Women's Physique International makes a move

[Tre]

http://www.officialwpi.com

http://www.officialwpi.com/images/logo.jpg

[Tre]

I thought their first event would be a competition, but I suppose a party in Vegas will have to do for now :) :

http://www.femflex.com/images/wpiparty.jpg

[JTx]

Well ain't that intersten! ;)

[viclight]

Well ain't that intersten! ;)

Indeed, quite interestin'!!

[fbbhubby]

We'll be there. Gotta support the women's side. Anyone else going?

[Tre]

I'll definitely be there. I don't know what the WPI has planned for 2006, but I'll gladly contribute in any way that I can, so if that means buying VIP tickets to the party, I'm in. :D

[James]

I like what they have started here. I could offer support. Tre, do you know who is organizing this? I sent an e-mail to the address listed on the site as I would like for a spokesperson to drop into our forums for a bit. I'd like to hear what they are about and maybe some of our forum members (including myself) ask them some questions.

I'm not sure about Gene, but I was not sent anything related to this press release and know nothing about them aside from what you just posted in this thread.

[Tre]

James,

As far as I've heard, the idea started with Craig & Kelly (Ryan) Titus. There were unsubstantiated rumors floating around for a few months, then Craig made the official announcement about a month ago on the Pro Bodybuilding Weekly radio show.

Two days later - just prior to the Europa show - he issued a statement saying he and Kelly were no longer involved with the federation, which prompted a small firestorm with people wondering "who'd gotten to him". There was speculation that someone within the IFBB had contacted someone within Pinnacle and convinced them to threaten Craig & Kelly's monthly salary from the company.

This was never confirmed. Of course, it was never denied either...

At this point, Brett Bergeron is the name listed as being in charge of the new organization. I emailed him a few weeks ago to offer support, but have not yet received a reply.

If I was starting a new women's organization, GeneX Magazine/FTvideo would be the first place I'd promote it. I hope this new group will really reach out to the fanbase, something the IFBB and its affiliates have never quite done.

[jason256]

James and Tre

You are two of the guys I respect the most in this business.

However I am afraid that your enthusiasm for something better for the women has perhaps clouded your normally clear judgement on this one.
This announcement reminds me of the innumerable 'coming soon' FBB based websites that have littered the web.

I am afraid that if they really were serious they already would have contacted you.

Hopefully I am wrong on this one, but so far I have read nothing on this thread that allays my suspicions

Best

Jason256

[Tre]

I understand what you're saying with respect to 'the announcement'. My problem all along was that they had no promoters, no sponsors that they were willing to name, and no events scheduled.

To me, nothing is real until there's a venue contracted for their inaugural event, regardless of whether anyone shows up. I like the idea of throwing a party, but that doesn't meet the 'event' standard I was hoping for. I want to know when the first contest will be held, where it will be, and who is expected to compete.

What they have, er, "had" was the instant star power that Kelly Ryan's name gave the group. Even with her no longer being officially involved, Craig's name still draws attention.

We know that Pinnacle has money, we know that MuscleTech/MuscleMag has money, and we think that Muscular Development has money, so together, there's more than enough funding to make this work.

They just need to get away from the existing business model. If they try to 'copy' the IFBB's powder program, they're likely to fail. My suggestion would be to make the new federation about the purity of athletic/artistic competition.

If they do that, they'll garner more support than anyone could imagine. And by at least STATING that they will not allow conflicts of interest, they've made a huge first step in differentiating themselves from the IFBB.

I'm cautiously optimistic, but optimistic nonetheless.

[jason256]

Hi Tre

I sincerely hope you are right on this one.

Jason256

[James]

Tre,
thanks for the inside scoop! It definatly gives me a better picture as to what's going on. We'll keep an eye on it for sure.
j

[James]

[James and Tre

You are two of the guys I respect the most in this business.

However I am afraid that your enthusiasm for something better for the women has perhaps clouded your normally clear judgement on this one.

My only knowlege (and comments) of these folks is what I've stated in this thread. Any support offered is on a 'wait and see' basis. I sent them a letter, invited them to come to our forums and address the fans. They deserve a chance to make an impression.

[jason256]

Hi James

Agree that they deserve a chance to reach the fans and I appreciate your and Tre's efforts on this one.

If what Tre has dug up turns out to hold and companies like muscletech and muscular development are really behind it I am afraid that it will just be an IFBB clone. Its not like any of those companies or their magazines have been particularly supportive to FBB over the last decade or more.

What would be far better as Tre points out is for the sport to be run for the athletes and not for powder sales. There can be tie ins to the various supplement and muscle merchandise companies to help sponsor the events and cover costs from competitors but the 'federation' or whatever it ends up being called should be independent of direct commercial tie ins. Otherwise the push will inevitably be towards what will sell the most powder which is the figure type beauty pageants of which there is already a glut.

Jason256

[Maxt]

If I wanted another bodybuilding organization rather than organizational change, I'd want the generally accepted number one contest holding bodybuilding organization to take the direction that the IFBB may take in both womens and men's bodybuilding-to reward more athletic balanced and proportioned physiques in the men without growth hormone induced abdominal distension, obvious gynocomastia and cautionary tales of oil-based synthetic muscle inflators and with the women a "complete package" that embraces femininity and gender specific bodybuilding with champions having as few as possible secondary sexual characteristics of a male for a woman with muscles and noticeable muscularity and physicality, but first and foremost "being a woman." That said I am all ears and observant of what strategies may lay ahead for a future in bodybuilding unrestrained by monopoly, unfair practices and corporate strangulation, OK?

[Tre]

My only knowlege (and comments) of these folks is what I've stated in this thread. Any support offered is on a 'wait and see' basis. I sent them a letter, invited them to come to our forums and address the fans. They deserve a chance to make an impression.

I'm optimistic, but not ready to start singing "Ding-dong, the king is dead!" just yet. They've got a long way to go, but getting Karen Konyha and Teri Mooney to jump ship is definitely a great start. :)

[jason256]

Hi Tre

Any confirmation Teri has actually jumped ship? (I figure she is on your speed dial :-) )

Jason256


I'm optimistic, but not ready to start singing "Ding-dong, the king is dead!" just yet. They've got a long way to go, but getting Karen Konyha and Teri Mooney to jump ship is definitely a great start. :)

[jasons805]

WPI I have never heard of it besides this thread or maybe I have and am not making the connection. Anyway what is it?

[Tre]

WPI I have never heard of it besides this thread or maybe I have and am not making the connection. Anyway what is it?
We haven't gotten a lot of information, because the principals have not yet contacted the primary conduits to the women's fitness, figure, and bodybuilding fanbase.

I think they're doing something, I'm just not sure what that something is. I want this to work and I'm ready to offer as much support as I can, but so far, I haven't seen anything I can wrap my head around.

That said, I will be at the party in Vegas on Saturday night. http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/images/smilies/foshizzle.gif

[Tre]

Any confirmation Teri has actually jumped ship? (I figure she is on your speed dial :-) )

Well, I haven't seen any signed contracts, but her name is on the poster! :D

[fbbhubby]

I would expect that the principals will be using the party as a recruiting/networking effort. I sure would like to see their business plan.

If they want to use a bunch of half-naked hot figure/fitness gals to draw a crowd, we'll have to check it out. :D

[chris]

IS there any updates with this, did anyone attend the party they had at the O?? details please!!!

[fbbhubby]

What a bust. Went to Seven at 12:30 am and saw no muscle (male or female). No Host either. We stayed 5 minutes and left.

[jason256]

Guess I was right the first time.

Too bad.

Jason256

[Tre]

Worse than a bust. We got there probably a little after Fbbhubby had left. We hung in for an hour, the DJ was horrible, and there was no sign of any of the hotties anywhere (except for my companion, of course).

They got us for $30, but I'm more upset about how much time we wasted getting there, waiting for it to get better, and then driving home.

I'm still willing to support them, but they've got to bring a lot more to the table in the future.

[Harry The Hat]

Just to clarify - the party *did* actually take place? On first reading, I got the impression a few people turned up at the assigned place and time and there was nothing at all.

Now it seems (if I'm reading this correctly) as if there was actually a bit of a do, but not much of one. No host? So no Kelly, Craig or The Other Guy? Were there banners up? Literature (i.e. leaflets or flyers) to announce future plans?

At the very least I would have expected a representative from the WPI plus a couple of freeloaders from the main sponsors to have been there. Bottom line is, was it a poor first night or a complete no-show and the WPI is no more?

And why aren't they participating on the boards anywhere? It would, you'd have thought, have been the quickest and cheapest way of getting word out.
Perhaps someone would like to mail them on Crgtitus@aol.com or KellyRyan98@aol.com and ask them.

[fbbhubby]

There was no after party. No Craig, Kelly, Karen, etc. No literature, no ANYTHING. No indication that there was even supposed to be an after party. Just $20 poorer for a lame nightspot.

[Tre]

Not sure what time he arrived, but Craig was there. I didn't really see anyone else connected to the industry, though. I mean there were a couple of folks - I thought I glimpsed Bob Bonham and maybe a few others - but it was nothing like '04, when the place was packed with bodybuilding and fitness types.

Lame is definitely the best way to describe it. Not only did we lose the cover charge, but we got dinged 5 bucks for parking, too!

[Tre]

Just to clarify - the party *did* actually take place? On first reading, I got the impression a few people turned up at the assigned place and time and there was nothing at all.

Now it seems (if I'm reading this correctly) as if there was actually a bit of a do, but not much of one. No host? So no Kelly, Craig or The Other Guy? Were there banners up? Literature (i.e. leaflets or flyers) to announce future plans?

At the very least I would have expected a representative from the WPI plus a couple of freeloaders from the main sponsors to have been there. Bottom line is, was it a poor first night or a complete no-show and the WPI is no more?

And why aren't they participating on the boards anywhere? It would, you'd have thought, have been the quickest and cheapest way of getting word out.
Perhaps someone would like to mail them on Crgtitus@aol.com or KellyRyan98@aol.com and ask them.

If you didn't *know* that this was where 'the party' was supposed to have been, you certainly wouldn't have known it when you got there. In retrospect, I should've done a walk-thru before paying to get in, but I acted on good faith based on Craigers reputation for putting on good parties. If Karen and Teri weren't going to be there, he could've notified potential guests ahead of time, but instead they were passing out their cards with the fraudulent advertisements as late as Saturday evening at the Expo.

There was no company literature at all either. It was a bigtime disappointment and based on the lack of response from Mr. Bergeron, I'm not all that optimistic about the immediate future. Oh well.