Muscular Development, Vol 3, No 10, Page 32, October 1966
THE 27TH ANNUAL MR. AMERICA CONTEST took place in York at the William Penn Highschool on June 19th and was sponsored by the York Barbell Club. It was indeed the finest extravaganza of strong and muscle men ever presented. The unusual throng that witnessed this gala spectacle agreed that it was a colossal display of America's finest developed men. Of course the entire National Weightlifting Championships were truly superb, with strong competition to the very last lift. All in all the three-day event was something to remember and will be long talked about.
In the past the Mr. America contest was an important but relatively small part of the National Championships, but this year, for the first time, an entire day was devoted to this physique event. When this contest is "squeezed in" at the end of the championships, the time is usually late and everything has to be rushed. York Barbell Club, having more Mr. America winners than any other club, felt that these men have trained hard and long and deserve to have more time and more consideration, so an entire day was devoted to this annual occasion. In this way no one was rushed and the show finished by 10:30 that evening, making it still rather early for out-of-town visitors.
The day after the National Championships started early. The lifting platform, scoreboard and other equipment had to be removed so the stage could be set for the Mr. America contest that evening. John Terlazzo, who accepted the burden of organizing the meet, had everything well-planned and allocated certain jobs to different men who were willing to share some of the tasks. The whole stage setting was superb, and John Grimek with the help of capable electricians arranged the lights to complement the unique stage setting. The whole arrangement took several hours and was completed just about the time the prejudging started, which began at 12:30 P.M.
Since these men (the officials, who perform a thankless and difficult job), were not hurried this time, they looked over each contestant carefully and gave him every consideration. Though this was a prolonged affair, the information these men gathered was most noteworthy in making their decision.
Each contestant was interviewed and asked for valid proof of his athletic ability. It might be emphasized here and now that many a Mr. America contender "gets lost in the judging" when he fails to provide some evidence of his athletic ability. For anyone who gets a low score for his athletic ability automatically loses his chance of winning. This will explain WHY a muscular, well-proportioned fellow fails to win . . . simply because HE DID NOT have enough athletic points to back up his muscles. Dennis Tinerino, for example, placed sixth not because he lacks any phase of muscular development, but primarily because he fails to bring along sufficient evidence to back up his athletic accomplishments. Others, with outstanding development, fall into the same category. Future contestants should remember this and bring along ample proof of their athletic ability.
Months before some discussion was made to hold the contest in three height classes: short, medium and tall, and three extra trophies were bought. During the prejudging as each man was being measured to determine his height category and just when things were running along smoothly, the officials get word from the National Weightlifting Chairman that the height classes would not be permitted on stage but the trophies could be presented backstage. This decision was accepted only to learn later that even this idea was boycotted, consequently all the contestants who were looking forward to seeing who would win the different height classes were truly disappointed when this event failed to materialize.
This, MD feels, is a gross error on the part of all AAU officials who opposed this decision, because if the Mr. America contest is held in various height divisions, the whole event will become bigger than it was ever thought to be. Smaller men who seldom have any chance when they are competing against 200-pounders or heavier men, will at least try to win their own height category, and this to them will be just as satisfying as if they won the overall title . . . these small men should be given that chance. Several officials, however, endorsed this idea wholeheartedly and no doubt this will be a big issue at the next AAU Convention. It seems rather certain that the next Mr. America, scheduled for Columbus, Ohio, will hold the Mr. America in two or more height classes, and if it is, it will be for the "good of the game!"
After prejudging of the athletic ability the men returned to be judged for the various subdivisions; arms, chest, back, legs and abdominals. In the past, due to the lack of time mostly, these events were omitted, but since a whole day was being devoted to the Mr. A contest these subdivisions were reinstated. Most of the winners and runners-up in these events were well-judged and deserved their victories, although two contenders, Charles Estes and Gene Wells, should have placed in the Best Back award. Both these men displayed impressive backs. However, when there are so many fine looking physiques it really is a job to pick them all to please everyone, and as said before it's a thankless and difficult job. . . and very few want it.
Winner like Bob Gajda, Sergio Oliva and Ralph Kroger placed in most of these subdivisions, indicating that these men were in top form and deserved the positions they rated.
The prejudging took around five hours to complete, then a tie between Sergio and Kroger was noticed. This was resolved by, adding each man's high and low score, which is normally tossed out, and in this way Sergio forged ahead without any difficulty. However, less than a month before Sergio won the Jr. Mr. America title in San Jose, California, beating Gajda by one-half point. These results were listed last month. Randy Watson, whose been in a few of these events, finished fourth this year, and Jim Haislop, who is excellent Mr. America material once he trains down to finer muscularity, was a fifth favorite. The crowd approved the entire decision with hearty applause.
It's not surprising but most of the contestants were evenly matched, and if you refer to the list of contestants in last month's MD you'll notice how close the points were in almost every case, and in some cases the lack of athletic points made the difference.
The show got underway promptly at 7:30 PM. Bob Callahan, the MC for the show, did an excellent job of keeping the audience informed about each category and about the men as they stepped upon the posing dias. Of course besides the Mr. America. Most Muscular and subdivision events, several outstanding acts - were featured. A clean & jerk demonstration by two youngsters; Mike Stevens and Lyle Crim, make a big hit with the crowd. The Monnette, a fine tumbling and acrobatic group from Philadelphia did a great job. And right after intermission an extraordinary juggler, Ken Sherburne, thrilled the audience with his amazing stunts. But the act that was hard to believe even though you saw it right before your eyes was the balancer extraordinary, Karen Nyce. Her unbelievable one-finger stand and back-bending ability held the crowd breathless. The muscle control by Billy Parker was superb, and Gilded Artistry was another impressive act. So with all the fine posing and display of muscles, the show had enough variety to interest everyone. . . and it did.
As the final 10 men were called up to give their final posing demonstration, somehow Bob Gajda must have learned that he was the winner, because when he came out to pose he overstayed his time. He just continued to stay up on and on, and this premature exhibition was not popular with the officials or most of the audience. Some of the judges wanted to disqualify him, and they would have had they not already turned over their score sheets. "Jumping the gun," so to speak, rubs people the wrong way and several of the officials voiced their disapproval over this. No doubt it will be considered and brought to discussion at the next Mr. America contest during their meetings. Even some of the contestants felt this was in bad taste yet felt that it was this exhibition that may have won the title for him. It did not. The winners were known two hours or so BEFORE the actual contest began that evening, although the MC did not get the names of the actual winners until each category appeared on the program. He should have waited until he was announced the winner and then his exhibition would have been appreciated by everyone. Nevertheless, Gajda was a popular winner and many enthusiasts came backstage and milled around him for a long time after the show ended.
Thus ended another Mr. America contest but more fabulous than any previous Mr. America show. . . it was the greatest! It will be long remembered, even after a score of other winners have been chosen, but the Mr. America contest of 1966 will be remembered by all who saw it as the very best. . . and they will be right. It was the BEST!
- Three jubilant winners can bee seen in the picture on the opposite page. Left: Ralph Kroger, Mr. California title holder, placed a close third and also took the best legs award. Center: 1966 Mr America, Bob Gajda, hold up the arm of Sergio Oliva (right) in victory as winner of the Most Muscular Man title. Sergio also took the best back and best arms award. All three, however, placed in all subdivisions. Above: A small section of the impressive stage setting can be seen above with the five winners, officials and contestants still in place. Below: A muscular pose by the winner, Bob Gajda, Mr. America for 1966.
- Above left: Winner and runners-up in the Most Muscular Man contest. Left to right: Ralph Kroger 5th; Dennis Tinerino 3rd; Sergio Oliva winner; Bob Gajda 2nd; Will Whitaker 4th. Above right: Some of the contestants lined up before the panel of judges while selecting a winner for one of the subdivisions.
- An excellent Behind the Scenes shot showing how the judges interviewed the contestants for their athletic ability. The man being questioned is Bill St. John from Glassboro, N. J.
- Another candid picture (left) showing the contestants lined-up for one of the subdivisions. The front row shows the men that have been asked to step forward, indicating they have been favored in this event. Below: While one contestant poses for the judges the others look on and wait their turn. Those "wide lats" belong to Jim Dorn.
- Above left: Another view showing the spaciousness of the area where the prejudging took place with ample bleechers around for those who wanted to sit and rest. The judges were not hurried and had lots of time to appraise and discuss each contestants potential. Above right: Opening ceremonies showed an impressive group of muscularly developed men.
- Smiling Sergio Oliva receives his Most Muscular Man trophy and congratulations from Clarence Johnson, President of the International Welghtlifting federation while other contestants look on.
- Right: Two contestants are shown resting and waiting for their names to be called. Sitting, is Kent Kuehn from Michigan, and next to him is Jerry Doettrel from Buffalo. In the background are Gene Wells, one of the contenders, and Bill Stevens, gym owner, watching the proceedings. Below: Sergio showing his back to the officials for the best back award. . . which he won.
- Clarence Johnson and Bob Hoffman are shown congratulating Bob Gajda after it was announced that he was the new Mr. America. In the background the other contestants still remain in place amidst a very impressive stage setting arranged by John Terlazzo, the meet director.
- A group of contestants just waiting around to be interviewed. Al Graham, one of the officials (white shirt and tie), helped keep things moving along. The contestants that can be identified are Gene Wells, Bill St. John, Steve Sakoulos, Jim Kowalski and Charles Estes. Dudley Stouch photos
- Sergio Oliva, Chicago, Ill.
- Randy Watson, Atlanta, Ga.
- Ken Covington, Philadelphia, Pa.
- Jim Haislop, Tampa, Fla.
- Dennis Tinerino, Brooklyn, N.Y.
- Tom Hutson, St. Louis, Mo.
- Ralph Kroger, Solano Beach, Calif.
- Jim Dorn, Tylerport, Pa.
- Charles Estes, Nashville, Tenn.
- Gene Dickerson, San Diego, Calif.
- Gene Kuczinski, Baltimore, Md.
- Flaubert Peltier, Dorchester, Mass.
- Gene Wells, Maple Shade, Pa.
- Jim Kowalski, Pittsburg, Pa.
- Will Whitaker, Hammond, La.
- Bob McNeill, Haverton, Pa.
Muscular Development, Vol 3, No 9, Page 34, October 1966
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SUBDIVISIONS: Dennis Tinerino won the best abdominals, the best chest award went to Will Whitaker; the best back was won by Sergio Oliva who also took the best arms, while Ralph Kroger won the best legs.
- The first five men in the Senior Mr. America contest, L. to R.: Jim Haislop, Tampa, Fla. fifth; Ralph Kroger, Solano Beach, Cal. third; Bob Gajda, Chicago, the winner; Sergio Oliva, Chicago, second and Randy Watson, Atlanta, Ga. fourth place.
- Winner of the Most Muscular Man contest, L. to R.: Dennis Tinerino, Brooklyn, third; Sergio Oliva, Chicago, the winner and Bob Gajda, Chicago, second. Will Whitaker of Hammond, La. was fourth and Ralph Kroger, Solano Beach, Cal. was fifth.
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