Topic: MONEY ~ A New Strategy!

[Terry Thompson]

~~ Now that the Shreveport PanAms are over, I've made several observations related to Travel Expenses:  FACT:  At this year's PanAm Champs,... Venezuela, Ecuador, and Cuba did NOT send teams!  I assume that Travel Expenses were the primary reason, if not the ONLY reason.
 ~~ So, with 3 of the "Big 4" out of the picture, we did VERY well, even with Lance Frye's bombing with 174.  Our Women's Team WON and our Men's Team took 2nd to Columbia!  But if you're like me, you wonder how well we're gonna do NEXT year when the "Big 4" have NO EXCUSES, and we have to perform on THEIR turf!
 ~~ Here's a Scenario that I've cooked up, .. as a result of these 3 Major NO-SHOWS, and the Plane Tickets & Travel Expenses angle...

~~~~~~~~~~~~ My SCENARIO ~~~~~~~~~~~~

OUR MOVE:  We take the initiative and start a New International Competition.

NAME:  the Annual Western Hemisphere WL Championships.

VENUE:  Shreveport, LA.  It might be cost-effective to use the same venue EVERY year we host this meet!

REQUIREMENTS:  The sponsoring (Host) Country MUST agree to the following terms:
.....[A]  Reasonably-priced lodging, in or near the Comp. venue and shuttle buses, if needed.  
.....  High-quality gold/silver/bronze medals for the individual lifts, and high-quality, engraved trophies for the top 3 Totals.  
.....[C]  To accomodate an ESPN camera crew - at the Host's expense:  Free food & lodging, throughout their stay!   Host supplies a couple of experienced English-speaking WL Commentators to "call" the action throughout the comp.  Host also supplies a work crew to arrange the scoreboard behind the platform for optimum visibility.  Work crew also constructs any needed frames/supports for cameras.  
 ~~ Here's the Stinger: ... Whether or not ESPN films this Comp., the Host Country WILL BE HELD LIABLE to do ALL the above, at their expense!

ELIGIBILITY:  After the Competition, Men's & Women"s Team Points are totalled.  The winning country, (with highest total), is now eligible to HOST next year's comp., If they agree to the above-mentioned Requirements.  If not, the Meet goes to that country of the highest bidder, who AGREES to the above requirements.

The MONEY STRATEGY:  Therefore, it's conceivable that we could start this Meet in the U.S., and KEEP it here, as long as...
.....(1)  We score enough Team Points to win, or...
.....(2)  The Winning Country can't afford to meet the REQUIREMENTS, and we can OUTBID the competition.

The BIG FOUR:  Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, & Cuba.  Now, we'd better watch out for the Dom. Rep. and Brazil, as well.  But IF they can't afford to send Teams, they're NOT a factor.  
 ~~ Little Columbia DID beat our best men, and DID score more Total Team Points than we did - 1082 to 1074.  If Lance Frye had totalled, he would probably have WON the 77s.  Also, if we had sent Henry Brower in place of either Ukpong or Bruce, he could have won us a Total gold or silver!  

SUMMARY:  This gives us 2 shots EVERY year to lift against South & Central America's BEST.  It's a lot more practical to buy plane tickets to Columbia or Venezuela than to Australia (Mermet Cup)!  Both of our Teams did VERY well, plus ALL of our Men medalled!  
 ~~ Another angle to be explored is:  We could combine a Junior Meet with the Senior Meet at this Western Hem. Comp.!

*** Comments? ***

[Terry Thompson]

. . . EXPLANATION . . .

 ~ See section entitled REQUIREMENTS - paragraph: "Here's the Stinger:"

ADDITION to this section:  In the event that ESPN DID send a camera crew, and the Host Country came up short on their financial obligations...  then all the other participating countries would be required to "chip in," in equal amounts to supply the needed money.  The PENALTY would be that the Host Country would lose all FUTURE eligibility to ever host this comp. again!  Same penalty if they failed to meet any of their other obligations under the REQUIREMENTS heading.