Muscular Development, Vol 12, No 6, Page 18, November 1975

Mr. U.S.A. Contest...

By Jay Carroll

THE BIG DAY CAME! Musclemen from all parts of the country literally "invaded Muscletown", York, Pennsylvania to see the big show or to take part in it over the Labor Day weekend. The heavy downpour at times failed to dampen the enthusiasm of the throng as they roared and cheered almost every lifting effort, and the applauded just about every pose each of the Mr. USA contestants threw!

Mr. U.S.A.

  1. Clinton Beyerle
  2. Anibal Lopez
  3. Floyd Odom
  4. Willie Johnson
  5. Bob Gallucci
  6. Fred Shandor
  7. Lawrence Samuel
  8. Joe Means
  9. John Boos
  10. Michael Kowach
  11. Tom Willert
  12. Paul Price
  13. Samuel Sanchez
  14. William Chapoton
  15. George Clark
  16. Gregory Long
  17. Ken DiAngelo
  18. Eugene Solomon
  19. Dennis Rollison

Best Back

  1. Willie Johnson
  2. Bob Gallucci
  3. Clint Beyerle
  4. John Boos

Best Abdominals

  1. Mike Kowach
  2. Aniabl Lopez
  3. Tom Willer
  4. Paul Price
  5. Willie Johnson

Best Chest

  1. Bob Gallucci
  2. Fred Shando
  3. Clint Beyerle
  4. Floyd Odom
  5. John Boos
  6. Willie Johnson

Best Legs

  1. Anibal Lopez
  2. Joe Means
  3. Fred Shandor
  4. Floyd Odom
  5. Bob Gallucci

Best Arms

  1. Clint Beyerle
  2. Bob Gallucci
  3. Samuel Sanchez
  4. Floyd Odom

Most Muscular Man

  1. Clinton Beyerle
  2. Anibal Lopez
  3. Willie Johnson
  4. Floyd Odom
  5. Bob Gallucci

Things started quite early on Sunday morning. Even before the doors were opened to the gym where the prejudging was to take place, numerous enthusiasts gathered outside of the building waiting to get in. The prejudging was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and just around nine o'clock the huskies began making their appearance so as to get ready for their parade of muscles before the judges. Some of them began warming up even before they got their trunks on. The whole dressing area was packed with muscles and appeared over-crowded as the men went into action pumping up their muscles. They helped one another and seemed to get along very well. no one grumbled and there seemed to be a great "togetherness" at this time, something that doesn't always happen when a bunch of competitors get together . . . so this was an excellent group of con tenders.

After the judges got settled in their places at the long table in front of the posing dais, John Biaselli, one of the coordinators, asked the men to line up and be ready to go out and form a semi-circle before the judges. This was to give the judges a good look at the men without 'the benefit of any special lighting. Only the overhead gym lights were on. Nobody had any distinct advantage over another in this line up. However, one glance was enough to convince everyone that the judging wasn't going to be easy.

In the group now standing before the judges stood some mighty impressive specimens: from the shortest to the tallest, the men were muscular and had size to match their frames. The selection would have to be made only through a process of elimination, and only after the men had their interview would the final choice be made. . . at least that's the way it appeared to me at this moment. But now as the judges eyed each man objectively they seemed to make mental notes to see how they would look when they went through their posing routine.

After this scrutinizing once-over the contestants were asked to march back into the dressing room and be ready to come out, one by one, as their names were called. By now the gym lights were doused and the two specially placed lights, one white and the other amber, were the only light source. Earlier all the windows in the gym had been covered so that now, even in daylight, it was dark when all the lights were off.

The name of the first contestant was called. He came forth and stood upon the pedestal with the posing lights upon him, transforming him into a massive hunk of muscularity. Then as he moved from one pose to another, delighting the crowd, the judges studied him even more intensely, picking out his good points and taking into consideration his weak ones. All the men went through the same procedure, and after each had his turn, the general overhead lighting was turned on again while the judges calculated their scores.

Now came the time for selecting the men for the subdivisions, which was done under the same general lighting. This, too, appeared like a simple task at first but it wasn't. In the end the men were told to retire and get dressed for the interview part of the contest, a part, incidentally, which has helped many to get the top position.

All this took more than a couple of hours, and because the lifting was starting, and also because the interview part of the contest is of little interest to the average spectator, most of the audience filed out and went over to the William Penn High School to see the lifting. The judges, however, find the interview part very important and will often come to a conclusion about a man after he has been interviewed. The interview helps to provide better understanding between the contestants and the judges and whether he is the ideal man to hold such an esteemed title. It also proves that the man who carries the title is not "all muscle" with nothing between his ears, which is the general consensus of the average man.

True, at times, some of the contestants have tried to fabricate their goals but under such conditions, they are generally found out even before the interview takes place. The judges these days have too much experience to be taken lightly. They seem to "spot" this type and may even quiz him in-depth just to prove he is not fooling anyone.

While the interview continued the lifting already was in progress. Competition was quite intense in most of the classes and started to lag behind schedule. The Mr. USA contest was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. but it didn't get going until around nine t hat evening. However, it took only minutes to clear the stage and get it ready for the Mr. USA contestants. Once again the contestants were marched out on stage in a group to give the audience a general look. After this the house lights were turned off and only the two spots that focused on the pedestal were on. MC Len Bosland, who has always done a splendid job in the past now failed to get the full resonancy of his voice out to the crowd. The "mike" had an odd pitch that did an injustice to his voice. . . and it wasn't very audible in the back of the auditorium. Len himself knew this but under the circumstances could do nothing but sweat it out and do the best he could. . . and he did. Fastidiously he called out each man's name and mentioned certain statistics about him as he welcomed him to the stage for his final exhibition. Many of these men had perfected their posing style and looked very impressive, with unusual muscularity and size. Each man was allowed to do as many or as little poses as he chose, which was for the benefit of the audience, which by now was filled to capacity. By this time the results were known, but only to the judges and some of the officials, but none of the men knew where they placed, so they were still sweating it out.

When all had their turn to do their muscular display, the winners were then announced and the audience accepted it without any of the dissenting cries which usually follow such an announcement. Even when the subdivision awards were presented, only it round of applause was heard, indicating the judges made a fine choice that was agreeable to all. Thus ended another fine contest that was enjoyed by all.

Before ending I might add that there were two men in this lineup that have not competed for over a year or more, and both placed among the top five in this year's competition. The second-place man, Anibal Lopez, surprised a lot of people, including many of the contestants. However, Anibal looked more muscular than he's been in the past and had ample size for his proportions. The other was the fifthplace man, Bob Gallucci, who came back into competition after a couple years' absence. He won the Best Chest trophy, too.

The contest proved very interesting and those who saw it seem.ed to thoroughly enjoy it . . . and that's because a lot of good men worked hard to get it off and running smoothly.

Here are a few pertinent facts about the men who competed and they are presented in the order they were called out to do their posing routine, These statistics were supplied by Len Bosland, the MC of the evening.

George Clark. McKeesport, Pa. At 5'7" he weighs 182 pounds and is 22 years of age. Married and a pipe-fitter by trade.

Eugene Solomon, Pittsburgh, Pa. is 5'9½" and weighs 190 pounds and is 21 years old. Tom Willert, Mercerville, N.J. weighs 215 pounds at 6' in height and is 28 years old. Married and works as a diesel engine mechanic.

John Boos, N. Babylon, N. Y. stands 5'5½" in height and weighs 185 pounds. He is 29 years old, married and a computer expert.

William Chapoton, Detroit, Mich. weighs 195 pounds at 5'9" and is 34 years old. Married and is a police officer.

Dennis Rollison, Sandusky, Ohio weighs 184 pounds at 5'9½" and is 34 years old. Married and employed as a food packer.

Anibal Lopez, Hollis, N.Y. is 33 years old, 5'5" in height and weighs 160 pounds. Married and works for the Transit Authority.

Floyd Odom, Longview, Texas stands 6' in height, weighs 225 and is 35 years old. Married and has a car agency.

Samuel Sanchez, Bronx, N.Y. is 29, 5'9" tall and weighs 180 pounds and works as a hospital technician.

Bob Galluci, Enfield, Conn. is 5'8" and weighs 210 pounds and is 24 years old. Married, he teaches physical education in high school.

Lawrence Samuel, New York City weighs 215 pounds at the height of 5'8" and is 32 years of age. Married and works as a lab technician.

Clinton Beyerle, Southgate, Calif. is 5'10¼" in height, weighs 208 pounds and is 27 years old. Married, he is a chiropractor.

Paul Price, Scranton, Pa. is 5'6" tall and and weighs 200 pounds. He is 24, married and has a health club.

Fred Shandor, Manville, N.J. stands 5'7" and weighs 188 pounds. He is 31 years old, married and works as 'a probation officer.

Ken DiAngelo, Pennsauken, N.J. weighs 190 pounds at 5'5" in height and is 27 years of age. He's married and is a salesman.

Willie Johnson, Akron, Ohio is 5' 10" and weighs 218. He's 31 years old, married and is employed in the tire industry.

Gregory Long, Philadelphia, Pa. weighs 190 pounds, is 5'8" in height and. is 27 years old. He isa steelworker.

Michael Kowach, Warren, Ohio weighs 190 pounds at, 5'7" in height and is 30 years old. Mike is married and works as a millwright.

Joe Means, Columbia, S.C.is 5'9" in height, weighs 200 pounds and is 24 years old. He's employed as a law enforcement officer.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

- Winner and runners-up

- Clinton Beyerle - Mr. USA 1975

- Anibal Lopez took 2nd.

- Floyd Odom placed 3rd.

- Willie Johnson got 4th.

- A shot of some of the muscular looking contestants who vied for the Mr. USA title recently in York.

- Bob Gallucci appeared again after a year or two of absence. Looked impressive. Took 5th in this contest.

- Fred Shandor 6th; Lawrence Samuel 7tyh; Joe Means 8th; John Boos 9th; Mike Kowach 10th; Tom Willert 11th;

- Paul Price 12th; Samuel Sanchez 13th; Bill Chapoton 14th; George Clark 15th;

- The men who had the task of choosing the winner and runners-up though not listed in the order as shown: Bill Stevens, South Atlantic Asso.; Bob O'Leary, Middle Atlantic; Merle Kelly, Indiana Asso.; Jim Manion, Allegheny Asso.; Conrad Cotter, Pensacola, Florida; Joe Zarella, NE Asso.; Tony Nicolini, N.J. District.

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