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Post by Alper Cosar on Jan 2, 2005 15:21:33 GMT -5
Hi Leonard!! My concern would be for the future! Look at Boxing! There is Don King and the matches that he arranges. And that is what the world is watching! On the other hand there is still World Champhionships and also Boxing in Olympics but it does not get to the level of Don King's Matches! So My question is towards to the future! Are we heading in the same Direction?  PS: No offense to the World Champhionships!!! Do not understand me wrong pls!! |
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Post by enginterzi on Jan 2, 2005 15:32:47 GMT -5
Alper,there is no way to compare boxing with armwrestling.i can watch a super heavyweight boxin match for none stop one hour,but armwrestling is not like that.i get the full satisfaction from armwrestling when i see the all the best ones at one event:)
to me the WAF worlds are the best tournaments.i just dont get the same taste from 1 or 2 armwrestling matches.i say this as a competitor and also as a spactator.
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Post by Alper Cosar on Jan 2, 2005 16:15:09 GMT -5
Engin,
This still does not answer my question.
Where is the sport going? There is definitely a new form of armwrestling coming up in terms of Private tournaments.
GNC, Arnold, PAL, Zlotsy, even the supermatches that are being held indivually in USA
So what is the direction that we are shifting towards?
I see possible conflict of interest coming to our way!
Just my own view of things happening in our sport!!!
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Post by enginterzi on Jan 2, 2005 16:38:28 GMT -5
Alper,
those kind of tournaments has always been in the history of armwrestling.we even had greater ones as Vegas tourney that Brzenk won a Volvo truck.
all these dont have to apart us from our main direction,which is OLYMPĂCS.if any armwrestler,promoter or official that is out there,that doesnt have this dream,then he just seeks his own benefits and he has no place in the family that i always view in my head.
these great tournaments have always been the excitement for all of us between the official tournaments.i must confess that the years that i have competed in US taught me almost everything i know about armwrestling.
in all those years i have seen that everybody had an amateur spirit even if these was some money which would cover maybe our flight tickets.
there is no problem that we have these tournaments as long as the organisers doesnt have a mind to control everything as its in body building world's weiders.im very carefully watching the things that are yet to happen.i know much more than what i share on this board.my word has credit for many armwrestlers,and im ready to do anything necessary to stop certain ppl who would ever try to make a wall on our way to the olympics if they ever try.im ready to do this even if i wont be allowed to win anymore.because i love armwrestling,and it's future more than my own winnings.i sure will have kids(if GOD pleases)to carry the flag that their father was holding.
so Alper,we are heading to the right direction as long as we are aware of what we need to do to reach our goal.believe me that WAF is the organisation to take us to the olympics!
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Post by Alper Cosar on Jan 2, 2005 17:10:56 GMT -5
Engin,
Thanks for the answer. I think you are seeing things that I am seeing as well. We are definitely in the same page with the things we want for the sport. i want to be optimistic and hope the best!
I wonder how people like Dave thinks about the recent developments?
Thanks
Alper
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Post by enginterzi on Jan 3, 2005 9:59:27 GMT -5
Alper,you are an armwrestler who started armwrestling after me and you were considered in Turkey as engin2.because we all knew that you love the sport without benefitting anything back.so my point by saying all these,is that it is impossible us to see the things differently:)
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Post by Igor Mazurenko on Jan 3, 2005 13:50:09 GMT -5
Hello Alper
First and foremost the aim of PAL is to promote armwrestling and armwrestlers.
What PAL is heading to is similar like in professional boxing. At some point we are loosing famous fighters. I mean competitors like e.g. John Brzenk or Travis Bagent do not compete at WAF events. And I don't want to offense WAF or anybody here. But many great names, famous worlwide competiors do not show up at official events (many great competitors do).
In countries like Russia or Ukraine if competitor provides ministry of sport with medal or diploma from WAF event he gets some money. This is not much but satisfies competitors. In country like Norway top contestants have chance to go on tournaments on cost of their country.
The reason why we are loosing some competitors may be that at some point they have to for instance maintain their families. And there is less time to do armwrestling. They have to earn money.
It would be great if armwrestling was recognized by IOC. But there are more problems then just drug testing. Many national armwrestling federations are not even officially registered by their sport ministrys. And this is factor that IOC demands. IOC is huge machine and it doesn't look for new sports. Armwrestling has to look for way to IOC by itself.
I am sure that this New Year 2005 will bring many changes.
PAL is not a single tournament. It is organization that works very hard to get sponsors in order to organize tournaments and to promote armwrestlers. Tournaments that gather the best competitors in the world and that provide armwrestling fans worldwide with excitement and joy. It is the best way of promoting our sport and to familiarise it with people.
All the best
Igor
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Post by enginterzi on Jan 3, 2005 14:52:24 GMT -5
Alper,how are the trainings going?i hope great.the Japan WAF worlds will be great.did you know that John has won the left hand WAF title in 1999 worlds in Japan?amazing huh?he is also going to Japan for next year's WAF worlds in Japan according to his own words.
i just cant believe how great improvement Travis had since Virginia 2000 WAF worlds.he lost there,but 3 years later he won the WAF worlds in Canada.i was so proud of him,because a year before WAF worlds in Canada we were at Niagra Falls and he told me that he was so close to win a WAF title,and he gained his REAL world title by beating Alexy easily.
one day an official from the world horse shoe game federation,goes to the another official from same federation.and tells him to not to use his position to gain personal benefits.and the other says he will do everything he wants,and he doesnt care.so other official says that"you cant do that unless you kill me",and the other one answers"no problem!!".
i read this article on one of the horse shoe magazines a few days ago.how sad,isnt it??
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Post by enginterzi on Jan 3, 2005 15:05:21 GMT -5
Alper,i just trained with guys from Yalova,they all say hi to you.when are you coming back to home.
by the way haydar,i and dursun will be pulling 75kg at the nationals.why dont you come and compete the nationals this year?the europeans will be in bulgaria,i guess many can go there:)
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Post by simon on Jan 3, 2005 16:34:45 GMT -5
I have to agree with Igor here in this regard that though I would love to see the sport get into the Olympics I have a hard time believing it will get there because there are so many hurdles to overcome and as he said the IOC is not looking for new sports just to fill up time, at least not as they used to, however if our sport was catching a great deal of international attention, with pro leagues, TV coverage etc the IOC might become more interested in pursuing us rather than the other way around.
Just my opinion, but I think it is very important even more important than drug testing or IOC recognition to properly grow and spotlight the sport of armwrestling, market it to the world, when the world is in love with the sport everything else will fall in line as it should.
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Post by guy on Jan 3, 2005 21:42:58 GMT -5
Hey Josh
I thought you didnt do Polls?
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Post by Steven Lareau on Jan 3, 2005 23:39:19 GMT -5
Hey Guy, Josh didn't start the poll. Engin started the thread and deleted his first post.
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Post by enginterzi on Jan 4, 2005 4:48:51 GMT -5
we all need to be careful what we offer to the IOC.IOC may not like what is shown.what we show needs to sound as a sport,as it will represant us in the olympics.are we going to give up on olympic dream just because its hard to reach this goal?there may be some ppl who cant wait that long to make money,but true lovers of the sport needs to make things in a proper way.there is good and bad represantations.the way that Dave Devoto works represants my spirit.Dave doesnt support only the some of best ones in the support by also using them for personal benefits.even the coming Vegas tournament proves to me what kind of promoter he is.think about a place like Vegas,to me its a top quality place,but he didnt make only a nice looking event,he didnt leave the universal rules of armwrestling,its a double elimination armwrestling event.it has both amateur and professional spirit in the same great event.women are not used only to show their body to be a subject of attraction,they will there also to armwrestle and show to the world that they can be as tough as we men are.they have beginners class at same place,so beginners will have the same oppurtunity represant our sport to welcome more new comers for our sport.the spectators will see the beginning level of the armwrestlers through these beginner class.so our sport wont seem as hard that may discourage the new comers.there are promoters,who promotes only the top armwrestlers,to me its not a service but business.they use certain ppl by bounding them,they are stars as long as they are juicy strong and they are garbages once they cant be top anymore.its too materialistic.we have great names in our history,they inspired todays champions.do they have to be pushed away just because they are not as good as they used to be for the open classes?of course not,this is why we are a big family,and we will have even grand masters in Vegas.this creates trust in me for my future too.this s why i respect the legends in our history,they inspired me when i was a beginner.but i know the minds that some have,they respect you as long as you win,so you are usable.once you are not at the top,then ready to be thrown! its not service,neither promotion for armwrestlers.these ppl has no respect for nothing except their own business,and ppl who they can use. so i believe that things should work in a proper way.no body owns armwrestling,esspecially ppl that have no back ground in armwrestling.we all are part of a big family. there used to be a song,SWEET DREAMS! some of them wants to use you,some of them wants to be used by you  |
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Post by simon on Jan 4, 2005 11:46:51 GMT -5
Excellent point Engin in that the IOC does not need us, so if we present them something that does not appeal to them it could be disastrous.
The flip side to that is the sway of public opinion, look at the X Game type winter events that the Olympics took in, certainly doing so had very little do with a squeaky clean wholesome image of sporting competition because those sports are far from that genre, so a careful line between self promotion of this sport and proper sporting etiquette needs to be walked.
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