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Post by Rick Laton on Aug 26, 2008 18:29:55 GMT -5
You guys give Gary a break. Let him do his thing. He's right. With the exception of a couple dozen people, most of us are just riding it out. Milking the system. We may put on a tournament or two but is it to better the sport or is it because we want to see some good pulling and not have to travel or spend a fortune to do it? I don't know. For me sometimes it seems like both. Gary is right, we as a group are doing very little to help promote the sport. Whether Gary is doing this to get rich or not he still has shown more people the sport of armwrestling than anyone before him! While we are out here griping that we're not in the olympics, he's out here putting up video. This horse has been beaten to death for years. I think he is right. Armwrestling will never get much bigger than it is. Why? I'll tell you why? Most armwrestlers just want to gain something from it but don't want to put anything into it. Not all armwrestlers are writers but I bet you everyone knows someone who is skilled in writing. How hard would it be for someone to write up an article and e-mail it to every armwrestler on the planet? It wouldn't be that hard or that expensive. What if EVERY armwrestler on the planet spent one Saturday calling and getting e-mail addresses for EVERY newspaper in their state and sending them this "Generic" article about armwrestling that included the contact person for their particular area? How hard would that be? How much would that cost us? Nothing. But still we don't do it. Yes I said "WE", including myself. What if this generic article included the NE Message Board website, the ARMTV website and the e-mail addresses to the leaders of the AAA and the Unified Organizations? How many people could we reach in a short period of time? Millions!! Do we do it? No. Why, because we are lazy and "It probably wouldn't benefit us anyway". That's our mentality. That's why we are where we are. How many of you have seen the e-mails of Obama not saying the Pledge of Allegiance? How about the e-mail of how to stop the gas companies from ripping us off? I would say that MILLIONS of people have seen these. Why not MILLIONS of potential new armwrestlers seeing what we want them to see? With millions of new armwrestlers comes millions of new potential sponsors. Why not send an e-mail to all of your friends asking them to send this armwrestling article to EVERYONE in their address book? Tell them that you realize that many people do not care about armwrestling but that you do and that it would be a HUGE help to you. I'm sure most good friends would take the time to do it for you. When they send it out, as them to explain the same thing to their friends. That they would really appreciate it if they would take the time to send this on for you. We could potentially have MILLIONS reading our article in a matter of weeks. That is the power of numbers. We need to use this simple and completely FREE option that we are wasting.
Someone write the article. Most papers will publish it for free if given a week or two to print it. Lets stop complaining and starting helping ourselves. Somebody volunteer to write it. I'll volunteer to get the e-mails for all of NC. The AAA board has a list of all AAA State Directors. Karen could check it and make sure that the list is updated. Maybe even post it on this board to make it easier. Denise could list all of her contacts. We could list them with their respective states in the article.
Who will take SC, Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, etc, etc, etc. Let's try it and see what happens. If it doesn't work then at least we will have something to complain about.
Ricky Joe
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Post by Gary Roberts on Aug 26, 2008 18:58:13 GMT -5
brilliant.
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Post by chrislydman on Aug 26, 2008 19:20:48 GMT -5
"most of us are just riding it out. Milking the system".... Because I pulled when I could? Deployed when I had to? I'm milking the system? What a bunch of crap. Gary is here to make $$. Please don't ever equate his ability to do so with my love for armwrestling. Walk in MY shoes, Gary and Rick....
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Post by Gary Roberts on Aug 26, 2008 19:44:29 GMT -5
my post is referring to the rest of his post.
Whether or not you are milking the system...only the individual would know that.
"I am here to make money."
Lets look at that statement for a second. I am lucky enough to have been given an opportunity to make a living having a rewarding life fulfilling career where my energies and company benefit others.
Will I make money? Yes. Is that wrong?
Do you have a job that you receive a check for? And does that job help a product get back to a consumer somehow in some form.
Why is it that armwrestling should be the only thing in this world where it is wrong to have a job doing something and get paid for it?
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Post by Christ Russakis on Aug 26, 2008 20:34:30 GMT -5
hey Gary!!! you just keep doing what you have been doing!! promoting the sport of armwrestling !!! you one day will be able to make a living with this sport!!! I hope you do!! you have really went out on a limb and did what no one else would!! so keep up the good work!!! see ya, christ
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Post by chrislydman on Aug 26, 2008 20:42:12 GMT -5
my post is referring to the rest of his post. Whether or not you are milking the system...only the individual would know that. "I am here to make money." Lets look at that statement for a second. I am lucky enough to have been given an opportunity to make a living having a rewarding life fulfilling career where my energies and company benefit others. Will I make money? Yes. Is that wrong? Do you have a job that you receive a check for? And does that job help a product get back to a consumer somehow in some form. Why is it that armwrestling should be the only thing in this world where it is wrong to have a job doing something and get paid for it? What 'system' is there to milk?  ?  I'll spell it out, I've gone to Nats 13 times, been to Worlds once. Qualified twice. Spent an a$$ ton of money going to tournaments from Wash st and Alaska, to Hawaii. Won a grand total of three hundred dollars...Thanks, btw , Bull! ( IL, 2006). I've pulled all from my pud to Cleve Dean. If that's 'milking it'...So be it. |
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Post by Gary Roberts on Aug 26, 2008 20:56:02 GMT -5
I am not a 100% sure what it means to milk the system so I will leave that one alone.
but I like how you put it. "pud to Cleve" that was good.
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Post by Rick Laton on Aug 27, 2008 7:50:29 GMT -5
What 'system' is there to milk? ? I'll spell it out, I've gone to Nats 13 times, been to Worlds once. Qualified twice. Spent an a$$ ton of money going to tournaments from Wash st and Alaska, to Hawaii. Won a grand total of three hundred dollars...Thanks, btw , Bull! ( IL, 2006). I've pulled all from my pud to Cleve Dean. If that's 'milking it'...So be it. Chris, That is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. From the information you just gave, you have gone to a whole bunch of tournaments that someone else put on and that's it. That is great but that type of HELP from you is obviously not moving the sport forward. What I am talking about is: How many tournaments have you personally put on? How many times have you helped Karen and Frank with Nationals? How many ads have you run in your local paper trying to get new armwrestlers? How many "Learn to Armwrestle" classes have you put on in your town? How many armwrestling practices do you have each week at YOUR HOUSE? How much of YOUR MONEY have you donated over the years to help sponsor tournaments? BTW, if you're going to answer one of these questions, answer them all! Going to tournaments is a necessity, but without tireless effort from lots of people, tournaments don't even go on. We are talking about trying to FURTHER where we are, not stay the same. Simply going and supporting tournaments will NOT get us where we want to be. Oh yeah, another thing: Walk in MY shoes, Gary and Rick.... That's a good one. Walk in MY shoes. I'll pass. Why don't you try "Rolling" in mine. Maybe you would like that better, but I doubt it. |
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Post by Joe Hunt on Aug 27, 2008 8:27:46 GMT -5
ok wh can give me a number.... how many active armwrestlers do we have in the USA, this is to include novice and open pullers???
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Post by Chris Gangi on Aug 27, 2008 8:49:38 GMT -5
OK........I want to say a few things.
1) What Gary is doing is a business plain and simple and that is fine....Hell I have been a member since the beginning.
2) As far as what have I done for this sport......I have put on a few tournaments and gone to so many I have lost track.....Yes without someone to put on the tournament there would be no tournament...BUT...without a whole bunch of pullers showing up there would be just a couple of people hanging around.....so what I trying to say is this sport needs both promoters an pullers equally.
3) I would have NO problem calling or sending this letter to every newspaper herein Connecticut.
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Post by Rick Laton on Aug 27, 2008 9:01:26 GMT -5
Alright!! Now we are getting somewhere. That's two down and what 50 to go? Who's next?
BTW - Our entire goal is to get more armwrestlers so I never meant to imply that the armwrestlers are not important. Of course they are important. That's why we are trying to get more of them. I think that goes without saying.
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Post by Shawn Turner on Aug 27, 2008 9:07:43 GMT -5
Gary I think your doing a great job!Weather your making money or not off the sport.What people arent realizing is your spending your own money to come to the events that your filming!I feel as Gary's helped the sport alot!Just my opion!!!
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Post by Pete & Tim on Aug 27, 2008 9:37:12 GMT -5
He pays for traveling with OUR MONEY!!!
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Post by Gary Roberts on Aug 27, 2008 9:46:52 GMT -5
Man, you bring up a great point. I here people in California complain about there not being more events for them especially in the Bay area.
It is the complaining part...that is important. if the state of armwrestling is cool with you in San Francisco then there is no problem.
but if you don't like it. I guess it falls on your shoulders. You are the one in that area that has the opportunity to bring something to your community.
Clearly there are pullers that are not interested in putting in that amount of effort. They are fine with the way things are.
but if you fall into that category. That has asked for more. And wondered why it isn't
then you can make a difference.
Everyone can. I am biased, I have the way I am trying but every puller can.
And we already know that the promoters that are out there right now are the ones to be really thankful. They give the opportunity for the pullers to go. and you need both but...
what was more important to grow the sport in the past
organized armwrestling
or just
armwrestling
I think the "organized" thing was what took it off the bar table.
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Post by Chris Gangi on Aug 27, 2008 9:48:06 GMT -5
BTW - Our entire goal is to get more armwrestlers so I never meant to imply that the armwrestlers are not important. Of course they are important. That's why we are trying to get more of them. I think that goes without saying. I thought that is what you meant but I had to mention it.... ;D |
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? 
I'll spell it out, I've gone to Nats 13 times, been to Worlds once. Qualified twice. Spent an a$$ ton of money going to tournaments from Wash st and Alaska, to Hawaii. Won a grand total of three hundred dollars...Thanks, btw , Bull! ( IL, 2006). I've pulled all from my pud to Cleve Dean. If that's 'milking it'...So be it. 
