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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
3 -- Sunday, March 4 -- The Long Goodbye
10:15 -- Since it's obvious we aren't going to get any closer
to Arnold standing around there any longer, we head to the place
we figure he'll make his last appearance at-- the Expo! As we cross
the Vets parking lot, we see his limo pull away, so we give him
a thumbs up salute, then dash to the car.
10:30 -- We arrive at the convention center, which is waaay
less crowded than yesterday, enabling us to freely move around and
check for signs of Oak.
10:45 -- Nothing. We had done 2 laps around the place and
were starting to despair when Randy notices a couple guards standing
at a place where there usually aren't any. Sign #1 check. Then two
guys in suits with earpieces come in and survey the immediate area
by the entrance. Sign #2 check. We look at each other knowingly
as if to say, "This is it." We are finally in the right
place at the right time. I take out my T2 DVD and brand spankin'
new Sharpie and Randy gets his The 6th Day Soundtrack. The
suits start clearing a path, although the crowd is still not too
bad. Finally, the muscled one enters to the familiar chorus of camera
flashbulbs. I honestly don't know how his eyes can take it. He stops
at a booth exhibit, then comes toward us. Randy manages to edge
his way out a little further than me, so it's his shot. Arnold signs
an autograph for someone else, then Randy extends his hand with
the CD, but Arnold just looks at it and passes by!
The
Ultimate Autograph! |
That's
the last I see of Randy for a bit, because I'm already on
the move to get ahead of his path again, which is the secret
at getting close to him. Chasing after him from behind only
gets you trapped in the masses and you never catch him. Being
small at a time like this is extremely advantageous. I slip
my way around and stake out another prime spot. Arnold gets
his picture taken with some women at another booth, then he
comes my way! I put myself right in front of him and say,"Arnold,
I'm the Gillinator! Please sign this!" He looks down,
takes the DVD and pen, scribbles with it and says, "What
da hell Gillinator, I told you last time to get a working
pen!" OK, just kidding. Lo and behold, the pen writes
reallly well! He doesn't say anything, but as he hands it
to me I give him one last shoulder-pat and say "I can't
wait for T3!" Then he is gone, and I can officially say
my life is complete. I still follow him, of course, since
any additional encounters are a bonus, but I don't get as
close again. He stops to watch a guy on a trampoline with
a volleyball, then claps for him and signs the guy's ball.
Then it looks like he is heading behind the stage to go up
and make a last speech, but instead he goes out the back door
and it was hasta la vista, Arnie. |
11:15 -- I catch up with Randy at our designated meeting place:
the restroom. He didn't get close to Arnold again after the initial
pass by, since he went in front of the stage thinking Arnold would
be up there. I hate to gloat... OK, that's a lie, I love to gloat,
so I proudly display my autograph for him, and he's impressed. I
do feel bad that I got the question and an autograph and Randy got
neither, but I don't think he considers the weekend a failure, after
all, we both saw plenty of our favorite Austrian superstar in person.
But now that Arnold has left the building, so shall we.
11:30 -- We stroll leisurely to the car by way of an extremely
muddy path that gets us both in the mood to act out Predator--
"Get to da choppah!" "Kill me, I'm here!" Then
we cruise up High Street to get some much needed nourishment at
Wendy's. While eating, we recount how cool this weekend was and
how cool Arnold is. I say that even though this is my 3rd time at
the Classic, it was like a whole new experience, not only because
of the VIP tickets, but because I finally got to share it with someone
who is on my same level of Arnold fandom and wanted to do everything.
In the past I had gone with other local friends or my brother, who
would come for maybe an hour or two at the expo and then get bored
and want to leave after we had seen Arnold just once! Having Randy
along was a definite plus, and I hope we may meet again for further
Arnold expeditions... maybe at the Collateral Damage premiere.....?
That would be very niiiiice.
1 PM -- I drop Randy off at the airport for his long flight
home, but there is one more thing I must do before I return home
to my wonderful wife, whom no matter what she thinks, I missed very
much.
1:30 -- Back to Shaun's house for the REAL gloating! I ask
him to compare his autograph and mine. His is on the inside part
of his original T2 DVD, where it is black and very hard to see,
whereas mine is on the front of the Ultimate T2 DVD and looks excellent!
And so comes an end to my adventures at the 13th Arnold Classic.
For me, 13 was definitely a good number! There will be many more
Oak Encounters to be had and written on these web pages. In time
the Gillinator will become king by Arnold's own hand.
But that is another story....
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The End |
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