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View Full Version : The Cage 2012 - A Brotherhood Defined



Aggression
03-06-12, 2:31 pm
This marks my 4th year at The Cage, all of which I've been employed by Universal Nutrition/Animal. To be a part of the overwhelming event that is the Cage is a great honor, one of which I'm proud to be a part of each and every year. With each passing year, another Cage comes our way. We look to bring in some powerhouse lifters and athletes while prepping to make it the biggest and best Cage to date. Each year, I feel we are successful in that regard. Some years we launch new product, some years we debut new flavors of current product, and other years we debut a new theme for The Cage. And with each passing year, our brotherhood grows stronger. Instead of writing out my weekend, day by day, I'd like to take this time to extend my grateful thanks to all of those who made this Cage (and all others) possible; the interns. Without you guys (and gals), we simply wouldn't have a Cage. In order to have our booth running on all cylinders in a smooth fashion, we need help; plain and simple. Trying to man all battle stations with a few internal staff and athletes simply won't cut it. To come back bigger and better each year, we rely on you good bro's and gal's to help us out. And not once have you ever let us down.

Over the years, I've formed some close relationships with several of them. Dating back to my origins here, I formed close bonds with guys like Scals, Ghost, Razor, Phil800101, and Chase Browning. I may only see these bros 1-2x per year, but whenever we get together, its like we never left. A quick hello, a bro-pound, a simple catch-up, and then its down to business as usual. Since day one, you guys have always had my back. And I'd like to hope that you've all felt I've had yours in return. As the years progressed, I began forging relationships with more homies and homettes; members like, in on particular order, Standing_Guard (formerly poptarts and former-formerly something else that slips the mind), smoothballer, beastin', deanna7272, wedge, survivor831, nix0r, and of course, the deadman. Others I ended up meeting at the Cage this year; Trebin, BringTheCarnage, BlondieWeaponX, and others. Each and every one of you define what Animal is all about.

We all know that The Cage is different than anything else out there in Columbus, Ohio during the first week of March. While other booths try to compete, they all fail ridiculously short. Mini-cages, 'Bench-your-bodyweight-for-rep' challenges that do nothing but show how they attempted to imitate, embarrassingly, instead of trying to be original, or copying our 'Pros V Bros' events and dubbing themselves the originators, they all fall short. And they fall short not just because we do it better (though its partially the reason). They fall short b/c they don't have the support system that Animal is based on; the forvm members and loyalists. Without you guys, we couldn't do a Pros V Bros event. Without you guys, we wouldn't have the manpower to have a 'BYBW' for reps competition going on in the Cage while we sell T-shirts and product in The Shop. Without you guys, we wouldn't be able to let a select few VIP members taste new product or grab themselves some sustenance in the form of Real Gains to keep away the hunger pangs while chillin' in the Cage. Without you, there would be no Cage. Ghost was there early slangin' in some chains for some events. And he always stops off to pick up some supplies we may be missing for setup. Chase Browning stayed through the entire breakdown process Sunday night. Scals and Razor have been my homies since day 1 and I'm ever so grateful to know that I can call upon them in a time of need. Its not easy to stand on your feet for 6-9hrs each day for 3 straight days. Its exhausting. Food isn't on point, we're deprived of sleep, and dehydrated. Yet you guys stand strong. While you may want to thank us for giving you the opportunity to intern, I want to thank each and every one of you for being a tremendous help all weekend long.

Most Arnold Expo attendees storm the flood gates for free product, samples, T-shirts, etc. The majority of them stand in line for hours without even knowing what they're in line for. The phrase 'If its free, its for me' is never more appropriate. They know the booths to hit up for the most free shit. By the end of day 3, they're heading home with a duffel bag stuffed full of free crap. Hustle appropriately and most of them won't even have to buy a supplement for another few months. Then they'll head over to the Olympia and rinse/repeat. But not you guys. You guys would rather not be bothered by all the nonsense that surrounds the Expo. You'd rather give up a free weekend of roaming in an effort to help out The CAGE. My gratitude can't be measured. Whether you're an intern, a super intern, Ghost (on a whole other level himself), athlete, or internal staff member, we all treat each other with the same respect that builds the Cage each and every year. With a bond that cannot be broken, we all stand together, proudly, as one. Trust me, we're the lucky ones to have you guys help us out. It is an honor to have you guys and gals work not FOR US, but alongside us through the weekend.

Thank you for doing all you do in helping the Cage become a major success year after year. You guys/gals aren't just interns working for Animal. To me, you're part of the family. And I'm proud to call you all my brothers and sisters.

Until next time ...

Kowboy
03-06-12, 2:38 pm
It was great to meet you, I wish we could have chatted a bit more but as you said it was crazy. I would gladly do it again and I would do it all 3 days. The days flew by for me and I had a blast. I originally created a screen name on the FORVM back in 07 Kornbread I think and I never followed up. I have always bought Animal and Universal and watched and bought shirts/hats every year I went to the Arnold. This year, i was in the cage and I looked around and not once did I ever feel like I needed to leave the cage and I didn't unless it was to brave the nastiest fucking bathroom I have seen in a while. Thanks again

Trebin

Universal Rep
03-06-12, 2:45 pm
It was great to meet you, I wish we could have chatted a bit more but as you said it was crazy. I would gladly do it again and I would do it all 3 days. The days flew by for me and I had a blast. I originally created a screen name on the FORVM back in 07 Kornbread I think and I never followed up. I have always bought Animal and Universal and watched and bought shirts/hats every year I went to the Arnold. This year, i was in the cage and I looked around and not once did I ever feel like I needed to leave the cage and I didn't unless it was to brave the nastiest fucking bathroom I have seen in a while. Thanks again

Trebin

Next year, an Animal Urinal in the Box..


This marks my 4th year at The Cage, all of which I've been employed by Universal Nutrition/Animal. To be a part of the overwhelming event that is the Cage is a great honor, one of which I'm proud to be a part of each and every year. With each passing year, another Cage comes our way. We look to bring in some powerhouse lifters and athletes while prepping to make it the biggest and best Cage to date. Each year, I feel we are successful in that regard. Some years we launch new product, some years we debut new flavors of current product, and other years we debut a new theme for The Cage. And with each passing year, our brotherhood grows stronger. Instead of writing out my weekend, day by day, I'd like to take this time to extend my grateful thanks to all of those who made this Cage (and all others) possible; the interns. Without you guys (and gals), we simply wouldn't have a Cage. In order to have our booth running on all cylinders in a smooth fashion, we need help; plain and simple. Trying to man all battle stations with a few internal staff and athletes simply won't cut it. To come back bigger and better each year, we rely on you good bro's and gal's to help us out. And not once have you ever let us down.

Over the years, I've formed some close relationships with several of them. Dating back to my origins here, I formed close bonds with guys like Scals, Ghost, Razor, Phil800101, and Chase Browning. I may only see these bros 1-2x per year, but whenever we get together, its like we never left. A quick hello, a bro-pound, a simple catch-up, and then its down to business as usual. Since day one, you guys have always had my back. And I'd like to hope that you've all felt I've had yours in return. As the years progressed, I began forging relationships with more homies and homettes; members like, in on particular order, Standing_Guard (formerly poptarts and former-formerly something else that slips the mind), smoothballer, beastin', deanna7272, wedge, survivor831, nix0r, and of course, the deadman. Others I ended up meeting at the Cage this year; Trebin, BringTheCarnage, BlondieWeaponX, and others. Each and every one of you define what Animal is all about.

We all know that The Cage is different than anything else out there in Columbus, Ohio during the first week of March. While other booths try to compete, they all fail ridiculously short. Mini-cages, 'Bench-your-bodyweight-for-rep' challenges that do nothing but show how they attempted to imitate, embarrassingly, instead of trying to be original, or copying our 'Pros V Bros' events and dubbing themselves the originators, they all fall short. And they fall short not just because we do it better (though its partially the reason). They fall short b/c they don't have the support system that Animal is based on; the forvm members and loyalists. Without you guys, we couldn't do a Pros V Bros event. Without you guys, we wouldn't have the manpower to have a 'BYBW' for reps competition going on in the Cage while we sell T-shirts and product in The Shop. Without you guys, we wouldn't be able to let a select few VIP members taste new product or grab themselves some sustenance in the form of Real Gains to keep away the hunger pangs while chillin' in the Cage. Without you, there would be no Cage. Ghost was there early slangin' in some chains for some events. And he always stops off to pick up some supplies we may be missing for setup. Chase Browning stayed through the entire breakdown process Sunday night. Scals and Razor have been my homies since day 1 and I'm ever so grateful to know that I can call upon them in a time of need. Its not easy to stand on your feet for 6-9hrs each day for 3 straight days. Its exhausting. Food isn't on point, we're deprived of sleep, and dehydrated. Yet you guys stand strong. While you may want to thank us for giving you the opportunity to intern, I want to thank each and every one of you for being a tremendous help all weekend long.

Most Arnold Expo attendees storm the flood gates for free product, samples, T-shirts, etc. The majority of them stand in line for hours without even knowing what they're in line for. The phrase 'If its free, its for me' is never more appropriate. They know the booths to hit up for the most free shit. By the end of day 3, they're heading home with a duffel bag stuffed full of free crap. Hustle appropriately and most of them won't even have to buy a supplement for another few months. Then they'll head over to the Olympia and rinse/repeat. But not you guys. You guys would rather not be bothered by all the nonsense that surrounds the Expo. You'd rather give up a free weekend of roaming in an effort to help out The CAGE. My gratitude can't be measured. Whether you're an intern, a super intern, Ghost (on a whole other level himself), athlete, or internal staff member, we all treat each other with the same respect that builds the Cage each and every year. With a bond that cannot be broken, we all stand together, proudly, as one. Trust me, we're the lucky ones to have you guys help us out. It is an honor to have you guys and gals work not FOR US, but alongside us through the weekend.

Thank you for doing all you do in helping the Cage become a major success year after year. You guys/gals aren't just interns working for Animal. To me, you're part of the family. And I'm proud to call you all my brothers and sisters.

Until next time ...

Sweet words, A... So much said here.

Kowboy
03-06-12, 2:50 pm
That bathroom def had a funk to it, all the protein shakes and free supps I guess but man that was nasty.

Nix0r
03-06-12, 2:53 pm
All I can say... is BOOM.

smoothballer
03-06-12, 4:30 pm
All I can say... is BOOM.

I will expand on that with a BOOMSHAKALAKA.

deanna7272
03-06-12, 4:55 pm
Great post Agg!! Awesome seeing you again and keep up the great work buddy... You're always making changes, I have seen change since I saw you in December... Change is inevitable when you're doing work... Keep doing your thing, it's working...

J-Dawg
03-06-12, 9:54 pm
It's definitely about brotherhood A. Nicely said and agreed 100%. And like Razor said in his writeup, it's like a family reunion with everyone catching up with one another to see how they're doing. And also meeting a lot of new faces and getting to know more Animal brothers/sisters. That's what it's all about.

Shukin
03-06-12, 10:37 pm
Very nice sentiments. I have yet to attend the cage, for the past couple that were live streamed I was in Japan catching what I could with the time difference, this year I spent many many hours in front of my computer watching the live stream and could see what you are expressing. I don't know who they guy was in the white Animal staff shirt, a young slim lookin' fella, but he hustled his but off changing plates, he seemed to always be in there. Many people I recognized from ABCs and youtube videos were in there, what seamed like all day long. I have the utmost respect for all you who put this together and held it together. Viewing from the internet I had a feeling of being a part of it.
I guess what I am trying to say is the live stream is a stellar idea, and it works. I could feel as if I was there supporting you all in all you efforts.
Job well done to you all.
Much respect.

Beastin'
03-06-12, 11:11 pm
well said and it was a pleasure to be part of the monster that takes over the expo every year!!

Phil800101
03-07-12, 12:35 am
Well said Aggs, well said. Always great to see you again.


Over the years, I've formed some close relationships with several of them. Dating back to my origins here, I formed close bonds with guys like Scals, Ghost, Razor, Phil800101, and Chase Browning. I may only see these bros 1-2x per year, but whenever we get together, its like we never left. A quick hello, a bro-pound, a simple catch-up, and then its down to business as usual. Since day one, you guys have always had my back. And I'd like to hope that you've all felt I've had yours in return.

Really appreciate the kind words bro. Most definitely.

Chase "BIG COUNTRY" Browning
03-07-12, 12:49 am
Truth. You just summed Animal up in one word. Brotherhood. The bonds I've formed through Animal are unbreakable. Brothers till the end. Adam you are definately one of my boys. I've looked up to you for years. I can still remember when you prepped for your first bodybuilding show back in what? 09? Its so crazy looking back on the last 3-4 years of my life and the friends/bonds that I've made and how they've grown. Thanks for this post, cus it def serves as a reminder of what we are here for and what the FORVM really stands for. No gimmicks, no hype, just REAL people.

Razor
03-07-12, 7:16 am
Awesome write up Aggs. Covered every base and emotion that goes into that weekend especially the people who try to duplicate our community whether it be the Cage or what we do as a crew. It was long overdue hanging with ya again bro.

wedge
03-07-12, 3:23 pm
Awesome write up A. This was my first Arnold and first Cage and I was a little nervous going in. But once inside that chain link fence it was like I was home. A bunch of guys and gals that just want to sling weight. Doesn't matter if its 5 lbs or 5,000 lbs. All that matters is that you're busting ass.

C.Coronato
03-09-12, 3:21 pm
Great words brother.

Aggression
03-09-12, 3:45 pm
I'm extremely fortunate that I'm able to share an experience that is The Cage with such great people.