My Answer to the Critics

by Jim Park, "Mr. America" and "Mr. World"

followed by an editorial comment

SINCE the "Mr. America" contest, articles have been appearing in the Weider publications which have attempted to discredit me. The latest is a picture of me about to assume a pose, which is - of course - far from flattering. In the issue with this picture it is stated Irvin Johnson said I had 19-inch arms, cold, and I can see no reason why Irvin Johnson would have said so.

I said my arms were 18 3/8 inches, flexed, at the time - and they were. Maybe I should have claimed 19 inches to keep up with the extravagant claims made by Weider for some of his so-called champions. I've always admired large, shapely arms and have never seen anyone with an arm comparable to that of John Grimek, yet I doubt if his would tape 19 inches. On the other hand, there are undoubtedly a lot of big, fat men with larger arms than Grimek's - and larger waistlines to match - so what does the measurement matter?

Grimek not only has the best arms I've ever seen, but also the best physique. His massive chest and slim waist, round deltoids, muscular back, powerful thighs and amazing calves are all sensational. This brings up another rather silly statement in Weider's magazine supposedly answering a question about Grimek's reaction to Clarence Ross's gaining "the reputation of America's outstanding physique star". Who says so? Weider? There are plenty of men who have as much claim to fame as Ross before he starts getting near the top man - Grimek. In the professional "Mr. U.S.A." contest Grimek was chosen unanimously over Ross, but Weider still proclaims Ross "king of bodybuilders".

Before the 1952 "Mr. America" contest - which I won, despite recent Weider efforts to cloud the issue - Charles A. Smith approached me and offered me a substantial sum of money from Weider for a series of articles by me and pictures of me. This I turned down because I had never used his weights or "training methods". how could I endorse Weider products, like some others have done - for the money offered - with a clear conscience? Before I'd do this I'd rather dig ditches for a living.

Little did I realize, when I turned down that offer, that I was exposing myself to the worst kind of biased, unfair criticism.

But not long ago I received a letter from Weider asking me to appear in Canada, so maybe his outfit doesn't think I'm so bad after all. This letter also stated they hoped I wasn't angry about the article that appeared in their magazine. Well, at first I just considered the source, but after a while the sort of treatment they've given me gets under a man's skin and he has to spout off.

Since winning the "Mr. America" contest I've come to York and obtained a job making equipment for the company whose equipment was the first I used - and which is the best available today. I supplement my income by giving exhibitions and writing articles, now that I've become a professional, and I can't afford to keep quiet and "take it" when Weider repeatedly knocks me.

To read Weider's magazine, one is led to believe that he knows all and that he's invented all the exercises in the book. He tries to make it appear that he has something "new" and "different", whereas all he has done is try to worm his way into the weightlifting and bodybuilding game to "make a buck". He's still trying to get a foothold and the only way he knows to get it is by belittling the opposition. Well, he's made me a part of that opposition by his attack and if he thinks I'm going to sit back and let him say things about me that aren't true, he's got another thing coming.

Some of you fellows have no doubt tried his "system", so it speaks for itself. Have you got 19-inch arms? Well, I haven't, so maybe I should have used his "system". But this I will never do, so I guess I'll have to go to my grave with mere 18-inch arms and only having won the titles "Mr. America" and "Mr. World", among others, while Weider continues to produce imaginary champions with imaginary 19-inch arms.

Now you readers have been patient while I got a load off my chest and now you can make up your minds whether you want to believe Weider or me. I hope I won't have to "sound off" like this again. I'd appreciate it if Weider would live in his little circle with all his chumps - champs, I mean - and let me live in mine.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

- Jim Park, "Mr. America", "Mr. World", and "America's Most Muscular Man of 1952", has been maliciously attached by Weider publications. In these pages we give him an opportunity to reply to "mud-slinging" brought about by frustration when Weider was unable to "buy off" an honest man.

Strength & Health Editorial Comment:

Some months ago, the Weider publications let it be known that a truce was desired; that they wanted no more "feuding" publically between our organizations. We were happy to receive word of their good intentions and have refrained from mentioning them since that time.

In recent months, however, there had been continuous sniping by the Weider organization. Because Jim Park has recently become a part of our organization, we are giving him an opportunity to answer what we consider to be unfair criticism of him. At the same time, we wish to call attention to the fact that the "You Ask - We Answer" department in the Weider publications is certainly distorting the truth if not doing away with it altogether.

For example, one question supposedly asks if York Methods mad Tony Terlazzo a champion. The answer ? You guessed it: "No! Tony lifted for the German American Club in New York, and already was a star before he went to York during the depression in 1931. His lifting style was uniquely his own, developed by himself entirely!" As a matter of fact, Tony Terlazzo, like many another champion, traveled to York to learn from the men with the greatest know-how in the Iron Game. He did not win a national title until he came to York and, in 1932, tied Dick Bachtell, also of York, with a 570 total in the 132-pound class. After training with the York champions Tony progressed to total 825 as a lightweight in 1940. Certainly Tony's style was his own, just as every man's style is his own, but he developed his championship potentialities at York, training with York Methods, none other.

As a matter of fact, because Tony was a member of the York Barbell Club early in its rise to prominence, it could well be said the York weightlifting methods are part of the style of lifting evolved by Tony Terlazzo.

Now Weider comes out with a blast at York which attempts to give the impression that HE - of all people - rates with such men as Bob Hoffman, Larry Barnholth, and other competent coaches. At the same time he mentions his self-appointed "expert", Charlie Smith, and neglects to include Ed Yarick and Johnny Terpak. Now the fact is that Bob Hoffman has coached two champion Olympic teams with the able assistance of Johnny Terpak, plus innumerable world and national champions; Larry Barnholth developed no less a champion than Peter George (Larry, of course, deserve full credit for Pete's development, even though Bob and Johnny have coached him on trips abroad), and Ed Yarick has coached a national junior champion team and trained three "Mr. Americas".

And who has Weider coached? Who has Charlie Smith coached? Can you name a few of the "champions" trained by these "experts" ?

Unfortunately for Weider, he has contributed nothing but confusion and bitterness to weight lifting and body building in his attempts to discredit those who developed the sport in this country before he was ever heard of in his efforts to capitalize on the contributions of his betters.

To clear up the doubts which may have been formed in the minds of readers who haven't been around long enough to know the truth, the York methods Weider attacks are basic principles of weight lifting and body building which have been tried and proven. They apply equally to spit and squat techniques and a variety of lifting styles, and they are the same principles printed in the pages of Strength and Health (and in the York courses) over a period of 20 years of progress. Many of them Weider has learned of, changed slightly, given startling names and ballyhooed with the typical yellow journalism of his sensationalist magazines. Every man must make use of the York principles as befits his own physical construction and temperament, but if he is to reach the highest success, he must make use of them.

They are based on observations of Egyptian, German, British, French, Russian and other great foreign lifters, and on the personal experience of real - not imaginary - champions, men who have trained at the York gym over a period of more than 20 years. The accumulation of this knowledge was begun before Joe Weider knew there was such a thing as weight training. It was added to by the experience of such record-holding champions as John Davis, Tony Terlazzo, Johnny Terpak, John Grimek, Steve Stanko, Stan Stanczyk, Joe Pitman, Frank Spellman and others of the great York teams, as well as Norb Schemansky, Pete George, Jim Bradford, Dave Sheppard and all the other international champions who have trained at York at various times. Knowledge of bodybuilding has been gained in the same way - first hand - with men like Grimek, Stanko, Jules Bacon, Jim Park, Roy Hilligenn, Jack Delinger, Steve Reeves, John Farbotnik, and many other real bodybuilding champions training right here in York.

Weider has never had the benefit of this kind of association and he has not had the benefit of traveling abroad to important competition - and maybe this is what makes him and his associates so bitter. It takes a real love for the sport to be willing to make sacrifices in time and money to further it as Bob Hoffman has done.

The weight lifters and bodybuilders of America have an opportunity to make a choice between Weider's distortions and Strength and Health's dependable truths. This far we must be commercial: If we are to continue to support the Iron Game as in the past, we must have the loyal following of those interested in weight training. For this reason, as well as to earn our daily bread, we urge readers to buy York products. But in this we are not commercial: You can be assured that financial gains made by this organization will find a good percentage returning to the promotion of weight lifting and bodybuilding, the developing of a stronger and healthier America.

As a postscript, we want to call attention to another great disservice Weider publications are doing bodybuilding with their indiscriminate handing out of titles. They are now calling George Paine "America's Most Muscular Man". George is a leading contender for that title, but he has not won it in "Mr. America" contests he entered. We feel sure that George is sportsman enough to want no titles "given" him that he hasn't won and believe Weider publications are doing both him and the sport harm by printing this untruth. To label George thus is to put him in the same phony category with Joe Weider, self-styled "trainer of champions" and Charlie Smith, "The (or is it 'one of the') World's Greatest Authority" - and this shouldn't happen to George because he's too nice a guy and has too much "on the ball".

We, the editorial staff of Strength and Health, find it unpleasant to descend to petty bickering in our pages and hope it will not be necessary for us to defend ourselves again in this manner. For the benefit of readers who have called our attention to innuendos directed against us, our motto with regard to the Weider publications will continue to be "Don't Tread On Me". We will ignore them if they will allow us to do so.