progress and was not expected to be finished in time, so that it was thought best to hold it in the same location where most of the Southern California meets are held. The lifters are one of the big users of this auditorium, which is part of the Embassy Hotel. They are allowed to store their platforms lifting bars, signal lights, etc. there, and have a large roomful of such equipment, so it is very convenient for them anytime they wish to hold a meet. The Southern California Association always does a nice job of putting on these meets.

The attendance was comparatively small when other big meets are considered, as they had about 2,000 the last night for the Mr. America contest compared to about 5,000 or so other years at the Greek Theatre. However, everyone seemed to have a good time and the decision on the Mr. America seemed to be quite popular compared to past years. No one would have complained much if either Sansone or Lyman had won the title. These men are both outstanding and have both improved a great deal in the past year or so. They have slightly different physiques. Lyman reminded us quite a good deal of Steve Reeves, while the physique of Sansone is a little on the order of that of Bill Pearl when he won the title. Both Lyman and Sansone had bulked up considerably and then trained down for fine definition and shape. Lyman has a little flatter type of build with smaller hips and waist, with quite wide shoulders, while Sansone has greater depth of chest and a little heavier muscularity. Lyman has a light golden tan while Sansone has a darker brown tan acquired mostly in a few days in the California sun. As we stated before, all the judges but one tied the boys and this one had 2 1/2 points difference in them. We are sure that you will find them both two of the best men in the physique field in America today and we are sure they will both improve a great deal more as other Mr. America winners have. As a matter of fact nearly all the past Mr. America winners improved a great deal after winning the title.

Each man had an excellent posing routine and each had his supporters cheering for him as he came out for his display.

The posing platform had a white backdrop and the lighting was fairly good. The men showed up well but the display that I liked best was when all the men came out together in one big lineup for introductions. This was under normal lighting and you could see just what they looked like. Posing under lights is very tricky and quite often an inexperienced person will give first place to a man who probably looks very poor under normal lighting. This is one reason that I feel that prejudging would offer great advantages. As it stands now the judges meet the men in the afternoon before the contest and interview them regarding their athletic ability, education, etc. The majority of the fellows got the maximum 5 points on this. All these things (personality, education, athletic ability, etc.) come under the heading of "Athletic Ability". The lowest points on this anyone received were 3, and only four men were in that category. I feel that if the entire judging was done in the afternoon it would be much better. I realize that the audience would probably not agree with the judges decisions, for they see the men only on the stage and under lights. Quite often a man's character will either give him some high points or low points, as well as his deportment around the judges in the afternoon. We also noticed that usually the more experienced men were at ease on the posing platform when the men were lined up, but the newer men were tense and posed with their lats spread all the time. Take some advice, fellows, RELAX, you are not fooling the judges one bit, and you may hurt your chances. Relax and stand normal, posing only when requested to do so. The judges pick the winner as much from relaxed poses as they do the tensed up poses and frankly, some of you would come closer to winning a title if you never tensed a muscle, for some of your poses are grotesque. Very, very few men should use twisting or graceful poses because very few men look well in them. As a matter of fact, such poses are objected to by most judges. Straight muscle poses and relaxed poses are best. I have yet to see a top muscle man come to the posing platform and stand relaxed for front, side and back poses. When the judges ask for a relaxed back pose give it to them. Do not try to spread the lats. You can't possibly do it without it showing and the judges know it. Don't try to 'hog' the platform. A few well chosen poses are ample. You antagonize the judges if you stay too long. Conduct yourself as a gentleman. Don't expect to win the title, and you won't be disappointed. Forget what your good friends tell you about being the best. They are prejudiced and seldom give you an honest opinion even if they try. Get out there and give of your best just for the fun of it. A title isn't worth much anyhow, no matter what it may look like now. We very much like the answer some of the Mr. America's have given for training and which Sansone gave. They are doing it because they realize the value of good health and a strong physique. They know that its value to them in better efficiency and happier living is worth much more to them than any title or public adulation could ever be.

Now we wish to make a few remarks about the different men entered, their physique and their abilities. We are sorry that our information is not complete on all the men, so if some names are not mentioned as much as you feel they should don't feel badly. We just don't have the info.

Fred Schutz won 5th place and we feel he was very lucky to place so high in such tough competition, for we feel that this was one of the tough years. Fred is quite good, has good shape and definition but needs more upper body development. He can make the grade if he wishes to specialize at bodybuilding, but Fred is a happy-go-lucky lifter and may never get serious enough about specialized bodybuilding. If he would, I think he could eventually take a title.

Ed Bailey of Hawaii, who recently won the Mr. Hawaii title is very good and has a husky, bulky physique with good shape. Ed is with the US Army.

John Homola of Stern's Gym has a fine physique of the more slender type and reminds us a little of Koszewski, though he isn't quite so heavily built yet. Everett Evans has a nice build for a colored boy, but his calves are not what they should be. Gene Bohaty took third place, but though he was more bulky he had lost definition and looked a little soft. He promises that next year he will hold his bulk and have the definition. Gene is bound to win one of these days. He stays doggedly at it. Bill Golumbick has a very nice build, very shapely though not bulky. However, he is rather light boned and it is doubtful if he can bulk up much more and retain his shape and definition. Bill is a certified public accountant. Incidentally, we found that many of the entries this year were well educated and generally excellent athletes. Most of them had athletic accomplishments that gave them 5 points.

Joe Baratta, who operates a women's gym is a very good short man. He is a good wrestler and gymnast. Earl Clark, formerly of Stern's gym, is a remarkable fellow. Rather short for a Mr. America title, he nevertheless is one of the most muscular men we have seen. We fail to see how he misses winning all the most muscular titles. He has exceptional size and definition and, in general, good shape though his hips are perhaps a little large for most judges when viewed from the side. Sam Martin is quite good and has very large arms. Al Souza of Pearl's Gym, 31 years old and winner of several titles, including Mr. Pacific Coast, is quite a good athlete. He has good shape and excellent muscularity but lacks bulk for the top title. Whether he can acquire this and maintain his other qualities is questionable. Robert Walker, who has won so many titles, is one of the outstanding colored physique men and getting better all the time. His shape is exceptional as is his definition. He still needs a little more bulk. He is married and has three children and has been an excellent athlete.

Ray Routledge is very good and should come up to the top with a little more bulk if he can maintain his definition and shape. He would make a good lifter, as he is quite strong. Vern Weaver of York has a very fine physique though it is lacking in bulk. He has good definition and shape but could stand 20 pounds more muscle. He will probably acquire this in time. Chas. Collras has a nice physique for a short man but probably has all the bulk he can get and still keep his shape and definition. Charles Sipes is a big fellow from Pearl's Gym, who shows up well but needs a little more shaping up.

Gene Reid also needs a little more shape work though he looks very nice. Roy Smith is another colored boy who has a very nice physique and is a very outstanding athlete. He also is in the service. He has been a boxing champion in several areas. He is a little light in weight but has outstanding definition and shape. He has a very interesting personality.

That just about takes care of the fellows on whom we have information or comment. We have left out a few deserving men and we are sorry that we could get nothing on them. We were impressed with the seemingly improved quality of the character and personality of most of the men entered this year, also that most of them were good athletes. We will have stories on some of these boys, giving more information about them.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

- The decision between Sansone and Lyman was so very close that it could hardly be considered a difference. These boys have different types of physiques, each nearly perfect for his type. Both of them can take their place with the best physiques of the past. Lyman will certainly be hard to beat next year. He has a build somewhat similar to that of Steve Reeves. Both men had gone up quite high in bodyweight and then trained off about 20 or more pounds for this event. Lyman, a blond, had a light golden tan while Sansone, as befits his Italian parentage, had quite a dark tan.

- Gene Bohaty took third place. Gene had added bulk but had lost much of his former fine definition. He promises next year to hold his size and regain his definition. Walker, shown below, has an outstanding physique with all the shape and definition needed but not possessing the bulk that the winners had. He certainly has one of the outstanding physiques, though.

- George Wilcut congratulates Earle Liederman as Earle comes to the mike to say a few words to his many followers. Earle announced his resignation from the Weider organization and expects to work as a free lance writer now. You will find some of his contribution in this issue of Iron Man. As most of you know, he was once the leading correspondence teacher in the world, with an unbelievable following.

- Here is another favorite pose of Lyman. He continues to make improvement and will certainly become one of the greats of the physique game.