Gene's financial worries

T

Toranaga

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I've posted this elsewhere, so if you have already read it, ........


Read the end of the article......the guy's financial woes. Damn shame.

PL should be targeted towards the mainstream if they want to change the financial future of the sport. And for that, the sport needs leadership at the helm. Perhaps some of you currently competing could enlighten us on these points.



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Royersford’s Rychlak bench presses world-record 1,005 pounds
Jake Hallman, jhallman@pottsmerc.com11/27/2004
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ROYERSFORD - Powerlifter Gene Rychlak Jr. couldn’t eat right for the two weeks leading up to the IPA Nationals, he had a hard time sleeping and lost nearly 20 pounds from the last time he broke the world bench press record.


And yet he still found a way to write his name into another chapter of powerlifting history.



Rychlak, of Royersford, became the first man to ever bench 1,000 pounds as he pressed 1,005 pounds Sunday, Nov. 21 at the IPA Nationals in Shamokin Dam. Rychlak, who is also the first man to ever bench 900 pounds, said battling nerves before the big lift was nearly as hard as the half-ton he had to push off his chest.

"I tried not to think about it, but I had a hard time just functioning," Rychlak, 36, said. "I was dry heaving before the meet and had a four-day headache going into the event. But as soon as the meet was done, the symptoms drifted away."

Though Rychlak had to battle the pre-meet butterflies, he said his other big lifts have come under similar symptoms.

"My body knew I was going to get it," Rychlak said, a 375-pounder who graduated from Spring-Ford High School.

Rychlak opened the meet with a 950-pound first attempt that went up so easy, his three "handlers" who help hand off the bar from the rack started giggling after the lift. He missed 1,005 pounds on his second go-round as the bar drifted back toward his face.

"And when you’re lifting that weight you need to be in an exact groove," Rychlak said.

With the motivation of missing his second lift in the back of his mind, Rychlak repeated 1,005 pounds in his third attempt, worked the bar down toward his chest and then pressed the weight after the command, racked the bar and made the historic lift official.

Rychlak made the lift with the initials of his mom, who died when he was 19, written on his forearms.

"This was the holy grail (1,000 pounds), the mythical achievement that nobody thought would happen," Rychlak said.

Rychlak holds the world bench press record in the super heavyweight division, with his closest competitor and nemesis Scott Mendelson 135 pounds away from the feat. Rychlak passed Mendelson for the record last November, and hasn’t looked back since.

UPHILL BATTLE

While Rychlak considers himself the king of his sport, he doesn’t receive the compensation or endorsement deals pros from the NFL, NBA and MLB do. As a full-time powerlifter, Rychlak earns money by running lifting tournaments, and gets a cut from supplement and powerlifting gear companies he’s sponsored by. But when it comes to meals, airline tickets, tournament entry fees (which are commonly $100 and up) and hotels, Rychlak depends on sponsors who pay ahead for him.

"I am the Michael Jordon and Mike Tyson of my sport, but I feel more like Rodney Dangerfield," Rychlak said. "All I ask is for help, I’m not looking to be a millionaire, but I’m looking to get started and get the ball rolling."

An example of Rychlak’s struggles came a few weeks ago when the engine in his truck blew, which hauls his custom-built steel 600-pound bench "Big Bertha" to tournaments. Coupled with the weight from the bench, bar, Rychlak and his handlers, the platform he lifts on has to hold nearly 2,400 pounds.

But without a truck to haul Big Bertha, he’s out of luck. So with no money to fix the truck, buy a new one or continue renting and borrowing, Rychlak went on a three-state 30-car dealer tour as he tried to find a dealership who would sponsor him and give him a free vehicle.

His search came up empty, but his mechanic - who has followed Rychlak’s career - set up a payment plan to help out. Though the truck’s now fixed, Rychlak’s still looking to woo the right sponsor who will help make life more comfortable. And now that he’s lifted 1,000 pounds, he hopes those elusive endorsement deals are right around the corner.

If he signed such a deal, Rychlak would like to repair the house he lives in with his dad, buy medical insurance and help pay day-to-day bills.

"I’m not greedy, but I don’t want to have to worry about money for gas, TV or groceries," Rychlak said.

When Rychlak isn’t battling money issues, he’s trying to get his name firmly entrenched as the king of the bench press. Several polls were published in lifting magazines asking who would be the first to break 1,000 pounds, and Rychlak was rarely picked to break the mark, though he was the closest. He’s also graced the covers of the magazines, but feels he’s been slighted as a contender rather than the favorite.

"Even as I got closer (to 1,000 pounds), I was dismissed," Rychlak said. "That ticked me off that I wasn’t getting credit and the respect my lifting afforded me."

NOT DONE YET

Though Rychlak admits 1,000 pounds is a major accomplishment, he’s not about to stop there.

"I’m not done yet," Rychlak said. "I want to put this away. I want to put the record in a spot that it will take a genetic superfreak to break it."

Rychlak, who has added 100 pounds to his bench the last three years, says 1,100 pounds is doable and 1,200 is possible. For now, he’ll take a month off to recoup, and tweak his training (which lasts anywhere from 45 minutes to nearly two hours daily). Rychlak’s training system he credits with making the jump from a 500-pound bench press to 1,000 pounds uses flexible stretch bands tied from the bar to the bench. The resistance, he has said, is what builds muscle able to handle the massive weight he’s accustomed to.

Once he’s back in tournament shape, Rychlak plans on heading out to California to square off against Mendelson, if he can secure the financing, that is. Mendelson and Rychlak have faced head-to-head twice, with Mendelson winning the Bench American event on July 4, and Rychlak besting his rival in the Arnold Classic.

"I just keep getting stronger and stronger," Rychlak said, "there’s no stopping me."



©The Mercury 2004
 
first it was a great lift...
second we all have expensive hobbies..its unfortunate that theres no money in PL..But obviously thats not why you get inot the sport..

I have a rather expensive hobby as well yet i cant find anyone willing to fork over a half a mill for a boat lol
 
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Yes, it does suck. I don't know haw many guys here have been to both BB'ing shows and PL'ing meets but I gotta tell you watching a meet makes a BB show seem like watching the sidewalk crack. And yet Pl'ing remains in obsurity.

It's all about money and most PL'ers don't fall for the hokey supplements like BB'ers do hook line and sinker. No money to be made, no big sponsors and advertising dollars.

Oh well.

Iron Addict
 
No one deserves to make money in a sport if their is not money to be made. It is sorry to say, but true. Unless the venues are taking in big money for meets, or getting TV deals, you better get a job. It seems to me that most powerlifters, even the great ones work. Their are tons of sports out thier, yet their are only a few where their is money to be made,it is just the simple truth. IMO, making sure you have health insurance a place to live and means of trasportation come first in life, if you can't get those down having a bench press record don't mean to much. At least this is my opinion, so take it as that.
 
I have to agree with everyone else. The market kind of regulates itself. If there was a lot of money to be made in it, surely sponsors would be lining up.
 
jcp2 said:
IMO, making sure you have health insurance a place to live and means of trasportation come first in life, if you can't get those down having a bench press record don't mean to much. At least this is my opinion, so take it as that.
i agree to a point but someone has to be the pioneers , the first football player , baseball players , etc. didnt make big money but they paved the way for others just like arnold and the other old school guys did for bodybuilders . also it doesnt sound like he has a family to support so its not like hes taking away from his kids by doing this .
 
DADAWG said:
i agree to a point but someone has to be the pioneers , the first football player , baseball players , etc. didnt make big money but they paved the way for others just like arnold and the other old school guys did for bodybuilders . also it doesnt sound like he has a family to support so its not like hes taking away from his kids by doing this .
Yes i understand, but guys who played pro sports in the 50's had offseason jobs, and those sports had been long established with huge audiences. Powerlifting has been around long enough where if it appealed to the mainstream it would have already. I am not knocking him or what he has done, but you can't get money from a stone. And the only way he will make money is if he can make others money, and it doesn't seem that powerlifters are making others money unless it is for powerlifting associated items. Their just is no market, it is not sad, it just is.
 
well, the root of the problem is increasing the appeal to mainstream. This is an imperative in order for the sport to attract not only sponsorship money but also new blood. For that to happen though, we need PLs to look like Menelson and Tate. Huge guys, but with visible muscular density. Mendy is proof that PLs (at least benchers) need not necessarily look like Gene to set records (though I am the first to admit that it helps).

Oh well.
Back to staring at Sugarplum's new avatar. And I didn't even like redheads
:insane2:
 
Mudge said:
Unless you give it a nest and a little booklet that says "Caring for Your Pet Rock" :laugh4:


you seem to be poking fun at my posts lately, lol.

Oh and bye the way, i have all the respect in the world for gene and all he has accomplished, it is just the way i see it.
 
i posted this another forum about this topic. i think it is self explanitory. =0)

"one point being missed here is the fact that PLers as a whole lift becuase they love the sport.

it costs money to compete. squat suits are 300 bucks plus for the custom made stuff. bench shirts are 250ish for top level. entry fees, hotels, meals, airline ticketys, taxis, etc..... but the experience is invaluable.

i was talkig with the guys at the gym tonight about this very thing. we all agreed that we do it for the love of the game. we dont care about the money as much as do do the steel. most agree that if big money got envolved in the sport then it would go down hill.

i personally dont care what the public perception is of PLing nor do the PLers i know and have talked to about this. now these are the guys competing, not some guy in a gym who says he is a PLer but hasnt competed. brad guillingham picked up a sponsor a few years ago (some supp company) and because he was under contract he was forced to do a strongman. he tore his bicep and it took him months to be able to pull deads again. this prolly cost him the usapl 02 nattys. if he had it do over he said he would have never signed on.

to sum all this up i can tell you that most true PLers dont give a damn what the public thinks. we lift out of compassion and not out of greed".
 
inked1 said:
anyone got pictures of this dude, 375 pounds, that's fucking hUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUge

Watch the clips. He basically looks like humpty dumpty in a singlet, no disprespect indended of course, as a SHW he doesn't have to watch his figure.
 
more mass equates to more weight moved. he is after one thing and one thing only, big numbers. everything else is a distant second at this point in his life.
 
pullinbig said:
i posted this another forum about this topic. i think it is self explanitory. =0)

"one point being missed here is the fact that PLers as a whole lift becuase they love the sport.

it costs money to compete. squat suits are 300 bucks plus for the custom made stuff. bench shirts are 250ish for top level. entry fees, hotels, meals, airline ticketys, taxis, etc..... but the experience is invaluable.

i was talkig with the guys at the gym tonight about this very thing. we all agreed that we do it for the love of the game. we dont care about the money as much as do do the steel. most agree that if big money got envolved in the sport then it would go down hill.

i personally dont care what the public perception is of PLing nor do the PLers i know and have talked to about this. now these are the guys competing, not some guy in a gym who says he is a PLer but hasnt competed. brad guillingham picked up a sponsor a few years ago (some supp company) and because he was under contract he was forced to do a strongman. he tore his bicep and it took him months to be able to pull deads again. this prolly cost him the usapl 02 nattys. if he had it do over he said he would have never signed on.

to sum all this up i can tell you that most true PLers dont give a damn what the public thinks. we lift out of compassion and not out of greed".

well said PB..i think your point is proven by the fact that most PL'ers like yourself and Dawg go out of their way to help someone who is willing to listen..you wont find many BB'ers who will help you out..
 
DADAWG said:
i agree to a point but someone has to be the pioneers , the first football player , baseball players , etc. didnt make big money but they paved the way for others just like arnold and the other old school guys did for bodybuilders . also it doesnt sound like he has a family to support so its not like hes taking away from his kids by doing this .

Precisely.

And there is NO doubt that money is a compelling attraction for new blood in ANY sport. In fact, that's why many switch over from PL to BB. Love of the sport is all fine and dandy when you're 20, but when you got a wife and kids and gotta pay the mortgage and put food on the table, reality sets in.
 
pullinbig said:
i posted this another forum about this topic. i think it is self explanitory. =0)

"one point being missed here is the fact that PLers as a whole lift becuase they love the sport.

it costs money to compete. squat suits are 300 bucks plus for the custom made stuff. bench shirts are 250ish for top level. entry fees, hotels, meals, airline ticketys, taxis, etc..... but the experience is invaluable.

i was talkig with the guys at the gym tonight about this very thing. we all agreed that we do it for the love of the game. we dont care about the money as much as do do the steel. most agree that if big money got envolved in the sport then it would go down hill.

i personally dont care what the public perception is of PLing nor do the PLers i know and have talked to about this. now these are the guys competing, not some guy in a gym who says he is a PLer but hasnt competed. brad guillingham picked up a sponsor a few years ago (some supp company) and because he was under contract he was forced to do a strongman. he tore his bicep and it took him months to be able to pull deads again. this prolly cost him the usapl 02 nattys. if he had it do over he said he would have never signed on.

to sum all this up i can tell you that most true PLers dont give a damn what the public thinks. we lift out of compassion and not out of greed".


Frankly, this looks like a 13 yr old child's rant. We are all on the same side here bro. There is no "us against them".

"I don't give a damn what the public thinks" - Incidentally, this mentality is exactly what's wrong with the sport today. This is the attitute of stubborn little children, not grown men who want to take their sport further and help it grow and prosper.

We are all here because we love the sport. No one is questioning that. But if you intend to pursue the sport full-time (BB, Tennis, etc) does the sport provide you with the monetary resources to do that ? In the case of PL, the answer is no. And that's what we're exploring.

brad guillingham picked up a sponsor a few years ago (some supp company) and because he was under contract he was forced to do a strongman. he tore his bicep and it took him months to be able to pull deads again. this prolly cost him the usapl 02 nattys. if he had it do over he said he would have never signed on.

So, because one guy tore his bicep doing a strongman, then ALL supp companies are bad ? Come on PB, you're better than that.

most agree that if big money got envolved in the sport then it would go down hill.

Perhaps, you can give us your rationale as to why this would be the case ?
 
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jcp2 said:
No one deserves to make money in a sport if their is not money to be made. It is sorry to say, but true. Unless the venues are taking in big money for meets, or getting TV deals, you better get a job. It seems to me that most powerlifters, even the great ones work. Their are tons of sports out thier, yet their are only a few where their is money to be made,it is just the simple truth. IMO, making sure you have health insurance a place to live and means of trasportation come first in life, if you can't get those down having a bench press record don't mean to much. At least this is my opinion, so take it as that.

Cosigns.

When the public sees powerlifting, they see (in their minds at least) a bunch of overgrown, juiced up (since Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) is the devil and all) superfreaks who are just frankly weird to them. Most people can relate to a football, basketball, baseball, or tennis player because they have likely played one of those sports, at least recreationally.

How many people can relate to a powerlifter based on any kind of experience? And nobody give me that drivel about how many people in this country lift or workout, because we all know that's nothing like PL'ing. Powerlifting requires a determination, dedication, mindset, and work ethic that most people in this country don't possess. If folks can't understand the sport (or, more accurately, the athletes and the goals) then they aren't going to be willing to shell out their money to watch it - it's just that simple.
 
jcp2 said:
IMO, making sure you have health insurance a place to live and means of trasportation come first in life, if you can't get those down having a bench press record don't mean to much. At least this is my opinion, so take it as that.

I agree JCP.

I touched on this in one of my posts as well.
 
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