文章基本信息

标题：ArticulaShawn: American idle? Not! - Commentary
作者：Shawn Ray
期刊名称：Flex
印刷版ISSN：8750-8915
出版年度：2002
卷号：Dec 2002
出版社：A M I - Weider Publications

ArticulaShawn: American idle? Not! - Commentary

Shawn Ray

By the time you read this, the 2002 Mr. Olympia contest should be completed. The only thing I can say for sure about the Olympia at press time is that this year marked the end of my string of 12 consecutive appearances in the contest, all of them top-five finishes. This year would have been my 13th straight Olympia and 14th appearance overall, but I made other plans to host the contest on pay-per-view television. Those plans fell through for reasons I don't want to go into. I prefer to stress the positive.

I'm proud of my Mr. Olympia record, but my string's over now, and I've come to terms with it. Not that I didn't have to make some big adjustments. This was the first summer in 13 years that I haven't trained and dieted for the Olympia. It was strange at first, but I quickly began to take advantage of my freedom. I've been able to spend more time with friends and family, and I've discovered other rewarding pursuits.

One of my new hobbies, as you can see in the accompanying photo, is golf. I find golf to be a real stress reliever--it's very therapeutic. I love the challenge of golf, especially considering I'm just learning how to play. A friend of mine, Steve Borgelt, who is the webmaster of my Internet site (www.shawnray.net) hooked me up with the editor of Los Angeles Lifestyle & Golf, which led to the cover. In the article inside, I stress the positive aspects of bodybuilding. 11 think it's important not only to market myself but bodybuilding in general.

This leads me to my other pursuits. Although I'm not competing this year, I did plan to have a major presence at Olympia Weekend events, including my All-Star Seminar the day after the Olympia. I'm also planning to take my Muscle Camps on the road next year around the U.S. and even internationally (check out the schedule on my Web site). I'm also planning to rerelease my first video, Lifestyles of the Fit and Famous, and pursue other projects. I'm not sure I would have been able to do all of these things if I were competing this year.

My main point? When one door closes, another door opens. That's the attitude you must have toward your career and life. I found it true this summer, and I look forward to a productive year in 2003. I hope you do too. Peace.

To contact Shawn Ray, visit www.shawnray.net.