They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but in bodybuilding, it’s often the old tricks that work best anyway.
A veteran of muscle wars over four decades (1979-2006), Bob Cicherillo used his unflappable stage presence to great effect as he consistently drew all eyes to himself in the 2006 IFBB Masters Professional World Championships lineup. It didn’t hurt that he was at close to his all-time best form as well. The 40-year-old, a favorite going into the contest, sported his trademark V-taper, w-i-i-i-de back and, of course, his impeccable coif, not to mention excellent coloring, to put himself in good stead to win his first IFBB competition.
Another frontrunner is former NFLer Nate Wonsley, who brings a fine overall package, and a good deal of vocal support, to New York.
Pavol Jablonicky is a surefire top-six guy, looking close to the way he did in all of those memorable Night of Champions performances. By the way the callouts went he may end up making top three.
Claude Groulx may very well have displayed the best conditioning in the show. His legs are particularly outstanding as well, but his upper body lacks the kind of aesthetics needed to win an IFBB show today.
John Simmons and Johnny Stewart both made the first callout of the symmetry round along with their better known peers. Simmons showed good mass and pleasing lines while Stewart is, quite simply, a tank.
Stan McCrary is conditioned and sporting a thick upper body, but somewhat undersized legs and a bit of bloat in his midsection, both of which will probably keep him from contending for a top spot, despite the vocal affirmations of his buddy Dexter Jackson.
Rusty Jeffers was somewhat overlooked in the lineup, possibly due to less-than-spectacular conditioning. But his shape is probably the best in the show and his presentation is spot-on. Still, he looks to be out of the top six right now.
Be sure to check back with flexonline tonight for final results and report of the 2006 IFBB Masters Professional World Championships.
Below are the callouts for the Symmetry and Muscularity rounds:
1. Alberto Bitocchi 2. Leon Brown 3. Robert Cicherillo 4. Pietro Gilberto- Did not show 5. Nicolae Giurgi 6. Claude Groulx 7. Pavol Jablonicky 8. Rusty Jeffers 9. William Leonard 10. David Marinelli 11. Stan McCrary 12. Joseph Palumbo 13. Josef Rac 14. Quincy Roberts 15. Rudy Soliman 16. Roberto Sabatini 17. Behnam Samini 18. Abdul Sharif 19. John Simmons 20. Daryl Stafford 21. Johnny Stewart 22. George Turmon 23. Charles Urrego 24. Massimo Valli 25. Nathan Wonsley 26. Ken Jones
