IronMan, Vol 26, No 6, Page 14, October 1967
THE physique pre-judging for Mr. America took place during the afternoon lifting of the second day. It was possible to interview, assign athletic points, and check posing routines, and compare physiques in the separate auditorium provided by the meet sponsors. Accordingly all had been decided by the time the men were introduced to the audience in the evening.
The number of contestants must have been an all time low, although the quality of the top men was high as ever, possibly even better. Only fourteen men competed; one did not appear and one withdrew after interview. Even with a wide stage, though, those fourteen bodies had trouble finding adequate space during their introduction to the audience. Bodybuilders only masquerade as ordinary men. In posing trunks and with lats spread they're something else.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The men who have been through more than one interview session for a national title are usually well known through picture coverage. If they weren't, they would still be fairly easy to spot by their dress and conduct. The experienced contestant will usually wear a suit, is well poised, and generally can field half a dozen questions at a time from as many judges. It isn't any coincidence that seven of the eight finalists wore suits and eight of the eight had this self-control under fire. I was particularly impressed by the polish acquired over a couple of years of this kind of ordeal by Charles Estes and Jim Haislop. I recall Estes as wringing wet and nervous after his first national interview in 1964. This time he was Mr. Poise all the way. Haislop has also grown in poise and manner of presentation. For deftness in fielding questions quickly and easily and alertness to the mood of the questioner, Will Whitaker, Gil Hansen and Dr. Craig Whitehead were especially impressive. Chris Dickerson has had dramatic training and it showed in his use of the language and his well modulated voice. Dennis Tinerino and Boyer Coe both conducted themselves like champions-easy but poised, friendly but not familiar. And Ralph Kroger had these same champion's attributes that the judges are looking for so carefully during interview. And he also had one unique attribute. He'd brought his family to Columbus; this included one of th loveliest little girls I've ever seen, with his coloring, her good looks, and a radiant manner all her own.
Contestants were introduced to the judges alphabetically and carried on the program that way. The standard questions were asked to establish background and athletic ability.
Several carried resumes with them to help in establishing athletic points. It was an athletic crew this year as ten of the fourteen received a full five points; only Dickerson of the finalists had fewer than the maximum. Bob Gajda, who had passed his national referee's test earlier in the day, was serving as a panelist; he had a question on the athlete's intentions with the title that evoked the most interesting answers. Being rather unexpected, it required quick thinking and phrasing of reply. I like this idea of the present Mr. America helping to select his successor. Unless he has a definite affiliation with any of the contestants, I feel it ought to be standard procedure.
Boyer Coe was the youngest man in the contest at 20. He was a memorable Teenage Mr. America last year and is definitely a future Mr. America. He was soft-spoken and intelligent in forming his answers. He has made noticeable improvement since last year and has a much better balanced physique now at about 5'7" and 200 pounds. He has been training steadily for five years and the results of dedication are obvious. In spite of the fact that he is a third year medical student at Southwestern Louisiana in his hometown of Lafayette, he still finds time for his lengthy workouts and an interesting outdoor job of caring for racehorses-grooming, running and training.
Dominick Duche is from Warren, Michigan but grew up in Pittsburgh. He was in the Marine Corps for two years and was trainer and alternate on the All-Marine boxing team of 1958. He is now 29, married, and has two sons. At 5-3 and 143 pounds, he has a slight but well defined and very symmetrical physique. He played four years of baseball in high school and later semi-pro ball, eventually trying out for the Pirates. He has been working out for six years and is a sheet metal worker. For all his athletics, though, he had no resume, and drew only two athletic points. Last year he was Mr. Detroit and Mr. Michigan.
Chris Dickerson is the present Mr. California and placed high in the Junior Mr. America this year. He is 5-6½ and weighs 178; he has been training for about 4½ years, inspired by pictures in the magazines. He was also hurting for athletic points, but he did receive three for a lifting contest he entered recently. He vows that next time he'll have five. Chris was raised a Quaker and served his government obligation in humanitarian fields. He is 27 and is presently employed by a catering service, but he admits his main objective now is the big title.
Charles Estes is a former marine, where he was on a championship football team. He has also done the 1OO-yard dash in 10 seconds. He started working out his last year in high school and built up to 164. He's added about 60 pounds since to his over six feet and has concentrated in the power lifting end of the sport, holding the Tennessee bench press record and placing high in the state meet. He is 28, was most responsive, and spoke well. Previously I have been most impressed by his great calf and arm development; now the rest of his body seems to have caught up. But a narrowness of the shoulders for his height has been a handicap. Charles lives in Nashville and is a therapist at a hospital there.
Jim Haislop is much improved. The choice of Mr. America seemed to narrow down to him or Tinerino. He has cut down his huge thighs and is even more symmetrical than last year when his symmetry was outstanding. Further he has developed definition to go with his bulk. With his size and coloring, he presents a spectacular appearance on stage and is the immediate audience favorite. Jim is 25, single, and did his service in the Navy where he started bodybuilding at 165. He had been the lightest man on his high school football team (fullback, yet) which was second in the state. He lives in his home town of Tampa where he works for the General Telephone Company. Jim is 5-11 and weighs 220. He's positively a future Mr. America, possessing the physique, athletic, and background qualities necessary to win the title. Right now he'd have to occupy the favorite's position for 1968.
Gil Hansen, next to Craig Whitehead, was the most well-rounded individual in the contest. He is a police officer in Waterloo, Iowa, where among other duties he runs the physical fitness classes. He has a second degree black belt in karate and is the Iowa State lifting champion in both Olympic and power lifting. And that doesn't count the high school sports he participated in. He has put in two years at Iowa State Teachers College in speech and English. He is 30, married, and has two children. At 6 feet, he weighs 214. He was quick with his responses, alert to catch the jumble of simultaneous questions, and deft in forming his replies. He has a dense, very hard, heavily defined muscle and moves with quick athletic grace.
Ralph Kroger is a former Mr. California and runner-up in Mr. America. He's originally from Minnesota but now manages a health studio near San Diego. He was a paratrooper in the Army, making 25 jumps. He has been an outstanding lifter in between bodybuilding kicks, and a better than average track and field man in high school. He is 29, 5-10½, and weighs 205 now; but he has done his best lifting at 235. Like the other top candidates, he was well dressed and groomed, spoke well, was always in control of his words, and made quick responses. Like Hansen, he has the hard, muscular, heavily defined look.
Kent Kuehn is from Lansing, Michigan. He was a state champion all-around gymnast while at Central Michigan University, his best event being free exercise. He was a physical education major but did not graduate. He is 31 and took up bodybuilding four years ago to get back in shape. He certainly succeeded and has a light but well-defined body with excellent abdominals at 5-7½ and 177. He is married and has a 1½ year old boy.
Melvin Merriweather had the most resounding name in the contest. He also had a fine build. He is 29, married, and has three children. He weighs 194 at 5-9 and was Mr. Indiana in 1966. He is a millwright helper in Portage, Indiana. He played football in high school; also baseball and track, running the middle distances, but was able to get only two points for these endeavors. He has been working out for four years, and was started by a friend. He has a fairly well defined, bulky type of build, a little short on symmetry.
Ron Schiavoni of Cleveland is 28, married and has one daughter. He is a painter and decorator. He admits to a brief career in Golden Gloves, but he has been quite active in power lifting recently, having placed third in his district championships in the mid-heavy class which earned him four athletic points. He is 5-10½ and he weighs 198. He has a symmetrical body with pleasing bulk but needs more work on definition.
Phil Smeja has put on a number of pounds since his last national appearance in the 1964 Teenage Mr. America. A sensational set of abdominals is well-covered now but he still has some cuts and excellent symmetry at 5-8 and 180. Phil got his five athletic points with ease; in fact he got them about five different ways. He's held a world press record as a teenager, has been outstanding in football, track, boxing, cross country, gymnastics (still rings and parallel bar), and a great deal more than competent in several other sports. He is single, 21, and goes to YMCA Central College in Chicago. He works with street gangs and sees about 500 boys a week. His interest in his work is obvious and he loves to talk about it. He sees physique titles as one more tool in reaching out and establishing contact with this group.
Dennis Tinerino needs little introduction. He is 21, single, 6-0 and 220; and with the Mr. America title he becomes the first man to win all five national titles--Teenage Mr. America, Junior Mr. America, Junior Mr. U. S., and Mr. U. S. He was an outstanding fencer in high school but has turned recently to lifting. His job of calibrating airline instruments is so sensitive that it is draft exempt. He still finds time to go to night school.
Will Whitaker is originally from Hammond, Louisiana, but now lives in Chattanooga, where he is a therapist at a rehabilitation center. He is 27, 5-10, and weighs 205 pounds of tightly packed muscle. He was a physical education major at Southeast Louisiana University where he played baseball. His high school sports also included football and track (the dashes). Now he is a power lifter, having placed second in the Louisiana state meet in the midheavy class. He has spent three years in the Army and sees physique titles as a source of inspiration to the children he works with at Siskin Foundation. Will's answers were quick and good-humored; he would do credit to any title.
Dr. Craig Whitehead was making his first appearance in a Mr. America contest in two years. He appeared in his Air Force captain's uniform and stated he is a career man. If background were primary in this contest, Dr. Whitehead would probably win with room to spare. He received his medical degree from the University of Miami and has since done graduate work in opthalmology. He is a flight surgeon and has training in aerospace medicine. He's 32, single, 5-10½, and 205. He has been Southern heavyweight lifting champion and also has been on a championship skindiving team. He is interested in doing further articles on exercise, nutrition and cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately he was not in his best shape for this contest.
After interviews and initial judging from the lineup, the judges chose the most muscular and best body parts. Those who wished to compete in the particular body part being judged, stepped forward when their names were called. Each judge picked the three or four he wanted to come back (of course there were many overlaps), and the six or seven finalists in each of these categories were viewed together and separately. Finally all the contestants were viewed once more as a group and posed individually for the Mr. America judging. The whole process was meticulously done and consumed about five hours. The judges were all from different associations throughout the country, as diverse in preferences as possible. Still there was near unanimity of first and second places, on most muscular, and all seven picked the same man for Best Arms. Eight finalists were to be selected and each one had at least five of seven votes; several were unanimous choices.
Dennis Tinerino won both top titles, and while he didn't win any subdivisions, he placed in the top three in all of them. Haislop won an easy second in Mr. America and a third in Most Muscular. His muscle is large and well-defined but lacks the hardness of Tinerino's and Whitaker's. Whitaker was second in Most Muscular and third in Mr. America. Chris Dickerson was fourth in Most Muscular but sixth in Mr. America. With five athletic points he would have been one place higher. Boyer Coe was fifth in both, though I feel he merited a higher placing in the Mr. America contest. Ralph Kroger was fourth in Mr. America and sixth in Most Muscular. Kuehn and Estes also drew votes in the Most Muscular contest, while Hansen and Estes rounded out the finalists in the Mr. America contest. In the subdivisions Coe was a unanimous first in Best Arms followed by Tinerino and Haislop. Best Chest also went to Coe for greater density and shapeliness of muscle over Tinerino and Whitaker. Best Back was Haislop's, followed by Tinerino and Whitaker. Best Abdominals also went to Haislop, with Kuehn and Tinerino tied for second. And Best Legs was Chris Dickerson's very own trophy, but this time he was hard-pressed by Haislop and Tinerino. The calf is a stubborn muscle, and for some, particularly Negroes, an impossible muscle. That is why it is pleasing to see a Negro win this award which he got primarily for calves though his thighs are also very shapely and heavily muscular.
The lack of entries merely cut down the total judging time; it was still a difficult contest to judge, with anyone of the top five men an outstanding representative for Mr. America. And it's still the Mr. America show that draws the crowd. Tinerino had to stay around for over a half hour to acknowledge the plaudits of the audience and pose for their cameras. It's tough on the losers who put just as many hours into training as does the winner, but they were quick with their congratulations, which is one reason they all deserved to be in the contest for Mr. America.
- This photo of Tinerino taken at the contest displays the great muscularity which won him the Most Muscular title.
- James Haislop was a very close second to Tinerino and the audience was about evenly divided as to who they thought should be Mr. America. James has improved greatly and with another year of such improvement we don't believe anyone in the world can beat him.
- Whitaker looked great and with more work on proportions should take his place at the top.
- Boyer Coe was good this year but seemed a little too finely drawn and possibly over-trained. We thought he looked better last year. With more work to improve his shape he would be hard for anyone to beat.
- Ralph Kroger looked very good, with a golden tan and fine proportions, and will improve and place higher in the future. He is working on his arms and calves to bring them up now.
- Chris Dickerson won best legs and has a pair of the finest calves we have ever seen on a human. His overall development is very good. He is rather short, being but 5'6½". When he shapes up his arms more he will place much higher.
- Gil Hansen always looks great. He has great definition and large size. he should place much higher in the future, with improved posing routine and better shape.
- Charles Estes is quite tall and has a tremendous physique. He has exceptional size and definition of upper body and with more definition in the legs and better posing routine he will place much higher.
- Bob Gajda gave a posing routine and spoke for a moment. He looks great, and this in spite of the fact that all his training is now on lifting motions and lifts. His ambition is now to become an Olympic Champion.
If you find these articles interesting and useful, please
MuscleMemory