Topic: Want Weightlifting Exchange to Cover USAW National Meets?

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

The Weightlifting Exchange can provide the following services at USAW national competitions:

1) Live lift-by-lift results on The Weightlifting Exchange
2) Live commentary on The Weightlifting Exchange
3) Live video clip highlights on The Weightlifting Exchange
4) Full event DVDs shipped to buyers for at-cost prices (dirt cheap)
5) Entire competition video available for free download on The Weightlifting Exchange
6) Custom and complimetary Dartfish analysis for any competitors, upon request, in order of request, as time allows.

In order to do this, we need $2000 in equipment, and the airfare and hotel costs paid for two people to each meet we will cover, John Clutter and I.  The USAW has not responded to our efforts to provide these services. I guess they have their hands full. Will the membership itself pay for the service? If so, let us know.

Cheers

[Paul LaDuke]

Chris,

I would love to see video of the competition.  It would be a great archive and a great motivator and tool to recruit new lifters to the sport!  I hope it can eventually be done!

[John Way]

Chris,

sounds like a bargain for the USAW,

is the $2000 a one off payment?

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Actually, the $2000 is an exaggeration. We really only need about $1500 at most and thats with cutting no corners whatsoever.  And, yes its a one time investment except for possible camera upgrades in the future to stay up with technology. Video recording technology is advancing rapidly and the camera we would use now is already far better than what we used at Jrs/PAQS, for the same cost.

The only expenses after that would be John and my airfare and hotel to whatever meets we would cover. We have the storage and bandwidth capacity on The Weightlifting Exchange to handle it. And, the speed with which we could get the entire contest on the site for free download is mostly dictated by the speed of the internet connection available to us. If we had a high-end business connection at the meet, we could do it very fast, but that will cost a little money depending on the hotel and their deal with the meet organizers. Otherwise, we would take the video home from the meet and have the whole thing up in about a day. I also already put in some work to set up live results, in a browser viewable format with space to insert commentary. I'm simply at a loss that we had no response from the USAW. But, if they don't do it, I'll find a way in time.

Cheers

[Don Weideman]

You have a great vision Chris, I support it wholeheartedly. It should be a self sustaining operation so you don't have to go hat in hand for help all the time. This would be a better system than looking for contributions. There will be critics either way, but "there ain't no free lunch" so charge accordingly. The USAW needs to address this one way or another. Their inaction is inexplicable.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Thanks Don. I don't think there is enough of a market in our community for this to be a for-profit enterprise, at least not for every national meet. I think the USAW needs to subsidize it. It carries numerous benefits beyond just communicating with the membership and promoting the sport. It provides a reliable source for checking results, a record of injuries for the medical committee, a resource for our athletes and coaches, and much more.

There surely will be critics. Either we do it for profit and get criticized for not being perfect and being money-hungry or we get criticized for wanting to work for the USAW, as if thats a bad thing. If I happen to agree with the BOD on an issue or two, I apparently am accused of kissing up because I want a job. But, anyone that knows me will know that there is no one in this world I agree with about everything. I speak for me, and me alone.

Cheers