Bodybuilding, Fitness, & Figure News May 2008

Adolfo Robles: Artist, Bodybuilder, and One Cool Brother

Prior to the May 10 NPC Superior Classic competition in Miami, Florida the show co-promoter Adolfo Robles shared some insight into his history in the sport and motivations for his half a century love affair with it.
“I’ve been bodybuilding I think it is close to forty-eight years now, training, competing, and judging,” Robles said. He has touched the sport through a variety of means including by molding it into his art as a sculptor. “I was the first to market the statues as a trophy for bodybuilding and did that for many years until the mid nineties,” Robles said. Then he moved from South Florida to Las Vegas before moving back in recent years to South Florida.

As something of a Renaissance Man, Robles has traveled many paths that culminate in the package that is his life’s work. “I have so many interests that I want to pursue,” Robles said. “Writing is one of them. I’m spending a lot of time right now writing fiction, but I am still very involved in bodybuilding. I’m a national judge and co-promoter of the Superior Championships and still competing as I did at the South Florida in November in the masters over sixty.”

When asked what motivates Robles to become a bodybuilder he simply states with a laugh, “I was very skinny. I was almost eighteen years old when I started working out. I was already 5’10” and I weighed about 115 lbs. So you can imagine I was really, really skinny.” He grew up in Spain where as a child he admired the super heroes much as younger generations might look up to those they see in comic books and at the movies. One might wonder if Robles during his youth admired European bodybuilders more so than American based bodybuilding. “It was difficult to get bodybuilding magazines at the time,” Robles said. “And the people we admired were mostly Americans, John Remick, Steve Reeves, all those people who were champions in the ‘50s.”

Over the years Robles has chiseled himself into a heavyweight in terms of his promotion and dedication to the sporting lifestyle.

Robles and his Cool Brother’s Promotions partner Peter Rhoden had a successful NPC Superior Classic on May 10. Since then Robles has returned to Spain for three months and will be back on the bodybuilding, fitness, and figure scene upon his return in August.

To contact Adolfo Robles and keep up to date on the NPC Superior Classic visit www.SuperiorClassic.com.

Finding Personal Fortunes In Fitness Industry

Jim Kaale, a personal trainer and NPC test judge shared with us his history in the sport dating back to the early 90’s. He started lifting weights at 17 yrs old fresh out of high school where he had been a 130-pound aspiring tennis player. He enjoyed the results that he could see from his exercising in the gym and fell in love with it. Kaale has put on 110 pounds since his early training years (mostly muscle he likes to think) and has maintained that size for about a dozen years.

The road to Kaale’s becoming a personal trainer was an interesting one. “I met Dexter Jackson at an early age when I was about 19 or 20,” Kaale said. “I saw him training in the gym and the great genetics and that kind of motivated me to push myself a little bit harder. Dexter and I started talking and when people saw that I was helping him do some things and working with him a little bit it gave me a little credibility and pretty soon people were asking me what they should be doing and I started helping other people.”

Kaale remains a close friend of Jackson as those early years were formative in many ways. “Dexter had won the Southern States in ’94 and actually guest posed at the first show I competed in also in ’94,” Kaale said. “And after that we started talking about training together and we became workout partners and trained together for two solid years. I was training for a show in Orlando called the World and he was training for the nationals.”

Looking back on his time training with Jackson one of our eras top athletes provides Kaale a tremendous amount of pride. “When people see you working with someone that is at that national level it peeks their interest and they started talking more and more and realized I had a pretty good grasp of what I was doing,” Kaale said. “Pretty soon I said, “you know what I need to get certified so I can start making money doing something I love.” And it took off from there. I was a manager at Publix for about 10 years and when I called my mother up and told her I was going to become a personal trainer and I’m going to retire from Publix I thought she was going to kill me through the phone. Back then there was really nobody that was doing this for a living at least not in Jacksonville. I took the plunge and started doing it full time and have never looked back since.”

Since those days in Jacksonville Kaale has relocated to the Orlando area where he provides innovative training for people looking to get fit and for the fittest of top athletes. Group training and Boot Camps are a fashionable and affordable new offering Kaale provides out of the newly renovated Lifestyles facility there. Unlike some of the big box fitness facilities Kaale assures those who inquire that whether training one-on-one or in his group setting it will be a rewarding experience where he strives to help you reach your fitness goals.

Ft. Myers Heats Up On Stage Compliments of DiRenzos

Ft. Myers, Florida is a beautiful sub-tropical community a few dozen miles north of Naples, which is the end of civilization along the Gulf Coast. It doesn’t seem that Ft. Myers gets a lot of respect at least from a cursory look at the signs identifying major cities heading south on I75 that miss mentioning Ft. Myers entirely. Sanibel & Captiva islands, the so-called shelling capital of the world are just off the coast of Ft. Myers and are probably better known around the world than their mainland neighbor. Yet, Ft. Myers and neighboring communities like Cape Coral are growing and fueling the sport of bodybuilding, fitness, and figure as promoted by the DiRenzo’s with their Gulf Coast Championships. The show came in May this year up several months from an event curiously plagued by concerns of hurricanes in the past (actually run on generator power one year). This was a beautiful time to be in Ft. Myers where temperatures were moderate and many of the areas trees were in bloom.

The Muscle Mob crew from Muscular Development, Dave Palumbo and John Romano can only be seen emceeing at the DiRenzo’s Gulf Coast Championships. Regardless, of where their assignments at MD might have taken them these two high profile sport and industry personalities show up and play up events on the Ft. Myers stage as they do on their audio show each week. Matt & his IFBB Pro Bodybuilding wife Beverly DiRenzo host the competition and have become quite close with the Muscle Mob over the years with Bev also representing Palumbo’s new product line of Species Nutrition. And who better to promote nutrition products than Bev considering they live the lifestyle day in and day out along with emphasize and teach it with their clients at the gym.

Having an IFBB pro bodybuider in the family provides a platform for also encouraging other aspiring women bodybuilders. "One thing I'm seeing across the board and I think a lot of promoters are noticing is a decrease in the number of our female competitors," Matt DiRenzo said. "It is the bodybuilding part. Figure seems to be great across the board. It is amazing to me being on the national scene the last couple of years and the seeing the large competitive amount of people on stage in female bodybuilding with 15, 20 and 30 deep in a class. Yet, when you get back to our level, the regional, and even national qualifiers you find maybe only one or two. It is funny to me as I say, where are these people coming from? They obviously are qualifying somewhere? Some of us (promoters) we are actually just having an open women's division and not worrying with weight classes. This is for two reasons: One maybe it will give some the incentive not to be that nervous to come out and compete. And from a promoters point of view, we usually go out an purchase a bunch of trophies and unfortunatly we have to sometimes take them back."

The Gulf Coast Championships is truly a family affair with Matt’s mother Elaine being very involved in planning and pulling it all together including keeping paperwork straight at weigh in, operating the ticket booth, and so much more from behind the scenes. And the DiRenzo's young children scurry about the facility having a joyous time and adding to the atmosphere in the process.

This year’s competition had some interesting new elements aside from the usual tight talent. Matt and Bev brought in a rambunctious group of their gyms pre-teen talent to compete in a non-sanctioned junior fitness competition. These young ladies dazzled the crowd both during prejudging and the evening show, which was a warm up for all these young athletes coming national competition. Matt proudly noted afterwards in a video interview with Palumbo that from this group of young ladies we might be seeing some future IFBB pros. And who can doubt it considering the DiRenzos track record for delivering a quality competition and after considering Bev’s climb into the IFBB ranks last year while juggling motherhood, being a wife, and business owner? "It is the aspiration of a lot of people," Matt DiRenzo said. "I urge people to get involved in something like this because whether you are going to be a pro or just a regional competitor for some of us it is something that motivates us to keep in a healthy lifestyle."

Tim Gardner, trainer for Team BodyTech who had numerous athletes in the event, made a point of signifying that he considered the May 24, 2008 Gulf Coast Championships one of the series best. Gardner is obviously a good judge of such things as his shows are top shelf including plans for his upcoming IFBB/NPC show. Through the season remember Ft. Myers and the DiRenzo’s as Matt assures us the show will be back and the Muscle Mob will be back to headline an all star cast of sinewy bodybuilding, fitness, and figure athletes in 2009.
For more information on the show visit www.GulfCoastChampionships.com and visit MuscularDevelopment.com for a good look at the athletes as they appeared on stage in 2008.

You Make this Sport. It Does Not Make You

Gale Elie took second place in her division again this year at the Junior USAs in Charleston, South Carolina, but ranks in first place in so many ways including attitude and promotional accomplishments. While she preps to comp again on June 20 in Chicago at the Junior Nationals she also spends time raising her daughter, running her personal training business and working on the Dexter Jackson Classic and Jacksonville Pro Figure Competition. She graciously notes how humbling her placing in Charleston was. And the work is never done she points out not even for those who make it into the pros. The challenges merely become greater.

“You make this sport. It does not make you,” Elie said. “I firmly believe it as so many of us get carried away.” Elie stays rooted and keeps herself in check while encouraging others to do the same. “I know how addicting it can be, but I think you have to stay focused on the most important part it, which might be different for each competitor,” she said.

Her chipper and polished professional manner is she continues to place high in the competitive national figure rankings and is an influential force in the success of the Dexter Jackson Classic and Jacksonville Pro Figure Competition. Elie appears as comfortable and confident negotiating deals with fitness industry company executives and building on the DJC successes of 2007 as leading a fitness class in her personal training business at World Gym in Jacksonville, Florida.

Elie is a force to be dealt with whether as a competitor on stage or in board room negotiations. Academically trained in marketing with a thorough understanding of the sport and fitness industry Elie has the confidence to speak with authority about where she expects to take her physique and their IFBB/NPC event.

Elie never thinks small having big aspirations and sets her goals high while grounding herself in a love of family and friends. Like many other successful ladies she balances personal responsibilities with her professional live, which includes raising her daughter and keeping in close contact with both hers and Jackson’s family. After Jackson won the first three events he competed in 2008, the Arnold Classic, Australian, and New Zealand competitions Elie hosted a victory party for Dexter in Jacksonville that was attended principally by family and close friends. There Elie spoke eloquently of their appreciation for friends and family support and how much it has meant for Dexter during his rise to the pinnacle of the sport. Elie is very much like Dexter in that she is a class act and does everything first rate and sets the bar high in so much of what she does.

Featured May Athlete; Marijan Lipsinic

Croatian Crusher is how he is called in one youtube video. Originally from Croatia, Marijan Lipsinic now is a personal trainer residing in Coral Spring, Florida. Marijan made his mark at Florida NPC bodybuilding competitions in 2007 as he will surely translate well on the national stage in coming years. As an avid fan of the sport Marijan is proud of his collection of many photos taken of himself with the pros at national level shows like the Arnold Classic. Marijan loves to travel with his wife Sandra (a physician also from Europe) to the Smoky Mountains and elsewhere in America’s heartland. Lipsinic somewhat jokingly refers to a sort of wanderlust resulting from his astrological sign as a Sagittarian. Wherever Lipsinic might show up one would be hard pressed to find a more considerate or kind person. Though he worked for years in the international cruise line industry his kindness runs deeper than that. Maybe his considerate manner is rooted in his cultural traditions growing up in a region of Croatia that was very oriented toward their tourism industry? Regardless, of why Marijan Lipsinic is exemplary of another gentle giant and a rising star in the NPC. Some have seen his image splashed in magazines such as Southern Muscle Plus promoting the upcoming Ancient City Classic.
Find out more about Marijan Lipsinic at www.MarijanLipsinic.com.

Recent Losses For the Sport

Palm Beach Pro-Am Promoter John Organ passed away on May 20 at his home at 49 years of age. John was well known and respected by many in the bodybuilding, fitness, and figure community as he was a bodybuilder himself, personal trainer operating "Bodies Are My Business," a national level NPC judge, and friend too many. He was a passionate gentleman that had a far reaching impact on the sport providing one of the few opportunities for pro-figure ladies to compete and in doing so created a showcase for how to do things right. He was proud of the opportunity he was providing with the Palm Beach Pro-Am for amatuers to compete on the same stage with the pros and the event was talked about regularly in comparisons of athletes conditioning and routines during the other great shows in the sport. While other high quality promotions, trainers, and judges come on the scene they can't replace the spot in our hearts reserved for big John Organ. Cards of condolences are encouraged to be sent to the family via one of the brothers at: Gary Organ, Organ Farms, Rte. 4 Box 271, McLeansboro, IL 62859.

IFBB Pro Figure Athlete Amanda Jo Earhart-Savell and bodybuilder David Jacobs were found deceased at Jacobs apartment in an apparent murder-suicide in Plano, Texas in early June. Speculation continues as what resulted in this tragic event. Remembrances for Amanda Jo may be sent to Earhearts, C/O Remember Amanda, 3912 Penzance Dr., Plano, TX 75093.

New Sample Video Uploads:

-Matt & the MD Muscle Mob interview at the Gulf Coast Championship
-Figure Division showing at Gulf Coast Championship

-Shannon Dey guest posing at NPC Southern USA Bodybuilding, Shannon Dey Fitness & Figure Competition
-Steve Tsitas guest posing at NPC Southern USA Bodybuilding, Shannon Dey Fitness & Figure Competition

-Dexter Jackson guest posing at NPC Gateway Classic
-Deb & Jack Callahan interviews at NPC Gateway Classic
-Chris Eaddy interview at NPC Gateway Classic
-Pete Fancher interview with the Overall winners at the NPC Gateway Classic

-Mari Redondo guest performance at Superior Classic
-Andre Vaughn guest performance at Superior Classic
-Juan interview with the Overall winners at the Superior Classic
-Adolfo interview at Superior Classic
-John Organ’s final interview at Superior Classic
-Sergio/Mari interview at Superior Classic
-Team Shape/Barbie interview at Superior Classic
-Tony Racenelli interview at Superior Classic
-Claudia Sofronia interview at Superior Classic