Flex F_UK_2018 | Page 40

BIG COUNTRY GROWS The evolution of Dallas McCarver’s physique from his pro card win at the 2012 North American Championships to the 2017 Arnold. 38 FLEX | FEBRUARY 2018 winning the super-heavyweight and overall titles at the 2012 North Americans with 241 pounds distributed on his 6’ frame. Given his dimensions, he was quickly dubbed “Big Country.” He waited two years and eight months to make his pro debut before winning the 2015 California State Pro Championships, weighing 261 quality pounds. A few months later and a few pounds heavier, he finished 13th in his Olympia debut. In 2016 he won the Chicago Pro and rose to eighth at the Olympia. His star was shining brightly, but it turns out that the orbital energy he was generating was to be more akin to resembling a shooting star going at warp speed through the firmament to rapid demise, rather than a permanent entity. Matt: “We first hooked up to work together for the 2015 Olympia. And we connected with each other completely immediately. I can’t believe he’s gone. On Monday night everything seemed so clear-cut for the year ahead. Today [Tuesday] I’m looking at pics and can’t believe he’s gone, that he’s lost such a great future, and that I lost my best friend. In our relationship, I had to wear a few hats, like being his older brother and even at times his dad by telling him, ‘Hey, get your shit together.’ “But what I remember most is not the training and competing but how much fun we had together. He stayed with my wife, Jordan,