SAVE Arnold Classic!

[Vazgen Soghoyan]

Dear Friend,
As you know, we had another awesome Arnold Classic Armwrestling Challenge this year. Thank you Leonard Harkless and Denise Wattles! The memories from ACAC are priceless!
At the mandatory meeting of ACAC, where Randy Couture was present all the time, Denise and Leonard made an announcement , that I accepted as an terrible news for the world of Armwrestling. They said that they have no sponsor for next ACAC and there will be NO ARNOLD CLASSIC ARMWRESTLING CHALLENGE any more! They cannot afford from their own pockets too. They could not stop the tears... . Everyone were shocked... .
I am not going to describe what is ACAC for us or American Armwrestling. Everyone knows that. I just want to say this; Arnold Classic is the ONLY Event in Our sport with such caliber of audience, celebrity presence at our stage ( Arnold, Stallone, Couture, etc), respect and prestige! Everyone wishes at least once in life to attend in ACAC.
The next day Denise announced that the found a sponsor! GASPARI NUTRITION, one of the largest nutrition seller in America, agreed to sponsor our Event! But there is a detail; Gaspari Nutrition will do that in amont of $ 10 000, but ACAC needs at least $ 15 000 budget to be organized. Now ACAC needs to find the missing $ 5 000 untill next March. Denise and Leonard cannot afford that $ 5000 any more. They put such amount for last year's ACAC and could not bring them back.
Now it is time for us to show Our Support to them and ACAC. It is time to act. It is time to SAVE ARNOLD CLASSIC FOR US! Here what I suggest;
There are more then 200 armwrestlers on and off this board. If everyone, who calls himself an armwrestler, donates just $25, we will save ACAC for us. $ 5 000 summary is not a big deal for the nation. It can be easy to rise that amount. So , let's do that. Please, mail your checks or money orders to Denise Wattles , 25 Crestline Drive, Billings , Montana 59105. Please, make it payable to United States Armwrestling. USAA can provide all information if you want to put this donation in you taxes later.

Dear Friends, please pay great attention to this action. This is very important to Our Sports, no matter you attend or attended. Think that you might be a next ACAC participant. Personally, I expect a huge response on this thread. I ask the website owners to put this thread as a constant information on the top of the thread page. Also, Denise or Leonard can post amounts and names of donations and the calculation, so it will be open for everyone. Let's do this.

I will be the first or one of the first to send My check. In addition, I will donate a part of the prize money that I might win during the year.
Thank you for attention.

[JAMIE SHELDON]

Read previous thread on what tournament is Arnold Classic qualifier this year on west coast and see how many west coast donations you get.

[Ryan Thames]

Mar 8, 2012 3:18:31 GMT -5 JAMIE SHELDON said:

Read previous thread on what tournament is Arnold Classic qualifier this year on west coast and see how many west coast donations you get.

I agree.,, VERY critical to fix that!!

[CHRISTIAN BINNIE]

So each "sport" that is "allowed" to compete at the Arnold gets their own sponsorship $?

Wasn't there posts a few yrs ago, where some Pullers asked if the prize $ would/could go up, but they were told, and I think by Fairfax Hackley (sp?), that the Arnold wouldn't give anymore $ to Armwrestling?

Unless they need the $ along with what the Arnold gives.

[CHRISTIAN BINNIE]

VASGEN: good luck getting any $25 donations. Lol.

[Kelli Nelson]

No way would I donate a penny!!! No west coast qualifiers AND my weight class isn't even offered there.

[Tamara Mitts]

I agree with Mr V. and I will also help. I wasn't able to compete this year because of bull crap ex husband legal crap. I still showed up late Friday night and was there to support and watch those who were there.
I will do my best in trying what I can to help this event out. Its great that we have one very large company come on and help with some of the sponsorhip money. I do beleive we can get another company to follow.
Thank you Gaspari Nutrition!!!!

[Johnny Ordonne]

Leonard Harkless posted on another thread that they finally got a "Major Sponsor" for ACAC 2013???

[Leonard Harkless]

Mar 8, 2012 9:26:16 GMT -5 Kelli Nelson said:

No way would I donate a penny!!! No west coast qualifiers AND my weight class isn't even offered there.

Kelly,
I did not ask Vasgen to do this but I appreciate his concern and efforts to help us. No on to you, what have I done to warrant this kind of bitterness? I have been supportive and positive about you and your armwrestling efforts since you came into the sport. I have never said a mean thing about you.
We offered the 176 class for 5 years. Joyce King sponsored the class for the first 3 years of that but the last 2 years the 1400.00 prize money each year came out of Denise and my pocket. At no time in the 5 years of offering this class did you come. Also the last 2 years of offering this class we received a total of 7 entries combined.
So tell me again how was we to continue to offer a class that wasn't wanted?
Last year we lost 6000.00 on the Arnold, this year we lost 4500.00 ( the difference being the ladies 176). This money came out of Denise and my personal pocket.

[Kelli Nelson]

Dont take it personal Leonard. I responded to Vazgen's request for donations. Yes you've always been supportive of me through the years. I'm bitter at the event for excluding the heavyweight women when the heavyweight men are included. There needs to be an open class for the women with no weight limit. I weigh significantly more than the 175# class that was offered for a couple years, otherwise I would have been there. That being said, why would I donate money to save an event that doesn't give a sh*t about ALL of the ladies that would like to compete???

[Leonard Harkless]

BTW
The Arnold gives us ZERO money, ZERO rooms.

LH

[Steven Green]

Leonard, would you offer a 242 class if you had a sponsor to pay for the class?

[P R O T O T Y P E - A.K]

I am not living in U.S...but i know that Arnolds classic is an important Event for Armwrestlers and for the sport itself til today also.

So if i can help with a donation Vazgen...just let me know how & i will...i have a lot of respect for your will to set this on your own to help solving the problems.

There is enough time til next A-C 2013 to find probably a good/solid
other sponsor for the 5000 that is needed...if not then there is enough time to set (just an idea)some smaller events (lets say you add 1-2 dollars in to the entry-fees and describe it correctly before to the Aws) to bring in some small but effective extra-cash for that survival requirement.

I wish the organizers & friends that are involved in the work to keep it alive a lot of success...

A.K

[Richard Lupkes]

I really love the Arnold Classic and was very sorry we could not attend this year. I am just trying to understand how a National contest would not qualify me but a state contest would? I am not trying to run your contest Leonard or Denise because I have the utmost respect for both of you but could you try to explain, Thank's

[Gabe Moore]

This is where the $50 annual membership idea would really help. Its been discussed and tossed around recently.
My wife just sent in her $100 NPC annual dues so that she could compete in one of the events at the Ronnie Coleman and at Europa Dallas. She's not even a pro...just competing against pro's.
Now, why can't our sport require a $50 annual membership for those who want to compete in the pro/open classes again? What makes this such a hard thing to organize?

The membership would come with a card, good for the respective calendar year....good in all states...all events...and, for anyone who wants to compete in the pro/open classes.
If we had these funds, Denise and Leonard and any other organization would not have to worry about potential tragedies, such as losing the Arnold.

Gabe