Iron History

[Previous entry: "Nov 14, 2003"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Nov 28, 2003"]

11/20/2003 Entry: "November 21, 2003: Al Beckles's Age"

News: On November 16, 2003, Bill Piche, John McEneany, and I started a new forum called ironhistory.com

If you enjoy these weekly contributions on the paysite, probably you will be interested in the forum. We are wanting to gather together serious students of the subject and share experiences and knowledge. Please give a thought to checking it out at ironhistory.com

It is free, but registration is required using first and last names. If you are interested, please save yourself and us some time and trouble, and do not try to register using other than first and last names. Some efforts will be rejected.

Nov 21, 2004 column:

Al Beckles� Age by Joe Roark

This week we weave through the wandering web of age discrepancies regarding Al Beckles. Currently, Al enjoys keeping his age a secret. But in the early years his age can be traced by tracking certain events and his participation in those events, and by simply noting age references and counting backwards to determine his age within one year of accuracy. Let�s have some fun!

First, it should be understood that Al has two brothers and four sisters; both his brothers and he have the middle name Alphonso. Oscar is the eldest, Aubrey, the middle, and Al the youngest of the Beckles boys.

What follows is a sampling of my files in regard to age references pertaining to Al Beckles.

Health & strength (H&S) Nov 3, 1960 recounts the contest at Chorley, the Mr. East Lancs event which Oscar Alphonso Beckles, having arrived too late to participate, guest posed: �Too late to enter the competition was a new arrival in the country, the current Mr. Barbados, �Al� Beckers [sic], who volunteered to pose for us.� The commentary continues that some onlookers felt they were witnessing the posing of the man who would be the next Mr. Universe. Note: this was not Al, but Al�s oldest brother.

Two weeks later- H&S was published fortnightly at that time carried coverage on the Mr. England event in Manchester. Six years later in the Mar 17, 1966 issue, Harry Rothery recalled this event: �There seems to be some controversy about the identity of one of the Instructors, namely Albert Beckles, who you may remember came third in his class in the 1965 Mr. Universe Contest. Some readers contend that he has appeared in Physique Contests before 1965. To put the record straight I would like to say that Albert, to the best of my knowledge, has never appeared in a Physique Contest before 1965, although he has taken part in Weightlifting Contests in Barbados. His brother. Alfonse Beckles has, however taken part in Physique Contests and he came third in Mr. England Contest in 1961 [sic]. He trained then, and still lives, in the County of Lancashire, but tells me he no longer takes part in any Contests because of family commitments.�

So any physique contests mentioning Al Beckles or Al Beckers before 1965 are not referring to the man currently known as Al Beckles, but to his older brother. To continue:

In the Sep 2, 1965 issue of H&S George Greenwood profiles Al Beckles and offers these comments, summarized: Al was then age 27 [1938]. He has been training for bodybuilding for six months [March 1965]. Al�s first physique contest was the Aug 21, 1965 Mr. Southeast Counties.

In H&S Jan 6, 1966 when Heidenstam discusses the advanced ages of some competitors. He mentions Reg Park at 37, George Paine at 38.5, Paul Wynter at 30, but does not mention Beckles, who by his current calculations would have then been 34.5, but then was probably 26.5 and fell under the age 30 break off point for Oscar�s purposes.

H&S Oct 26, 1967 inside front cover photo, and age 29 [1938].

H&S Apr 11, 1968 age 28 [1939, remember July birthday]

Now let�s switch to Ironman magazine:

Feb 1966 Age 27 [1938]

Jul 1967 reports his 3rd place finish in Mr. Britain. If Al were 36 at this event, why did he not enter the senior event for those over age 35? Because he was in fact age 28?

Dec 1967 age 29 at Mr. Universe

Jan 1970 age 31 at 1969 Mr. Universe

Sep 1974 age 33

Mar 1982 In answer to the question, �How old are you right now�? Al is quoted as replying, �Right now I�m 42.� Though this interview appeared in 1982, it took place in 1981, so we are back at 1938/1939.

NOW PAY ATTENTION, please, it becomes confusing!

In those days Ironman was published every other month, and by the July issue of Ironman (two issues after the above quoted issue) in an article by Gary Bartlett appear these words in reference to Beckles, �He is over 40 years old�. In that same issue in an article by Antuck we read, �Albert Beckles of England is 46 years old��. That age of 46 was also reported the following year for Al�s appearance at the 1982 Mr. Olympia.

Then in Ironman Nov 1983, by Bartlett, �Many people really do not know Albert�s real age and rumors have stated that he is past 50. However, most of us believe he is about 47.� [1936] But Bartlett six months later is writing, �I mean, the man is 52 years of age.� So what changed in that half a year to cause Albert to become 5 years older? Stay tuned. By March 1985 he is reported by the same author to be age 54, but by the next issue is back to 53.

By now, Jim Manion�s perplexity can be shared by careful followers when he offered in Ironman Nov 1985 that Al was ��51 or 112 or however old Al owns up to��.

By Mar 1986 Bartlett settles for describing the age as ��50 plus year old Al Beckles�, but if Al was born in 1938, he would not become 50 until 1988. Bothersome details.

Lonnie Teper asks in Ironman Aug 1991, ��some people claim Albert is really �only� 53 instead of 61, does it matter?� Does eight years difference matter????? Let�s see, If the cutoff for the Masters Olympia is age 40, should we allow a 32 year old to compete anyway? Does it matter? If the record books are skewed because ANYONE claims eight years additional age, does it matter, who was the oldest competitor in a contest? Does it matter that misleading statements are made about age? It depends on what is at stake. If a 25 year old fitness model claims she is really 33, will the audience buying the product line she claims has stopped her aging process, be tricked?

The reply will be that �Well, Al looks good at any age.� And, of course, he did and does. But he looks good at one age, the current, accurate, age.

Let�s continue. Muscle Training Illustrated Jan 1986. We know Al began bodybuilding training in 1965, so the reference here that says �When I started training at 28�� puts his birth year, again, at 1937/1938. Al told Flex magazine in Jan 1986 that it had taken him 27 or 28 years in the sport to arrive at his current knowledge, so counting back from 1985 when the interview took place, we arrive at 1953/1954 for a starting date for when he began training; compare this to 1965. I�m just about ready to accept the age of 112 and be done with it!

Muscular Development Feb 1972 says Al ��is 32 years of age, married with two children, and does clerical work.� Clerical work? With numbers? And his age is a mystery? Mama help me.

Was it always thus? Nope. Flex magazine July 1984 ��there�s the question of age. Forty five, he swears.� The interview would have been before his birthday in July 1984, so counting back from 1983, gives us 1938.

Can Wayne Demilia be blamed for some of the confusion? Bill Dobbins wrote in that same issue of Flex (July 1984) �Wayne Demilia says Beckles is 52, but Beckles claims he�s only 46.� So we have 45 and 46 and 52 from the same issue of Flex.

In a nutshell, here is the problem: Jerry Kindela of Flex, revealed in the Jan 1986 issue, �When asked if he would like to clear up the age issue by giving his exact date of birth, AB said: �No, I like it just the way it is.��

Unfortunately as Men�s Historian for the IFBB, I do not like it to be confused. In my record books did Al compete from age 37 through age 53 as I think, or from age 45 through 61 as the other numbers indicate?

I think you may know the answer now.

See you Nov 28th! Please consider joining us at the forum at ironhistory.com