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03/19/2009 Entry: "3/20/2009: Letter to Joe Roark from Charles A. Smith June 14, 1988, Conclusion"

Letter to Joe Roark from Charles A. Smith June 14, 1988, conclusion.

Mrs. Willoughby's phone number? I may have it somewhere. She still lives in Pasadena I think. First name Carol. I'll look around.

I don't know what issue the IOL [International Olympic Lifter]-- rather WHEN the next issue of the IOL will be out, but according to the Herbal One, my article on Schemansky is to appear in the next issue. I shall watch for it since I have a feeling that it will be messed around with, The Herbal Wun thinking that because he has the title of Editor, he has to act like one. I know that I had all my lifts in POUNDS and Herb has told me he will change them to KILOS, something that has me as infuriated as the Anti Fluoride Hordes are infuriated at the use of that chemical in toothpaste.

Half the stuff told about the Old Timers I regard with a more than skeptic eye. I don't believe a lot of it. Frinstance that tale of Saxon getting 446 above his head.

Yes, I have another article already written and to be sent in to Balik. It is titles 'THE THINGS THEY SAY' but this will undoubtedly be altered by Balik is he accepts the material for publication.

It is about some of the ridiculous things said about certain phases of right training by soi disant experts. Like one who said the cambered bar had no value except possibly psychological value, without attempting to explain anything about how the bar came into being etc. Another seg deals with the shit Everson printed about Steinborn upending the bar and rocking it onto his shoulders because there were no squat stands in Milo's day. There were no training partners to help him of course. Steinborn has himself stated that this was just a stunt and when he was lifting in Germany where the squat was a competition lift at one time, he drew some censure from the German judges for using the manner of getting the bell to his shoulders- the ref saying it was acting smart and showing off.

Then I deal with the statement made by another expert to the effect that people once trained Monday, Wednesday, and Friday because they thought it was the best way to train. He wouldn't even consider the fact that in those days the men worked 60 or 70 hours a week and the poor bastards had no other choice since they would have been burned out if they had trained as moderns do with their 40 and 35 hour week. In other words the expert hadn't taken into consideration the tremendous social, cultural, and economic changes that had taken place.

The last is rapping another expert with a string of letters after his name who advised his readers to do every exercise STRICTLY RIGHT or correctly without once explaining what he meant by these terms.

What did I think of the article about Reg Park in the MD Dellinger sent to me? Shitty. It didn't ONCE mention all I had done for Reg, putting out the first six- at least- editions of his mag in England, the fact that I had written ALL his articles bearing his name or even mention me at all.

But as some poet has said somewhere some place, 'From none but self expect applause. Re the Old Timers Association. I would like to know who will be RUNNING it. Will there be a COMMITTEE? Will there be a Chairman, a Secretary, A TREASURER. I certainly don't feel like shelling out 15 bucks when I don't know what will happen to it and what it will be used for. There were 150 odd guests at the last bash and that works out to about 2,200 bucks, a not inconsiderable pile of folding green. Just being my usual cautious, paranoid self. All right, wait until you have lived as long as I have and have been shafted as many times and YOU'LL understand,
best to you and the family,
CHAS