The Eighth Annual Joe Weider's Masters Mr. Olympia
Top NPC Super-heavyweight competitor Noah Steere
promotes
supplements at the expo.
Held in Lynchburg, Virginia with the 2002 Jan Tana Classic
August 16, 2002 (Prejudging)
August 17, 2002 (Evening Show)
Jan Tana sponsored the Masters Mr. Olympia, a professional competition for IFBB athletes, for the fourth time in 2002. The entire slate of events -- including two pro women's shows (fitness and bodybuilding) and a NPC national qualifier -- was held at E. C. Glass High School in Lynchburg. While not as posh as the Roanoke Civic Center was in 2000, the Glass auditorium was spacious and comfortable. Jan Tana wanted to bring world-class bodybuilding to the regional level by holding it in central Virginia. At the evening show on Saturday night, she noted competitors had come from 27 countries: "Pretty incredible for Lynchburg, Virginia," she said. She dedicated the show to all competitors in the 15 years she has held pro shows. The competition theme this year was "Go Hollywood," and part of the program felt like Academy Awards night, with paparazzi and an Arnold lookalike in onstage skits. It was fun.
This year's pro masters show had a bumper crop of competitors, 11 more than last year's did. A number were in great shape. As a result, several men who placed higher the last few years got bumped down to a lower ranking. The top men in this competition enhance their careers with a strong showing, so most competitors arrive to do some damage. Twelve flew in from outside North America, but only one of them placed in the top six. Twenty-seven appeared in the prejudging (Juan Márquez dropped out due to injury before the evening show, so 26 were in the finals).
Prejudging
On Friday evening, IFBB judging began on time at 7:00 p.m. Panel judges included IFBB Vice-President Wayne Demilia, lead judge Jim Rockell, John Kemper (NPC Masters Nationals winner in '87), and Rich Gaspari. The masters men sat in the audience for the pro women's prejudging, which went briskly. Supportive men in the audience shouted directions to the women in the lineups onstage (occasionally shouting at length in a foreign language, trying to drown out others in the audience). Callouts revealed the judges' preferences, and a somewhat tense atmosphere prevailed. The IFBB pro women's prejudging wound up at 8:27 p.m.
The masters men came out at that point, climbing onto risers and spreading across the stage. The lead judge apologized for not getting the foreign names right, and didn't even try to pronounce them correctly. Just after the last group walked on, Chris Duffy ran out in a rush, obviously having arrived late, and was told to remove his glasses and watch. Quarter-turn symmetry callouts began at that point, in 22 rounds as follows:
1) Hawk, Taylor, Duffy
2) Hawk, Taylor, Paulsen
3) Youngblood, Taylor, Paulsen
4) Paulsen, Youngblood, Taylor
5) Hawk, Youngblood, Taylor
6) Duffy, Baccianini, Hnatyschak
7) T'Hooft, Graneheim, Simmons
8) Hawk, Hnatyschak, Graneheim
9) Duffy, Paulsen, Youngblood
10) Palumbo, Hnatyschak, Graneheim
11) Baccianini, Graneheim, Palumbo
12) Paulsen, Taylor, Youngblood
13) Kemp, Apperson, T'Hooft
14) Simmons, Kemp, T'Hooft
15) Krivanek, Delczeg, Giurgi
16) Simmons, Giurgi, Krivanek
17) Davis, Pedone, Márquez
18) Visockis, Samimy, Bullman
19) Conrad, T'Hooft, Palumbo
20) Brown, Frydrych, Barreto-Leoesma
21) Cironte, Brown, Barreto-Leoesma
22) Samimy, Graneheim, Bullman
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Visockis, Taylor, Apperson |
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Paulsen, Youngblood, Cironte, Barreto-Leoesma,
Frydrych |
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Delczeg, Giurgi,
Brown, Duffy |
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(back): Paulsen, Youngblood |
As the callouts proceeded, there was kibbitzing among some competitors on the risers. An IFBB official toweled off those who were sweating excessively. A few high-fived others for getting called out, and others looked unhappy not to be called out till the later rounds (such as Giurgi, who wasn't called out till the 15th). The earlier you're called out, the more serious the judges are about you. The men in the callouts are often repositioned, as the judges ask competitors to shift from the side to the middle for further comparisons. Round one ended at 9:00 p.m.
Hawk, Taylor, Duffy
(note Giurgi's frustration at right)
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Hawk, Taylor, Duffy (back) |
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Hawk, Taylor, Paulsen
(side) |
Paulsen, Youngblood,
Taylor (side) |
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Hawk, Youngblood, Taylor
(side) |
Hnatyschak, Duffy, Baccianini |
Simmons, T'Hooft, Graneheim
(side)
(in back at right: Delczeg, Giurgi)
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Paulsen, Duffy, Youngblood
(side) |
Taylor, Paulsen, Youngblood
(side) |
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T'Hooft, Kemp, Apperson (back) |
The compulsory round followed, with three each onstage in random order. A set series of standard poses, from the front, side, and back, make up the second round. The lead judge thanked the competitors by first name as they filed offstage. The compulsories only took 15 minutes.
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Hawk,
Samimy, Baccianini (front
double bicep) |
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Palumbo,
Graneheim, Davis (abs and legs) |
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Paulsen, Youngblood, Cironte |
front lat
spread |
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Barreto-Leoesma, Paulsen, Simmons |
Prejudging: Stage callouts
For the third round, all competitors came back to the onstage risers again. This round was the second callouts, and indicated the judges' developing view of the men relative to one another. Here are the 18 rounds of second callouts:
1) Taylor, Youngblood, Paulsen
2) Paulsen, Duffy, Hawk
3) Hawk, T'Hooft, Hnatyschak
4) Baccianini, Palumbo, Graneheim
5) Conrad, T'Hooft, Simmons
6) Hawk, Hnatyschak, Kemp
7) Palumbo, T'Hooft, Kemp
8) Krivanek, Delczeg, Giurgi
9) Apperson, Giurgi, Krivanek
10) Simmons, Kemp, Krivanek
11) Frydrych, Apperson, Conrad
12) Davis, Pedone, Bullman
13) Brown, Barreto-Leoesma, Samimy
14) Visockis, Cironte, Giurgi
15) Márquez, Bullman, Davis
16) Youngblood, Paulsen
17) Taylor, Youngblood
18) Taylor, Paulsen
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Youngblood,
Taylor, Paulsen (start of front lat spread) |
Youngblood,
Taylor, Paulsen (side chest) |
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Youngblood,
Paulsen, Taylor (back double bicep) |
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Hawk, Paulsen, Duffy (front
double bicep) |
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Krivanek, Simmons, Kemp (side tricep) |
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Paulsen, Youngblood (side chest) |
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back double bicep |
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side tricep |
Taylor, Youngblood (side chest) (Simmons at back right)
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side tricep |
back |
abdominals