No Sweat : They twist, turn, roll and jump because they get a kick out of exercise. And for contestants vying for the title of king and queen of aerobics, it’s a scream.
Just when you thought disco was dead and the fitness craze had subsided, the two dark forces banded together in a feverish display that left dozens of people literally screaming in the aisles.
They call it aerobics.
Dozens of the sport’s true believers gathered at Loyola Marymount University in Westchester last weekend to show what 30 hours a week at the gym can do for the human body. Their mission: to boldly go where few aerobics enthusiasts have gone before--a national championship to be held in Los Angeles Sept. 15.
Before it was over, the two dozen male and female entrants showed the spirited crowd the difference between being a true aerobic ambassador and just another extremely fit person who looks swell in a leotard.
It’s the smile.
As contestant after contestant proved during the competition, featuring some of Southern California’s top aerobics instructors, many people may be able to flex, roll, twist and shout, but only the real masters can do it with a smile.
They smile when they kick their feet over their heads. They smile when they somersault. They smile when they do sit-ups. They smile when they do push-ups.
Linda Bell and Steve Morse, winners of the mixed pairs division, were nearly laughing when they performed their push-ups--on top on one another.
Women’s finalist Penny Waid explained part of this aerobic secret.
“I smile when I’m nervous,” she said. “And I’m nervous because I only had three weeks to come up with my routine. I’m just happy that I finished.”
There were happy faces all around Saturday. The enthusiasm the competitors exhibited was matched only by the loudness of the music (predominantly disco and dance mix) and the screeching of the crowd (predominantly in Danskins and tank tops). Every pectoral flex was greeted by a “yeeooowww,” every arm pump triggering a wave of “yeeeaaahhs.”
About the only unsmiling face belonged to one women contestant who thought she had been unfairly slighted by the panel of judges. She complained before leaving in a huff with her equally unhappy family.
“Some people really get into it seriously,” explained finalist Maureen McMillan. “But that’s why they are so good. They become obsessed.”
McMillan is a living testament to what happens to a human body after it has been gripped by the aerobic spirit. Fat may occasionally find a way into her diet, but definitely not onto her body. She performed her four required push-ups with one arm.
“I couldn’t do that a year ago, but I wanted to show the people that I was strong,” she said. “I’ve been practicing to do that since May.”
It was not quite enough. McMillan and the other women finalists were edged out by Evelyn Householder. Tim Green took the men’s crown.
While aerobics may not be a true mass-spectator sport, such as football and baseball, what it lacks in crowd size it makes up for in sponsorship. The Westchester event was put on by Sundance Natural Juice Sparkler and the Aerobics and Fitness Assn. of America. And makers of fitness apparel, sports equipment and several travel agencies and health clubs were on hand to hawk their wares in the name of aerobics.
Prior to the Southern California “Sundance Aerobics and Fitness Challenge,” similar contests were held in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and San Francisco. The winners of the regional events will compete in the national final next month at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton. So far, the fitness face-offs have raised about $10,000 for the March of Dimes Campaign for Healthier Babies.
Clearly, aerobics fever is spreading. The national winners will be eligible to compete in an international competition next year in Japan.
But Waid wasn’t thinking about that. She was trying to remember the routine for her final two-minute workout before the judges. She was nervous. She was smiling.
“I just can’t help it,” she said.