P e te 10 Portland Observer Thursday. July B. 1079
FUNKY
U» Baliuk
So .sys the VA...
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Sports Talk
by Kon Sykes
Sports Editor
V
MBta Christian stMcee a pose with M r Junior America third place trophy
(Photo: Frank DeSantis)
Mr. Olympia Christian's dream
W inning trophy after trophy,
M ike Christian is moving steadily
towards his dream.
Mike has just returned to Portland
with the latest addition to his collec
tion o f trophies. This one is the
award for third place in “ Mr. Junior
A m erica" which he picked up in
June at the nationwide title competi
tion held in Los Angeles at the Em
bassy Auditorium.
His dream is growing brighter as
Mike inches nearer.
He sees the dream now as being
just a calculated number o f steps
away. First he has to move from
third place to first place in “ M r.
Junior America.” Then he can go on
to “ Mr. Universe.” Then on to the
prize o f prizes— the coveted “ Mr.
Olympia” title— the open sesame to
fame and fortune After which he
can turn professional and truly be in
the big money.
He’s got time, Mike has. He’ s only
24 this year, he’ s got the will, the
drive, and some experience plus the
encouragement o f his fa m ily . A
coach who believes in him—a coach
with skill and real know-how.
Mike remembers how it was when
he lived in Englewood, California,
where he graduated from high
school. He liked sports, but was not
particularly outstanding as a player
in any o f them. He had good height
and a fa irly heavy bone struc
ture— “ like my father” — he says.
Mike observed that a friend his age
had larger biceps and bigger arms
than his own and learned that he
could develop more muscle by lifting
heavier and heavier objects. He learn
ed that there was a right way to lift
without injury to himself. After a
while he could see the very gratifying
results. He could make a muscle that
gave him pride in himself.
About this time his Portland rela
tives urged him to come to Portland
to live and he found his way to Matt
Dishman Community Center here in
Portland.
First taste o f success came when,
in 1976, he won two awards in a
purely amateur competition in the
gym nasium . He won firs t place
among 22 com petitors fo r “ best
arms” and first place for “ best chest."
H is judges were a policem an, a
c h iro p ra c to r, and a w ell-know n
director o f a local health program. It
was then that the whole thing became
more interesting to Mike.
The very next year M ike, con
sistently worked out at the gym. He
attracted special a tte n tio n from
Chuck Amato, who once had been a
second place w inner o f a “ M r.
America” contest. Mike, with en
couragement from Amato, entered
the 1977 contest for Mr. Portland
and emerged the winner, taking first
place for “ best arms,” “ best chest”
and "best back ”
Amato told Mike that now it was
time to work on the legs and he set
about developing the legs to match
the torso.
Mike began to get into the whole
idea o f muscle building; the diet and
the genera! good health practices.
Later that year he entered compe
tition away from home. He went to
Seattle and entered competition for
” 22-year-olds and under” and came
home with trophies. Again they were
for “ best arms” and “ best chest.”
The legs were improving
A trip to Englewood for competi
tion netted second place for Mike
among sixteen entrants for the title.
He came away with a “ best arms”
uophy again But the legs were better
and bettei
Ii. 1978, he won the “ M r.
Rahway State Prison inmate James
Scott, 175 pounds, upped his record
to IS wins, one loss and one tie with
a seventh round TK O o f Bunny
Johnson, 176 pounds, from Birming
ham, England.
Johnson was unable to answer the
bell after taking a bruising whipping
culminated by a vicious left hook to
the abdomen, which probably
rocked his (Johnson’ s) relatives in
England.
Scott used a two-fisted attack in
downing his foe, an attack reminis
cent o f the old Gene Fullman style,
bui much more polished. Scott, the
inmate doing 45 years fo r armed
robbery, is a beautifully conditioned
athlete who does 1,000 situps daily
and follow s a spartan tra in in g
routine, will eventually win the light
heavy title if given a chance.
Most o f the excitement today ap
pears to be in the welterweight and
middleweight divisions. N orm ally
this d istin ctio n is found only
amongst the heayweights. But now,
since the “ greatest" has apparently
announced his retnement, the smaller
guys are coming out enforce.
The best boxers in the game today
are Roberto Duran and the young
Sugar Ray Leonard. These two are
recognized as the best But remember
the name Tommy Hearns. Hearns’ ,
20, 6’ 1” , is a real good prospect. A f
ter watching him destroy Currv, a
good, good fighter, I would have to
believe Hearns w ill have to be
reckoned with. And at 6’ 1” will pose
a big problem for either Duran,
5’6” , or Leonard, 5'10".
Mary Decker, now residing in
Eugene, set the American record for
the mile last Sunday in a pre-Pan
American game meet by running
4:23.5. She finished ahead o f former
record holder Franck Larriey who
had previously run 4:23.9 to set the
old record.
Ms. Decker’ s time is outstanding
and one just has to wonder how
many more years it w ill take before
the women w ill break the fo u r
minute barrier. It was 25 years ago
that this accomplishment was finally
achieved by a man.
Fellow countrymen Chris Catha
way and Chris Brasher were the rab
bits in the race snd Bannister gave
them much o f the credit for his out
standing effort.
Bannister’s fastest previous time
was 4:02 for the race. A time high
schoolers o f today easily reach.
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DENTAL INSURANCE
In fact it was May 7, 1954 that a
young medical student from England
shocked the world by running 3:59.4.
Roger Bannister on that night ran
a mile under four minutes to reach
one o f mans hitherto unattainable
goals.
Running in England, Bannister did
the last 400 meters in 58.9 to
establish that memorable goal.
Now some 25 years later the mile
record has been lowered to a remark
able 3:50.9 m ark. And who can
forget the young Kansas schoolboy
Jim Ryun who became the first high
school runner to run under four
minutes. Ryun, who had his share of
success and disappointm ents was
probably the best miler this country
ever produced.
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Bannister was running in a meet
between O xford University and a
British Amateur Athletic team, o f
which he was a member.
Bannister, it was reported, had
trained hard for the meet in an effort
to beat Wes Santee o f the U.S., who
him self was closing in on the 4
minute mark.
Saturdays 8 :3 0 a m. to 1 p.m.
Dr. Jeffrey BRADY, Dentist
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M ika Christian
Oregon” contest with a clean sweep
o f "best arms,” “ best chest” and
“ best back.”
Currently Amato is readying his
protege for more important contests.
Mike is learning how to train eight
weeks prior to a contest. The first
half he uses for “ bulking up,” in
creasing his food intake (heavy on
the protein, breads, rich milk and
ice cream), and by using maximum
weights for lifting. The second half is
spent reducing his diet sharply and
lim iting Jus intake to meats, fish,
vegetables and water. During this
period he uses lighter weights. This
accomplishes a definition and a cer
tain separation o f the muscles that
make them harder and more dense,
he explains.
In early June o f 1979, Mike won
third place in Seattle’s “ Mr. North
west” contest. From this Mike came
away as “ Most Muscular Man.” He
is now 24-years-old, an even 6’ tall,
weighing 200 pounds; and shows no
sign o f fat.
His competition is now coming
from men around the nation and the
Phillipines. He is being carefully
groomed in the art o f posing.
He stands oiled to shining magnifi
cence as he practices to music, mel
low or dramatic, as his mood dic
tates.
Postures arc synchronized as he
lifts his arms, bends the head, curves
the back, or swivels the hip in a
rhythmic way, reminiscent o f ballet
or some other dance form. He likes
to hear things by Earth, Wind and
Fire and some from Heat Wave, but
A nita Bell’ s King my B ell is his
favorite cassette.
A fte r w inning th ird in “ M r.
Junior America” in California, Mike
took a vacation in Hawaii. There he
learned that not only is his picture
appearing in the current issue o f
Health and Strength, but his photo
graph is also scheduled for an early
issue o f the big macho magazine.
Muscle Builder
While in Hawaii, Mike had dinner
w ith some o f the great names in
muscle building Mike and his guest,
dined with a former “ Mr America,”
Boyer Coe; Ed Corning, known as
the “ best poser” in the world; and
w ith the great A rn o ld Schwar
zenegger.
Yes, Mike is definitely on his way.
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