Athletes happy on receiving VIP treatment at 2011 Arnold Sports Festival – Bodybuilding news
Athletes have made a mention of the VIP treatment which they get on their arrival at the 2011 Arnold Sports Festival.
Teresa Anthony is a professional bodybuilder who is going to compete for the first time in the Figure International Competition here on Friday at the Arnold Sports Festival since she competed as an amateur here in 2007. Upon her arrival in the town, she
was dropped at the hotel by a volunteer driver. Similarly, when Anthony’s plane landed, a cadre of volunteers had been planning for her arrival for more than six months.
Athletes have come to know about the entire perks from the Arnold Sport Festival which starts today through Sunday at eight different locations, including the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Veterans Memorial.
The Arnold Sports Festival is attended by almost 175,000 athletes and fans that flock Columbus every year for the event.
The mastermind behind all the privileges that are being given to the athletes is the transportation chairman Ron Houser of Arnold Festival. Houser, who got involved when the show was simply known as Arnold Classic, is serving for the last 23 years.
He said that he has been told by the athletes that they get better treatment here than anywhere else in the world.
Houser also mentioned that his workload has gone high as the event has grown but he still tries to manage at least 100 athletes and VIPs to and from the airport and he does it all with the help of volunteer drivers which is a massive engineering problem.
He also added that he only picks up those candidates for the job who know the art of communication so that the athletes are not bothered.
Houser said he after doing this all for the last so many years has lost the charm of meeting glamorous people but there are many people who are doing this job voluntarily for last many years and the motivational factor for them is that they meet glamorous
athletes and also get the tickets for the Arnold Sports Festival.
Betsy Eastlake, a mammogram technician at Ohio State’s Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, took a vacation to volunteer the Arnold Festival. She says that it feels very good meeting people from all over the world.
A female police officer, Stephanie Gibson, has been volunteering for the Arnold Festival for the last eight years. She also works back stage during the bodybuilding competitions. She has played her part in almost every field even getting one bodybuilder
out of bed only minutes before he was due on stage. Gibson says she enjoys doing it all but it is exhausting.
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