Topic: News: Governor Arnold In His Element With Jenny Sawyer

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Governor Arnold Is In His Element

SCHWARZENEGGER EXTOLLED AT OHIO'S ANNUAL ARNOLD FITNESS WEEKEND
By Kate Folmar

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Highway patrol officers from two states cleared a path, using their arms as barriers: ``Make a hole, folks. Let the man move.'' Children craned to see a swoop of auburn hair and a glimpse of tanned skin. Old friends materialized from hallways and booths to bask in the reflected adulation.

``We love you, Arnold!'' ``He's not as tall as I thought.'' ``Down in front!'' ``Come this way Arnold, come on.''

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's adrenaline-paced Saturday tour through the Arnold Fitness Weekend in this capital city looked a lot like California, circa 2003.

Back home now, the governor's popularity has tumbled. Criticism follows his alliance with bodybuilding -- a sport where use of steroids and other performance-enhancing supplements is common.

``Going to this event sends impressionable young people the wrong message,'' Sen. Jackie Speier, D-San Mateo, e-mailed from California.

``The governor is setting a bad example, and he should be ashamed of himself.''

But at this fitness extravaganza, Schwarzenegger was welcomed Saturday with outstretched arms. Literally.

At one point, four sparkly, tiny, squealing cheerleaders flung themselves around Schwarzenegger's waist.

``He's always going to have respect here,'' said MetRX rep Kim Harris, who on Friday night took ninth place at the Ms. International contest, Schwarzenegger's first stop in Ohio. In politics, ``everyone doesn't like his views, maybe. But on fitness, he's right on point.''

Walking through the 650-vendor Arnold Expo on Saturday morning, the governor, accompanied by sons Patrick and Christopher, stopped to sign memorabilia being sold for charity. A signed replica of the sword Schwarzenegger used in the film ``Conan the Barbarian'' could be had for $10,000.

Schwarzenegger popped by booths selling products such as Muscle Armor, Shredded Mass and one that advertised itself as ``The only hard-core anabolic stack left after the ban.'' He posed for photographs with old bodybuilding friends now in the supplement business and the omnipresent women spilling out of their eensy sports bras.

Here, the governor said, ``the whole idea is to inspire people and to motivate people to get healthy and get fit. This is all for you. We are doing this every year for the people, for our fans and for our friends who have been loyal.''

Since 1976, Schwarzenegger and friend Jim Lorimer have hosted bodybuilding contests in Columbus. The two christened what's now called the Arnold Fitness Weekend in 1989. The centerpiece is the Arnold Classic bodybuilding show Saturday night.

Traveling around Columbus in a six-vehicle motorcade, the governor found time for more than bodybuilding. With a retinue of aides and staffers in tow, Schwarzenegger visited close to a dozen sporting events.

He saw 13-year-old weightlifter Jenny Sawyer hoisting a 165-pound barbell over her head, Team Killerspin table tennis stars from Romania and Croatia grunting and power-serving their way through two close games, and a 9-year-old martial artist with two prosthetic legs doing his thing.

``You're a machine,'' Schwarzenegger told him.

After a few hours of free time, Schwarzenegger crowned Dexter Jackson champion of the Arnold Classic finals. He won $100,000 and a Ford Expedition.

Later Saturday at the Hyatt Capitol Square, the governor's friend Frank Zane -- who aced out a novice Schwarzenegger to become Mr. Universe in 1968 -- had a special treat planned.

Zane, the vocalist, and his band penned this rap for the occasion: ``In my life, I've been fortunate enough/To meet a man called Arnold Schwarzenegger, and that's no bluff.''

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Pumped-up welcome for Arnold

California's governor gets a taste of popularity — at a fitness weekend in Ohio

By Robert Salladay
March 5, 2006

COLUMBUS, OHIO - After a tattered year in California politics, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger made his way Saturday through the Arnold Classic, the sprawling temple of testosterone he helped create, guaranteed of adoration.

When he entered the cavernous convention hall, thousands of young men and women lined up to shake his hand, a few simply saying breathlessly: "He looked at me."

"Make a hole! Make a hole!" Ohio highway patrol officers yelled as Schwarzenegger walked through the crowd, occasionally stopping for pictures with the makers of food supplements promising massive muscles, ripped energy and great sex.

The Arnold Classic, which began in 1989 under his name, has become a showcase for the multibillion-dollar supplements industry, sculptured bodybuilding, assorted feats of strength, even ballroom dancing, cheerleading and fencing. It attracted an estimated 125,000 people from around the world, including 15,000 athletes.

"He has given a lot to the sport, so it's a big ego boost to come here and have people want to see him," said Larry Scott, 67, the first Mr. Olympia and a longtime Schwarzenegger acquaintance.

For the governor, the event is more about classic Arnold than the new version. Back home, Schwarzenegger is at one of his lowest points politically — after losing all four initiatives he sponsored on a November special election ballot and with some polls showing him with 35 percent approval among those surveyed.

Even his link with the Arnold Classic caused him woe. Amid complaints about a conflict of interest with an industry that California is regulating — supplement makers — Schwarzenegger severed his yearslong financial relationship with the event last year. He also canceled an $8 million contract with the publisher of a bodybuilding magazine that receives a large portion of its revenue from supplement companies.

Democratic lawmakers have called on him to divorce himself from the bodybuilding industry.

Here, though, Arnold is still king.

At a weightlifting demonstration Saturday in which a 13-year-old girl hoisted 165 pounds over her head, an animated Schwarzenegger became nostalgic with the crowd. He talked about the great Soviet weightlifters from the early 1960s and about having to learn Olympic-style lifting when he was 16 at a time when bodybuilding was not yet an accepted sport in Austria.

"In those days we still had a two-armed press, I don't know if you remember that, where you kind of leaned back and hurt your back a little bit," Schwarzenegger told the crowd, chuckling at the memory. "But it was fun. ... Now, a lot of guys are just working out on machines, but this is where the action is."

The Arnold Classic features some of the world's best bodybuilders oiled up (sometimes with the cooking spray Pam) and posing in arena stages. And it includes a Fitness Expo spread over several acres — the largest event in the world devoted to worshiping the body.

Tens of thousands of young men and women shuttled from booth to booth grabbing free samples of "Xtreme thermogenic" energy drinks, "hemodilators" and other potions.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Schwarzenegger gives Sawyer a lift
 
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- One small weightlifting failure led to a lifetime moment with Arnold Schwarzenegger for Mattoon’s Jenny Sawyer.

The 13-year-old girl who has been ranked No. 1 in the country and a member of U.S. national teams had just missed a clean-and-jerk in the Arnold Weightlifting Classic and was near tears when she almost bumped into the man for whom the competition was named.

Schwarzenegger, the bodybuilder and now California governor, asked what was wrong and Sawyer answered that she had missed a lift.

“Arnold spent several minutes talking to her,” Charleston Parks and Recreation Weightlifting Club coach Marty Schnorf said. “Arnold told her, ‘A lot of things will go wrong in life. Keep working at it.’ “

While Schwarzenegger was talking to her, hundreds of people watched and took pictures of the two of them.

Sawyer then proceeded back to the platform and made a slightly lower weight with the world famous man standing within a few feet cheering her.

She wound up the winner of her 135-pound bodyweight class in the 13-year-old age division and was named the third best age 20-and-under lifter in the meet, male or female.

Schwarzenegger then spoke to the whole crowd and said, “When I was young, you could not body build alone. So, I started out Olympic lifting. Olympic lifting and free weights are much better for athletes than machines.”

Then, looking over at Jenny Sawyer standing a few feet from him, Schwarzenegger said: “I did not start weightlifting at 13 like Jenny is now. I was 16 when I started.”

Schwarzenegger was accompanied to the event by members of his family, California police, members of his staff, Columbus police and security, many newspaper reporters, and bomb sniffing dogs.

“It was a great meet and a great experience for the kids,” Schnorf said. “For Arnold to spend that much time with Jenny, to have hundreds of people taking your picture, dozens of reporters asking you your full name, to have Arnold personally cheer you on as you lifted, and for him to refer to Jenny by name was a once in a lifetime experience. Except most of us will never have that experience. We were very impressed that Arnold would take so much time talking with her. We did not know that it would make newspapers all across the country.”

She was one of nine weightlifters from the Charleston Parks and Recreation Department Weightlifting Club participating in the multi-sport event that featured more than 100,000 people in attendance.

In addition to Sawyer’s first place, Charleston had Kierstyn Davis and Kari Davis place second and Krystelle Lim and Brittany Brown place third.

“Nathan (Sewell), Colton (Sewell) and Ryan (Decker) all lifted in the lightest weight class (123 pounds),” Schnorf said. “They were way under that weight, so were not able to place in the top three in this meet. They all lifted well. Ryan is a veteran. Ross (Kitchen) was third in his class. Nathan, Colton, and Ross are beginners.”

“Krystelle (Lim) finished third in her class, and Kierstyn (Davis) finished second, and Jenny was first. All were in the same class. Brittany was third in her class, and Kari was second in her class.”

Brown won an award for her outstanding lift and effort in the snatch, Kitchen won an award for the best clean-and-jerk in relationship to his snatch.

The lifters are not going to rest on their laurels. Kari Davis, Jenny Sawyer, and Mitchell Sawyer are to travel to Orlando, Fla. for the National Junior. (ages 20 and under) Championships this weekend. This is the same meet to which Charleston played host in 2003. It is open to the best 20 and under lifters who have made the high qualifying totals.

“Jenny and Kari are shooting to go to the Olympic Training Center for an all expense paid trip this summer,” said Schnorf. “I also expect Jenny and Kari to represent the United States in international competition this summer, again all expenses paid. Mitchell has a chance to make an international team which will compete in Colombia later this year.”

“If Jenny shows and signs of being upset with herself in Florida, Schnorf said he has the solution now.

“I am just going to pick up the cell phone and tell her ‘Don’t make me call Arnold to give you another pep talk,’ ” Schnorf said. “I might even stretch the truth a little and tell Jenny that Arnold told me that if she started up again, I should tell that her that Arnold said, ‘I’ll be back.’ “

The Charleston Parks and Recreation Department Weightlifting Club is open to everyone with no charge.

“While I cannot promise everyone will get to meet Arnold or travel all over the country and compete internationally, you never know where the next Curt White (former Olympian weightlifter from Charleston) or Stewart Thornburgh (5 times world team member) might be,” Schnorf said.

For more information on the club, contact the recreation department or e-mail charlestonweightliftingclub@yahoo.com

Charleston lifters

Nathan Sewell, age 7, weighing 55 pounds, snatched 20 pounds; clean-and-jerked 33.

Colton Sewell, age 10, weight 90 pounds, snatch 44 and clean-and-jerk 55

Ryan Decker, age 11, weight 80 pounds, snatch 77 and clean-and-jerk 110

Ross Kitchen, age 12, weight 130 pounds, snatch 50 and clean-and-jerk 81

Krystell Lim, age 17, weight 135 pounds, snatch 81 and clean-and-jerk 112

Kierstyn Davis, age 12, weight 130 pounds, snatch 100 and clean-and-jerk 127

Jenny Sawyer, age 13, weight 135 pounds, snatch 150 and clean-and-jerk 180

Brittany Brown, age 22, weight 150 pounds, snatch 135 and clean-and-jerk 180

Kari Davis, age 13, heavy weight class, snatch 137 and clean-and-jerk 172