History of
the NPC
Originally
printed in Flex Magazine, 1997
The real
muscle in the realm of amateur bodybuilding and fitness in the United
States is the National Physique Committee, and its influence is
growing, for good reason. The sport's top amateur athletes realize the
NPC is their route to the world's strongest bodybuilding organization
- the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB), and to
professional success.
For amateur
bodybuilding in the USA, the NPC is the big kahuna. If you want to
make it as a pro and take advantage of all the publicity and money
making opportunities, you must come up through the NPC.
Unless, of
course, you're part of the other 10%, like Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates or
Nassar El Sonbaty. "I'm telling you, this guy from England named
Dorian and that European Nasser El Sonbaty are messing things up." say
NPC President Jim Manion with a big laugh, referring to the nine of 10
successful bodybuilders who come from the NPC. "Just think what our
records would be if they had lived here in the United States when they
were amateurs."
A Passion for
Bodybuilding
Many of us
wonder what the future holds for the sport, but no one ponders it more
passionately than Manion. For the Pennsylvania native, bodybuilding to
the sport began more than 40 years ago.
We've all
heard stories of those rare people who've dedicated their lives to a
cause greater than themselves just for the sake of making things
better for others. Manion had varied interests - he owned a gym,
worked for a natural gas company and was a competitive bodybuilder who
won 15 titles, including second place to Robby Robinson, but his true
calling soon became making the sport better for amateur competitors.
He was
already championing the sport when a changing of the guard occurred in
the early '80s. "We formed the NPC back in 1982 after government
legislation caused many sporting events - like track and field, and
physique competitions - to break away from some of the other
federations," says Manion. "We saw the void that was left and believed
that if a new organization was formed, one strictly devoted to amateur
physique competitions, then everyone would benefit."
Build a
Federation and They will Come!
Manion and
the other founders of the NPC were right on target. The organization
started out with approximately 6,000 members and sanctioned only 100 -
200 competitions a year. Today, it has more than 20,000 members and
800 - 1000 competitions held annually. Manion explains the success.
"The NPC
has always had the support and recognition of the IFBB, which oversees
international competition and the professional side of the sport, and
this has been crucial to our success. The IFBB recognizes only one
amateur physique federation per country, and in the United States, the
NPC is the amateur arm of the IFBB. All bodybuilders - must win a
qualifying NPC show before they can become IFBB professionals."
Manion
doesn't brag about the fact that the IFBB sees the NPC has the
strongest amateur physique organization in the world. That's no small
feat considering that more than 160 nations belong to the IFBB.
Although he doesn't blow his own horn, Manion is quick to give his
people credit for the NPC honor.
People Matter
"Ours is a
grass roots organization run by people who truly love the sport," says
Manion. "They want to see the sport grow and create more opportunities
for those men and women who want to make a good living from what they
love to do, which, of course, is bodybuilding and fitness."
"Twenty
five years ago, very few of us were able to make a living from the
sport. Thanks to Joe and Ben Weider, that's all changed. Today, we
have chairmen all over the United States and have worked very hard to
bring opportunities to athletes and a high level of organization to
every contest. In essence, we make the promotion of bodybuilding an
easy thing to do."
"I'll give
you an example. Let's say you want to promote an NPC bodybuilding
show. All you would have to do is pay the sanction fee, secure the
venue, take care of the trophies, publicity and ticket sales. The NPC
comes in and does the mechanics of the show, from bringing in the
judges and registering and weighing the contestants to filing the
score sheets."
"We also
furnish the promoter of the event with a $2 million liability
insurance policy, pay for all rights and clearances to music licensing
organizations, and provide insurance for the athletes competing in the
contest. This even includes insuring each athlete to and from the
competition. The NPC takes away the worries about putting on a
successful bodybuilding event. Our goal is to see bodybuilding grow at
the grass roots level, and this is one way we do it."
The Sport's
Best Got their Start Right Here
Like a
doting father, Manion is especially proud of his NPC family. "Our
first Nationals champion was Lee Haney," he says. "Then you have guys
like Kevin Levrone, Shawn Ray, Flex Wheeler, Mike Quinn, Gary Strydom,
Mike Christian, Bob Paris, Chris Cormier, Paul DeMayo and so many
others. Women like Lenda Murray, Cory Everson, Laura Creavalle and Kim
Chezevsky, to name a few, all came from the NPC."
The Game Plan
to go Pro
The one
question up and coming amateur bodybuilders frequently ask is, what's
the best strategy to go from novice to pro?
"I always
tell athletes to first enter a novice show or city contest," says
Manion. "Some people feel that they can jump right into a state show
or a national qualifier. Lee Haney is a perfect example. Lee entered
and won the Jr. Nationals and the Nationals in the same year. Now that
is rare, yet it can happen. However, for most, the progression would
be to enter a city contest, state contest, regional contest / national
qualifier, Junior USA show, the USA show, the Jr. Nationals, then the
Nationals."
For the
athlete who has everything but patience, the time it takes to go from
first show to becoming a pro is of major concern. "It's all so
individual. Some people have great genetics and can do it quicker, but
for most, it's about a three year process to get to the level of top
national competitor."
The Place for
Fitness
Hardcore
bodybuilding isn't the NPC's only interest. The organization is
directly involved in the popular new women's fitness events. The match
is a natural one, with the NPC working to elevate this exciting
competition to never before achieved levels by creating more fitness
shows - local, state, regional and national events - than all other
fitness organizations combined.
The same
protocol that male and female NPC bodybuilders must follow, namely
winning qualifying shows before moving to the next level and
eventually earning eligibility for IFBB events, will apply for all
women interested in competing in NPC amateur fitness events. Talk
about a step in the right direction.
It's the Right
Thing to Do
"In the
past three years'" say Manion, "the NPC has produced steroid tested
shows, and this year, we'll promote nearly 150 of them. The winners of
these shows are eligible to compete in the Team Universe Championships
in August. From this show, teams are chosen to compete internationally
in the men's and women's IFBB World Amateur Championships, which of
course, is also steroid tested."
"All of
this has allowed us to run more state, regional and national
qualifiers and has given the athletes a terrific goal to shoot for -
winning the prestigious IFBB World Amateur Championships." You might
be curious as to how our amateur athletes from the United States fare
against the world. "We've dominated the field over the last four
years," Manion says with a smile.
A Man with
Belief can Change the World
Two
subjects very sensitive to Jim Manion are the health of his athletes
and the future of the sport he so dearly loves. "We all want drugs to
be eliminated from sports, and that means all sports," he says with a
hopeful sigh. "Yet we have to be honest and understand that it's quite
a daunting task to think that we can control anything and everything
an athlete puts inside his body. That's impossible.
"What we
can do, and what we are planning to implement, is widespread diuretic
testing. From there, other forms of more advanced testing will be
implemented. For athletes in all sports, the need to win and the lack
of self control can wreck havoc in their lives. In a sense, because
some of them won't protect themselves, we have to be protectors of
their health and protectors of the sports we love."
Loving What
You Do
Take away
the protective father's robe, the well tailored suits that have
traveled the world and the gym clothes that have soaked up countless
hours of in your face workouts and what is left? A man who loves what
he does.
"I've met
so many great people from all over the world. I'm a people person and
I always get great enjoyment by being able to give something back to
the sport I love. I always try to make time for anyone who wants to
talk to me."
"The sport
and the organization are nothing without the people who are in it, and
I never want to forget that. I owe a great deal of gratitude to these
people, especially my son, J.M., and my wife, Debbie, who helps me so
much so I can travel and do all the things I need to do to help our
organization grow."
"One of the
best feelings I get is when I receive letters from people. Just the
other day I heard from some contestants who entered the NPC Wheelchair
National Championships. They told me how much it meant that someone
really cared about them, and I must say that really touched my heart."
"As
president of the NPC, I do a lot of traveling and my wife smiles every
time I tell her I'm exhausted from all the traveling. She tells me
that no matter where we go or how tired I am, since I walk into that
bodybuilding venue and see the athletes and the people, my face lights
up and the adrenalin takes over. I guess that says it all."
How to Join
the NPC?
The NPC is
the world's number 1 amateur bodybuilding organization, and joining is
as simple as a
quick application and an annual dues fee. Included in your membership
is:
