Category: Stories & Commentary

I began this article around 2010/2011 and struggled to get enough information to be able to present the whole story.  Bits of information here and there from the internet, many Ebay purchases of old Muscle Builder/Power Magazine, talking to family and friends, and I’m still filling in gaps.  At some point you just have to run with what you have in order to get the story out.  Here’s a piece of the story of an Iowa gymnast that left the cornfields for the muscle beaches of California and for a while, made some of his dreams come true.

Denny Gable was a naturally gifted athlete and excelled in gymnastics.  A Gazette article about Denny from 1985 states “Denny Gable was the 1969 Iowa high school state gymnastics all around champion and led Cedar Rapids Jefferson to a second place finish.  Gable won the high bar, parallel bars, and ring events in addition to the all-around. In his junior season, he captured his first state title in the high bar.”

He graduated from Jefferson High School and attended UNI in order to continue his gymnastics but, bodybuilding took hold and set him on a different path.  That same Gazette article says that “In the summer of 1973, Gable and friend Paul Gaeta of Iowa City, drove non stop from Iowa to California, arriving at the legendary Golds Gym at 6 a.m.”    They signed up for 3 months and from here things really heat up for Denny and the dream started to materialize.

He became a fixture at Golds Gym Venice and while I haven’t been able to decipher what he did for work, rumors from Cedar Rapids locals who knew Denny say that he slept at the gym until he got himself on his feet. Being the early 70’s and the fact that the original Golds Gym at 1006 Pacific Ave was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s home gym, I can imagine Denny not wanting to get too far away from that wonderful building.  Arnold was, after all, the reason Denny took that leap and went to California in the first place and the precipice for everything that followed.

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September 1975’s Muscle Builder/Power Magazine was Denny’s one cover shot and includes a detailed interview with legendary writer and bodybuilder, Armand Tanny.  In the article Armand writes “Arnold is merciless.  He doesn’t spare others because he doesn’t spare himself.  He has burned out 25 training partners in the past 5 years…At first, thundering along on Arnold’s schedule, he was understandably shaky.  Arnold is dispassionate, doesn’t deviate from his routine, doesn’t become sadistic with new-comers.  Denny asked if he could train along with him, and it happened at the time that Arnold had run out of partners.  He rode through one pain barrier after another.  The “Oak” anticipated a breakdown, and  when Denny failed to sink under the load, Arnold Embraced him with renewed interest.”

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Around the same time Denny was becoming entrenched in the lifestyle,  2 ambitious gentlemen decided to write a book about this incredible subculture of bodybuilding, and in essence, change the world.  The book, a true Bible for bodybuilders, power lifters, and meatheads the world over, is the 1974 Charles Gaines and George Butlers authored, Pumping Iron, The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding.  It was not only the jumping off point for Arnold as he prepared for the 1973 Mr. Olympia contest in NY, but planted the seeds for the subsequent 1976 film, Pumping Iron.

That September 1975’s Muscle Builder Magazine stated that for Denny’s first show, the 1974 Mr. America, he won the best poser award over guys like Ed Giuliani and Bill Howard.  His second show, the April 1975 Mr. Western America, Denny won the overall.  Hours in the gym training with Arnold had jumped him from 190 to 210lbs and added 1-1/2″ in the first 3 month, and those gains and progress continued.

July 19th 1975 Mr. American Denny placed 3rd under Dave DuPre and Steve Davis.  Gene Mozee says that “Denny had beaten DuPre in April when he won the Mr. Western America title, but Dave was much improved for the show. Also Denny lost his edge when he spent 8 days in Alabama on the Stay Hungry film.  (The photos from that show featured in January 1976 Muscle Builder/Power are below. One interesting note is the magazine shows a film crew back stage and I located one still from that video.  Where is all this footage of these shows?)

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Thursday September 25th 1975 A.A.B.A USA Bodybuilding Championships took place in New York where Denny won the Mr. USA and took 1st place over Joe Nazzario, Len Archambault, Dave DuPre, and Bary Blenis.  He also was awarded the best poser and Most Muscular.  Gene Mozee writes in the Muscle Builder Vol 17 from Feb 1976, “The spectators applauded Denny’s every move and there was a large contingent in the audience that thought he should have had the overall win instead of (Danny)Padilla.”  Incredibly I have the April 1976 Muscle Builder & Power with several of the photographs by Jimmy Caruso, which are shown below.

Besides Arnold’s life long friend Franco Columbu, Denny was the longest lasting, consistent partner that Arnold ever had. He began training in 1973 and according to  Robby Robinson’s book, The Black Prince, My Life in Bodybuilding: Muscle vs Hustle, Robby states that Denny was still training with Arnold when he came on the scene in 1975. That’s 2 solid years and 2 Mr. Olympia contests that Denny worked with the best in the game at the time.

By the time filming begins for Pumping Iron, Denny has been a Weider athlete for a couple years and he and Robby Robinson are now training partners.  They show up at the 6:00 minute mark in the opening scenes of Pumping Iron as well as a few other small spots through out the film.  During this time Denny and Robby are also featured in a four magazine article series in Muscle Builder about their training regiments.

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After Pumping Iron, Denny went the way of many Bodybuilders during that time and did some acting in a variety of movies including appearances in Stay Hungry, Streets of San Francisco, Sextette, and Mistress of the Apes.  (I couldn’t find much out about his time after about 1977 and more digging may be updated later.)

Muscle Training July 1977

Mae West & Denny Gable

According to Robby’s book “Hustle vs Muscle, this is around the time that things went south for himself and Gable. Robby says that everything started to go bad for the duo when they walked out on a pre-Pumping Iron movie meeting over money that several bodybuilders were promised and never paid.  In the previously mentioned 1985 article written in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, Denny says the same thing and stated that he quit because of contract disputes and people were not getting paid.  Denny returned to Iowa in the Winter of 1984.

What I consider the best age of bodybuilding was over and Denny returned to Iowa and worked as a trainer at a few different gyms.  He also taught in the Cedar Rapids school system before passing away on July 22, 2000.   Denny died of a pulmonary embolism and is buried with his parents in Cedar Memorial in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

In 2011 I messaged/emailed a number of individuals including Roger Callard who said he and Denny would often relax after training sessions at his apartment, listening to Carlos Santana and that he was gone he would never be forgotten. Joe Nazario, who competed against Denny, and legendary bodybuilding photographer Bill Dobbins both said he was a great bodybuilder and very well liked in the sport.

2012 I needed some momentum and took a shot at the moon and emailed Mr. George Butler of the Pumping Iron book and subsequent documentary.  I was looking for permission to use some photos from Denny’s copy of the Pumping Iron book that Denny’s sister and brother in law, Karen and Gary Lorenzen, graciously allowed me to borrow.

He replied back granting the use of the photos from the book and that he always liked Denny and was sorry that he was gone.  The photos I chose are marked as such, in addition to one other photo that Mr Butler must have given to Denny, as it was among the piles of photographs lent to me by Karen and Gary.

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2012 I went to the Arnold classic with the intention to find as many old school bodybuilders as I could and ask about Denny.  Mr. Frank Zane agreed to answer some questions but his best recollection was that he trained in the same gym sometimes.  I had better success with Mr. Ed Corney whose eyes lit up and said he (Denny) was a beautiful man, had a great physique, and always did well with the ladies.  He laughed and wished me good luck before asking if I wanted to take a picture with him, which I gratefully accepted.

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Bud Pearson, who was Denny’s closest friend through out his time in California and after he returned back to Iowa said Denny was the sweetest guy in the world, until you pissed him off.  To this day he laments Denny’s passing and, had his storage locker not be raided, there would have been more photos and memories of their friendship.  I’m due to get a hold of Bud and may have some more info to share once that happens.

I’ve taken every step possible to document the people I talked to and credit the photographers and sources where I can.  If I missed one, let me know and I’ll be happy to give credit where credit is due.

For the past year, I have been going at my writing pretty hard.  I’ve always loved writing and the process but until this last year, I just didn’t pursue it like I should.  So for those asking, why now, here’s how it started.

Early October 2017, I was in New Jersey for work and meet up with a friend, wordsmith, and force of nature, Greg Santarsiero.  He’s a father, business man, inspiration to the masses, and a stand up dude in any other aspect of life not previously mentioned.  While the intention was to simply meet up, hit the gym, and acquire some wares from his new company, G Code Nutrition, the result was more lasting than I had anticipated.

My first encounters with Greg were an online forum, and then in person at the Arnold Classic Sports Festival as early back as 2008.  Most of my interaction with him, and his ideals, were online and through his written work.  His writing stands as a continuing motivational guide through the pitfalls of what the general populous considers normal.  His outlook on most things is truly revolutionary and while I disregard 99% of other peoples opinions, I scrutinize his thoughts and actions and glean from them what I can apply to my own goals.

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As the story continues, I had visited Atlantic City, NJ every year for the past 10 years for a trade show and almost every year, I contacted him to see if he could hook me up with his hometown gym in Brigantine, NJ.  Last year I doubled down on my luck and asked if he’d be free to meet up at said gym and fortuitously, he was.  We set a time and he offered a round trip ride and a muffin for breakfast.

While I hadn’t seen him in a couple years, our shared interests put us on common ground and we picked up where we left off.  The 10 minute ride from the hotel over the bridge to Brigantine briefly covered family, life, and as has been my experience with Greg, a funny piece of conversation that finished with “that may make me sound like a communist, but I don’t think I’m off base…”. haha To be fair, our conversation on conditions of the common man were on point and very valid!!

The ensuing conversation inside Brigantine Fitness continued around those same topics, but in depth, and with conviction.  A question came up about my go to Hendrix song…to which I stumbled mentally.  A simple question at any other time by any other person and I would have phoned it in but, the topics of this day and his question gave me pause. But why?

Looking back now, I see that my interest in absorbing music had fallen off and I wasn’t consuming my inspirations as I should have.  My writing had faded to non existent, I hadn’t dedicated much time to improving on the guitar, and while I played music daily, I hadn’t pursued it or anything with any determination.  My passions had nestled down for a long winters nap.  Luckily for me, this trip was like the vernal equinox of spring and I awoke, refreshed, and ready to pursue them again.

Greg, in my 10 years of experiences with him, has always lead by example and recently followed his heart and passion.  With a family depending on him, the every day pressures, and his own self imposed stresses to succeed, he bet it all on himself and took that leap and left his steady paycheck to start his own company.

Hearing the conviction and determination to reach his goals push past the fear of failing was exactly the strike of inspiration that I needed to start writing again.  And not just writing, but finding and absorbing every piece of music and inspiration that I could keep up with.   It’s pushed me to get better at the things that I love and find new ways to express my passions.

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So, now I write, all the time.  With a renewed sense of purpose and ambition that has me about 10 articles behind.  I write album reviews for a website, ink19.com to stay in the loop with music, and my blog for everything else that I find of interest.  Some is personal and a lot of it is about music, which along with writing, I can’t live without.

If you’re interested in Greg’s company and how his products can work for you and your fitness goals, get him at any of the websites below.

G Code Website

G Code Facebook

Around the summer of 94/95 I decided to jump into some martial arts classes and ended up meeting and became as close as brothers to my friend, Michael James DuCett.  He was born in South Korea and adopted by an American family at 6 years old and without knowing what was going on, flown over to start a new life in the United States.  His birthday is today, December 28th and if he were still physically here, he would have been 38 this year.

He and his sister Natalie were both Korean born and adopted by Steven and Linda DuCett.  Steve was a military man and also a Minister and from the outside, always seemed strict but, you could tell that they had a great relationship and he was very proud of his children.  Linda was always jovial and a very supportive mother.  She home schooled both Michael and Natalie and was always equally proud of them both.  You could see it daily as she would dropped them off to class and most days, spend 2-3 hours there waiting for them to finish.

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Michael was already a Black belt in Tae Kwon Do when I meet him and was a great athlete.  While I was 6 years older than Michael, we hit it of pretty quick and Michael generally acted much older than his physical age.  What he lacked in corresponding age to me, he clearly made up for in his athletic ability and proved to be the mark that I physically would measure my self against.

He was dedicated to perfecting his martial arts skills and his techniques were razor sharp. His uniform would snap as he would preform his movements but when we would spar or were throwing each other around during Hapkido, he was as fluid as the ocean.  (Side note, first time I saw the ocean was with Michael.) From the beginning of white belt through my eventual black belts, he was always the guy on the other side staring back at me and making sure I was doing was my best.

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The amazing thing was that he did all of this with compassion and love for his fellow practitioners.  He taught the kids with lighthearted discipline and wasn’t afraid to hug one of the kids should someone get hurt.  He had hopes of eventually opening his own martial arts school and I know that he would have continued to change peoples lives and give the best of himself.

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For the better part of 7+ years, I spent 3 hours a day, 3-5 days a week training with him.    During those hours we trained, learned, bleed, and pushed ourselves to that next level.  During  tournaments we would watch each other fight and shout encouragement and advice from the sidelines.  It’s worth mentioning that I rarely lost because no one I faced was ever as formidable as Michael.

Towards the end of the 90’s, I had a lot on my plate and eventually quit going to the classes and wrapped myself in work and life outside martial arts.  I lost touch with everyone that I trained with, including Michael and his family.  Then one evening in October of 2001 I received a phone call from Cindy, one of my former instructors, and with as much clarity as this moment that I am writing, she let me know that Michael had died in a car accident in Jasper, Indiana.

In the Memorial service pamphlet that I still read from time to time, Michael’s father wrote, “On his last day with us, Michael got up at 5:00 am, for private Bible study and prayer. At breakfast he led Linda and Natalie in a devotion and prayer since Steve was out of town.  The three of them went out for exercise at the county fairground.”

At the service that the DuCett family held in Cedar Rapids, Michael’s mom Linda had told me that Michael would often be watching a martial arts movie and during the fight scenes Michael would say to her, that reminds me of  Jeremy and I back in Cedar Rapids. I felt the pangs of guilt and sadness that I hadn’t continued that friendship and that we had lost contact.  My only consolation was that he had fond memories of our friendship and what more can I ask of a friend.

I’m grateful for having known Michael and besides some aches that I still carry from training with him, I carry the memory of a truly beautiful soul.  The G Shock I wear is a continual reminder of him, as he constantly wore one, and naming my son James is also a small nod to his middle name.

I sometimes forget Michael passed on but then a watch, a movie, or any number of things will recall him back  to my memory and he is again as present as ever.  One of my favorite poems about Death is by Henry Scott-Holland and is called Death is Nothing at All, and I’ve put a piece of it below.  It’s how I choose to manage the loss of those that have moved on and how I choose to carry on without them here.

Death is nothing at all. 
It does not count. 
I have only slipped away into the next room. 
Nothing has happened. 

Everything remains exactly as it was. 
I am I, and you are you, 
and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged. 
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Happy Birthday my friend.  You are gone but never forgotten.

When I was growing up back in the 80’s, a BMX bike was what every boy in my neighborhood wanted . Every movie and TV show worth it’s salt had a cool BMX kid who could do the jumps and come to a sliding stop at just the right spot.

Hard as I tried, actual racing wasn’t for me and, if you’ll look at the photo at the bottom of the page, you may see why.

10 year old Aiden Weaver, on the other hand, not only has the right gear, but the heart and drive to make it happen .  He’s a smart kid whose enjoying the ride but also has an eye on the future and a firm footing on a way to get himself to that next level.

I’ve been friends with his parents, Joe and Rebecca, for a number of years and have been watching, online, as Aiden has taken up  and excelled at BMX racing.  I asked if they would like to be a part of an article and while I sent them the questions, Aiden himself read them and replied back.

J: Hey Aiden, it’s awesome to finally talk to you about what you’re up.  How did you move from riding a bike around the neighborhood to competing?

A: Thank you! Its nice to meet you. My parents have told me a lot of good things about you and I’m happy to answer your questions about BMX.

BMX used to be a big part of my dads life. He raced as a kid in the MBL which is no longer around. Its now USA BMX. Southern California has always been an iconic place for BMX. It started right here. The Orange Y BMX track was a place my dad always wanted to ride and when we moved here he asked if I wanted to go check it out.

April 12, 2016 I took my Hoffman bike that my parents bought at DICKS to the Orange Y to see if I could even get around the track, I was wearing a used helmet our friends got at a thrift store for $20 and a miss matched uniform. I was hooked. On April 22nd I raced in my first race. I did not make the main! From that point on I have never stopped racing.

(Rebecca relayed that unfortunately, The Orange Y was leveled after a 40 year run but, Aiden won the very last Manufactures Cup Series ever held there. The Series took the best points over 10 races.)

J: What’s different from your normal street bike to your race bike?

A: The difference from my race bike and my street bike is that my race bike is only for the track. The parts are super light weight and designed specifically for BMX racing. My street bike I can ride at the skate parks and dirt jumps. It’s built with stronger parts. My race bike weights about 13lbs and my street bike weights about 20lbs

J: You’re racing for G2 so, how did you get connected with that team and do they sponsor your gear/bike? Are you guys going after some other sponsorships that help with the cost of racing?

A: The way I got sponsored by G2 was because I met the Turners at the Orange Y and they asked if I wanted to ride one of their bikes which were Gary Turner bikes at the time. After I started riding for them my dad started working for them and now builds all of the G2 bikes for the Turners. I have the first custom G2 junior frame ever made. I am sponsored by Box Components which supplies all the parts for the bike, Fly Racing for all of my gear. helmet, uniform, clip shoes and gloves and ODI grips for handles. And of course Mom and Dad!

J: I saw that at the Great Northwest Nationals April 6-8 in Oregon your entire team got on the podium. How big is the team and are there team standings as well as the individual races?

A: Our team has 30-35 riders and most of them are in California but there are some in other states as far as Pennsylvania. There are team standing but our team is not currently doing that series this year. Our points are individual points. District points, State points, National points, Gold cup points and NAG (National Age Group) point. You get points per race and proficiency level.

J: You’ve been at this for 2 years and this last month was the first time that I read you had a fall on the track. What happened and did you get back on the track that day?

A: I have actually crashed a few times but the most recent crash was during a timed practice lap. Something happened to my wheel and It sent me over my bars. I did get back up and actually raced that night and got 2nd.

J: Joe just posted that you are now a 10 expert. I gotta admit that I have no idea what that means so how are the classes or levels laid out. Is it by number of races or finishes?

A: When you start racing you start as a Novice. You have to get 10 wins to move to Intermediate. From there you have to get 20 wins to move to Expert. After that there is A Pro, AA Pro and Elite Pro. I do not know how you move up to AA Pro and Elite Pro but you have to be 18 yrs old to turn A Pro.

J: With Joe and Rebecca both having been in competitive bodybuilding and having that competitive drive, has that helped you by always having them in your corner or do you kind of take the lead on it yourself?

A: I think it has. When I have a bad attitude they push me to be better and make it fun.

J: Your Instagram is an awesome look at your day to day and a peak at what you’re going through. Is it helping you get some exposure or is it more for you to have a cool place to post about your journey?

A: I think that it is both. On the journey side it shows people what I do and I get to meet other people that do what I do. For exposure I get cool opportunities like this and to represent other companies.

J: Maybe it’s too early to ask but, what are your long term goals in BMX racing or are you just having fun with it? Seems like you are focused and willing to put in the work so is this a future career in one way or another?

A: My long term goal for BMX is to be in the Olympics in 2024 and 2028 and to go on and race Worlds in the following years to come. I will be hitting the Worlds goal this year for the first time as I qualified to race for Team USA at the World Championships which are in Baku, Azerbaijan in the Middle East. I hope to make the USA proud!

I hope to be a kid others look up to, I do want to be a Mechanical Engineer and have already started building my business plan. (I have the note book with ideas to prove it) I hope to use BMX and my social media to gain connections with people that can help me along the way it’s a community full of family with a lot opportunity for the future.

Thank you for taking the time to learn BMX and myself. I hope it gets others excited about the sport I love.

Aiden

I’m super impressed with Aiden’s drive and expect big things out of him over the next 10 years as he continues to work towards those goals.  You can find him on Instagram, @aidenweaverbmx, or just click any of the pictures to go to his page.

If you’re looking to help Aiden out with his future goals, you will not find a harder working kid or a harder working family.  Donations can be sent to his PayPal account.

Oh and before I forget, here’s that promised photo from me back in the early 80’s.  I believe this one with fenders and steel frame clocked in at about 47 lbs.