Guy
Meets Up With Arnold
As
I left off a couple weeks ago... So about 6 months go by and Arnold
and Franco return to Pittsburgh. My friends tell me in school that
they are here and that they will be seeing the two of them that
night at the bodybuilding contest (sorry can't remember which one).
The plan is for my brother and me to meet the girls at the hotel
where everything is taking place before the show starts and through
them we'll get to meet the 2 stars.
Well,
Dan and I get to the hotel but cannot find my friends. Since it
is getting late we go in to watch the contest. After the contest
Arnold and Franco appear and pose together bringing the house down.
When they are done posing they stand behind podiums on the opposite
ends of the stage and start to talk with us and ask for questions.
Someone
yells out "Arnold, what was your best bench?" Arnold says "480 pounds."
Next question yelled out "Franco, what was yours?" Franco says "481
pounds," to much laughter. Someone then yells to Arnold—"Have
you ever taken steroids?" Arnold says matter-of-factly "Yes, I have."
This was
around 1975-1976 when no one was admitting to using steroids. I
though it was very cool of Arnold to admit it. For another 10 minutes
questions were yelled out and Arnold and Franco gave out answers
and joked with us.
They
left the stage and I believe Mike Dayton came on and did some strongman
stuff, breaking handcuffs, bending coins and ripping up card decks.
I
decided to take a walk out to the main lobby. As I have my head
down and I'm walking down the corrider I happen to look up and Arnold
is walking right towards me. I freeze as I look around and don't
see another soul. Just me and Arnold in the hallway. He is about
20 feet away and I notice the confidence in his stride, his massive
ribcage is up high, his skin tone struck me as almost glowing. He
was tan and just wearing a pair of jeans with a long sleeve t-shirt.
I was awe struck... here was Arnold the guy you only see in the
magazines, the one you only read about, walking toward me and looking
as perfect as a human being could look.
A thousand thoughts and questions raced thru my mind in 2 seconds...
what the heck was I going to say to him?
Out
came my best thought..."hi." Not
"hi, Arnold." Nothing like "Wow nice to meet you" —nothing
even remotely witty... just "hi."
He
actually stopped though and asked me how I liked the show, and I
somehow bumbled out a couple questions to him. But I could sense
that he was being cordial and wanted to get on with business. As
he walked away I could see a table being set up and people bringing
out posters of him and Franco. He went right over taking command
as to where he wanted everything (swearing occasionly). Then people
from the auditorium started walking out and Franco came out and
joined Arnold behind the table. They sold the posters of themselves
for $2.00 each and signed their names on them. He was in a strictly
business mode by now.
On
the way out I did run into my friends. Sorry but I can't tell their
story!
Guy
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