Neue Kanadische Pros Louis Joseph, Vince Wawryk, Vincent Liu

...ja
toll nicht?!


:daumen:

hier ist ein Original Beitrag von bigtoph vom Muscle Mayhem board.

If you were there, I'm sure you heard me. I was, as usual, the loudmouth in row two yelling at several of the competitors.

There were several athletes from BC, and many others from across the country I have come to know over the years, including a few Mayhemmers, for whom I decided to sacrifice some vocal cords. I figured, what the hell, I'll annoy some folks around me, but I'll have a helluva time. I did.

After a seven hour prejudging and a five and a half hour finals, the largest and deepest ever Canadians was an experience I'll never forget.

Here are just a few observations:


Junior Men

Mayhemmer Antoine V dominated this class again. It's hard to believe this young man is a Junior. He sports the kind of development one achieves after 21 years of training, not 21 years of living!

Antoine has tremendous size and shape, no real muscle weaknesses, and is a classic poser. Watch out for him, as he will make a fine pro someday.

Grandmaster Men

Mayhem's Rob Churchill again won a very difficult grandmaster class. Although I think he was a little overlooked in the heavies, Rob again dominated here. Known for his amazing conditioning, Rob was able to hold his peak after winning the heavies and overall at the BC's a month previous.

Rob has amazing cuts in his legs and chest, and as soon as an ab & thigh or most muscular is called, it's all over as soon as Rob flexes. The only criticism I can level at him, which I have done in person, is that he needs a little more back detail, and to work on his posing. Rob has every right to be confident onstage, but he comes across as a little tentative. Go for it Rob, think "Arnold"!!

Middleweight Men

For me, two men stood out in this class-one whom I picked as the overall winner as soon as he walked onstage, and the other because he is one of my closest friends.

I first took notice of Vince Wawryk in 2004 in Edmonton, when he won the light- middles, and challenged, along with Hoss, big Dan Fedeluk for the overall.

That year, the man had unbelievable conditioning and density, but looked a little small compared to the others.

I again saw him compete last year, when he had moved up a class, but because of a variety of pre contest issues, was not at his best. While onstage against Mayhem's David Naugler, I yelled, "You're gonna need to fight for it this year
Vince!" to try to get him pumped to challenge Dave. Vince, the true competitor that he is, responded, but Naugler was too sharp. Vince placed second.

This year, however, would be different. As soon as he walked onstage, I thought Yeah! Vince is back! The man was thick, balanced, and had a hardness and density not only the best in the show, but unseen on most pros.

Vince's side poses are unreal, as he has a crisp quality to his chest and shoulders like no other. His back poses are the 'wipe out' though, as no one in the show had the thickness and detail from traps to calves that he did. A convincing win.

In third place was my good friend Aaron Jewell, from Victoria, BC. Training under Scott Abel this year, Aaron was looking to redeem himself after a poor showing in 2003. An overall provincial champ, Aaron has the makings of a pro. He has wide, thick delts, a tiny, sharp waist, and crazy flared and detailed quads.

There were few in the show who could match Aaron in thigh cuts and sweep. His only weakness is his back, which will fill out with time and with continued help from Scott Abel. Aaron was full, sharp, and posed well. He epitomizes the X-frame physique we all desire. Great job buddy! The man is only in his mid twnties, and with time, he can win this show.

Light-Heavyweight Men

-Mayhemmer David Naugler apparently had to make a last minute adjustment and enter a higher weight class-a stressful ordeal for sure. However, David handled himself professionally onstage, and did not allow this to phase him. David did add some quality mass this past year, and he still retained his classic shape, but he was not as sharp as last year. David has acknowledged this on this board, and to his credit, has made no excuses and has congratulated those who triumphed.

David definitely has the makings of a pro, as his shape is so striking. His posing is excellent, and he doesn't really have any standout weak bodyparts. Once he fills out his upper body to match is unbelievable legs and comes in as sharp as 2006, this man will be tough to beat.

Heavyweight Men

Silverback (Lou Joseph) is one of the most impressive bodybuilders I've seen in over 20 years in this sport.

The man has the thickness of a pro, the shape of a pro, and has, in the past, come in shredded. When he walked onstage at prejudging though, I was a little concerned. Lou was a little watery, but his amazing development shone through regardless. I felt he deserved the class win.

Lou has amazing thickness in the arms, back, quads, you name it. His shape is also excellent for such a thick man.

By the night show, he had sharpened up considerably, something I vocalized to him. I was fortunate to sit in front of his lovely partner, who cheered his every move. Although her name escapes me, she struck me as a very classy, bubbly, and supportive lady.

Because Lou also works with Scott Abel, my friend Aaron had a chance to spend time with Lou, and Aaron mentioned to me that not only does Lou have a quality physique, but also is a humble, courteous person-one who stands out in a sport full of selfish arrogance. Congrats Lou.

Superheavyweight Men

What a battle! This was an impressive class, as often the supers are not as strong as the heavies and light-heavies....Not so here....

3rd place: Greg Ulysse..... I first met Greg in 2003 when he placed second. Greg was not pleased onstage, and seemed to frown most of the time during his routine. After the show, I saw him at a restaurant, introduced myself, and mentioned this fact. Greg was very kind and gracious, and promised he would work on his stage presence. Last year, he was in his best shape ever. He won the heavies, and looked great in the overall against Hoss.

Greg is the Flex Wheeler of Canada-he has beautiful muscle bellies, a tight waist, and is a great poser. I was happy to see the occasional smile cross what can sometimes be a rather menacing face. Unfortunately, this year was not his best condition. Like Wheeler, Greg needs to be ultra sharp to win shows. He was a little bloated and watery, obscuring is usually amazing definition. Greg does not need any more size. He only needs to be dry. Greg would make an excellent addition to the pro ranks-he only needs to come in at his best. Next year, the Canadians are in his home province of Quebec, so let's hope he brings it for the hometown crowd. I felt Greg could have been second, based on his shape and balance. Greg looked disappointed after the announcement, and the Quebec contingent booed loudly. He pulled it together though, and was gracious in defeat.

2nd place:Ben Pakulski.....This is the first time I had seen Ben, and my first thought was...Oh my God, it's Tom Prince!

The legs, the face, everything screamed Tom Prince.

I had a feeling that it would be close between Ben and Ron Partlow. Ben has incredible quads and hams, and since he is shorter than Ron, he initially looks thicker. However, as he posed, Ben's midsection began to relax, and I knew that, in contrast to Partlow's tight waist, this may be a problem for him. Also, during back poses, Ben needed more detail. However, he is a very impressive man, and I figured it would be close.

1st place: Ron Partlow.....Mayhem's Rep300 is someone I have met on a number of occasions, dating back to the 2003 Canadians. A gentle giant, Ron has the imposing height and size of some of the largest pros such as Gunter and Tony Freeman. However, his soft-spoken and kind nature puts anyone around him at ease. Ron, in either victory or defeat, is pure class.

As soon as he walked out at prejudging, the normally quiet crowd erupted. It was clear that Ron was a crowd favourite. I noticed a slight film of water though, which blurred his definition a little.

Ron's trademarks were there-crazy upper body width and thickness, tiny waist, and excellent stage presence and confidence. Ron's front lat spred is pro quality, and he dwarfs anyone near him in this pose. His back is steadily improving, and he is managing to add size while retaing his shape- something rare for such a big man.

When he walked onstage for the night show, I was thrilled to see that Ron had sharpened up considerably. I yelled this to him, and his face lit up with confidence-as if he needed it! When he hit his side triceps pose, I swear I was seeing Dorian Yates incarnate. When I yelled that to him, I thought his smile would never leave him.

The crowd chanted his name, applauded thunderously, and Ron pulled out what I thought was a convincing, deserving win.

The highlight of the night for me though, was when the three finalists tried to exit the stage before ace photog Garry Bartlett had a chance to take his shots. Ron, in mid-stride, realized this, and began to back up.......right into Ben Pakulski. Ben dropped his trophy, and it shattered on the hard stage floor. Instantly, Ron apologized, and one could see he felt terrible. Poor Ron-he seemed more upset than Ben did!

Overall Men

I was anticipating a fierce battle beteen three men-Ron, Lou, and Vince Wawryk.

I felt that Ron had the advantage in overall size and structure, Lou had that insane thickness, and Vince had the edge in quality and hardness.

It turns out that Vince held his own in terms of size. Yes, of course he is shorter and smaller, but he is so densely packed, he did not look out of place at all.

Scott Abel had raced down to sit a few seats away from me to cheer on both Ron and Lou. He was ecstatic-and good for him for cheering on his guys. I did garner a look from him when I yelled at Vince that he had the best quality up there, but I was also cheering for his boys. I was just happy to see this incredible show.

In the end, Vince's quality was superior, and I was glad, although a little surprised, to see them pick Vince....good for them.

When it came to a second card, the tension on Ron's and Lou's face was evident.You could tell how badly they wanted it.

Let me tell you about Ron. As soon as Lou's name was announced, it looked like Ron would jump out of his skin. He showed no evidence of diasppointment-only joy for Lou. Again, class.

Congrats to Vince, Lou, and Ron and all the others, for an incredible Canadians.

I took a few pics, and will try to attach them later today.

Danke an bigtoph und an JayTee

MfG Steven