what a disgrace

[oleman_41]

i just got back from a competition in louisiana (an NPC) competition and i sincerely hope that not all of the bodybuilding organizations are as corrupt as this one. let me make something clear. i do not compete. i don't even train. however, someone i love has been devoted to this sport for years and i've been around enough to know what look is best. what i witnessed today was a black eye to the sport. the best guy in every class placed way lower than he should have. now i may be a "lay" person but i do have eyes and as i've said i am no stranger to the sport. bodybuilding competiters are athletes just like football and basketball players. but the judges in these competitions make a mockery of this sport and i truly believe that the way these competitions are judged is why many do not take this sport seriously. i actually saw a judge today walk in late from a break, competiters on stage, handed her clipboard by a member of the audience. what i saw today truly amazed me. these guys and girls train hard and deserve better. the winners in this competition did not have a NATURAL look and to me when its that obvious even the blind can see it. i truly enjoy watching this sport but tonight's display really killed it for me. i am very disappointed in what i saw.it was an absolute DISGRACE.

 

[KataMaStEr]

That???s part of judging, it's never going to be as accurate as we wish it was. I have never been in any bodybuilding competition, but I have been in competition, tournaments whatever you wish to call it and experiencing 1st hand bad judges you feel like blowing up. At the same time you???re fighting a battle with your opponents and judges. I'm not saying every judge is like that but for every 1 fairly good judge there are 2 the total opposite.

 

[Arnold]

Most of the judging is done in the morning (prejudging). It's rare that they change their scores at the night show, even though revently the NPC changed their rules and now includes the night show in their actual scores.

Seeing as you said you do not compete or even lift weights, what makes you qualified to judge physiques? Do you even know what their looking for? The reason I ask is because what you may think is the better physique, may not be. At local and state level shows it's typically about conditioning, meaning the most ripped competitor usually wins their class.

 

[oleman_41]

i understand but

like i said i don't work out or compete but i've been to shows b/c my father is a competiter. i take great interest in what he does and try to learn the ins and outs so that i can relate. i am fully aware that the better conditioned guy should win and that's why i am disgusted. very few of the better conditioned guys in this show won. the guys that did win were big, yes, but not hard or ripped and instead puffy and well unnatural looking(get my drift). i am qualified as a viewer because i have grown up around it all of my life. i know what they supposedly look for but it did not seem that way today

 

[J'Bo]

You can not go into a fitness or bodybuilding competition expecting a judge to place you first. You have to always enter a competition in the mind frame that you are going to try to beat your previous commpetition condition. I have only been in 2 competitions before and i have found out already that if you compete to win only then you will be very dissapointed. Every competition is based upon a humans intrpretation of who they think looks the best, it is not always who looks the best to you. There is alot of politics and sometimes unfair judging, but thats why its called judging. Always compete against your self and you will always come out a winner. All associations have these problems. Enter the sport for the love of what you do, not to beat the other guy.

 

[KataMaStEr]

Originally posted by J'Bo
if you compete to win only then you will be very dissapointed.

In competition people don't compete to lose. The mind set is to win; you???re going to do your absolute best to take your opponents out of your way. If you lose ok, there is always a next time.

 

[Arnold]

J'bo, I do understand what you're trying to say, but as KataMaStEr pointed out no one competes to lose. The whole point of competition is to try and win, isn't it? If it's not, then why compete in the first place?

 

[J'Bo]

I compete to better myself not for some judge to tell me if i am better than the rest of the bunch. I mostly compete against my friends (so far) on stage so i geuss it may be different. Once a cant find 3 other reasons to compete other than to win, i am out!

 

[Arnold]

that's cool, but if you're goal is not to beat other competitors (which the judges decide), why compete?

you would be better off doing "body for life" type challenges where you are not competing against anyone but yourself.

 

[ZECH]

I agree with Prince. A lot of what judges look for is a look of cofindence that the contestant displays! Go in their and look like you own the world and get the crowd really going and into it! That impresses the judges! Go in there with the mind that you are king and that there is no way in hell anyone is going to beat you!

 

[bigss75]

I would be so pissed off if i worked for months just to be screwed out of the win

 

[sassy69]

Often depending on the size of the show, yes there is a lot of local bias as well as political shit going on behind the scenes. I was at a major show (tri-state) that instituted Male Fitness comp as a category - granted its the first time I'd ever seen that particular category -- they did the comp, awarded the prize to the guy who the whole audience thought should win. On the second night of the whole competition (figure / fitness on Fri, bb on Sat), the judges actually had the cahonies to come on stage and say the computer tabulated the scores wrong and gave the trophy to the 2nd place guy.

Um..... first of all, they dont' use a computer. Second, the promoter for the show happens to be a very big supporter of the ethnic group the 2nd place person is in . Um... it stunk to high heaven and we all knew it.

Also for larger shows, the judges are often associated w/ certain of the competitors, so there is also a bias there. What sucks there is when someone who "knew" the right people wins but doesn't really have the actually qualities to really win on their own merrit -- these people will move on to the National level and represent the state and make a pretty suck ass showing because at that level, they simply dont' have the stuff to compete. They only had the right "backers" at the local level to move on.

This is not completely rampant across all organizations and all shows, but it is definitely a reality of amateur (well... and pro) comp.

You are best off competing against yourself.

 

[MsFit]

Sounds like you're speaking of the Louisiana State Championships. Yes, it's all politics, no matter what show or organization it is. From what I hear, I'm glad I missed it this year.

I have test judged one of the Morgan City shows a few years back. The head judge's client just happened to win overall, which she did't deserve. (Funny seeing the overall winner run up and hug the head judge immediately afterwards) It sucks to rob the person that acturally put time and effort into their training for favortisism. The girl that obviously should have won stopped competing.