Countywide : Athletes Visit O.C. to Boost Exercise

The only celebrity able to upstage Arnold Schwarzenegger during the Great California Workout at Disneyland on Sunday was Mickey Mouse himself, and the muscle-bound “Terminator” had a few words for him.

“Don’t steal my show, Mickey,” the athlete-actor said before an appreciative crowd. “When I say, ‘I’ll be back,’ you’ll be in trouble.”

The trembling 67-year-old mouse was quickly forgiven by the star and even given a large medal from the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports for keeping his figure fit despite advancing age.

Mickey and other Disney characters were just some of the celebrities helping to promote National Fitness and Sports Month for the governor’s council. They were joined by athlete Bruce Jenner, gymnast Peter Vidmar, fitness pioneer Jack LaLanne and boxer Paul Gonzales.

As chair of the council, Schwarzenegger hosted a half-hour exercise show that included general calisthenics, specialized events and performances by area sports teams and the hip-hop dancers Culture Shock.

“One hour in the gym today is one hour less at the doctor’s tomorrow,” Schwarzenegger told the audience gathered in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. “Let’s turn off that TV every once in a while and say hasta la vista to couch potatoes.”

Promoting exercise with attention-getting events is especially important during times of financial stress, said Peter Vidmar, the gymnast who won two gold medals during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“It’s discouraging that so many schools, in the name of cutting costs, have decided that the physical fitness of a child is unimportant,” he said.

Members of the governor’s council, which was established in 1993, are spreading the word that physical fitness is good preventive medicine by sponsoring sports groups at the local and state levels.

“We want to get parents at least involved,” Vidmar said.