1stCoC Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 My son and I just returned from the AOBS yearly dinner get together . A host of super strong guys the who's who of the grip world with and unbelievable array of steel benders. I was astounded by the talent there. The feats that stuck out in my mind was a several minute bend of a heavy 5/8" cold rolled steel rod 3' long and the snapping of a hardened Craftsman screwdriver bit. Two brothers Jerry and Paul Oser both at the young age of 65 closed a Baraban dyno down to 70 and 66 kilos for all I know might be the most done for men of that age. Many thanks for the warm greetings by grip stalwarts Hub geezer, John Wood, Pat the Vice, Steve Weiner, Slim the Hammerman and so many others that made the event so special to me. RS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Crusher Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Richard, As always, it was good to see you and Bert. Both of you looked as big and strong as ever. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Brouse Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 I always seem to hear about this after the fact. Do they advertise this event somewheres (perhaps, beyond one newsfeed on ironmind?) or is it invite only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1stCoC Posted June 15, 2009 Author Share Posted June 15, 2009 It is a yearly event usually in June. A membership covers a newsletter that is quite informative. It would be a great yearly get together for the grip world to be welcomed and accepted into the mainstream by showing due respect to our strength forbearers. RS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubgeezer Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 I always seem to hear about this after the fact. Do they advertise this event somewheres (perhaps, beyond one newsfeed on ironmind?) or is it invite only? I stopped posting about it the last year or so, as there just is not that much response here. And that was after I have given detailed explanations how easy it is to spend significant time personally with Slim the Hammerman Farman if you wanted to do that. I went on a lark in 2005, with my son, and we have been back every year since. It is not a "grip event", yet the late-night-after-the-banquet-dinner-is-over-routine-has turned into some of the most extreme bending feats you can imagine. These come from guys who are understudies of Dennis Rogers, some on the gripboard, some who are not. There are also regular attendees who are involved in these things (after hours antics) every year, some on the gripboard, some who are not. I saw a fellow with the strongest most freaky neck you could imagine stand in front of Chris Rider while Chris stood behind him and BENT A HORSE SHOE ACROSS THE BASE OF HIS THROAT. Mike the Machine Bruce was his name, around age 35. This, around 12:30 am, in the hotel lobby. About an hour earlier, I saw an absolutely insane feat attempted by Stanless Steel. It was too insane to describe. Someone said "Stanless Caradine". You had to be there. I said, "shouldn't someone unplug that electrical cord before Stanley wraps that around his neck?" Slim replied (deadpan but joking), "It adds to the drama". Originally, in 2005, I went to see "grip guys", to see feats of strength during the evening dinner, etc. Since then, it is just about every single minute there that I have learned to appreciate. It is a "big tent" type of Iron Game event, many different types of people there. If anyone wants a reminder from me about it after the newsletter comes out in a few months and next year's date is set, PM me. I would suggest spending $25 to join the AOBS and then you are on their mailing list for a year. Richard, it was good to see you and your son. I am glad you started a post, as that might give it more attention this time. Nonstop seminars and exhibitions this year from 10 am until dinner. They have been practically adding one per year! It's a hell of a lot more than just a dinner. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 I look forward to reading everything I can about it - it's one of those things I need to do but always seem to miss. So write away guys - the fact that there aren't a lot of responses doesn't mean that some of us don't enjoy reading every word you guys can write. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPGoodfellow Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 I look forward to reading everything I can about it - it's one of those things I need to do but always seem to miss. So write away guys - the fact that there aren't a lot of responses doesn't mean that some of us don't enjoy reading every word you guys can write. I agree with Chris. I've wanted to go to this event for years now; but, it's never worked out for me. Please keep posting your write-ups; I thoroughly enjoy them. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubgeezer Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 (edited) Okay, since two of you said you like to hear about this, I will say a few general things about it. The AOBS Dinner is usually held the Saturday of the weekend before Father's Day. AOBS stands for Association of Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen. It started out as a birthday party for a famous Iron Gamer (Sig Klein), and evolved into an informal gathering of old timers, mostly celebrity-or-connected to celebrity or semi-legendary people from the Iron Game. It continued to evolve over the years, and went from a couple of dozen, to 40-50, to where it is today, which was 270 something this year, and about 300 last year, its special 25th Anniversary celebration. Every year, they probably lose a couple of members that are up in years due to illness, disablity, or death. And every year, the crowd gets younger. I would say that if you averaged all the attendees, the age is roughly 60. I did the math at my table, and there were about 3 fellows roughly 80, with my son at age 27 taking the average down. Honest to God, I think the average age was 65 when I first started coming in 2005. It is younger than it was, no question. The AOBS is now a nonprofit organization. The most hallowed and respected form of athletic endeavor that it supports tends to be Olympic-style weightlifting. But the attendees fall into the following categories: Olympic Weightlifting medalists, Olympic Weightlifting competitors, former AAU Mr. Americas, Mr. America competitors, Mr. Universe competitors, powerlifters, old-time performing strongmen (ranging from age 27 to age 104), former World's Strongest Man winners, representatives from Iron Game publications (from MILO to Iron Man to the old Muscle Training Illustrated), retired strength coaches from colleges and pro teams, garage lifters, collectors, historians, fans, and grip guys. It is, as I said, a Big Tent. The dinner event is on a Saturday night. A reception begins at 5:30, and dinner begins at 7. It ended early this year, around 10:15 pm. It continues after hours in the ballroom, outside the ballroom, in the hotel lobby, and sometimes the bar. The way they lay the dinner out, there are breaks between the courses, so plenty of fellowship and connections and mingling. They typically bestow honors and presentations on 2 or 3 recipients each year. Perhaps Carla Dunlap (or is it Dunlop?), a female bodybuilder (the only one to compete in the 70s, 80s, and 90s) may be the youngest ever to receive the award at age 54. Bruce Wilhelm, one of the other recipients (won WSM in 77 and 78 the first two years, but that is the thing he may be least proud of in his strength career) is about 64 or 65. That is the more typical age of an honoree. They like the honorees to be "drug free", but guess what? Now that all the pre-steroid era athletes have been recognized, I don't think I heard the words "drug free" at any time this year. That is just the way it is. So, there is a brochure, informative introductions, acceptance speeches, and after-dinner performers. This year, there were some real young (teens or early 20s) Olympic lifting demos, Chris Rider doing some chain snapping with his hair, as well as bending, and more. In the past, there has been Pat P, Brookfield, Dennis R, Slim Farman, back lifts, other things. About one-third of the tables of 10 are reserved, there will be a head table of around 20, and the rest of the tables are people with their buddies, or several groups of 2 or 3 at a table. One year, just sheer coincidence, Stanless Steel ended up at my table, one year Bruce Wilhelm ended up at my table (my son had never heard of him until then so that was fun), and one year nobody any fun at all sat at my table. So that is the basic dinner. Four years ago, they had one seminar during the daytime Saturday. The next year they added a Historical Collectors Meeting during the day. The next year they added Slim Farman's Rising Stars, which consisted of 6 to 10 different individuals doing medium level feats to out-of-this-world feats. For example, this year, someone bent a medium level bolt as the first feat. Except it was Jon Mannino's wife, who is relatively slender, 40 years old, and did it in around 4 seconds! It only went up from there! This year, besides all 3 of those things, there was an additional seminar, put on by Tommy Kono, on Olympic Weightlifting. And then this year, at the back of the room where they had all these seminars, some geezer tried and failed to Certify on the Number 3 with around 25 people watching. Even with Richard Sorin being the judge and Randy Strossen on hand, he missed the sucker by around 1/8th of an inch. He had no business wasting those guys' time with that. Someone needs to tell Strossen to put a stop to that. During the day on Saturday, there are also 3-5 tables where someone is displaying products for viewing or selling - - magazines, nutrition bars, books, grippers, or new this year, Dan Lurie crap. Dan was there with his son and grandson. If you have never heard of him, that's fine. If you have, well let's just say you would not be disappointed. Anyway, the above would keep you busy from 10 am to 5 pm, then you go back to your hotel room, get cleaned up, and come back for the banquet. The attire ranges from expensive suits to tight tee shirts with dressy jeans. There are not many slobs, but pretty much anything goes. About 20% of the males wear a necktie. So that is Saturday. I personally like Fridays. People start arriving in the afternoon Friday. Perhaps one-third of the attendees. If you just sit in the lobby, things start to happen. In 2006, my son and I ended up spending about 4 hours with Slim Farman. His wife was ailing this year, so he did not arrive until Saturday. Last year, on Friday, about 10 of us went to dinner at the hotel lobby with David Prowse, an English weightlifting champion from the 1960s, and the actor who played Darth Vader (except James Earl Jones' voice was dubbed in). I heard first hand from him how he ended up with the original Inch Dumbbell, as well as some interesting stuff concerning the disposition of it. I said when it is, but I did not say where. In 2008, it was moved to the Marriott at the Newark Airport. I spoke with the mucky muck of the AOBS, Arthur "Artie" Dreschler, and he said it will likely be there again in 2010. The way they are able to handle the different meeting rooms, as well as the convenience of being right at a major airport are compelling reasons for it to stay there. So, all of this stuff, the way I have described it, is very general. Before I ever attended, I think I remember Richard Sorin writing about it, saying something like "meeting old friends and making new ones". It is not a cliche. That's what it is all about. It is the people that make it fun and worthwhile. Oh yeah, Friday night, I received an honor that most of you will NEVER receive. Free beer from Randy Strossen at the bar. And the way my son drinks, let me tell you, it was more than a couple of grippers' worth. And I thought Randy was a teetotaler...I was wrong! Hubgeezer Edited June 16, 2009 by Hubgeezer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPGoodfellow Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Awesome...just, awesome. I have to get there next year! Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 I've got a question for Richard and Hubgeezer. So, I have heard that sometimes the strongmen performing in front of everyone will challenge spectators who won't be quiet, or who question the feat, etc. Have either of you seen this done, and if so, has anyone ever just walked up and done the feat when challenged? -Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubgeezer Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I've got a question for Richard and Hubgeezer.So, I have heard that sometimes the strongmen performing in front of everyone will challenge spectators who won't be quiet, or who question the feat, etc. Have either of you seen this done, and if so, has anyone ever just walked up and done the feat when challenged? -Rex I can only speak for the years of 2005 onward. I have never seen anyone at AOBS challenge a performer, heckle a performer (except Bruce Wilhelm harassing Steve Weiner when he was assisting Pat, which was done in jest), question someone's performance, etc. The first time I saw Slim perform, I do remember him pointing at a big guy to come forward and give the leveraging of hammers a shot. At the "rising stars" performance, Slim always insists on passing around the implement that was just bent broken or whatever, so there is no question that it was not faked. Other than that type of thing, in answer to your question, "no". It's a very good, respectful and relatively sophisticated audience. They know that the performers are competent. I think what you are decribing is unlikely to occur at this particular venue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I've got a question for Richard and Hubgeezer.So, I have heard that sometimes the strongmen performing in front of everyone will challenge spectators who won't be quiet, or who question the feat, etc. Have either of you seen this done, and if so, has anyone ever just walked up and done the feat when challenged? -Rex I can only speak for the years of 2005 onward. I have never seen anyone at AOBS challenge a performer, heckle a performer (except Bruce Wilhelm harassing Steve Weiner when he was assisting Pat, which was done in jest), question someone's performance, etc. The first time I saw Slim perform, I do remember him pointing at a big guy to come forward and give the leveraging of hammers a shot. At the "rising stars" performance, Slim always insists on passing around the implement that was just bent broken or whatever, so there is no question that it was not faked. Other than that type of thing, in answer to your question, "no". It's a very good, respectful and relatively sophisticated audience. They know that the performers are competent. I think what you are decribing is unlikely to occur at this particular venue. Yeah, in the Slim DVD that Dennis Rogers produces, he says he's challenged guys in the audience before, for reasons I mentioned. I was just wondering if this was a general feature of the culture at this event. Thanks, -Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sybersnott Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 And then this year, at the back of the room where they had all these seminars, some geezer tried and failed to Certify on the Number 3 with around 25 people watching. Even with Richard Sorin being the judge and Randy Strossen on hand, he missed the sucker by around 1/8th of an inch. He had no business wasting those guys' time with that. Someone needs to tell Strossen to put a stop to that. Oh no, that ain't right! Why didn't somebody tackle that goofball and take him out of the room?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 After watching Clint's movie Gran Torino last night I got to thinking about this subject and of respect. As far as the heckling goes, quite disrespectful in my opinion, not that it matters to anyone. This dinner is to honor those that have walked before us and paid their dues, many during a time when all the new training implements and programs that we have today were not even around. They basically "raced what they drove" if you know what I mean. Even if you are able to do some of the feats that were shown at this dinner, personally I think it would be a matter of disrespect if you even attempted, let alone accomplished, one of their feats in front of everybody just to show everyone you could do it. I bellieve it would be better to just look at it and go "man that was pretty amazing". Train hard, pay your dues, listen to those that came before you and maybe by gaining the respect of those that you learned from, and around you, you may one day be one of those honored by such an occasion. Too many times nowadays I think people believe that the "look at me" attitude will get them somewhere in life, when in fact quite the opposite seems true more often than not. For those that attend these style events, I believe they should know the deal and why they are there. If not, then stay at home and continue thinking yourself as "holier-than-thou". In doing so you would make the event much more enjoyable for everyone else in attendance. Just my 2-cents Joe Wilson "House" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Brouse Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I've got a question for Richard and Hubgeezer.So, I have heard that sometimes the strongmen performing in front of everyone will challenge spectators who won't be quiet, or who question the feat, etc. Have either of you seen this done, and if so, has anyone ever just walked up and done the feat when challenged? -Rex Oh boy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HAMMERHEAD Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I've missed the last 2 years due to $$. Such is life but, I'll get back there. I've always had a blast. -HH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Natural Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 After watching Clint's movie Gran Torino last night I got to thinking about this subject and of respect. As far as the heckling goes, quite disrespectful in my opinion, not that it matters to anyone. This dinner is to honor those that have walked before us and paid their dues, many during a time when all the new training implements and programs that we have today were not even around. They basically "raced what they drove" if you know what I mean. Even if you are able to do some of the feats that were shown at this dinner, personally I think it would be a matter of disrespect if you even attempted, let alone accomplished, one of their feats in front of everybody just to show everyone you could do it. I bellieve it would be better to just look at it and go "man that was pretty amazing". Train hard, pay your dues, listen to those that came before you and maybe by gaining the respect of those that you learned from, and around you, you may one day be one of those honored by such an occasion. Too many times nowadays I think people believe that the "look at me" attitude will get them somewhere in life, when in fact quite the opposite seems true more often than not. For those that attend these style events, I believe they should know the deal and why they are there. If not, then stay at home and continue thinking yourself as "holier-than-thou". In doing so you would make the event much more enjoyable for everyone else in attendance. Just my 2-cents Joe Wilson "House" House, I think everyone agrees that heckling a performer is disrespectful. But then again, many entertaining stories involve acts of disrespect. Indeed, a number of the entertaining stories I've heard about past Oldtime Strongman Dinners involve disrespect, childish behavior, and even outright lunacy. I figured there's bound to be more where that came from. Others who have had the fortune to be eyewitnesses to this sort of thing should feel free to share the wealth. -Rex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubgeezer Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 And then this year, at the back of the room where they had all these seminars, some geezer tried and failed to Certify on the Number 3 with around 25 people watching. Even with Richard Sorin being the judge and Randy Strossen on hand, he missed the sucker by around 1/8th of an inch. He had no business wasting those guys' time with that. Someone needs to tell Strossen to put a stop to that. Okay, this was me. I missed it by 1/8th of an inch. Last year, same place, I missed it by less than 1/2 a millimeter. I was better prepared last year. That is not the point. I purchased the gripper from Randy after it was all over. I sent it to Cannon for Calibration. He PM'd me tonight and told me it was 154.24 on his Redneck Gripper Calibrator. I was waiting for that before I mentioned the following story. Richard Sorin was my witness. He "re-certified" a couple of years ago, on a right-out-of-the-package brand new Number 3, Credit Card Set when he re-certified. I have no idea how much he trains grippers now, but he is 58 years old. With NO WARMUP, and virtually NO SET he mashed that 154 RGC Number 3. Easily. Casually. I didn't want to say anything until the calibration came back. It is not a wussy one by any means. Now THAT is impressive! Mike Corlett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sher Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 Okay, since two of you said you like to hear about this, I will say a few general things about it....A really great writeup - thanks for an entertaining read! Sounds like each get-together is a valuable and memorable experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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