It's time for the Mr. Olympia again. In a few weeks all the world's best bodybuilders come together in Las Vegas to see who is the best in the world. For four times, that was Jay Cutler.
This year he sits it out due to an injury. There is a lot of talk about him being done, retiring. Kari and I got to spend some time with him a few weeks ago here in Maryland. I think he has more left in the tank, but let me explain a little bit about this Jay guy in case you don't know who he is.
Jay comes from Massachusetts, and I grew up a stone's throw away from there in Rhode Island. We are a couple years apart in age but as I was getting into competing, Jay was making a name for himself in the sport. My training partner Donnie and I were doing well: top 3 in most shows as teens, qualified for Nationals as teens, and we kept hearing about this Jay Cutler guy. How we would at some point have to stand on stage next to him. We saw one picture in a magazine and decided we had to see this guy. So we went to the gyms where he trained, but we never ran into him. Until he was guest posing at a show in Maine.
We drove up and lo and behold, there he was! All 240 lbs of him at 21 years old. Donnie and I looked at each other and said, "We can't beat that guy!" He was quiet, nice, but MASSIVE! We had a lot of friends in common, and we started running into him at the shows in the New England area.
We watched his meteoric rise to the top of the National level in 1996 when he turned Pro at 23 years old. That was it! All of us knew he was going all the way. In New England, we take our sports teams seriously: The Celtics, Bruins, RedSox, Pats, and Jay Cutler. He was one of us who was now in the majors!
People said he would never go Pro, then he did. They said he would never do well as a Pro, then he started winning. Then they said he would never be a top guy. Well, 4 Mr. O titles later and a dethroning of the legend Ronnie Coleman, he is STILL an underdog!
Jay moved out to California not long after he turned Pro and we didn't see him around for awhile. But among all of us in the New England bodybuilding community, we kept tabs on him until one day I went out to a club in Providence, with a few buddies. My boy, Joe, and I got there early and then Shane and bald Dave came in with JAY! It was rare for him to be out, especially since he had moved away. We hung out, and to this day, Jay can even tell you what month and year it was when he was there. That's one thing you don't read about in magazines - his memory and how he tries to keep everything organized, even in his head!
Throughout the years, we ran into each other about 3 or 4 times a year. We'd exchange pleasantries but he was so busy that there wasn't really time to just talk to him for more than a few minutes of "Hey, how's things? Glad you're doing well."
And then a few weeks ago, Kari and I picked him up at BWI airport for the Jay Cutler Baltimore Classic.
To be continued ...
This year he sits it out due to an injury. There is a lot of talk about him being done, retiring. Kari and I got to spend some time with him a few weeks ago here in Maryland. I think he has more left in the tank, but let me explain a little bit about this Jay guy in case you don't know who he is.
Jay comes from Massachusetts, and I grew up a stone's throw away from there in Rhode Island. We are a couple years apart in age but as I was getting into competing, Jay was making a name for himself in the sport. My training partner Donnie and I were doing well: top 3 in most shows as teens, qualified for Nationals as teens, and we kept hearing about this Jay Cutler guy. How we would at some point have to stand on stage next to him. We saw one picture in a magazine and decided we had to see this guy. So we went to the gyms where he trained, but we never ran into him. Until he was guest posing at a show in Maine.
We drove up and lo and behold, there he was! All 240 lbs of him at 21 years old. Donnie and I looked at each other and said, "We can't beat that guy!" He was quiet, nice, but MASSIVE! We had a lot of friends in common, and we started running into him at the shows in the New England area.
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| One of our first meetings. I was 250 lbs and Jay was 270 lbs!! He was 22 years old. |
People said he would never go Pro, then he did. They said he would never do well as a Pro, then he started winning. Then they said he would never be a top guy. Well, 4 Mr. O titles later and a dethroning of the legend Ronnie Coleman, he is STILL an underdog!
Jay moved out to California not long after he turned Pro and we didn't see him around for awhile. But among all of us in the New England bodybuilding community, we kept tabs on him until one day I went out to a club in Providence, with a few buddies. My boy, Joe, and I got there early and then Shane and bald Dave came in with JAY! It was rare for him to be out, especially since he had moved away. We hung out, and to this day, Jay can even tell you what month and year it was when he was there. That's one thing you don't read about in magazines - his memory and how he tries to keep everything organized, even in his head!
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| This was the last time I saw Jay before I mived away from New England. |
And then a few weeks ago, Kari and I picked him up at BWI airport for the Jay Cutler Baltimore Classic.
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| 2007 in Pittsburgh. I got crushed in the light heavies! |
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