First off congrats Slin. Those that win always deserve to. After all it is the judges votes that count, not the popular picks the crowd may have. That's not to say you weren't one of those too (heard you rocked the house)Originally Posted by natenator
My humble opinion on Ron is he will find himself in the bride's made role continually until he can dramatically change his physique. It was mentioned it has been the same judges for over a decade (not my words) well then I think they know what they want and the package Partlow brings isn't it. I believe this was his 11th attempt. He may get harder or bigger (slightly) from year to year but some fast googling shows a competitor who hasn't made much changes over the years. It is becoming more common for guys to win who are doing Nationals for only their 1st or second time. More importantly Ron gets out muscled (in thickness not width) by "smaller" guys - with fresher looks - every year; be it in his class or lighter ones. I don't know the man and hear nothing but how great a guy he is but with only one first place in 11 attempts it is a bit of a stretch to say he is long over due. Dan Dufresne had to win his class 5 times before they gave him a pro card. That was what I'd call over due.
Perhaps the panel has just grown accustomed to expecting the same presentation from him and then a "New Guy" or less common one makes a greater impression. Last year I thought after they handed out only one card to Mike Van Wyck and passed on giving a second card they were sending a clear message (in their political way) that Ron was not providing them with what they wanted. For what it's worth & again IMO last year was his best.
As for the 2009 North American's; Ron said himself he looked better than he did at the Nationals and placed out of the top 5. Don't believe that is his ticket to THE SHOW either. Seems Canadian male competitors get passed over in such a predominantly American Show.
Hope these words didn't come across as a bashing, those are just my observations, from an old dude who loves the sport and has followed it for many years. Personally I'd really like to see Ron come in at a ripped 275 - 280; that just might put an end to his string of losses and bring him that Canadian Crown Jewel. WHat I don't want to see is for him to do it as a master. Having said that I have no idea how close he is to that category. I'm just making an assumption on the # of times he's been at the National level. That would just be anti climatic and a shallow victory for a true warrior of the iron sport.
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