TAFs at the Arnold Sports Festival 35th Anniversary!
Shahi SabzevariArnold Fans, we are back from the 35th Anniversary of The Arnold Sports Festival and let me tell you it was fantastic. (Ryan: I agree, fantastic!) The Arnold Sports Festival (formerly known as the Arnold Classic) and called “The Arnold” was in Columbus, Ohio from March 2nd through March 5th. A strong broad base of fans visit the Arnold Sports Festival which is bigger than the Olympics Ryan: It’s close to twice the number of athletes competing. The range of fans include bodybuilding fans, health & fitness fans, and of course the Governator himself Arnold Schwarzenegger fans. (Ryan: That would be us, it is in the website name after all!)
The last big anniversary we attended was the 30th Anniversary where TheArnoldFans attended the annual After School All-Stars Experience Arnold event where exclusive guests were able to get a glimpse of Arnold and other special celebrity guests such as Randy Couture, Matt Iseman, Chris Kirkpatrick and many more. In this event our Vice-President Ryan Gillen had an exclusive interview with both Arnold and the late Jim Lorimer (Arnold’s business partner) whom passed last year on the Thanksgiving Weekend. (Ryan: So glad I got to do that while Jim was still with us. He was still sharp as a tack then- read the interview HERE!)
With Covid hitting the world in 2020, it took a big hit on the Arnold Sports Festival. People from all around the world were fearing of capturing the virus, and travel restrictions and government regulations were in place to help stop the spread and to protect the people. March 2020, the sports festival was overall shutdown with limited number of spectators allowed. In 2021, the Arnold Sports Festival was in November versus the usual first week of March. In 2022, it was back but the turnout was not like previous year prior to covid.
On a positive note, this year everything has changed. Crowds larger than what was expected full of energy and excitement. Over 12,000 athletes in attendance, and 50 plus sports and events. (Ryan: That’s still short of its biggest numbers, but it definitely felt like it was BACK!)
Expo
This years Expo was fantastic. With over 1,000 booths, there was plenty to see. Our first booth we looked as was The Arnold Sports Festival Booth. There were plenty of t-shirt designs that fans can choose, commemorative 35thanniversary pins, bag, jacket, hats, sports bottles and even had the New G.A.S. Arnold Schwarzenegger cards on sale for $50.00 which sold out in minutes online. With all the swag available, I purchased the roman numeral shirt and a colorful new design shirt with Arnold on it that had 80s types feel to it. (Ryan: I liked that one, it matched the backdrop of the main stage, with a nice big Arnold image.)
There were 11 different stages. Arnold Strong Man Classic, Amateur Highland Games, Amateur Strongman Grappling, Ninja Warrior, World Chase Tag, CrossFit, and USA weightlifting stage.
Friday At The Expo
On Friday morning I flew in from Atlanta to head straight to the Greater Columbus Convention. Arriving with my suitcase and media gear I felt like Arnold arriving to America from the movie Twins. Once I got myself settled, I ran into fellow Arnold fan Garrett Delaney. He was telling me about the Arnold strong man competition that was about to start where they had the Wheel of Pain. This was located at the Arnold Strong Man Classic stage. Being a Conan the Barbarian fan, this is a must where you see the strongest men pushing tons of weight and seeing this replicated Wheel of Pain fixture. Matt Iseman (Host of American Ninja Warrior, New Celebrity Apprentice Winner) and Mark Henry (WWE wrestler and one of worlds strongest men) were the hosts. The athletes all did a fantastic job and it was mind blowing seeing it all in action.
After watching this, Garrett and I decided it was breakfast time and tried out the numerous amount of samples. From muscle egg protein drinks to different healthy snacks we were getting some more energy for the weekend. Among the vendors we saw Tequila Lobos 1707. This brand is from Lebron James and Arnold is an investor.
Lobos 1707
From a recent interview speaking to The Spirits Business:
Schwarzenegger said: “I’m wholeheartedly supportive and believe limitlessly in the brand and the team behind it. I want to see Lobos 1707 win and become the Tequila and mezcal of choice with consumers.
“I’m excited to do whatever I can to support that endeavour and ensure that happens. We have a saying in German, ‘wenn schon, den schon’, it basically means ‘if you do something, do it. Go all out.’”
Schwarzenegger added: “As an investor, I look for unique and innovative opportunities with best-in-class teams who are positioned to win in the marketplace. Not only does the product need to be good enough to dominate the market, but the company must also stand for something bigger.
“With Lobos 1707, I found all of those things. I was immediately sold on the quality and taste of the Tequila. The founder, Diego Osorio’s journey reminded me of my own, and the company philosophy of inclusivity and ‘building a bigger table’ was aligned with my own principals.
“When I’m in, I’m all in. This was a product, team and company I could completely get behind.”
When we saw this vendor, we had to try it. They were actually giving samples of the product. You can do “Squats for Shots” which we did and had an opportunity to make our own margarita using an exercise bike to blend all the ingredients. Let me tell you, this product was fantastic. Not being a tequila type of person, it was extremely smooth and quite enjoyable. (Ryan: I agree it was tasty! It made me want to do the Pee-Wee Herman tequila dance. Arnold stopped later and clearly enjoyed it too!)
Austrian Friends
Our friends from Graz, Austria flew all the way to Columbus Ohio for the Arnold Sports Festival. Michael Wagner and Christine Schreiner. I was walking in the expo looking for them and all of a sudden got a tap on the shoulder. They live right next to the Arnold Schwarzenegger museum and help promote things such as the museum and the-great-moment.com. We chatted on Facebook prior and we’re looking forward to seeing them in Austria in the near future. I ran into them at the International Sports Hall of Fame and The Sunday Showcase where they had a huge shout out from Bob Cicherillo to Arnold.
Saturday At The Expo
Ryan drove in from Michigan Friday night, so we decided to start his tale of great adventure on Saturday morning. Garrett had purchased a VIP Expo ticket which listed some events not listed on the Arnold Sports Festival site and got him some free swag such as a commemorative pin and bottle. One of those events was Arnold speaking Saturday morning at 8:30am at The Strongman stage. Ryan, Garrett and myself met up early to capture the best seats in the house in the front row. (Ryan: One tip, never assume a seat is saved, I asked and it wasn’t!)
Bob Cicherillo (the voice of bodybuilding) was on stage to interview Arnold- you can see the interview here.
It was great to see Arnold first thing Saturday morning so we knew this was a great fantastic start. After the interview, you can see Arnold walking with his team and security throughout the expo. Reminded me of the good ole days where he would visit each booth etc. (Ryan: Yes, there’s nothing like the rush of trying to navigate the expo crowds to stay with or ahead of Arnold’s crew! Also, Arnold was clearly energized and in great spirits, giving lots of smiles and handshakes.)
International Sports Hall of Fame
The ArnoldFans were invited to the International Sports Hall of Fame. Every year Dr. Robert Goldman invites us to celebrate and see athletes & celebrity guests that have made a huge impact to society and have given back. The Class of 2023 included Kayla Harrison (World Olympic Champion), Hafthor Bjornsson (Worlds Strongest Man), Ronnie Lott (Pro Football Hall of Famer), Richard Sorin (Strongman), and Jackie Joyner Kerse (World Olympic Champion) who couldn’t attend. It is an honor to be with all these talents in one room. Past honorees who attended were Randy Couture and many others. We enjoyed listening to each speaker and it really helped motivate us in whatever we do in life. (Ryan: Sadly, Arnold didn’t make it- perhaps he didn’t want to take the spotlight from the inductees incredible achievements and stories.) This event is not open to the public and is invitation only. For more on the international sports hall of fame and archived media please visit https://sportshof.org/
After the International Sports Hall of Fame, we decided to get lunch at The North Market. This place is incredible and beats the convention food in quality, portions, and price. The Lan Viet Market is our favorite for some Vietnamese Food. If you plan on coming to Columbus Ohio for the Arnold Sports Festival, I highly recommend. (Ryan: Those fresh shrimp rolls are soooo good.)
After lunch, we headed back to the convention center for Ryan to check out some vendors, plus we met Lee Haney 8 times Mr. Olympia, and ran into our friend Cory G from MaxEffort. Make sure to follow him on Instagram. Cory has been a huge supporter of the After School All Stars Ohio and has had several interviews on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s YouTube Channel where he interviews him in his own gym. Other videos include Arnold giving him a tour of Venice Beach and the famous mural he has. (Ryan: Cory is one busy guy! Lee Haney was cool, just not in a chatty mood.)
Party With the Pros
Ryan: The official after party event after the Finals took place at KEMBA Live! and it was a good time. It featured dance music, bars, and a killer retro cover band called The Flux Capacitors. They came out dressed as Marty McFly and Doc Brown singing "Power of Love" and it was great! Maybe next time they can do "You Could Be Mine" so I can re-enact the T-800 walking through the crowd in the G'NR video. But the best part was our friends at After-School All-Stars Ohio were there. In lieu of having their usual charity event, they popped up at this and other events with auction items (sports and entertainment memoribilia) with proceeds going to ASAS (plus some of the ticket sales). We were happy to chat with Allison from ASAS while partying the night away! Check out asasohio.org and donate today!
Sunday Showcase
Every year, if fans were unable to see Arnold in the expo, their best bet is to purchase a ticket for the Sunday Showcase. This year due to it being the 35th Anniversary, most of the previous champions were on stage. The stage has been redesigned from previous years where there was a replica Arnold Statue on stage. Rich Gaspari (1989) all the way to Samson Dauda the 2023 champion were on stage, Bob Cicherillo had a roundtable discussion asking all types of questions from prep to flash back memories from previous competitions. Arnold arrived on stage later to talk about the events, some history from when he was bodybuilding to talking about FUBAR which we are pumped up about. The special surprise we got was the Redditors from r/bodybuilding were able to get on stage for a group photo with Arnold. This will be an annual tradition for Redditors to get on stage for a photo. If you are not on Reddit, I would recommend signing up and contributing to the bodybuilding page. You don’t have to necessarily be a bodybuilder, but you can provide any suggestions or health tips and even learn. Arnold does respond more often on Reddit compared to other social media sites. (Ryan: Yes, and it’s really him doing it, you can hear his accent and speaking style in the posts there. Also, you get the nice cushy front row seats for the Showcase!)
Conclusion
The Arnold Sports Festival this year was fantastic. Here’s a few tips and suggestions that I have if you have never been.
1. Bring a backpack for a bunch of freebees.
2. Hotel, make sure you are reserving ahead of time. Otherwise, I would stay within 15 minutes from the convention.
3. Uber-ing is very expensive. Just from the airport to the convention was about $40. I would either stay at a hotel close by or get an airbnb. (Ryan: or have a brother that lives in town! Heh heh.)
4. Parking is usually $20. An additional cost per day. (Ryan: The closest garages fill up early, like 9am. I like the one on Goodale just north of the Convention Center)
5. Use the Arnold Sports Festival App which is free. This will help you on your guidance through the expo and have a list of events that are happening with days and times.
6. Get the VIP packages- exclusive surprises and announcements not mentioned on the site, and a pretty good value. (Ryan: The days of them including a photo with Arnold are sadly long gone though.)
7. To feel like a champion, do the 5K run on Sunday so that way you get a medal for your collection. (Ryan: That’s my jam! You also get an exclusive t-shirt AND often Arnold himself will start the race- what a pump!)
8. Don’t forget to snap your photo near the Arnold Statue with a pose and tag us. @TheArnoldFans
(Ryan: 9. Have a meal at Schmidt’s in German Village for the best sausages and cream puffs! Arnold usually does too. 10. Watch for After-School All-Stars’ charity event to return in the future and go, it’s always a blast!)
We would like to thank and congratulate the Arnold Sports Festival staff on a job well done. Looking forward to next years’ event. (Ryan: In other words… we’ll be back!)
