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The
following is the Gillinator's account of the VIP experience at the Arnold
Classic Fitness Weekend 2001. Armed with tickets to every event over
the weekend, a camera, and (most importantly) a working pen,
I set out to take in as much of Arnold over the weekend as humanly possible!
The results were extremely successful, as you will see...
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Day
1: pt. 2 -- Arnold's Tank!
4:45 -- We pull into Mott's
Military Museum in Groveport, Ohio, the place we have been
told is the new resting place of the tank Arnold drove when he was
in the Austrian Army. It is a tiny town outside Columbus that has
gas stations with pumps from the fifties. At first, things look
bleak, because the place closes at 5 and there is only 1 car in
the parking lot. Had they closed early?! |
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We rush inside only to find an empty reception desk. Then a gentelman
with a handlebar mustache peeks out from down the hall and comes
down eagerly to greet us. It happens to be the owner and director
of the museum, Warren Motts, and he is simply ecstatic that
we came. It is almost as if we were the only visitors to come all
day! We tell him that we heard Arnold's tank was here and don't
mean to take a lot of time but just really want to see it. This
puts an even bigger grin on his face as he tells us to take our
time looking and even waives the $5 admission. As he leads us to
the backyard area where it is, he glowinly tells the story of how
the tank came to rest there.
When he heard of Arnold bringing his tank to Columbus, he wrote
Arnold's people about his museum and offered to house it there where
it would be preserved and appreciated by many. Before he knew it,
Arnold was on his way and he actually drove the tank to the museum--
it must've been just like riding a bike! There was an official ceremony
and Arnold signed a picture of him and Warren which says, "Thanks
for taking care of my tank!"
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Finally
he opens the back door, and there in the center of all the
other military equipment, in the golden rays of the afternoon
sun, is the tank driven by the Austrian Oak himself! We
take turns posing with it, and it's truly a zen-like moment
as we admire this one-of-a-kind item that embodies the power
and strength that Arnold himself possesses.
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After
taking sufficient photos, and taking it all in, we go
back inside to thank Mr. Mott for his graciousness and
hospitality. He invites us to come back tomorrow, when
there will be a special army guest speaker, and we decline,
explaining we will be at the Classic all day tomorrow.
He asks how it's going and explains that Jim Lorimer gave
him free tickets to all the events. He had tried to get
Arnold to stop by sometime during the weekend, but The
Classic fills up his schedule pretty tightly. As we leave,
though, we promise him "We'll be back!" to which
he cracks up and chases after us, saying "That's
exactly what Arnold said when he left his tank!"
We drive away smiling, thinking what a perfect way to
end the day and what a great guy Warren Motts is.
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Arnold's
kill tally, or how many times he can bench it? |
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For
more info and directions to Mott's Military Museum, visit their
website at:
www.mottsmilitarymuseum.org
Their address is:
5075 S. Hamilton Rd.
Groveport, OH 43215
614-836-1500
Tell Warren hi and that the Gillinator sent you!
Up next... Day 2 at the Classic: an unforgettable photo, the
VIP banquet, and a first look at Collateral Damage!
Get your ass to part III
I'll go back to part I
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