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Post by Denise Wattles on Mar 3, 2014 7:16:16 GMT -5
Latest update...
If you enter a Pro class and place in the money you will not receive any prize money unless you are a "contracted" athlete.
What's next......
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Post by Steve Siwek on Mar 3, 2014 9:05:34 GMT -5
I don't see any issue with this! Why would Drenk want people poaching on his company prize money?
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Post by John Wilson on Mar 3, 2014 9:58:15 GMT -5
Poaching on prize money? Is that anything like poaching entry fees and then whelching on the payout? Yep.
It means you aren't welcome at UAL events unless you want to be under UAL contract, which is fine if the contract sounds like a good deal to you. If UAL wants to be a closed organization that is also perfectly reasonable and probably necessary. I'd have more respect for Bill and Robert if it were presented that way but it's their organization and the UAL will live or die accordingly.
But you'd have to be absolutely stupid beyond belief to attend a UAL event unless you want to be a UAL contracted puller. If your goal is to go to UAL, turn some heads and get a contract, well here's your opportunity. If you don't plan to lock yourself in to the UAL only, then what on earth are you going to UAL for? They just told you they don't want your business.
This is a win-win for the UAL athletes because now there won't be any dark horses in the competition. You pretty much know who you are up against and the class sizes will fairly static. With WAL/Game of Arms snatching up top talent and offering worldwide television exposure there will be even less people trying to get into the UAL- so a UAL athlete's chances of placing will improve. When PAL gets going it will cut even deeper into the prospective UAL pool.
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Post by Robert Drenk on Mar 3, 2014 10:37:12 GMT -5
John you don't know what you're talking about... I can tell you must be a spokes model for WAL huh. UAL is lowering the entry fee for the casual athlete, making it more affordable to compete. With that said we pay the top 3 spots of 5 weight classes in which most of the time it's a UAL signed athlete that wins so who are you talking about? Maybe 5-10 people? Most people Armwrestle for the love of the sport, they pull for pride and they come to the UAL to "experience" a professional league with the best refs and smooth tournament. We are enhancing the league by paying deeper, adding a feather weight class for a better competition and increasing the payout total for the serious athlete. We have and will continue to give out top notch metals as well. Yes we're wanting to pay the serious athletes that are willing to be contracted to the UAL, we want the UAL loyal athletes to get paid and paid enough so that they can train harder and travel with less losses. If that means we lose a few other organizations athletes then so be it, but in the end were trying to give people an opportunity at making it more than just a hobby. The UAL athletes are not limited to just UAL events we have over 20 affiliated organizations that they can compete at and win money. Maine State Championships just took place Sat ( UAL affiliate ) and had a huge turnout with over 100 entries and the overall winner was a UAL contracted athlete. Bottom line is with TV networks contracts are needed, because I'm the only one verbally talking about it I'm taking the heat but I've got news WAL is signing people too. They will require people to be exclusive as well once they line up A TV deal. I hear a lot of you saying they have a TV deal all I see is an AMC logo next to a WAL logo. I'm sure the groups are working together but no offense there's a huge difference in how the UAL runs and looks at this sport then the event I just saw unfold. Go Go dancers  ?? Come on now! Anyways I'm not trying to bash anyone but if you're trying to spread your opinion just know I'll be quick to set things straight. For those reading, I highly suggest you look into what we have coming down the pipe and see how we portray your image and the sport then make a decision as to what organization you want to be a part of. Robert Drenk |
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Post by Leonard Harkless on Mar 3, 2014 10:45:31 GMT -5
John you don't know what you're talking about... I can tell you must be a spokes model for WAL huh. UAL is lowering the entry fee for the casual athlete, making it more affordable to compete. With that said we pay the top 3 spots of 5 weight classes in which most of the time it's a UAL signed athlete that wins so who are you talking about? Maybe 5-10 people? Most people Armwrestle for the love of the sport, they pull for pride and they come to the UAL to "experience" a professional league with the best refs and smooth tournament. We are enhancing the league by paying deeper, adding a feather weight class for a better competition and increasing the payout total for the serious athlete. We have and will continue to give out top notch metals as well. Yes we're wanting to pay the serious athletes that are willing to be contracted to the UAL, we want the UAL loyal athletes to get paid and paid enough so that they can train harder and travel with less losses. If that means we lose a few other organizations athletes then so be it, but in the end were trying to give people an opportunity at making it more than just a hobby. The UAL athletes are not limited to just UAL events we have over 20 affiliated organizations that they can compete at and win money. Maine State Championships just took place Sat ( UAL affiliate ) and had a huge turnout with over 100 entries and the overall winner was a UAL contracted athlete. Bottom line is with TV networks contracts are needed, because I'm the only one verbally talking about it I'm taking the heat but I've got news WAL is signing people too. They will require people to be exclusive as well once they line up A TV deal. I hear a lot of you saying they have a TV deal all I see is an AMC logo next to a WAL logo. I'm sure the groups are working together but no offense there's a huge difference in how the UAL runs and looks at this sport then the event I just saw unfold. Go Go dancers ?? Come on now! Anyways I'm not trying to bash anyone but if you're trying to spread your opinion just know I'll be quick to set things straight. For those reading, I highly suggest you look into what we have coming down the pipe and see how we portray your image and the sport then make a decision as to what organization you want to be a part of. Robert Drenk Robert, just trying to get clarification. I am not a face book person so is what Denise is saying true. That you would let someone enter the pro division, collect entry fees, and when they place in the money........they don't get it if they are not a signed athlete? |
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Post by Robert Drenk on Mar 3, 2014 10:56:13 GMT -5
Leonard,
What were saying is all UAL events will be BIG payout events for UAL contracted athletes. If a non contracted athlete wishes to compete he's welcome, the entry fee will be 1/2 that of the UAL athletes ( $20 ) and he or she may pull for the " UAL Experience" and love of the sport. We are looking to reward our contracted athletes that we can televise exclusively and ensure that they get paid with large enough payouts to where they're not losing money traveling to compete and take this sport serious. We're no longer interested in throwing money out there for grabs with no return (as bad as that sounds it's the truth) I'm sure you can relate to some degree. When you get to the UAL production and payout level the cost of the events is well into the six figure range...
Our goal is to help the serious athletes get to the next level, our Commitment to this Sport is real and our passion will make it become reality for many great athletes. National Televised Coverage for the UAL is coming.
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Post by John Wilson on Mar 3, 2014 11:36:22 GMT -5
I'm a spokesmodel?
I'll take it!! I do a pretty good Vanna White impression, if I do say so myself.
Leonard asked a good question though. Are you verifying that you will accept an entry fee from someone for a class that pays out money, and if they win they don't get paid?
If that's not the case, then I'll gladly retract my first sentence in that post. The rest of it stays though, because it's pretty well on point.
EDIT: we cross posted, Robert.
I see from your response to Leonard that a person signs up knowing they won't get paid if they win, but they get the UAL experience half-off.
Okay, so exactly where did anyone get this wrong? What is it that I "don't know what I'm talking about?"
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Post by Nate Gagnon on Mar 3, 2014 11:48:24 GMT -5
I think we've reached an interesting point in this sport where it's now an actual SPORT.
We have rivaling organizations doing what they can to produce the best organization with the best talent. And the beautiful thing about it is, we have a choice where we want to pull...if you don't like what Robert is doing, guess what, there's the WAL or PAL...and if one of those two organizations don't suit you and you'd like to be apart of the UAL, Robert has made it clear what you need to do to make that happen...know who wins? Everyone. All the guys who used this as a hobby are now in a position where they can make a decent supplemental income doing something they love!
Good thing we have a freedom of choice to where and when we want to pull and for what organization we want to pull for.
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Post by John Wilson on Mar 3, 2014 12:00:58 GMT -5
Good points, Nate. With one caveat- nobody's made jack bone dollar wise at this point. Right now that is just a promise, or a future opportunity, depending on how you want to view it.
This has always been a real sport. What's changed? There are some cool things happening, but nothing has changed in 30 years. New organizations, new energy, and big events run in cycles. If you look back, what is happening right now happens about every ten years. There's less money now if anything.
A lot of promises have been thrown around, but promises are worth the amount of sand they hold up off the ground. It's great to be positive, but right now it's a lot of hope.
A hard fact of life is that it's never wise to confuse effort with results.
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Post by Nate Gagnon on Mar 3, 2014 12:14:54 GMT -5
Good points, Nate. With one caveat- nobody's made jack bone dollar wise at this point. Right now that is just a promise, or a future opportunity, depending on how you want to view it. This has always been a real sport. What's changed? There are some cool things happening, but nothing has changed in 30 years. New organizations, new energy, and big events run in cycles. If you look back, what is happening right now happens about every ten years. There's less money now if anything. A lot of promises have been thrown around, but promises are worth the amount of sand they hold up off the ground. It's great to be positive, but right now it's a lot of hope. A hard fact of life is that it's never wise to confuse effort with results. Yes to us, it's always been a real sport--to the non armwrestling community its been a joke, a bar room/drunk fun, a cafeteria test of strength...now it's got television coverage, huge stages, bigger cash prizes, and now instead of talking to people and them laughing when I say I'm into the sport of competitive armwrestling they reply with "wow I never knew armwrestling was a sport, I thought it just happened in bars". Yes a lot of promises have been made, and I have faith they're not empty promises--because I'd like to see the sport succeed. Maybe the problem with this sport is that nothing's changed in 30 years, being new to the sport, I'm excited for what the future holds. |
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Post by Mike West on Mar 3, 2014 12:23:49 GMT -5
And the statement of being a serious athlete is a slap in the face to most of the pullers out there. Just because an armwrestler doesn't sign with the UAL doesn't mean they aren't a serious athlete, Robert you have several signed athletes that haven't even been in the sport long enough to know what it takes to be serious about this sport.
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Post by Max Moore on Mar 3, 2014 12:37:14 GMT -5
the title of this thread is argumentative and slanderous in nature...witch clearly defines its intent: to draw scrutiny and angst against the UAL. Denise, if you had a question you could have just asked it...even publicly...but why pass upo a good opportunity to smear the UAL right? its embarrassing really. grown ups acting like this. the rules are what Robert wants them to be since he does own the company...and since they apply to everybody no one should have a problem with that. if you wanna get in the money...sign with the UAL...why is that a problem? you wanna get down with the UAL and take advantage of trhe prize money then sign up! yall wanna talk about "poaching" entry fees ...what about you denise? how many events have you put on and not paid out a single dime of prize money to ANYONE? so id say by your own standards you (and every other promoter out there) have done your fair share of poaching.....and then suggesting that "poaching" the prize money form the UAL without following the rules and signing is just fine is laughable. jealousy is unbecoming of an adult....figure it out. |
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Post by Robert Drenk on Mar 3, 2014 12:38:46 GMT -5
Mike you can go be serious with another group, UAL has serious athletes as well thats all my point was. As far as signing athletes yes we offer any puller to sign and compete in the UAL male and female. We offer guaranteed money contracts to our top level athletes that take the Sport on at a professional level. look I'm done arguing with you, theres people that obviously want to go a different direction and thats there choice you seem to be one of them and once again its your right to do so. I wish you the best and ill see you in Reno at Nationals as you enjoy the event we The UAL are hosting  |
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Post by Ryan Johnston on Mar 3, 2014 12:46:03 GMT -5
Leonard, What were saying is all UAL events will be BIG payout events for UAL contracted athletes. If a non contracted athlete wishes to compete he's welcome, the entry fee will be 1/2 that of the UAL athletes ( $20 ) and he or she may pull for the " UAL Experience" and love of the sport. We are looking to reward our contracted athletes that we can televise exclusively and ensure that they get paid with large enough payouts to where they're not losing money traveling to compete and take this sport serious. We're no longer interested in throwing money out there for grabs with no return (as bad as that sounds it's the truth) I'm sure you can relate to some degree. When you get to the UAL production and payout level the cost of the events is well into the six figure range... Our goal is to help the serious athletes get to the next level, our Commitment to this Sport is real and our passion will make it become reality for many great athletes. National Televised Coverage for the UAL is coming. Are UAL contracts indefinite in scope? Do they have a predetermined amount of events in which the "contracted athlete" must now be a "UAL athlete," or are they then a "UAL athlete" from then on, with no way out? I'm just curious if you would have a contract where someone signs to be a UAL contracted athlete for, let's say, 2 events where they can then be able to pull for the prize money of UAL 7 and 8, or UAL X and X, whichever they attend. Thereafter, their contract is up and they are then a free agent, free to negotiate an extended contract or move to another organization. I understand that you pay these people money, but this seems similar to a UFC style contract where they are signed for X amount of fights. The only difference is that they are guaranteed payment for participating in fights, win or lose. UAL contracts only provide an opportunity for payment if you win the tournaments. And I'm just talking about the tournament portion here, we all know you pay differently for the UMUs you put on. Robert, you are doing great things with the UAL. The events are amazing and you are investing a lot of money in something that has not given you any return on your investment yet. I completely understand your motivation in making these changes, and that is to try and increase the value of the UAL brand by only investing future money into your league. I just think that with professional organizations such as the UAL, there needs to be competing organizations to peak interests. I'm just curious about the duration of these contracts. |
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Post by Bill Cox on Mar 3, 2014 12:46:17 GMT -5
I have to agree with John & Mike on this issue. Only someone b=new to the sport would think this is all new and grand, as far as big stage with tv coverage and cash payouts. Read Eric Roussin article about armwrestling. Like Dave Devoto (WWC) on Wide World Of Sports for 16 yrs which was seen Worldwide or Tony Celeste (AMI) which was televised from Vegas for sometime with cash payouts, or maybe Yukon Jack which ran some massive events with cash payouts on a big stage with live TV coverage, or maybe GNC which ran major events with guest commentators on TV and paid out cash. Yes I guess now is very new and different as those past events didnt make anyone sign with them.
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?? Come on now! 
