Vol. 1: Bantam through Middleweight Men, 63 minutes
Vol. 2: Light-Heavy through Super-heavyweight Men, 61 minutes
Released by Repetrope in 1998
Availability: http://www.repetrope.com“I don’t want no dissension, just dynamic tension . . .”
The bodybuilders on these two videotapes may never have heard of “dynamic tension,” but they’ve learned the lessons of Charles S. Atlas (born Angelo Siciliano in 1893) many times over. Over 80 competitors at the 1998 National Bodybuilding Championships in Atlanta show their stuff via the Repetrope camera. Just minutes away from their contest appearance, most of these guys are in the best shape of their lives. An individual display of their physiques is a gift to bodybuilding fans. In this set of videos Repetrope has captioned most of the competitors with their name, state, and weight class. (There are a few errors in these captions that I’ll correct below.) Some of the bigger guys are well enough known from the mags not to need captions, but most I had never seen before.
The format of the Repetrope backstage posing is described in my review of the 1998 Mr. USA backstage tape. The only difference is the captioning on these tapes. I will mention the live sound, which consists of grunting men pumping weights off camera, as well as announcements from the NPC backstage guy and the show MC (since it’s going on as the videotape is being made). If you hear some repetition here, it's because Repetrope tapes the sound and then loops it for the backstage posing tapes.
First video: Bantam through Middleweight Men
I will comment only if I liked the guy overall, or if he placed in the show (so a few guys on the tape aren't listed below). I list the contest rankings of the BBs as I’ve been able to ascertain them. I note several guys who didn't place in their class (top 15 in each of the six classes). The coverage on this tape is bantamweights (to 143 1/4 pounds), lightweights (to 154 1/4), and middleweights (to 176 1/4). If I can't identify the posers, I will list the time of their appearance on the tape.
Clifton Torres (bantam 9th) Nice front, speckled tan in back.
Marvin Ward (bantam 3rd) Great V torso, bicep tattoo.
Allan Terrell (bantam, didn't place) Fine abs, fantastic back double bicep pose, well displayed.
Frank DiCicco (light 2nd) Thick, great cuts, great poser, back tattoo.
Roddy Gaubert (light 1st) Great cuts and size.
Johnny Ferreri (light 13th) Has the abs.
Al Escobar (light 5th) Thick build, can pose.
Robert Mesa (light 4th) Solid abs, nice low-angle shot.
Dave Tereault (middle, didn't place) Freaky build, very thick, with speckled tan. I thought middleweight was the best class in this show.
Danny Gutierrez (bantam 15th) Good low-angle shot of abs.
Ken Yates (middle, didn't place) Great arms, thick torso, excellent everywhere, and outrageous he didn’t place. He was robbed.
Dennis Beylotte (middle, didn't place) Excellent shoulders and arms, built like an anatomy chart, striated muscles everywhere.
Eric Otero (middle 2nd) Thick build, deserved his placing. Promising competitor.
Scott Plaisance (middle, didn't place) Intense poser, great bicep shot.
Robert Mason (middle 5th) A monster for his class, fantastic poser, really shows his stuff.
Roger Stewart (middle 7th) Amazing pelvic structure, V back, good cuts.
Richard Longwith (middle 11th) Nice overall build.
Jeffrey Scott (middle 12th) Thick chest, nice abs, back. Can pose.
Darren Meade (middle 14th) Very into biceps posing; nice back.
Corey Hajek (light 9th) Thick torso, including waist.
Derik Farnsworth (light 3rd) Thick chest, V back, heavy triceps. Solid posing.
Joseph Justin (light 15th) Good poser.
Ricky Parks (bantam 2nd) I would have given him this class. Huge chest and arms, fantastic abs and legs, great smile. Mislabeled as a “lightweight.”
Carlen Charleston (light 12th) Very muscular, and absence of long muscle bellies makes him even bulkier.
Terry Haynes (middle 13th) Incredible back, good poser, should be higher.
Rueben Dwyer (light 10th) Peaked biceps, good back, sinewy everywhere.
Group scene (at 47:00 in) Four together, the start of winners coming offstage.
Earl Snyder (bantam 1st) Good arms, deep back.
Al Escobar
Eric Otero
Roddy Gaubert
Kevin English (middle 1st) This guy has it all, and I would have given him the show. A man with a real future in bodybuilding.From minutes 52 to 63, we get a section labeled, “Extra Posing from the Weigh In -- The day before the contest.” The curtain behind the posers is brown here instead of the blue one in the pump room, and sometimes the contestants are wearing gym clothes.
Not named (at 52:00 in) Great pecs, well displayed.
Dennis Beylotte His quads well shown here; this guy is self-aware and hungry to win.
Not named (at 1:00 in) A black guy with great abs, has it.
Not named (at 1:01 in) Italian guy, big everywhere, well shown.To sum up the first tape, my favorites are bantamweight Ricky Parks and middleweights Kevin English, Ken Yates and Robert Mason.
Vol. 2: Light-Heavy through Super-Heavyweight Men
Here is my take on the bigger guys. Some middles were on this tape labeled as lightheavies, but I liked the middles so it’s not a problem. The weight limits are as follows: light-heavyweights (to 198 1/4 pounds), heavyweights (to 225 1/4 pounds), and super-heavyweights (above that).
Damon Island (lightheavy, didn't place) Great arms, terrific poser, pec tattoo, just excellent and robbed in the placings.
Chris Dodson (lightheavy, didn't place) Good side shots.
Greg Davis (lightheavy 12th) Nice low-angle shots.
Woody Sons (lightheavy, didn't place) Hungry staring eyes, thick pecs, pec tattoo.
Jack Harley (lightheavy, didn't place) Good overall look.
Troy Alves (lightheavy 8th) Starts with gym shorts, has thick build, terrific look. Won the Junior USA overall in 1997.
Tony Grape (lightheavy, didn't place) and Vinnie Galanti (lightheavy 6th) Posing together, then Grape solo. Galanti may go pro.
Scott Shoemaker (lightheavy 13th) Thick build, can pose. Mislabeled as a “heavyweight.”
Elvernie McGee (lightheavy 15th) Nice pecs, abs, back tattoo, good poser, extensive arm shots. Mislabeled as a “heavyweight.”
Javier Datiz (lightheavy, didn't place) Big guy.
Angelo Triantafilidis (heavy 10th) Thick chest, hard arms and back, nice grin. Mistakenly labeled as a “lightheavy.”
George Thurmon (heavy 12th) An older guy, pirate look (bald with goatee), great poser, my favorite in his class.
Fred Bigot (lightheavy 4th) Has the cuts and posing, shows off his quads and glutes.
Not named (at 20:00 in) Sharp arms, great expressions as he poses.
Dwayne McDaniel (lightheavy 11th) Good low-angle display.
Scott Klein (superheavy 11th) A very big boy who can show what he’s got.
Thomas Prata (superheavy 10th) Huge torso and back, arm tattoo.
Justin Brooks (superheavy13th) His height keeps him from looking freaky.
Scott Peters (superheavy 14th) He didn’t peak here but can pose, has abs and sheer size, plus the insinuating Kuzak grin.
Chuck Sanow (heavy 2nd) Freaky arms and back, garage-door shoulders, great cuts.
Tetiva Aholelei (heavy 4th) Has good lines, arm size. Potential pro.
Doug Wentz (heavy 6th) Big guy who projects a great personality, nice abs and arms, terrific grin.
Not named (at 32:00 in) Has huge arms, solid chest.
Matt DuVall (superheavy 6th) Good poser, immense chest and arms.
Jeramy Freeman (superheavy 9th) Nice abs, otherwise just huge.
Idrise Ward-El (superheavy 4th) Nice shape, excellent back, doesn’t look nearly as big as the other superheavies.
Warren James (middle 3rd) Freaky chest, shoulders, great poser. Mislabeled as a “lightheavy.”
Johnny Stewart (middle 4th) Big veiny quads, nice back. Mislabeled as a “lightheavy.”
Not named (at 40:00 in) Massive black guy.
Tevita Aholelei This starts the winners coming offstage.
Shari "King" Kamali (heavy 3rd) Huge shoulders, big guy. A potential pro.
Aaron Maddron (superheavy 2nd) A monster, does his routine casually but is well displayed. Immense back and arms. He will go pro.The video now shifts to additional posing at weigh in.
Not named (at 45:00 in) Blond guy, has cuts.
Not named (at 47:00 in) Nice abs, thick, good low-angle shots.
Matt DuVall His back double bicep pose is beyond belief.
Not named (at 51:00 in) Huge black guy who poses in his his sweatpants. A mass monster, huge arms, shoulders, chest, fantastic poser.
Not named (at 53:00 in) Nice overall look.
Troy Alves Excellent low-angle shots.
Javier Datiz
Not named This Italian guy pulls his sweatpants off to reveal great legs to match a great back. Excellent low-angle shots.To sum up the second tape, my faves are lightheavies Damon Island and Troy Alves, heavyweight George Thurmon, and the unnamed guy 51 minutes in. All are African American, and that is the trend in top amateur NPC shows -- blacks are often the best competitors onstage.
Mike Emery
July 1999, revised June 2001
