Powerlifting Advertisement

[Craig_Harris]

Hey Guys,

I was just wondering why powerlifting isn't advertised very well. It appears to me if advertisement was increased that powerlifting would grow into a bigger sport.

Just 6 months ago the owner of my local gym started a powerlifting club and now has 15plus lifters, yet in comps there is not many competitors?

Any views or opinions on this?

[Pork Pie]

Hey Guys,

I was just wondering why powerlifting isn't advertised very well. It appears to me if advertisement was increased that powerlifting would grow into a bigger sport.

Just 6 months ago the owner of my local gym started a powerlifting club and now has 15plus lifters, yet in comps there is not many competitors?

Any views or opinions on this?

Powerlifting, bodybuilding and Olympic lifting are all minority sports in the UK sadly. We've had great powerlifters over many years and now there's Andy Bolton, bodybuilding had Dorian Yates, there have been plenty of decent Olympic lifters (who was the last UK male to medal at an Olympics?? - did David Morgan ever medal??) but the public has never taken to these sports. I wish I knew why.

Perhaps we're just a football and rugby nation, with a bit of tennis once a year thrown in?

[Lloyd]

Powerlifting, bodybuilding and Olympic lifting are all minority sports in the UK sadly. We've had great powerlifters over many years and now there's Andy Bolton, bodybuilding had Dorian Yates, there have been plenty of decent Olympic lifters (who was the last UK male to medal at an Olympics?? - did David Morgan ever medal??) but the public has never taken to these sports. I wish I knew why.

Perhaps we're just a football and rugby nation, with a bit of tennis once a year thrown in?

You missed our very own DEL in the olympic lifting field.....commenwealth gold I believe.

[SCG]

who was the last UK male to medal at an Olympics??

Dave Mercer in LA in 1984, before that it was Louis Martin in 1960 & 1964

[Martin Flett]

My view, which I know many disagree with, is that we have a great sport that is completely undersold by all the governing bodies without exception. How can the public become interested in something it knows nothing about?

[Hellspawn]

My view, which I know many disagree with, is that we have a great sport that is completely undersold by all the governing bodies without exception. How can the public become interested in something it knows nothing about?

i tried to promote BAWLA as it was called then and got a snotty phone call saying i owed them £500 for using their logo on a poster advertising one of their events so i explained that was easily rectified by removing all mention of their existance from my gym and i would no longer recruit new members or collect the membership money free of charge on their behalf in the future its hardly supprising there is a lack of promotion of the sport.

[cuntos]

That certainly explains the lack of promotion for BAWLA (as it was then)!

[Boar]

yea, it does seem a shame, but its much better than befor with the old t'internet , when i used to train the first time round (early 90's) i litrally had no idea Pl'ing existed, and i wish i discovered it then {sniff} then mabie all those old people wouldnt have been hurt.

[Martin Flett]

i tried to promote BAWLA as it was called then and got a snotty phone call saying i owed them £500 for using their logo on a poster advertising one of their events so i explained that was easily rectified by removing all mention of their existance from my gym and i would no longer recruit new members or collect the membership money free of charge on their behalf in the future its hardly supprising there is a lack of promotion of the sport.

So unbelievable I believe it! I think they've probably moved on since then. But I am convinced the powers that be don't fully appreciate the potential of the sport. I'd love to get the Promotions Officer job for 12 months - only it doesn't exist!

[Craig_Harris]

I agree powerlifting has loads of potential, as a newcomer to the sport i believe it can expand massively. Just needs the organisations to be known better, even if its just better advertisement in gyms

[andyclegg]

I'd love to get the Promotions Officer job for 12 months - only it doesn't exist!

Funny you should say that Martin, we've just (i.e. this very second) got an opening for just that very position in Scotland. When do you want to start ....

... seriously, it is very difficult to do. We've tried stuff (albeit unprofessionally and in a very limited way), but since all the media wants is footy its a big uphill struggle. However, as you are keen I hope somebody somewhere takes you up on your offer to help, as volunteers (rather people with their arms-twisted) are rare but vital.

[Hellspawn]

this forums done more for the sport (and the members of it) than the organisations do , Brian Batchadore has to be commended for coming here and posting directly and others like Rob Thomas , Sam Grayham etc not to mention J Wild Boar flooding the internet with his entertaining videos ! well done to all of them they all support powerlifting and not just one federation.

[Justin Hurley]

I have said this before, but I'll say it again. I love powerlifting, but it is boring to watch, especially if you don't know the lifters, or the weights being lifted aren't so great.
It's hard to gain public interest when the sport is not so spectator friendly.

[Pork Pie]

I have said this before, but I'll say it again. I love powerlifting, but it is boring to watch, especially if you don't know the lifters, or the weights being lifted aren't so great.
It's hard to gain public interest when the sport is not so spectator friendly.

Its entertaining watching the spotter jump out of the way after you dropping barbells off your back.:D:D

[Hellspawn]

I have said this before, but I'll say it again. I love powerlifting, but it is boring to watch, especially if you don't know the lifters, or the weights being lifted aren't so great.
It's hard to gain public interest when the sport is not so spectator friendly.

what got me into powerlifting in the first place was walking past a tv shop and they were lifting weight on the tv but not how i had ever seen it done in copetition before so i had to go inside and see some more ! then this wild hillbilly type came out to lift and someone slapped the shit out of him i thought that guys asking for it :) but no he just went and lifted this huge weight the guy was Eddy Pengelli and i was hooked !

as for boring what about bloody golf ! or cricket for that matter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f56Ed5oPTA

[Justin Hurley]

Cricket and Golf is more interesting because so many of the population actually play it, powerlifting is a minority sport.

[Hellspawn]

Cricket and Golf is more interesting because so many of the population actually play it, powerlifting is a minority sport.

yep you right Justin i didnt realise golf was so entertaining ha ha

VENICE, Fla. — A Tennessee man survived an attack by an alligator while retrieving a golf ball at a Florida golf course Monday.

Bruce Burger, of Lenore City, Tenn., reached into a pond at the sixth hole of Lake Venice Golf Club Monday afternoon when the alligator apparently grabbed his right forearm Course Manager Rod Parry told FOXNews.com.

“He didn’t see the gator,” Parry said. “Obviously, the gator reacted to what he probably thought was some kind of food.”

The alligator latched onto Burger's right forearm and pulled him in the pond, said Gary Morse, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. He used his left arm to beat on the reptile until it freed him.

Parry said the man reportedly called for help and a lady came, got in his golf cart and took him to the clubhouse.
I saw him reach down to get his ball and he yelled ... 'Help. Help. I've been bitten by a gator,"' said Janet Pallo, who was playing the fifth hole and ran over to take the man to the clubhouse.

A compress was held directly on Burger’s wound until paramedics arrived.

Burger had puncture wounds on his right forearm as well as a strained groin from the attack. Parry said when medical personnel arrived, Burger was placed on a gurney and transported to a local hospital.

"We hope he’s doing pretty well,” he told FOXNews.com.

Morse said the gator measured 10 feet, 11 inches.

Parry said it took officers around an hour and 20 minutes to bait the gator before taking him away. He was unsure if the gator was one-eyed, but did say he was told it was blind in one eye.

Parry said course employees recalled another time when a golfer had been attacked on the course. The golfer’s shoe was punctured when an alligator bit his foot while retrieving a ball at the same pond where Burger was bitten.

The pond at the sixth hole has a "Beware of Alligator" sign posted because the staff is aware that a large alligator likes to hang out there.

"Unfortunately, that's part of Florida," Parry said. "There's wildlife in these ponds."

[Martin Flett]

Goddam. The US of A is getting worse. Even the critters are eating burgers.

[Brian Batcheldor]

Powerlifting, as a sport is set on self-destruct. Why? -that's simple. Most lifters just turn their back on the sport once they're finished with it, thus, they do nothing to promote it or get involved with it politically. The development of so many splinter organizations is the major factor, every time someone has a row, it becomes a "pissing contest" over nothing, then someone goes off and starts a new "world" organization. I've never been able to figure why people are so intent on these power struggles, I mean, I know they want to blow smoke up their own arses, -but really, what do they have power over, -immense wealth, incredible popularity, respect? Not in a million years, -they're simply deluded! If we really want to promote our sport, then we have to spend money on trying to get audiences in to see us in the first place. For far too long now, the general practice has been on recouping/profiteering from the lifters and their families (who make up the only audience). We need more cohesiveness, more democracy and more people actually prepared to do something about our sport, without that willpower there is no future, -period. We've got to make the sport more accessible and we have got to get away from running competitions in shitty, cheapskate venues. Also, lifters need to think like other sportsmen in how they view competition. Even soccer players that play in a local Sunday league team have aspirations of being better and competing against the best. In some of these splinter groups, lifters are more than happy to go to a "Worlds", win with a crappy total and then bragg about their "acheivement" to their workmates. Who are they really kidding? When I first started out, I wanted to seek out the best people to train with, compete against the best and be the best. Few people seem to have that drive anymore. People seem to know nothing about the roots of the sport, who the greats were and where their own performances rank in the context of all this. Compare this with athletes from other sports, who can usually answer questions on numerous sports other then their own. Powerlifters need to learn from other sportsmen, -seek out the best competition, conduct themselves properly and get involved with the growth process.

[Hellspawn]

well said Brian ! great to see you here addressing the issues personally .
i think you also need to be a performer as well as a good athlete if you want to entertain an audience which i have tried to be.
now to slag you off ha ha (just joking) to be honest all the websites BPC , BWLA dont get updated regular enough entry forms etc often are not available for down load (not in the case of BPC) its mainly BWLA and websites are vital nowadays.
You were spot on with your comments on venues we attended one last year and there was nothing on the main door even to say there was a comp being held there , no prior advertising anywhere and god knows how many people went back home having failed to find a way into the building.
i think this could be a very good post to air some views and work out some answers

[Martin Flett]

I agree with what both you guys have said. For me, there are four key components to be addressed (with, obviously, sub-issues arising):

Firstly, put more emphasis at developing the sport at grass roots level (and by that I mean gyms where people are already working out but are totally ignorant of how to get into powerlifting as well as schools and colleges).

Secondly, give more bizzazz to competitions. Let everyone in the venue town/city know for months in advance that the big boys will be coming to town and sign the venue well.

Thirdly, get more media coverage. There are dozens of ways to do this and I have no intention of writing a thesis, but this raises the whole profile of the sport.

Fourthly, attract MEANINGFUL sponsorship, not just for events but for the sport in general.

We've had this debate before, here and elsewhere. People may come on and say that these aims are impossible. They might be right, but my mindset is that I would rather try and fail than not bother trying.

[Hellspawn]

Agreed
posters need to be sent out to at least all gyms that support powerlifting and this forum has already provided a list run by Justin that would be a starting point

[Martin Flett]

Just as an example, the gym I use now (old style, semi-hardcoreish) has a number of potentially good powerlifters who either don't realise they're any good or don't know how to get into the sport if they do. No one from any powerlifting organisation has ever contacted the owners, so they know fcuk all about it either.

If just half a dozen of these guys take up the sport (two already have btw), interest in the gym rockets, you get local media coverage ("Local man is British Champ...") and you have 50 potential spectators for events within say a fifty mile radius when lots of lads from the gym go along to cheer on their mates.

Multiply that by 50 or 100 gyms nationwide, and factor in the "networking" effect, and hey... you've got the basis of a popular participation/spectator sport.

Or maybe I'm just a ridiculous optimist...

[Hellspawn]

we dont live in a perfect world unfortunatly and it dont work that way in practise , The Welsh guys have got it cracked a lot better than us , the problem is BWLA wants the gyms to affiliate only with them ie look on the copetition results pages where the lifters gym is mentioned or its says unattached thats BWLA refusing to recognise where the guy trains unless his a member of an affiliated gym and if you are affiliatted then your not supposed to suport any other group like the BPC so i stay out of it.

[Martin Flett]

I agree it's done completely wrong at the moment. All I'm saying is that it doesn't have to REMAIN like that forever and once there is a shift in approach (firstly contact gyms, full stop; secondly focus on recruiting lifters rather than gyms) there is some potential for things to improve considerably.

[Hellspawn]

I agree it's done completely wrong at the moment. All I'm saying is that it doesn't have to REMAIN like that forever and once there is a shift in approach (firstly contact gyms, full stop; secondly focus on recruiting lifters rather than gyms) there is some potential for things to improve considerably.

ha ha when hell freezes over you mean ?
ok who are you recruiting these lifters for ? BWLA, BPC, WPO, BDFPA ? what are they going to do for you for recruiting these lifters for them ? BWLA only helps non profit making gyms as in schools etc so the only way you can help powerlifting and powerlifters in general is by remaining independant and putting up with the odd snotty phone call

[Brian Batcheldor]

Your 100% right about the website, this will be addressed at the British. However, it comes back to that general apathetic attitude expressed by many. Martin Donovan, who manages the website, can only work with the material he's given. We'll have to figure a way of improving the supply chain to him and, in fairness, compensating him for his time.

[Boar]

I love all that website shinanigans and if there is anything i could do to help , i will be more than happy.

[Brian Batcheldor]

Big time sponsorship is almost impossible to obtain in our game. I ran strongman shows for several years, with several of the WSM competitors competing. Even with these, it was still hard to get sponsorship, and these shows drew a few thousand spectators. It's the old "chicken or the egg" scenario, to put on a big show, you need big sponsors. However, to get big sponsors, you need to have a track record of running a big successful show with media support. I've worked for some of the biggest companies in sports nutrition and the relative media. With the exception of CNP, not one of them has ever been interested in parting with a penny for our sport. Holland and Barrett, who are quick to take supplement revenue out of gyms, feel that powerlifting is the wrong image for the sports nutrition industry. FLEX didn't give a toss either. I know all the right people at these companies, but it meant zilch. I've established some useful leads that have helped a bit, hopefully, after this British, that help may be extended. The drugs issue raises its head all the time, not to say that there's any marketability in drug-free lifting either, mainly because the venues reflect a poor outlook on the sport from its own organizers and the poundages don't raise any eyebrows. Sorry, but that is actually the truth. A major step would be to raise enough revenue to pay to have a top class competition filmed, then give it to SKY or Setanta. Recent estimates put this at about 20K. Then you have something that will attract sponsors, -garaunteed media coverage. Deluding youngsters with this fictitious prospect of it becoming an Olympic sport is the ideal way of keeping them lifting in shitty venues and with no exposure. For Christ's sake, it was only a couple of years ago they were talking about throwing weightlifting out! Do you know how many weightlifters there are and how much money is involved in the sport. I do some work with the Greek team, the anual expenses budget for their lifters is 8 million Euros!!! We need to get real, powerlifting can be bloody great sports entertainment, in much the same sense as UFC, Pro-boxing and the extreme sports. There's nothing wrong with that goal, look at the exposure these sports get. But first, we need to have something worthy of putting on show. That's why we need to head towards crossing barriers and assembling the greatest lifters in this country, instead of penalizing them for competing in other organizations, which is a blatant violation of human rights. If (when) a little money and exposure trickle into this sport, these dictators will be masters of nothing. That day is coming.

[Hellspawn]

great reply Brian
though i am currently not a member of the BPC i can help in some areas like web management (how to get to the top of google without paying) i also act as an adviser to Wayne Galash who you also have conections with through Kerry if your thinking down the DVD line in future you could mention me to Dave Mannering and get him to pop in as his local and be good to see him again as there is much here that might be of interest to him he can relay back to you

[Brian Batcheldor]

Thank you. Sure, I'll pass that on to Dave.

[Brian Batcheldor]

If you're going to the British, we could chat further. We certainly need any help we can get. Cheers

[Hellspawn]

If you're going to the British, we could chat further. We certainly need any help we can get. Cheers

i will do my best to go its just getting out of here thats a problem , i put the poster up you sent by the way !

my details are all on here
http://www.hirepgym.com/