Dan Nitro Clark

Our dog Sam yelps.  This is what he does when he needs my attention.  It wasn’t always this way.  When I’d come home I used to hear the skittering of his nails across the hardwood floor before I would see him. Then moments later 80 pounds of white fur and exuberance would barrel into me from around the corner.  But it’s different now.  Sam yelps to let me know where he’s at in the house, so I can come and find him.  He is old.  His legs no longer work.  Father time has come for him.  I’m just not ready to let him go.  He is my friend.  My best friend. At times he’s been my only friend.           

The noise he makes is not a whine.

It is not a whimper.  It is not a wail.  It is a cry for help.  

Help me… Help me friend.  I cannot walk.

I remember the first day his legs gave away and he fell to the floor.  He looked up at me stupefied.  He looked up for me for an explanation.  He looked up at his best friend for help. I remember not having the words to explain it to him.

Some days when I come home, I find him in the living room looking out on places where his legs used to carry him.  When I enter the room, he looks at me and I look at him.  It’s hard for me to look at him.  I know his time is measured in minutes, hours, days.  I know that the cancer eating away at him will soon be too much for him.  But I also know he won’t let go easily.  I know he will hold on longer – longer than he should – because he thinks that’s what I want.  And because he’s a proud, strong dog who wants to make sure the rest of our family is okay.  It’s a duty he’s carried across his broad-chest swollen with pride for the last 13 years.

It crushes me to know that when his times comes – I’ll be the one who has to make the decision for him – for us.  All dog owners know this is one of the hardest decisions we have to make in life.  There is nothing humane or pleasant about it.  I only hope that when the time does come I have the strength to do what is right for – my friend, my best friend, at times my only friend.

There are good days.  Days when he smiles and wags his tail as I pick him up and carry him to the backyard to do his business.  There are bad days.  Days when I can see shame tinged across his face because I do have to carry him.  Days when I can’t get to him in time and he’s lying in a puddle of his own urine.  The look on his face is one of complete embarrassment and humiliation.  I don’t know which one of us feels worse, him or I.

I believe dogs have a sense of pride and dignity.  And I promise myself I won’t let him live an undignified life.  Every day I ask, “Sam, please let me know when it’s time to go old friend.”

Sadly, tragically, heartbreakingly… Sam lets us know.

Last Friday morning when we came home Sam was in the pool. The same pool he’d swam in for thirteen years. The very same pool he’d dive into and retrieve the ball over and over again.  Only this time it wasn’t the same Sam that went into the pool.

The legs that would no longer carry him, were no longer enough to help him swim.  They were no longer enough to let him get to the stairs.  They were no longer enough to save his life.  My friend, my best friend, at times my only friend… drowned.

I’d like to believe that he knew we didn’t have the strength to do what was necessary… and that his time had come… and that we were keeping him alive for us… and that this was his proud, strong, dignified way of letting go.  

We’ll never know for sure, but there are empty places looming large inside of me. I… we miss him.

He is my friend.  My best friend.  At times my only friend. 

Good night, sweet Prince.

Good night.

Technorati Tags: Dan Clark, Dan Nitro Clark, Nitro, American Gladiators, Gladiator Nitro, Dog, Nitro loses his dog, A tribute to my dog, My best friend is dying, Man's best friend

    I’ve seen men hacked up.  I’ve looked evil in the face. I’ve laughed at death. I’ve seen violence brutal, savage, rageful.  But I’ve never seen anything as scary as this.

And I’m a pretty tough guy (well, I used to be) but when I saw this it literally made me freeze, my mouth went bone dry, my stomach dropped to the floor, and I think for a second I actually died.  

It is something so grisly, so heinous, that I cannot describe in words. 

What I saw was this:

BOO-YAH!!!  Now isn’t that scary!  A "NITRO" Halloween costume!!  Forget Mike Myers, Chuck, Jason, or Freddy Krueger.  I can’t imagine any kid, adult or animal not being scared senseless by this costume. The guy who used to play Nitro is a beast!!!  :>

Here’s another funny scary thing called "Monster Baby" on youtube for your enjoyment.  It’s pretty damn funny!Enjoy: MONSTER BABY.

Be safe 2 night!  Remember more trick than treats!!  And everything in moderation!!!

Dan Clark

Technorati Tags: Nitro, Dan Clark, Dan Nitro Clark, American Gladiators, Halloween Costume, Scary baby, Monster baby, the scariest thing I’ve ever seen, Want to see something really scary?

It’s funny how when I supposed to be writing… I find myself doing anything but writing.  Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started.  Staring at the ominous blank page can be intimidating.  Part of taunts me to write and fill its borders.  The other intimidates me… because there is so much space to fill.   Procrastination won the battle  today… so I started to flip through my photo album and thought I’d share a couple of photos.  

 Me on the set of ESPN hosting ESPN’s Gladiator Marathon! 

"Nitro is Coming for You!"

 Photo Shoot for FLAUNT magazine.  WTF!  I don’t even know what to say about these two pics??

I don’t care what anyone says — I think Jessica Simpson is hot!

Dan and Jessica Simpson backstage:

Kid Rock was awesome!!  I just got done asking him to BOX!

Kid Rock & Dan Clark backstage:

I had the Matt & Amy Roloff of "Little People Big World" over my house for a party.  I know, I know from Kid Rock to "Little People Big World."  But it’s one of my fav shows and my gf produces it!

Bull Riding!  What the hell is wrong with me?  Never again.  Well, unless they offer me a lot of $$$!

Dan Nitro Clark on Ty Murray’s Celebrity Bull Riding

The alternate cover of my book "Gladiator – A True Story of Roids, Rage and Redemption" I wished they used.   If you haven’t got it yet… you can still pick  it up here:  

Gladiator – A True Story of Roids, Rage and Redemption.    If you do read it, circle back and give me your feedback.  I’d love to hear from you!

Lastly, I leave you with an "old school" picture of me as a junior in 1980 at Saddleback High school in Santa Ana, California.  "Man, did I think I was too cool for school!"

Every enjoy the last weekend of summer!  

Be well!

Dan Clark

BTW — Everyone ask me about supplements and products I love.  I’m still on the Sun Warrior Protein powder kick.  It’s a little bit pricey but worth it as I haven’t found anything better!  It’s organic, from brown rice (makes the Asian side of me happy) and has the highest assimilation rate of any protein on the market!!!

Technorati Tags: Dan Clark, Nitro, American Gladiators, Sun Warrior protein, Jessica Simpson, Kid Rock, Gladiator A True Story of, Little People Big World, Matt Roloff, Amy Roloff, Saddleback High School, Espn, Flaunt magazine, TLC, Dan Nitro Clark

One of the main things people ask me about American Gladiators is the "Where are they now?" question. They want to know what I (Dan Clark aka Nitro) and the other Gladiators are doing.

Well, recently I had the pleasure of going into Shout Factory studios with Raye Hollit (Zap) and Jim Starr (Laser) to do commentary for the release of American Gladiators Season One.

The three of us spent the better part of the day watching episodes, laughing our asses off, and reminiscing about the good times. It's hard to believe how fast time has gone. It seemed like it was just yesterday when we were sporting our spandex, mullets and attitudes.  

I encourage all to go and get the AMERICAN GLADIATORS SEASON 1 DVD – there's a "BUY NOW" button on my home page www.DanNitroClark.com  

I'm sure it will unearth a lot of great memories! 

Wish the USC Trojans luck this year.  Michael Horton (Gemini) son's both play football for them.  

Spoke to Malibu not too long ago.  He's still hanging in the biz.  Sabre (Lynne Williams) now works with his brother-in-law D.L. Hughley.  Ice (Lori Fettrick) is my bud on FB and Twitter.  She's killin' in the Real Estate Market in the San Fernando Valley. Jazz (Victoria Gay) lives in Houston – still doing great as strong and dedicated as ever to training. 

The next thing people want to know is "What I look like now?"  

It was a rough journey coming clean off steroids. 'Roids certainly did a number on my body, but over the last few years I've done countless hours or research and experimentation and discovered  a lot of great supplements and superfoods that have helped build my body back.  

I used to want to be the biggest, strongest guy in the gym.  Now, I'm content with being the "healthiest."  

This little distinction has made all the difference.

To satisfy those who are curious, here's a recent photo of me in Turks and Caicos at the Gansevoort hotel.

Shop is now open.  

First of all I want thank all of the people who supported me over the years.  The impact your support and kind words has had over the years is immeasurable. I’m still amazed at how many people come up to me on the streets and tell me they used to watch me on the American Gladiators.  It’s funny to hear people say I used to watch you as kid, cause I still feel like a kid myself, even though my body has begun to betray me a bit.  But I’ve always got a second to talk… so if you see me out and about please give me a whassup or a shout out or a simple hello.  I know I played “Nitro,” a bad ass on tv with a bunch of attitude, but that was only my game face. In reality, I’m very approachable and when you come up to me it makes my chicka think I’m cool.  Also feel free to drop me a line here and I’ll do my best to get back to everyone.