Minutes of Athletes' Reps/Pro Committee Meeting, 27th September 2007

[Harry The Hat]

MINUTES of the Annual Meeting of the IFBB Professional Committee

Thursday, September 27, 2007
Salon B,
Orleans Hotel,
Las Vegas,
Nevada

The meeting was called to order at 4:00pm by Jim Manion, Chairman, IFBB Professional League.

The roll call was taken; the following members were present:

Jim Manion (USA) – Chairman
Jim Rockell (USA) – Men’s Representative
Sandy Williamson (USA) – Women’s Representative
Rob Wilkins (USA) – Athlete Liaison (the Americas)
Pawel Filleborn (Poland) – Athlete Liaison (Europe)
Steve Weinberger (USA) – Promoter Representative
Rick Collins (USA) – Legal Advisor
Bob Cicherillo (USA) – Athlete Representative
Betty Pariso (USA) – Athlete Representative
Jen Hendershott (USA) – Athlete Representative
Jenny Lynn (USA) – Athlete Representative

Proposal 1
A proposal from Betty Pariso that there be three Ms. Olympia qualifying spots for smaller shows [two-category competitions].

[Explanatory note: Currently, for any one-category female bodybuilding competition except the Ms. Olympia and Ms. International, the top 3 finalists qualify for the next Ms. Olympia. Where there are two categories, the top finalist in each category qualifies.]

Proposal Rejected


Proposal 2
A proposal from Betty Pariso that the use of props in female bodybuilding competition be permitted.

[Explanatory note: Currently, the use of props in bodybuilding competition is prohibited.]

Proposal Rejected


Proposal 3
A proposal from Betty Pariso that the “desired look” for female bodybuilding be formalized in writing as part of the IFBB Pro Rules.

Proposal Rejected

[Explanatory note: After some discussion, the committee held the majority opinion that the judges were already shaping the look for female bodybuilding with the winners they choose and therefore, there was no need for additional criteria other than what is currently expressed in the Pro Rules.]


Proposal 4
A proposal from Jenny Lynn regarding the release of contact information of Athlete-Members to the Athlete Representatives.

Proposal Adopted

[Explanatory note: The IFBB Pro League office will ensure that the Athlete Representatives are provided with up-to-date contact information.]


Proposal 5
A proposal from Bob Cicherillo that athletes be required to have a written contract, signed and approved, no later than 8 weeks prior to the date of the competition.

Proposal Adopted With Modification

[Modification: Athletes will be required to have a written contract postmarked no later than 6 weeks prior to the date of the competition. Contracts received after the due date will be subject to a US $500 late fee to the promoter.]


Proposal 6
A proposal from Bob Cicherillo that athletes with a signed contract 8 weeks from the date of competition will receive a US $1,000 fee on cancellation of the competition any time prior to the original date set.

Proposal Adopted With Modification

[Modification: Athletes with a signed contract 6 weeks from the date of the competition will split the sanction money on deposit at the time of the cancellation upon the cancellation of the competition any time prior to original date set.]

Proposal 7
A proposal from Bob Cicherillo that the “Under 210-lb” class receive one Olympia qualifying spot.

Proposal Rejected


Proposal 8
A proposal from Bob Cicherillo that all IFBB Pro League cards will be renewed by annually by January 1st. Any card renewed after this deadline, and before February 1st, will have an additional US $100 fee attached. Renewals received after February 28th will be doubled, based on the original cost.

Proposal Adopted With Modification

[Modification: All IFBB Pro League cards will be renewed (postmarked) annually by January 15th. Any card renewed after this date will cost the athlete US $400.]


Proposal 9
A proposal from Bob Cicherillo to reduce the “Under 210-lb” class to “Under 202 lbs”.
[Explanatory note: This is not a division into two categories of a men’s bodybuilding competition. The promoter, with the approval of the IFBB Pro League, may elect to open a separate competition for those competitors who are under 202 lbs.]

Proposal Adopted


Other Business

The following Other Business was briefly discussed:

1. Where possible, the individual judge’s scores should be listed in the contest results reported at www.ifbbpro.com

2. The fine of US $1,000 for athletes who withdraw from a competition without a legitimate medical reason, as certified by a physician accepted by the IFBB Pro League, will be enforced.

3. In future, Athlete Meeting times will be approved by the IFBB Pro League and will be published at www.ifbbpro.com for each event.

4. In future, the IFBB Pro League will publish at www.ifbbpro.com comprehensive contest information, including an updated competitor list.

5. The members voted to reject the request for reinstatement from Lee Priest.


There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:00pm.

Minutes Recorded by: Jim Rockell, Men’s Representative

Minutes Transcribed by: Tony Blinn, General Secretary

Minutes Approved by: Jim Manion, Chairman

Minutes Approved by: Ben Weider, OC, CStJ, QC, PhD, President

[genex]

Thanks for this!

[Harry The Hat]

There are a few things about the meeting that confuse me. First off, why did Ben Weider sign off the minutes after the meeting? I thought that Rafael Santonja was President? Is it that hard for Uncle Ben to let go? Or is Rafael President of the IFBB (worldwide amateur organization) and Ben still head of the IFBB Pro League (where the big shows and supplements contract monies are)?

The rejection of proposal 2, about props, is a nonsense. They're already used by men and women pros in their routine. Mary Ellen Jerumbo posed in a mask. Betty Pariso herself started off one routine in a navy outfit.

Their refusal to agree to Proposal 3 from Betty tells you everything you need to know about the IFBB's attitude to women's bodybuilding. It will always be the ginger-headed stepchild to them. Standardization of the women's judging criteria would have created direction, clarity and consistency where currently there is none. But it would require time, money and genuine thought to re-define women's judging. And then more man-hours and money to make sure the judges understood the new criteria and were following them. It's much easier and cheaper just to say no and let things slide.

Jenny Lynn's proposal to get contact info for all the pros she represents from the federation is exactly the same as the one she presented 12 months ago at the last meeting, which they also agreed to. In other words, they said 'sure, no problem' and then did nothing. And these are the people who are seeking to lecture the athletes about greater professionalism?

Proposal 8 that will penalize athletes financially for not renewing their pro card in time seems petty and pointless. Ditto proposal 5, which in its amended version, subjects athletes to a $500 penalty for late entry to a competition.

Proposal 8 primarily benefits the federation, and would have more logically been proposed by Manion as it gets the pros' cash into the IFBB's coffers on time. Instead, Bob Chic proposed it. It doesn’t help to dispel the common belief that a lot of what Bob proposes is whatever the IFBB tells him to propose.

If you look at the balance of things, the Boys In Blazers appear to have done a lot better out of this meeting than the athletes. A show getting cancelled a few weeks out is a rarity, but late entries (which incur a $500 penalty) and late withdrawals without a Pro League doctor’s note (which will now have the $1,000 fine rigorously enforced) are commonplace.

[Echo]

There are a few things about the meeting that confuse me. First off, why did Ben Weider sign off the minutes after the meeting? I thought that Rafael Santonja was President? Is it that hard for Uncle Ben to let go? Or is Rafael President of the IFBB (worldwide amateur organization) and Ben still head of the IFBB Pro League (where the big shows and supplements contract monies are)?

The IFBB Professional League is a separate and distinct business entity from the IFBB. It operates out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Chairman of the IFBB Professional League is Jim Manion. The IFBB Professional League operates autonomously and is not under the control of the IFBB, nor its President, Rafael Santonja (Spain). In fact, Mr. Santonja is privately viewed as "an idiot" in Pittsburgh. As for Ben Weider signing off on the minutes, don't read too much into it.

Their refusal to agree to Proposal 3 from Betty tells you everything you need to know about the IFBB's attitude to women's bodybuilding. It will always be the ginger-headed stepchild to them. Standardization of the women's judging criteria would have created direction, clarity and consistency where currently there is none. But it would require time, money and genuine thought to re-define women's judging. And then more man-hours and money to make sure the judges understood the new criteria and were following them. It's much easier and cheaper just to say no and let things slide.

Although it is tempting to view it in such terms, the rejection of Betty's proposal is not attributable or motivated by an "anti-FBB" bias. What the IFBB Professional League fears much more is that formalized standards for women would create a precedent that opens the door to calls for similar formalized standards for men.

The IFBB Pro League desires to be free from any constraints in selecting the person they choose to be Mr. Olympia. At present, the IFBB wants to install people like Jay Cutler(present) and Dennis Wolf(future) as opposed to an athlete along the lines of a Dexter Jackson. The men's division is, from a financial perspective, the only thing in competitive bodybuilding that remains (or has the potential to remain) financially viable.

Therefore, the IFBB Pro League finds itself compelled to maintain maximum flexibility and internal control in order to select winners that serve the best interests of the organization....winners that they can "sell" to the remaining men's bodybuilding fan base that still feeds the bodybuilding industry.

[Harry The Hat]

Thanks Echo! I kinda figured out the Pro League/IFBB thing as well, but it's not something I think too many people are aware of. The feeling is that Ben has retired - period - and control has passed on to new people. Seeing as how Ben is effectively still the head (along with Manion) of the Pro League, it seems to me that Ben is still looking out for the family interests.

And while you say there is no anti-FBB bias behind the rejection of Betty proposals, it's important to remember that Ben really has no time at all for women's bodybuilding. We can take it for granted that half of Bob Chic's proposals are supplied for him from Manion, and that all the proposals are vetted by Manion and untimately Weider. Plus ca change.

The point about the IFBB being free to choose who they want to as the next Mr O is an valid one, especially in the light of this post on the MD forum that went largely unnoticed. Yes, it's just hearsay and gossip, but it's interesting nonetheless:

I was working out with someone yesterday that went to the Olympia. Him and his friends saw Dennis Wolf at the mall and talked to him for like 30 minutes. He told them next year GUTler is gonna win only because of his Muscletech contract. Then the year after, it's gonna be someone new but not Gutler or Vic, because they don't want an ex-con representing the sport.