Old Times, New Kid on the Block

LT and Steve Cuevas

It’s West Coast Classic advertisement distribution time, and I never know who I’ll run in to as I comb So Cal with hopes of getting my poster placed on a gym wall. When I journeyed to World Gym, Crescenta Valley (in Tujunga) a couple of weeks back, I reunited with Steve Cuevas, now part owner of the facility.

Cuevas, longtime IRON MAN readers may remember, graced the July 1998 cover; I did an in-depth feature on the dude that I nicknamed the “Hispanic Hercules.” When I left World Gym Pasadena (now Gold’s) in 1999, Cuevas and I lost touch. As they say, time flies…in our case, over a decade.

Steve is now 43 and a father of two sons, 6 and 1; his wife is a counselor at Glendale College. He says he and his partner, Brian Prewitt, who took over the facility last August, are extremely pleased with their progress—gym memberships have more than tripled in the past eight months. The place has been busy both times I’ve been there.

Always possessed with an underrated wit, Cuevas was quick to point out how both of us are usually dressed in all black. In other words, we’ve put on a few pounds through the years. But, we’ll both be back. Look for a posedown in the near future, with the readers deciding who comes out on top. All of my money, natch, is on Cuevas.

LT and Brandon Gill

Also saw Brandon Gill at the gym, the fourth place finisher in the Novice division at last season’s Junior Cal. I was impressed with the improvements the former Verdugo Hills High football star has made since June. At 5’7”, Gill looked tight at 187; he’s planning on hitting the WCC stage on June 26 (npcwestcoast.com) at about 175, and is going to compete in both the unlimited and novice categories. Look for the kid to do well.

Nine weeks and counting. More updates coming to a gym near you soon.

I’m out.