The Mr. International 1976

Report by Jack Neary

"How often had we heard someone ponder rhetorically, 'What if Robby competed in the Olympia?' There was speculation."

Franco Columbu had just won the Mr. Olympia. Robby Robinson had just won the Mr. International. It was backstage at the Veteran's Memorial Auditorium in Columbus, myriads of autograph-hungry muscle-heads filled the lobby to an annoying level, but Columbu and Robinson were in no hurry to meet them. They stood inconspicuously before a mirror away and out of the mainstream of backstage camaraderie, just looking. For just a short moment in a day riddled with tension the two winners became quietly lost in themselves before this silver plane of truth. Then Columbu who owns a franchise on mass turned to Robinson and said, "Robby you are getting too big."

Was Columbu perhaps intoning that Robinson may have provided the most formidable competition in the Olympia had he been professional? How often had we heard someone ponder rhetorically. "What if Robby competed in the Olympia?" There was speculation.

To which Robby will tell you, "Hey, I told them all, you better get yours today, because I'm gonna get mine tomorrow."

How so, Robby got his. Seems he's been getting it every time out. It would be pretentious to masquerade the Mr. International victory of Sept. 18 as the climax of the season. It would be better likened to a tune-up for the Mr. Universe in November, which, if you listened to Robby for a couple minutes, seems in the bag. Depriving Robby of the Universe at this stage would be like slipping into the lion's den at feeding time and well...

Robby Robinson takes no contest lightly, that must be understood. The Mr. International was a competition that he could not have lost, but in the darkness and solitude of his hotel room that evening, he delicately fingered the handles of his trophy and muttered, "How about that? Mr. International 1976. It feels good."

Robby's stiffest competition was in Roger Callard, who only a weekend before won the Mr. USA contest in San Francisco. Robby and Roger are training partners at Gold's Gym. They have come to be known as the R&R Express, a hell-bent-for-leather Locomotive hauling iron. On last-second prompting from promoter Arnold Schwarzenegger, Roger flew in to Columbus to compete. Which of course meant facing Robby, which some though might damage Roger's psyche.

This contest didn't really mean anything for Roger. His target this season is the Mr. America Oct. 2. It seemed better for him to enter the America a winner, rather than a loser.

When the Ballots were in, Roger trailed Robby by eight points, 188 to 180, both remarkable high scores. Columbu managed 187 and Zane 186 in their contest. The day after the International Roger seemed more preoccupied with his high score than the fact that it was lower than Robby's.

"I didn't expect to beat Robby in the International," confided Roger. "But I am pleased with my performance and there is no way this contest set me back. In fact I think it did me good. I am more eager than ever before to get back to California and hit it. I think my score says something in comparison to Robby's. Both of us were in the 180s which is very good. Not many Olympia competitors made that level. If I continue improving each week out like I am then I think thought should be given to there being two medium entrants in the Universe this year, Robby and myself, rather than a tall."

An astute point. Didn't we see two talls in last year's fiasco in Pretoria?

Roger Callard placed second in the medium class, not second in the contest. Only because of you-know-who. Tall class winner Jorge Navarette of Florida tallied 174 points for second place overall. Quebec's Jocelyn Pelettier scored 166 for the short class victory and third overall.

Rick Willig of Niagara Falls collected a mere 140 points to win second place in the short class of which there were only two competitors.

Third place in the medium class went to Charles Thomas of New Jersey with 168 points. Don Ross and Steve Stewart did not place. Curt Heywood of Columbus, Ohio recorded 156 points for second place in the talls and Ray Riley third with 150.

It was a contest devoid of the tremendous competitive flavor of its co-production the Olympia. Robinson, Callard and Navarette saw to that. But when Callard and Robinson stood deltoid to deltoid coaxing and forcing the swollen, striated and flushed tumuli of incredulous tissue out into a breathtaking tableau of muscle the place shuddered with the force of the crowd's screams. Never before have pictures been worth more than a thousand words, but on this occasion. Pictures indeed would be needed to verify all this.

Robin Robinson deserved to be Mr. International 1976. He would have graced the Olympia podium just as amply, but as he tells us time and again, "I'll wait for my turn. You just get it now, cause I'm gonna get mine. Soon."

PHOTO CAPTIONS

- IFBB president Ben Weider opened the competition with a succinct albeit encouraging address.

- A happy troika of winners: Pelettier, Robinson and Navarette.

- Charles Thomas (far left) and Roger Callard (above) gave the incredibly-muscled Robby Robinson a run for the spoils and kept the medium class fiercely competitive. But it would have taken a bionic creation to topple Robinson this day.

- Callard and Robinson embrace in a moment of spontaneous joy.