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 ...
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Originally Posted by Trebin
