The Roid Rage”Past and Present (Part 2)
There are, and always will be, the sub culture hard core of trainees who pump iron solely to strut their stuff and maybe enter and try to win contests, adding more trophies to their cabinets at home. However for all of these categories, like it or not, whether competitive or not, all are openly or covertly influenced by physique contests and of course rising standards of accepted muscular perfection.
Physique competitions are the deciding factor on how bodybuilders are inspired and their hopes are the result of what comes after big events. The whole bodybuilding industry is covered in the muscle mags but they are responsible for giving the guidance needed by budding physique competitors. The top contests are reported big time and the winners reveal all their secrets on training, diet and anything else that may help them on the way to having the best physique in the world.
So we have seen just why such contests are so important to set high standards in the bodybuilding world so now let's have a look at the judges themselves and the criteria they employ to reach the necessary goals required to keep the ball rolling.
Who gives the judges their guidance and authorizes them how to judge? Does a judge need a certain standard of qualification to do what they do? I was once sat right behind a judge who kept asking me for the number of the performing contestant, so should they have to take a compulsory eye test for example?
Apart from sight problems though, there are still problems with international judges who may be suffering from jet lag which has lead to some extremely controversial decisions being made in the past. Fortunately there are very sophisticated scoring systems now in place which help the prevention of individual judges making stupid decisions.
Most modern day sports are backed up by professional refs or judges and our sport is no different. They certainly show no favoritism and only show absolute dedication. The financial rewards are not that high either but that is not the reason for doing what they do anyway. The judges are just guys who have spent most of their lives in the sport and just want to carry on being part of it even though they can't compete any more. Even though some bad decisions are made you can't criticize anybody whose only wish is to give back what they can to a sport that they have just lived for.
The role played by the judges though is one that can influence greatly the personal goals set by competitors. Some comments made in the past make the picture quite clear, for example Russ Warner a famous photographer said that judges can either send you home a hero or cast you into a pit and Rick Wayne a legendary Weider writer once said that Judges were like a sect and that nothing of a competitor's life could influence them.
That's a hard one to live up to. Charisma and reputation always influence our human subconscious minds and therefore the decisions we make. Beauty is indeed "in the eye of the beholder." Despite being lifted from the ranks of doctors, lawyers, teachers and practicing and retired bodybuilders, judges are all only human and therefore open to criticism over their own qualifications and decisions. (Coming Soon Part 3)