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By Shawn Ray
All too often in the sport of bodybuilding, we are as good as our last contest placing in the eye's of those who watch us work as professional bodybuilders. By this I mean, we are judged as people. Our character and sportsmanship are analyzed when the final score comes in. We are picked apart by meaningless people in our everyday life who determine who should reign supreme in the sport of bodybuilding. Judged when we walk on stage, judged when we step in the press conference by how sucked up our faces are, judged by whether or not we feel like talking and being sociable. Constantly judged in the gym whether we are on season or off, by what we wear when we train or if we speak when we walk in the gym. As a professional, I have discovered the best defense when it comes to being judged by strangers I don't know is to remind myself that I am in this sport for "self improvement." Acknowledging the fact that I am not here to please the select judges but to please myself by reaching my own personal goals! Granted I am in a contest where I am being compared and chosen to represent our sport in a process of 1st thru 10th however, at the end of the day, I am training to be the best "I" can be and not what the judges think I should be. When I look at the people who judged me on that stage I think to myself, "What qualifications do these people have to judge me besides owning a gym, promoting amateur contests, and attending contests for years as faithful followers of the sport?" It amazes me that I can be judged by a person that has never seen what it takes to diet for 12 to 14 weeks or train for 4 hours a day and maintain a family life and enormous grocery bills! To be judged by people who have never stood on that stage half naked under a spot light to be scrutinized by a select group of people with a life-time tenure to decide whether you have the right stuff or not to be the King of Kings! I am an exception; the judges that decide what happens on stage can not stop what happens off stage regarding business opportunities so that I can enjoy the sport I love. Sadly, many athletes will never fully realize the enjoyment of the hard work because the decisions of the judges will drive them out and leave them feeling less than zero. In the end, the ones with thick skin and an attitude that says, " Take your best shot" will be best suited to survive the Green Mile when filing on stage year after year to be judged by the BLUE COATS. I happen to fall in that category and could careless what the opinions of these people are of me because my fans have spoken, rating me as one of the Top 3 physiques of the 20th Century!
To be judged can be demeaning and down right shameful when year after year my fans feel ripped off because the judging system refuses to change with the times and qualifications for the job are reduced to being semi-associated with someone already on the panel!
If only for a day, I would like to see these judges step on that stage and be judged with the same degree of scrutiny to find out who is the best judge and most qualified! Sadly, there is no serious rotation nor is there a re-qualifying test to ensure the competency of the judges controlling the future of our sport. In the end, don't let the decision of a select few determine who you like as an individual. When we are on that stage, we are all champions and the same cannot be said for the process in which the judges determine who is #1! All the warriors that qualify for the Mr. Olympia are "Champions" and should be recognized as such, the only question that remains is, "What qualifications do you need to be a judge at the Mr. Olympia? I still don't know and I am going in a record tying 13th Mr. Olympia contest and at this point in my career, I really don't care simply because nothing will change!"
Appreciate the art of our sport and the beauty of it all without judgement and we will come to respect the physiques and forget the opinions of a select few. This is what made bodybuilding great, the fact that we are all different yet so much alike! Less judging and more appreciation.
Just my two cents.
Shawn Ray
All too often in the sport of bodybuilding, we are as good as our last contest placing in the eye's of those who watch us work as professional bodybuilders. By this I mean, we are judged as people. Our character and sportsmanship are analyzed when the final score comes in. We are picked apart by meaningless people in our everyday life who determine who should reign supreme in the sport of bodybuilding. Judged when we walk on stage, judged when we step in the press conference by how sucked up our faces are, judged by whether or not we feel like talking and being sociable. Constantly judged in the gym whether we are on season or off, by what we wear when we train or if we speak when we walk in the gym. As a professional, I have discovered the best defense when it comes to being judged by strangers I don't know is to remind myself that I am in this sport for "self improvement." Acknowledging the fact that I am not here to please the select judges but to please myself by reaching my own personal goals! Granted I am in a contest where I am being compared and chosen to represent our sport in a process of 1st thru 10th however, at the end of the day, I am training to be the best "I" can be and not what the judges think I should be. When I look at the people who judged me on that stage I think to myself, "What qualifications do these people have to judge me besides owning a gym, promoting amateur contests, and attending contests for years as faithful followers of the sport?" It amazes me that I can be judged by a person that has never seen what it takes to diet for 12 to 14 weeks or train for 4 hours a day and maintain a family life and enormous grocery bills! To be judged by people who have never stood on that stage half naked under a spot light to be scrutinized by a select group of people with a life-time tenure to decide whether you have the right stuff or not to be the King of Kings! I am an exception; the judges that decide what happens on stage can not stop what happens off stage regarding business opportunities so that I can enjoy the sport I love. Sadly, many athletes will never fully realize the enjoyment of the hard work because the decisions of the judges will drive them out and leave them feeling less than zero. In the end, the ones with thick skin and an attitude that says, " Take your best shot" will be best suited to survive the Green Mile when filing on stage year after year to be judged by the BLUE COATS. I happen to fall in that category and could careless what the opinions of these people are of me because my fans have spoken, rating me as one of the Top 3 physiques of the 20th Century!
To be judged can be demeaning and down right shameful when year after year my fans feel ripped off because the judging system refuses to change with the times and qualifications for the job are reduced to being semi-associated with someone already on the panel!
If only for a day, I would like to see these judges step on that stage and be judged with the same degree of scrutiny to find out who is the best judge and most qualified! Sadly, there is no serious rotation nor is there a re-qualifying test to ensure the competency of the judges controlling the future of our sport. In the end, don't let the decision of a select few determine who you like as an individual. When we are on that stage, we are all champions and the same cannot be said for the process in which the judges determine who is #1! All the warriors that qualify for the Mr. Olympia are "Champions" and should be recognized as such, the only question that remains is, "What qualifications do you need to be a judge at the Mr. Olympia? I still don't know and I am going in a record tying 13th Mr. Olympia contest and at this point in my career, I really don't care simply because nothing will change!"
Appreciate the art of our sport and the beauty of it all without judgement and we will come to respect the physiques and forget the opinions of a select few. This is what made bodybuilding great, the fact that we are all different yet so much alike! Less judging and more appreciation.
Just my two cents.
Shawn Ray
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