Written by Team MD
06 January 2017

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Best Ever Bodybuilding Moment

Shawn Ray & Kevin Levrone Choose Theirs

 

 

Shawn Ray

The best moments of my bodybuilding career are plentiful, as I had a long career full of nothing but positive memories of achievement and overcoming challenges, both personal and physical. That said, some of the most memorable highlights I find myself reflecting on stand out more than others, based on the quality of competitors I was standing next to. Many of them are now in Joe Weider’s Bodybuilding Hall of Fame.

My “standout achievement” was the weekend in October 1987 when I won the NPC light-heavy and overall Nationals titles in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I was still attending Cal State Fullerton and barely 22 years old when I boarded a plane from Los Angeles, by myself, to fly across the country to compete in the largest National Championships to date, against grown men I had been following in the magazines. They included Matt Mendenhall, Troy Zuccolotto, Vince Taylor, Eddie Robinson, Vince Comerford, J.J. Marsh and a slew of others who already had made a huge impression on the bodybuilding industry before my arrival. I specifically remember at the weigh-ins, J.J. Marsh, a rival competitor in my division, letting out a huge gasp as the judge shouted my weight of 197¼ pounds. J.J. thought I would weigh in too heavy, and he’d have one less challenge to deal with on Friday night for prejudging. Boy, was he wrong.

Then I remember running into the behemoth, Victor Richards, who I knew as a teenage phenom training with the Barbarian Brothers at Gold’s Gym in Venice, California. Victor wanted to see what I was looking like, and went back to my hotel room to put me through some posing. He was flabbergasted with my progress from the May NPC Mr. California, and begged me to keep posing every two hours and fill up on more carbs! Eventually, hours had passed and it was getting late as I inquired to Victor, “Where are you staying, what hotel?” He replied, “I don’t have a room … can I crash here?” I’m thinking … Oh shit, I won’t get any sleep. But I also didn’t want to be a dick and kick him out, so I welcomed his company. There were two beds in the room, so it was cool. Victor was weighing approximately 300 pounds, and may have been around 25 years old at the time. To say he slept quietly like a baby would be a lie! He sawed logs like a lumberjack throughout the night. But to his credit, he got me out of bed on the regular to pose throughout the night, which contributed to my overall polished physique that would lead me to victory over a lineup that is still talked about in gyms today, almost 30 years later. Winning this contest, in the fashion that I did, was nothing short of amazing after being introduced on that stage by the ultimate NFL Raider, Lyle Alzado, and “Big Mike” Katz.

When I returned home to California, I would be doing photo shoots for the magazines for the week, all while attending college classes where no one even knew what I had just accomplished on the East Coast. Magazines run about two to three months behind with regard to getting public information and photos out to the general public, making it feel almost anticlimactic, with little to no fanfare. The trophy was overwhelmingly large, and stood as a constant reminder to me in the ensuing years of competition of where it all started. The NPC overall trophy came with an IFBB pro card, and was symbolic of all the years I had sacrificed and trained for that single moment in time. At that moment in time, I joined the likes of Lee Haney, the 1982 winner and future Hall of Famer; along with my teenage idol coming up, Bob Paris, the 1983 champion; Mike Christian, my mentor in 1984; and Phil Williams, a personal friend of mine who won the overall title 1985. Ultimately Gary Strydom, a future friend and fellow competitor, was the 1986 champion. They had all won the Nationals prior to my moment at center stage, three years out of high school in 1987, standing in victory!

In conclusion, we all have “moments,” but if I had to choose a moment, this one from 1987 in Atlantic City, New Jersey would be the one that set up all the other memorable moments in my career that followed.

Twitter: @sugarshawnray

Instagram: @shawnrayifbbpro

Facebook: Shawn Ray

 

Kevin Levrone

I can’t narrow my choice to just one moment. For me, there are three distinct contests that stand out the most.

The first one was winning the 1991 NPC Nationals and turning pro. I had only been competing for two years, starting with a local show in 1989, winning my state show in Maryland in 1990 and then winning the Junior Nationals in the spring of ’91. I knew I was pretty good, but you have to understand what the level of competition was like at the NPC Nationals back then. There was no super heavyweight class yet, so every man over 198¼ pounds was a heavyweight. The rest of the top 10 after me were impressive, and filled with future stars: Flex Wheeler, Paul DeMayo, Ronnie Coleman, Matt Mendenhall, Bob Cicherillo, Chris Cormier and Edgar Fletcher, to name a few. The best part was that my overall trophy was presented to me by the legendary Lee Haney, who had just retired after winning his eighth Mr. Olympia title. Talk about a dream come true!

My second favorite moment was winning my first pro win the following May, the 1992 Night of Champions. I had made my pro debut shortly before that in Chicago, and had taken third behind Porter Cottrell (who had won the light heavyweight class at the Nationals a few months before) and France’s Thierry Pastel. In New York, I was only called out once with Porter and Robby Robinson, and then put back into line. It was a great rookie year for me. I had another win at the German Grand Prix, and took second place in Finland to Dorian at the Mr. Olympia.

Finally, the contest I personally felt the best and most confident at was the 2000 Mr. Olympia. If you really pushed me to say what my peak was, that would probably be it. I was 34 years old, 248 pounds, full and with excellent condition. I can’t recall every being so energized onstage before, especially at the finals. Ronnie was off, and I knew in my heart I had him that time. My posing routine started off with a voice-over where I thanked everyone who had been part of my journey, then went into “Are You Ready?” by Creed. The fans tore the roof off, yelling for me. In the end, Ronnie held on to his title somehow, but in the minds of many, I was Mr. Olympia that night. I will always treasure that memory and that whole experience.

Instagram: kevinlevrone

Facebook: Kevin Levrone

 

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