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Max's/City Gym INBA SA Titles 2004
Wow, what a show. This was clearly the biggest bodybuilding show SA has ever seen. 40 competitors and over 700 people will testify to that! The show was 5 minutes away from being a lockout! What a great credit to the growth of natural bodybuilding. The morning show itself set a record with over 350 people in attendance. 
There were so many highlights to this show, it's difficult to know where to begin. 

· Daniel Brunoli turned the table on Daniel Morecombe by winning the Teenage division after Morecombe beat him three weeks prior at the NABBA Night Of The Champions.

Daniel Brunoli

· The titanic battle between Craig Brooker and Tommy Settimio for the Men's Novice. Craig got the title by a couple of points but Tommy is set be become a star.

Craig Brooker and Tommy Settimio

· Vivienne Krstic, so beautiful and elegant, winner of the Women's Novice Figure, a future champion in the making.

Vivienne Krstic

· Michael Rositano was in incredible condition winning the Men's Intermediate. He would have been in the running if he contested the Open.

Michael Rositano

· Women's Intermediate winner Marieke Bout won again after winning the Novice last year. Marieke also won the NABBA Australia Tall Figure 3 weeks prior. Must be tough winning all those titles.

Marieke Bout

· Shredded at over 40, Damian Gow-Smith took out the Men's Masters. I'm jealous!

Damian Gow-Smith

· Estell Craker looked awesome in the Womens Over 40 Figure. So shy and quiet, she shone on stage. Energetic Sue Huxtable deserves a mention after surviving a devastating car accident 10 days before the show.

Estell Craker

· After only two years of training, Deanna Sellick won the Open Figure and now is in the running for an Australian Title. She never stops smiling and is a pleasure to be with.

Deanna Sellick

· The Men's Open short Class. Wow, what a class! Eight incredible competitors. First time competitor Hayzer Cayli wins over a best ever Carlos Azevedo. This was one of the best line ups ever seen in SA. Disappointment for last years winner Ken Lavanda missing the top 3, so good was the line up.

Hayzer Cayli

· The emotion of Paul Wachtel's Overall win. Finally after so many years the bridesmaid, Paul takes the big one. I was so glad for him. Paul was massive and muscular and an audible gasp was heard from the 700+ crowd when he walked on stage.

Paul Wachtel

· Joel Ramintas, 2 x INBA Mr Australia,  bringing down the house with his inspiring guest posing performance.

The polygraph ran all day and I'm pleased to announce that no one failed the test. The sponsor's tables were crowded and the crowd went wild over the heaps of t-shirts that were given away. 
My thanks must go to the sponsors especially Max's who have been on board for 5 years now. Shayne from City Gym, without whom the extensive drug testing would not have been possible. Aussie Bodies, Nutrition Imports, ASN, and Shape Up for their stands. All my volunteers, without them I could not do it. My wife, for her help, understanding, and contribution to the trophies by making those cute teddy bears the girls received. Last of all, thanks to the massive crowd that turned up.

The team selected to go to the INBA Australia is, Michael Rositano, Marieke Bout, Deanna Sellick, Hayzer Cayli, Paul Wachtel, Joel Ramintas.

Missed the show? There's always next year. Be early though, because I have a feeling the full house sign will go up early.

Some backstage photos supplied by Simon Godfrey.

Simon Godfrey and Vivienne Krstic

Marieke tans up and Alison Moyle pumps up

For more pictures, visit the CONTEST RESULTS page on the Home Page

Rumour Mill
Sometimes I feel bodybuilders are their worst enemies. Every contest I am deluged with rumours about the natural status of competitors. It seems that a lot of competitors who lose or do not place well is a result of their competitors being on the "gear". As a promoter of the INBA, I am bound by INBA's rules and guide lines and must adhere to them. All I can do is test competitors and if they pass, then their natural status cannot be questioned. I cannot stop anyone from competing because of malicious rumours. 
This year I chose to polygraph the contestants because I can poloygraph six people for the price 2 by urine analysis. The INBA has had more success with the polygraph recently, and I'm sure you'd agree that it's better to test 6 rather than 2.

NABBA Night Of The Champions
I want to congratulate Lorraine and Wayne March on a successful NABBA Night Of The Champions on the 11th of September. Light on competitors, Lorraine and Wayne went ahead with the show and turned something that should of lasted 30 minutes into an entertaining 3 hour show. Many lesser individuals (and it has happened) would of canceled the show with no regard to the competitors. 

       Guest poser Teri Roberts       Glamour winner Janelle McLean and Leigh Jarrett.

Open winner Jason Bednarz (L) and 2nd Mike Hambour

Stella Dinan (short figure), Marieke Bout (Tall Figure), Alison Moyle, and Kaz Kapperer

Stroke victim wins $4.1 million verdict against LA ephedra store
ALEX VEIGA
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - A jury has ordered a sports nutrition store to pay $4.1 million to a man who purchased a diet supplement contining the now-banned herbal stimulant ephedra and then suffered a debilitating stroke.
The case represents a rare instance of a retailer being found liable for selling a product containing ephedra.
"This case was important to the public because it shows that retailers have a duty of care toward their customers to ensure that the products they sell are safe," said attorney John Tiedt, who represented plaintiffs Mark and Gina Hagen.
Ephedrine supplements were widely used for weight loss and bodybuilding, but have been linked to more than 150 deaths, including that of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler.
The Food and Drug Administration banned all dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids on April 12.
Hagen, who lives in Santa Margarita, suffered a stroke on Feb. 11, 2002, hours after taking the thermogenic weight management pill Dymetadrine Xtreme, which he purchased at Fox Nutrition in Los Angeles.
As a result of the stroke, Hagen now needs a wheelchair or a walker to get around, and he has trouble speaking because his vocal chords continually spasm, among other lingering health problems, Tiedt said.
Fox Nutrition ended up becoming a defendant in the case as a result of California liability law, which states everyone along a chain of commerce becomes a defendant in a product liability suit.
Golden, Colo.-based manufacturer AST Sports Science went bankrupt and the courts dismissed the case against a Northridge-based distributor, DMA Industries, said Los Angeles attorney Matthew Trostler, who represented Fox Nutrition.
"We have the unique situation where the retailer is the only defendant in the case," Trostler said. "We can't argue against that they sold it, or the law, so we fought the case based on medical causation."
While the FDA ban on ephedra products had not yet been instituted at the time Hagen was taking the diet supplement, jurors decided the vitamin discount seller was partially responsible.
The 2 1/2-week-long trial ended Wednesday. Jurors initially returned a $6.9 million award, but then reduced it by 40 percent, citing that Hagen had also been using a prescription drug at the same time he took the ephedra-laced pill.
The jury also did not award damages to Hagen's wife, who had sought compensation for loss of consortium and other emotional hardship.
Trostler said he hadn't determined yet whether he will appeal.

Steroid Ring Busted.
CUSTOMS officers believe they have smashed an international anabolic steroid importation ring following raids in Melbourne yesterday where more than 4000 tablets were seized.
Australian Customs Service acting Victorian regional director Geoff Johannes said it was expected charges would be laid over the seizures.
Three unoccupied houses in Melbourne's south-west and a business address were raided yesterday.
The raids came after four separate air mail parcels, sent to the houses from Thailand over two weeks last month, were discovered by Customs officers using x-ray equipment at the Melbourne Airmail Transit Centre.
"Each package comprised one DVD cover that contained a number of pink and blue tablets in a clear plastic bag," Mr Johannes said.
"The total number of tablets in the packages was over 4000.
"Customs investigators discovered links between the addresses of the parcels and those people whose premises were searched yesterday.

"Following completion of our inquiries, Customs expects charges will be laid."
Steroid importation is banned without prior approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The maximum penalty for importing that quantity of steroids is a fine up to $100,000 and/or five years' imprisonment.
An Australian Customs Service spokesman said there was no suggestion the steroid haul was related to the elite sporting community.
Further raids could take place as investigations continue, the spokesman said.
"We have interviewed a couple of persons of interest and we will speak to other persons of interest.
"This may lead to other search warrants being executed."

From: www.heraldsun.news.com.au 17sep04

My Contest Prep.
With 3 weeks to go as I write this I'm down to 71.5kgs. That's a loss of 13.5kgs so far. All my clothes are starting to hang off me and family and friends are getting concerned that I have a terminal illness. Jay Cutler once said that the crappier you feel coming up to a contest, the better you'll look. Well, I'm starting to feel pretty crappy. I should come on stage at an even 70kgs. Next month I'll have all the pictures and report from the INBA Australia.

"My BeNcH pReSs BrInGs All ThE GirLs To ThE yArD, n ThEy'Re LiKe, YoUr PeCs ArE LaRgE, dAmN rIgHt My PeCs ArE LaRgE, u CaN tOuCh ThEm, bUt IlL hAv To ChArGe"

Saturday October 30th
Ask me for 15% off everything
10:00 AM  til 3:30PM

Can’t make it in? Just call me on the day with your order and pay by credit card, or visit the new Australian Muscle E-Store for convenient on line shopping (details below) and pick your order up later on during the week.

Australian Muscle now offers free bodyfat testing. Just come into the shop with your height in centimetres and I can do a bodyfat test on you using the TANITA bodyfat monitor. The test is non intrusive, quick, and FREE!!

Last months winners of the 4 tubs of Designer Protein were Janere Reid, Leanne Swearse, David Hale, Ryan Hodges.

This month I have a cooler bag full of goodies to give away.

OCTOBER SPECIALS

100% Whey 

10lb bag
$150:00

Bodyripped Androbolin

80 Tabs $47:95

200ml $54:95

Pumping Iron DVD
$25:00

Wild Bull L-Glutamine
300g $39:95
500g $59:95
1kg $79:95

N.B. All Prices are in   AUD.

WHAT'S NEW?

Redbak Venim

REDBAK VENIM is a high potency thermogenic herbal formula containing Green Tea and Yerba Matte designed to assist with fat loss. Studies show that the key ingredient Green Tea may assist in the improvement of lean body mass or optimization of body composition by improving liver fatty acid oxidation (fat burning) and thermogenesis (energy expenditure). Yerba Matte is traditionally used in China as an appetite suppressant, which may be useful when used in combination with a slimming diet. It may also have a diuretic effect to help eliminate excess fluid and give the body a leaner appearance.

120 caps $59:00

Bronx Wild Bull Ecdy Sterone Stack - (Formerly known as Vyo-VAR)

· Contains the herbs Rhaponticum Carthamoides and Rhodiola Rosea. Rhaponticum is a natural version of 20 hydroxy ecdysterone. 
· Is a potent, efficient and technologically advanced adaptogen formula. 
· Use proprietary stabilization technology, which is designed to increase absorption and effect. 
One tablespoon delivers 20 mg of pharmaceutical grade Rhaponticum Carthamoides

495ml $79:95

Tanita BC-532 Total Innerscan

The next generation in home healthcare, Tanita Body Composition Monitors can be used to provide in-depth information about your body’s composition to help you monitor your diet, health and fitness programme in the long term.

Unique BC-532 Features
Total Body Water %
Visceral Fat Rating
Bone Weight
Basal Metabolic Rate
Metabolsm Age
Muscle Mass
Physique Rating
Athlete Mode
Weight & Body Fat % Recall
Guest Mode

· Visceral Fat Rating – Visceral fat surrounds the internal organs in the stomach/trunk area of your body. High levels of visceral fat increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Monitoring your results can help you adjust your lifestyle to stay in the low risk range.

· Bone Weight – Indicates the weight of bone mineral in the body. The development of muscle tissue has been shown to encourage stronger, healthier bones. It is important to develop and maintain healthy bones through plenty of exercise along with a calcium rich diet.

· Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) – Indicates the number of calories your body burns when at rest. Unlike other methods of calculating BMR, Innerscan Fitness takes the amount of muscle in your body into account, giving a more accurate picture of your dietary requirements. Your BMR will tend to decrease as you get older – you can help prevent this through a regular routine of cardiovascular exercise and increased activity.

· Metabolism Age – Your BMR starts to decrease after the age of 17 and the metabolic age rating indicates what age level your body is currently rated at. Aim to keep young!

· Muscle Mass – Calculates the weight of muscle in your body.

· Physique Rating – Describes your overall physique or body shape by examining the balance between the amounts of body fat and muscle in your body.

· Athlete Mode – For people who do more than 10 hours a week intense exercise and who have a resting heart rate of under 60 beats per minute.


Features
Adult & Child Modes
4 Push button memories
High weight capacity - 150kg / 23st 8lb
Weight increment 100g / 0.2lb
Body Fat increment 0.1%
Weight only function
Healthy Body Fat% Ranges
Toughened safety glass
Battries Included
3 Year Guarantee

Colour: Glass / Silver

$370:00

Ronnie Coleman - The Cost of Redemption

The DVD from Video Master Mits Okabe we all have been waiting for is out now! Ronnie Coleman - The Cost of Redemption! It was taped in August 2003 and shows Ronnie`s workouts for the 2003 Olympia! (And we sure all remember that Ronnie shocked the BB world last October!) So how did Ronnie do it? He competed about 40 lbs heavier than in 2002 and was just as hard! 
On the 3 + hour DVD you will find lot of footage of Ronnie having his meals, Ronnie and his cars (Ronnie in the HUMMER.......Unbelievable......) and some very funny bonus footage! (Ronnie & his nails!!!!! - MUST SEE!). Sean and I were gobsmacked by some the gym footage. Watching Ronnie do 800lb squata and 500lbs benches is pretty inspirational. One of the funniest scenes is watching him make breakfast.....1 litre of eggs whites and a kilo of oats all mixed together - yum.

Ronnie Coleman - The Cost of Redemption 3hr DVD $79:95

Jay Cutler - New, Improved and Beyond.

It's actually a 2-DVd set, and the total running time is a whopping 4 hours and 37 minutes.
You see Jay doing his total Mr. Olympia workout: Day 1 - Chest; Day 2 Part 1 - Legs; Day 2 Part 2 Arms & Calves; Day 3 Shoulders & Traps; Day 4 Back & Calves. And then there are the interviews. At the end of it all, you really feel you know Jay Cutler the world famous bodybuilder, as well as Jay Cutler the man.

Jay Cutler - New, Improved and Beyond 2 DVD Set $79:95

I do have other DVD's in stock also. Call or e-mail me on 08 83730735 for more details.

Other DVD's now available are;

Optimum Nutrtion 100% Whey

100% Whey Protein is a potent pharmaceutical grade protein supplement. Each serve delivers 22 g of high valued protein and only 1.5g of fat. Each serve has only 2.5g of carbs, making it an excellent choice for individuals on low carb diets. 100% Whey Protein is made from a blend of non denatured proteins with the bulk coming from whey protein isolates. This combination provides high biological value and absorbability while virtually eliminating lactose.

100% whey Protein is an instantised formula that mixes easily with a spoon, and tastes delicious mixed with skim milk or water. For added protein, try mixing one scoop with your oatmeal, yoghurt, muffins, or pancake recipes.

Now available in a massive 10lb bag. 100% Whey is a great tasting easy mixing protein powder.

100% Whey
10lbs $150:00

WHAT'S THE GOSS?

Gossip is sourced from various sites such as muscletime.com, getbig.com, nuclearnutrition.com, ironmagazine.com 

Muscle Ute
Those of you who have been to the shop recently may have noticed the new Aussie Muscle Falcon Ute. Yes, I have lashed out and bought a 2001 model EA ute. Finished in a striking dark blue duco with green and gold sign writing depicting the flexing kangaroo, it's an eye catcher. I want to see just how eye catching this ute is. If you see the Aussie Muscle ute on the road, call me on 8373 0735, and tell me where you saw it, and you will win a prize. The first person to call me each month wins the prize. Seeing the ute in the shop carpark, in my driveway, or at Limbo Gym, does not count. In the past month the ute has been at Sellicks Beach, Adelaide International Raceway, and in the Adelaide hills, so I do get around.

Speaking of hot cars. If you think your beast deserves recognition, bring it in to Australian Muscle and I'll take a picture of you and your pride and joy and place it on the Aussie Muscle website.

Last month I reprinted a story on Muscle Marketing USA been fined by a new Zealand court over its Creatine Serum product. Muscle Marketing USA has since released a press statement regarding that court case and I think its fair enough that I publish it here.

With this press release, MMUSA sent me a bottle of Creatine Serum to try. Now I'll be the first one to admit that I have not had much confidence in this product mainly due to the adverse publicity it has received, but I'm more than happy to put the product to the test. I'll let you know what I think of it in a later issue.

There are a number of rumors that have come up, because of the changeup in the IFBB Management Team, there will be a lot less IFBB men's pro contests coming up. According to sources, that is not true. 
Here is a tentative upcoming schedule, and will be more solidly booked with dates after the European Grand Prix, which is still on this year. 
The upcoming contests are: 
October 2004: Includes the Show of Strength (Atlanta), and the Mr. Olympia (Vegas). 
November 2004: Includes the Russian (11-5), Dutch (11-6) and English (11-7) Grand Prix. Those competing include so far: Ronnie Coleman, Chris Cormier, Markus Ruhl, Dennis James. Kris Dim and Johnnie Jackson. 
February 2005: Traditionally, the first pro show of the year, The Ironman Pro, in Pasadena, complete with expo. 
March 2005: The Arnold Classic, in Columbus, complete with expo. Also, the Australian Grand Prix (most likely in Melbourne), and the San Francisco Championships (this show is being worked on as we speak, which will be one week after the Arnold). 
May 2005: The New York Championships, followed by the Toronto Pro. 
October 2005: Mr. Olympia, followed by the Grand Prix's.

MR OLYMPIA NEWS 
IFBB Mr Olympia, 30th October. Las Vegas
Australian Muscle has learned that Lee Priest, Ernie Taylor and Jaroslav Horvath will NOT be competing in the 2004 Olympia….joining Kevin Levrone and Melvin Anthony on the official "withdraw" list. Here is a revised athlete list (as provided by event promoters).
Ronnie Coleman 
Jay Cutler 
Dexter Jackson 
Dennis James 
Gunter Schlierkamp 
Troy Alves 
Mustafa Mohammad 
Gustavo Badell 
Chris Cormier 
Markus Ruhl 
Kris Dim 
Ahmad Haidar 
Craig Richardson 
Richard Jones 
Pavol Jablonicky 
Johnnie Jackson 
Claude Groulx 
Victor Martinez

New Mr Olympia Rules Explained
The 2004 Mr. Olympia contest is the most revolutionary in the contest's history. Here's a quick primer to the significant changes being installed at the muscle showdown of the year. 

New Mandatory Pose 
The most-muscular pose (the competitors' favorite version) will be introduced as an eighth mandatory pose. It will be the eighth and final pose of the mandatories. 

Prejudging Revision 
Up to now, prejudging has commenced with the complete lineup coming onstage and then going into symmetry comparisons. But this system has on occasion left non-"name" bodybuilders at a disadvantage. 
The prejudging will now commence with each athlete appearing individually, in number order, to complete the eight mandatory poses. A few minutes after the last competitor completes his individual mandatory poses, the whole lineup will return to the stage for Round 1, the symmetry round. The competitors will be called out in groups of five or less for symmetry comparisons. 
Next, the competitors return to the stage for Round 2, the mandatory (muscularity) round. The competitors will be called out in groups of five or less for muscularity comparisons. When the judges have viewed the final comparison, the lineup leaves the stage and the prejudging session is over. 

Posing Round Revision 
A giant digital scoreboard will be onstage during the evening finals. As each competitor comes out to do his posing routine, his scores from the afternoon will be announced and then flashed onto the scoreboard. 
After the posing round, the athletes will be brought back onstage and their posing round scores will be given and shown on the scoreboard. In a tight contest, placings will change either at the top or further down, and the audience and athletes will be able to witness these changes as they happen. 
After the posing scores have been shown, the top 10 will be announced and then that group will be whittled down to the final six. At that point, it will get really interesting with an innovation that constitutes the most radical change in the history of bodybuilding contests — the Challenge Round. 

New Round- The Challenge Round 
As the final six remain onstage, the scoreboard will show their standings by way of point totals. The first-placed athlete will be assigned six points, the second five points, and so on down to the sixth-placed athlete who will be awarded one point. If this new system had been part of last year's contest, the scoring would have stood as follows. 

Ronnie Coleman: 6 points
Jay Cutler: 5 points
Dexter Jackson: 4 points
Dennis James: 3 points
Günter Schlierkamp: 2 points
Kevin Levrone: 1 point

Here, the contest starts all over again. Now, the athletes are out to get extra points and (unlike the present situation, where the guy with the lowest points is the winner) the athlete with the most points at the end of the Challenge Round will win. This will take bodybuilding into a combative mano-a-mano arena never before seen. 

Head-to-Head: Each competitor, starting with the sixth-placed athlete, calls one individual pose of his choice against the other finalists. Each one of those poses counts as two points going to the winner of the pose, which is added to his placing. Using last year's contest as the example, Levrone (sixth) would call a pose against Schlierkamp (fifth), then James (fourth) and so on up to Coleman (first). The rest of the top 6 athletes would follow suit in ascending order of their placings. 
Here's where the excitement mounts. The 11 judges will be holding electronic devices that connect them to the scoreboard and, as each pose is completed, they will press the devices and their decision will be flashed onto the scoreboard. 

Strategy: One caveat is that an athlete can only call a particular pose twice. For example, Levrone's strongest pose is probably the hand-clasped most-muscular, but he would only be able to use it twice. This is where strategy comes in. Would Levrone use his strongest pose against the lower-placed athletes or save it for the top two guys in pursuit of points? 

The system will give all six finalists the chance to go against each other and will result in an ever-changing scoreboard, which would bring unprecedented drama to the event. 
If this procedure had been in effect at the 2001 Olympia, the whole contest could have come down to the last final pose between Coleman and Cutler. If the system had been in force in 2002, then a late-charging Schlierkamp might have climbed to third or second instead of placing fifth. 
Whatever the permutations, the bottom line is that as the contest winds it way to its climax, the audience will see, via the scoreboard, the precise point at which the eventual champion takes an unassailable lead. The fans will see the snapshot moment, as it were, when he crossed the finishing line. 

AT THE END OF THE DAY 
As ever, the champion will still be the guy with the best physique. But the determination of the event will be much more spectator friendly and dramatic. Audience members will be fully aware of how the contest is unfolding as they witness placings and fortunes change, just as they would if they were courtside at a Lakers match. Such entertainment and involvement is only right for die-hard fans who spend hundreds of dollars on event tickets and hotel and travel charges. 

This year's contest will be transitional. If there are glitches, they will be ironed out and tweaked for future use. For the time being, the Challenge Round will only take place at the Mr. Olympia contest. Whatever the outcome of the this year's contest, October 30, 2004, will be a red-letter day in the history of the sport as it experiences it most revolutionary innovation since the inception of the Mr. Olympia itself in 1965.

THE COMPETITORS
Ronnie Coleman will be onstage at 295--even bigger than last year. As of Friday, October 1, Jay Cutler weighs 284, and he's shredded. This could be the biggest top two in Olympia history. And don't forget 300 pounds of Gunter and a sliced-to-the-blade Dexter Jackson. Also Dennis James is hovering in the 280lb range.

Jay Cutler 4 weeks out (Pic from www.muscletime.com)

2004 GNC Show of Strength 9th Oct.
31 competitors were competing in the show that saw it's prize money go from over $130K to just over $40K in a month, prompting favorites like Dexter Jackson, Chris Cormier and Gunter Schlierkamp to not compete or even consider to compete.

1. Victor Martinez
2. Darrem Charles
3. Gustavo Badell
4. Branch Warren
5. Troy Alves
6. Craig Titus
7. Johnnie Jackson
8. Toney Freeman
9. Ahmad Haidar
10. Jason Arntz

1. Victor Martinez 2. Darrem Charles 3. Gustavo Badell
Check out www.muscletime.com for a full report and more photos

9/18/04: Arnold Schwarzenegger for President?
According to the United States Constitution, any person who is foreign born cannot become president. However, it appears that the House of Representative Dana Rohrabacher (representining Huntington Beach and is a Republican) is an Arnold fan. He has put in a constitutional ammendment saying that 'any naturalized American who has been a citizen for more than 20 years can run for president'. Utah Senator Orin Hatch has introduced a similar one for the Senate. But can it pass? Will Congress take time to put this into motion? They need a 2/3 votes saying yes, and then it needs to be ratified by 75% of the states. 

2004 Nabba Mr Universe Hassan Al Aska

Got a spare $400 mill?
Looking for one of the largest sports supplement companies out there with a good name. We have one for sale for you. EAS (Experimental & Applied Sciences), brought to fame by Bill Phillips, the makers of Myoplex, AdvantEdge and more wants to find a new home, a new buyer. The cuurent owners, North Castle Partners, want to sell. The price tag? As much as they can get, even $400 millions is cool. 
From what we know, North Castle has wanted to sell EAS for quite a while now, as they had negotiated with Coca Cola or a Chinese investment firm was going to purchase it in early 2003. That never went through. They also talked to Hershey's, and some other big name companies, but nothing came out of that either. 
However, it is Summer 2004, and now North Castle wants it to be known that EAS is for sale, and there are a number of companies supposedly interested in the sale, from Pepsi, Kraft Foods, Hershey's, Mars, Wrigley's, Nestle, Kellog's, and perhaps some other investment firms who want to maximize profits. 
Forcasted sales for 2004: $340 million dollars, with a profit of close to $40 million. 
Sources from EAS did confirm the story, and there was a statement issued: "Since we were purchased by North Castle Partners in 1999, many companies have expressed interest in EAS. The ongoing interest from both strategic and financial investors affirms the attractiveness of the sports and nutritional supplement segment of the health and wellness category in general and reinforces the success we have had in developing strong brands and reaching new consumers, and while we always keep an eye on the sales process, our management team and 250 employees remain focused on fulfilling our day-to-day mission: building on the strength of our Myoplex and AdvantEdge brands. We have big plans for the rest of this year and 2005, and look forward to continued success."