Imagine that being played at MetroFlex with Branch & JOJ training 
[h=3]Joe Weider's- 48th Annual Mr. Olympia 2012[/h]
By Shawn Ray (13-Time Olympia Competitor)
The first time I watched the Mr. Olympia competition was in 1985 via Pay Per View in a theater in downtown Los Angeles, because the contest was being held in Sweden. My mentor / training partner was three-time NABBA Mr. World Champion and two-time NABBA Mr. Universe Winner, John Brown, who was given the "Special Invite" to compete that year. I was 19 years old and the reigning NPC Teenage Lt. Hvy. and Overall Champion, an important year in my life, as I would later become the Overall IFBB Jr. Mr. World Winner. I state the previous to lay the groundwork for what would become my journey, my involvement and life's work that encompassed all that surrounds the Mr. Olympia Weekend! It was here that I would bear witness to "The Greatest Show on Earth" and hence forth dream of being on the Mr. Olympia stage one day myself as a professional bodybuilder. For the $20.00 price of admission, I got to witness a friend compete on the same stage as the great Lee Haney, who had already won the title, with the likes of Samir Bannout, Robby Robinson, Albert Beckles, Roy Callender and other mythical Bodybuilders of the time...
I knew then as a teenager in the brink of manhood, as I reflect now, that my life would be spent pursuing the chance to get on that stage and compete with the best in the world, wherever the journey would lead me.
On September 10 of 1988, one day after my 23rd birthday, my dream would become my reality in Los Angeles, California, 40 minutes from my hometown, as Lee Haney, still the champion, was competing for his 5th consecutive Sandow Trophy and Mr. Olympia title. Reflecting back on that night some 25 years ago, I can't help but think of the enormity of the situation I found myself in at the athlete weigh-ins the night before the show. I felt like I had been given free pass to play in an NFL pro football game with the Big Boys. It was surreal, too good to be true, like a dream I was wide awake in. I had photographs of the competitors I was competing against still hanging on my bedroom walls; I revered many of them to be God-like creatures that were untouchable. Haney, Robinson, Beckles, Bannout, Gaspari, Labrada, Paris and the list goes on… It seemed as if every one of my heroes were there competing on the same stage, and I had the best seat in the house! I didn't feel worthy or ready for the task at hand. I was young, unprepared, inexperienced, shy and in awe of everything. My opponents needed to realize I would be no threat to them! Ultimately I'd finish somewhere in the middle of the pack, a forgettable placing to be sure, but a humbling and learning experience that would shape the rest of my 14-year career as a bodybuilder and competitor.
The lessons I learned then are the same for our first time Olympians now, and what stands out most from that year for me is clearly that, "You only have one shot at making a first impression!" By that I mean, while the list of opponents is long and decorated, we "qualified" to be there, meaning The Best of the Best, which included me! That was the part I forgot along the way, and I reverted back into being a "fan" upon my arrival to the contest, leaving the other veterans to treat me as such and therefore regulate my confidence to being inferior to theirs, which didn't go unnoticed by the judges. Realizing I was not going to be a factor in the contest, I became "Super Fan!" I was the towel guy, water guy, pumper helper, oiler upper, you name it. This role I had reduced myself to was a constant reminder that if I should be so fortunate to ever get back to this contest again, it would be to compete for the title! I studied the best, up close and personal. I asked the right questions, with many differing answers, about contest preparation, including business, promotion and marketing stuff, so as to at least go home with something learned that I could apply to the rest of my career. Hindsight has just shown me that my best learning tool that weekend was my ability to "observe." I intently watched the front runners and how they approached the stage, their posing, the posedown, the fan connection, their attentiveness to the judges and so on…
Come Mr. Olympia Weekend, we will see a few rookies taking to the stage for their first time. Their lack of preparedness never ceases to amaze me. It’s as if they didn't do their homework on the guys that preceded them. Some just show up and wing it, with lackluster posing routines and bad color, and basically go through the motions without any hint of piss and vinegar. On the other hand, the veterans realize the stakes are high, and that this is as much a fight to the finish as it is a business. The clock is ticking; they know it gets harder and harder to get back to the Olympia Stage year after year to battle for the Sandow.
I retired in 2001 after my 12th Consecutive Mr. Olympia Contest, where I would finish in the top 5 in so many years with two 1st Runner Up placings in the Greatest Show on Earth, against Goliaths that outweighed me by 50 pounds and stood 5-6 inches taller than me! I have to say, it felt good to belong on that stage over the course of competing in three different decades with three different Mr. Olympia Winners that collectively held onto 22 consecutive Mr. Olympia titles.
So what do we know about what's at stake and who is hungry for what? Come September 28 and 29, I stake my money on the reigning and defending champion, Phil Heath, to repeat! Personally, I felt he won in 2010 and should be chasing his third Sandow this year, not his second. From what I have seen of Phil, he has taken his time to building growth into his musculature, bringing the right amount of condition with thickness. While his chest is still a bit slight, it has come up and improved. My fear is that Phil gets trapped in the "Bigger is Better" mentality, hence ruining an otherwise aesthetic and balanced physique with separation.
While it is true I am partial to Phil Heath‑ being that he won my first pro contest promotion a mere six years ago- we cannot discount Kai Greene, Phil’s successor to winning my contest in 2007, simply because Kai has been quiet. He has silently come from the back of the pack to become the Leader of the Pack! Two-time Arnold Classic winner, two-time New York Pro Champion, Australian Pro Champ and Colorado Pro Winner with a 3rd place finish last year in the Mr. Olympia, Kai could be looking to serve notice this year, setting the stage for a battle we haven't seen in a while! This would be a battle of "Styles" as none of them are similar by comparison, yet both uniquely suitable for the Sandow. If Kai comes in five pounds heavier than last year without being more separated and detailed, he can throw in the towel at Prejudging, because he was nearly spilling over last year. Short, compact and muscular, no one said Kai was too small. That said, if he gets "peeled," he is capable of victory, but he’ll have to suffer for this one to upset the champ.
After we get past second place, I personally believe this is where the contest action will be! Dennis Wolf, Branch Warren, Dexter Jackson, Evan Centopani and now the arrival of Shawn Rhoden makes 3-6th the interesting highlight of the event! With the exception of Dennis Wolf, all the above mentioned guys won an IFBB Pro Show in 2012, which is impressive by itself (Wolf placed 2nd at the Arnold Classic in March).
Rounding out the top 7-10 placings should be of interest as well, being that some very qualified guys are looking to establish themselves and set the stage for 2013. That’s when a few of these guys ahead of them may be moving on or sitting it out, as witnessed by four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler and Arnold Classic Europe Champ Victor Martinez, both of whom are qualified this year. However, they chose to "pass" on competing this year, which inevitably opens the door for a couple guys to move up and become serious players in this show! Guys like Toney Freeman, Hidetada Yamagishi, Roelly Winklaar, Ronny Rockel, Bill Wilmore and the likes of Canadian Ben Pakulski will fight tooth and nail to secure that elite "Top 10 Status!"
Well, I am certain, as with all "Pre-Olympia" stories and picks we do and read about, that the more we talk about who is gonna do what, the more we raise questions that can only be answered onstage. So without further ado, I bid you farewell until after the contest, where we will either see our 13th Mr. Olympia Champion repeat, or we will watch the changing of the guard for the 14th time in 48 years!
See you all in Las Vegas! Or follow along with our Exclusive Muscular Development Contest Coverage Online in our "Play by Play" Thread in the No Bull Section of our MD Forums!
Strength & Honor!
