NZFBB killing the future of bodybuilding

[MUSCLEROIDS]

Got this from BIGKIWI'S site. Something to think about.

Who in New Zealand here would want to represent Nz one day a s a pro bodybuilder?? aint gona happen whilst drug testing is on the agenda, how many pros have come out of NZ in the last five years with M stewart as president.

Pro bodybuilders in these neck of the woods is non-excistant, so what can we do to get our countries bodybuilding status on the map..... logic is that we need a new president, one who isn’t gona hold back the progress of the sport for their own profit.

Alot of nzfbb members including people on this board would not be wanting change of the system and want drug testing to stay, not knowing that they are doing this sought of damage to the sport in new zealand by keeping M Stewart on.

I hope this mite give everyone a brief idea why every other country is progressively getting better at bodybuilding and NZ is falling further behind. Im wanting to know everyones views on this subject and if the time comes would you stand up to make a difference and get the sport out of the rut.

yes i agree with you totally

m.stewart has killed bodybuilding in new zealand

anyone who wants to turn pro

put someone in there who wants guys or ladies to turn pro

and not have to kiss m.stewarts ass to get it

i know t.doherty in austraila

he should run our shows here in nz

at least they have show where bodybuilders have a charnce of getting there pro cards

and even us old guys can get there pro cards also

with the open and masters class having a charnce

now why are we going backwards ???????

i remember m.steward when he won mr nz was offered the pro card

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm now whats wrong with him

put someone like peter hardwick or phil hope back in

or maybe we can get marc rainbow to maybe think about it

but we need to move ahead with the rest of the world

and we have a lots of guys and ladies here in nz

who at each weight class who would be great pros

MUSCLEROIDS

[da_yellow_fellow]

Hold on.... im a nube,

so your trying to say that NZ bodybuilders should be able to use gear and compete?

If so then i totally agree! :nod:

Isn't bodybuilding about freaking the audience and having ridiculous amounts of muscle?!!!!! :grin:

[waldo]

I would have thought the NZFBB had a good year this year. They by all acounts have made inroads into the debt, had good competition numbers, and a great standard at the nationals. A successful year by the standards they set for themselves.

I also thought bodybuilding was more about total packages, all facets of a physque coming together (condition, size, symmetry, balance) rather than 'ridiculous amounts of muscle'. Isn't a healthy lifestyle supposed to be promoted as well?

Tony Docherty may be seen as running a tight ship, but he looks after Victoria for the IFBB and has the rights to the pro show. Paul Graham holds the reigns for the IFBB and by all accounts I'd ather have Mark Stewart than running the show than Paul Graham.

NZBB may not be the proper platform to speak from. If you want change, then do what Moe did and try to change it. Make sure you have the right people, and a vision for the sport that extends further than the end of our noses. We must be looking five years down the track, not just to tomorrow.

[Andrew]

Why should performance enhancing drugs be condoned in this sport and not in others?

Should sprinters be allowed to take drugs to make them freakily fast?

IMO over the years body building has lost focus on the aesthetics ….. I’d rather look like Frank Zane then Ronnie Colman

[waldo]

Something that really irks me is that the IFBB don't provide their athletes with a health insurance plan...probably the only pro sport division in the world that doesn't. I can dig up many threads where pros have posted about how they get shafted by their governing body on a daily basis. Why would you as an athlete want to be involved in that when so many can't abide it?

[poos_n_wees]

Why should performance enhancing drugs be condoned in this sport and not in others?

Should sprinters be allowed to take drugs to make them freakily fast?

IMO over the years body building has lost focus on the aesthetics ….. I’d rather look like Frank Zane then Ronnie Colman

Totally agree with this :nod:

[PT]

This is a really interesting subject...shame it was bought up on this forum when Mark isn't even in the country to defend himself!

Just remember there is a federation in this country that doesn't drug test so all you boys (and girls) who want to be "freakishly" huge - you do have an option. And remember not everybody who is in this sport wants to become a pro. The sport is all about pushing yourself past your limits and there are a lot of people out there who want to do this naturally.

Give Mr Stewart a break..he's worked his butt off this year to bring the NZFBB back from the brink of failure, and helped his wife get on stage in the best shape of her life - I think he deserves a little bit of credit!

[Pittbull]

Why should performance enhancing drugs be condoned in this sport and not in others?

Should sprinters be allowed to take drugs to make them freakily fast?

IMO over the years body building has lost focus on the aesthetics ….. I’d rather look like Frank Zane then Ronnie Colman

Most top sprinters, in fact athletes in general are "on" something that is not condoned & truth be told that's why there at the top. Evolution does not change as quickly as the advances we’re seeing in people breaking records naturally. So what’s the difference? Drugs, plain & simple. I know over 10 elite NZ athletes (yes Olympic medallists too) that are using performance enhancing drugs & where when they won their medals.

The only difference between them & Mr Bodybuilder is that in bodybuilding their not tested & don’t need team Dr’s paid for by the Government to make sure that if tested they pass.

Hell just legalize the use of anabolic’s & totally level the playing field IMO!

[samoan_muscle]

Hell just legalize the use of anabolic’s & totally level the playing field IMO!

LOL - BUMP!!

[MasterTel]

..... logic is that we need a new president, one who isn’t gona hold back the progress of the sport for their own profit.

Oh dear! I thought these petty attacks on Mark Stewart and accusations of his supposed financial gains from the NZFBB would have been put to rest after the SGM farce last year!

As PT has already quite rightly pointed out, Mark has worked his butt off for the NZFBB for many years now, and apart from all the endless hours of effort he has given the sport and the NZFBB, his bank balance, dignity and personal life has taken a real hammering in the past few years. Mark is currently owed approx $15K by the NZFBB, and as a fellow Executive member and event organiser, I also expect he has also spent a lot more than that on the NZFBB. He also loses considerable income from lost work due to NZFBB commitments - so PLEASE don't start raising these ridiculous suggestions that he is somehow profitting financially from his involvement in the NZFBB!

Waldo - you are dead right with your suggestion, and unfortunately many people with good ideas to change the sport don't appreciate: either get off your backside to make a positive difference to this sport yourself, or promote your ideas through the right channels - and not by using petty personal attacks on individuals who are there "at the coalface" doing the hard work!

[Andrew]

Ok here’s an idea way don’t you compete for the organisation that doesn’t test get to the top there, then move overseas and compete for IFBB for your pro card (assuming they don’t test there)

Wouldn’t the decision to test in NZFBB be made by the committee not by one person? And as part of the IFBB wouldn’t it be ok’ed by them?

[Pittbull]

What it all comes down to is that everyone has his or her own opinion & views on everything in life, its part of being human. Now this also causes big problems like this thread as you can never please everyone in the population it's just a fact period.

So my advice to everyone is stop fucking bitching, accept what's there or if you don't like the way something is, rather than just talking about it actually do something about it! By that I mean get off your arse & organise something, slander & muck racking is the fools game that wants change but isn't prepared to do anything but stir.

Conclusion: Shut up or put up, I really think this thread should be locked now as slander & deformation of character are sue able & this thread does both while naming people too.

Just my 2c worth.

[MUSCLEROIDS]

Like i said i got this from BIGKIWI'S Forum and the comments are from Wellington people. I also know that Mark will not step down as the NZFBB team have done a great job this year and that next year is going to be even better as it well be 30years for the NZFBB. So like puttbull said lets get behind and help the NZFBB next year.

PS if you can not get on stage then go and watch the show.

MUSCLEROIDS.

[2guns]

Just remember there is a federation in this country that doesn't drug test so all you boys (and girls) who want to be "freakishly" huge - you do have an option. And remember not everybody who is in this sport wants to become a pro.

sure nabba doesnt test but u cant get a pro card with them.

and yeah not everybody wants to be pro of course, not everybody can.

but those who have the dream should be given the oportunity to give it a shot.

what im also saying is that are theyre anypros that are clean all the time? im yet to hear of one.

so why should u have to be clean to get a pro card? its just stupid!!!

i say have a non tested class once every two or 3 years fot those who want to go for it (pro card)

[geneticgod]

i agree with 2guns here,

definatly there should be a class in the NZFBB that doesn't drug test, its sad that our bigboys can't get their procards because of this analness, wouldn't it be a great feat to say you come from the country of a pro?

Also im sure having people in the pro ranks would help get NZ on the bodybuilding map, and we need this. Theres gotta be people out there with the freaky genetics to astound and shock the pro stage!!

TIME FOR A CHANGE I SAY

[MUSCLEROIDS]

i agree with 2guns here,

definatly there should be a class in the NZFBB that doesn't drug test,

TIME FOR A CHANGE I SAY

Yes this would be a good idear, but we all need to get together and let the NZFBB Executives know about our feelings about this. All it takes is emails to the NZFBB.

MUSCLEROIDS.

[2guns]

whats the email address?

[2guns]

mark stwart wont do this anyway.

and when he leaves the majority of people who will be up for taking his place will keep the testing policy i reckon.

[MasterTel]

Yes this would be a good idear, but we all need to get together and let the NZFBB Executives know about our feelings about this. All it takes is emails to the NZFBB.

Exactly! I'm one of those NZFBB Executives, and like the others on the Executive, I am always ready to listen to suggestions for change - especially if it can benefit the sport, the NZFBB and the people in it. We (the Executive) are not "suits" sitting in an ivory tower - most of us compete, judge, run shows etc, so we are obviously passionate about bodybuilding.

Any email or motion sent to the NZFBB is considered at each Executive meeting, of which we have only 4 or 5 per year. But why not contact the Executive individually. I've just checked on our website (http://www.nzfbb.org.nz) and we don't have individual contact email addresses listed - I'll push to get that fixed asap. But if you look at the Calendar link on this site, many of us who are also event organisers have our email addresses listed. So feel free to contact any of us, and while we can't make a formal decision until the next meeting, we can certainly discuss any issue informally amongst ourselves before then.

I'll make it a mission, when Mark Stewart gets back from Europe, to determine exactly where we stand with this issue of retaining drug testing and what can possibly be done to allow people a more realistic chance of getting pro cards.

[Jazz]

Currently when one looks at the NZFBB it quite obviously appeals to just the average weekend warrior. There appears to be little to no support for the top tier athletes. Most sports pay a lot of attention to development at the elite level, in the New Zealand sports system it is refered to as "High Performance". By drug testing it allows for a prevalence of physiques that are not world class, which is a common connotation for the high performance term. The sport needs to produce world class athletes to gain exposure and respect. If we have national champions in 20 classes and none of them can attain a first place at a world event obviously the calibre of athlete that is succeeding here is inferior on the world scene. There could be argument that the money is not there to send athletes to world events, however a common argument for the drug testing is that it was supposed to increase funding. In the last five years New Zealand has not even produced a professional that has placed in the top 5 of a professional contest. By drug testing it makes it harder for New Zealand athletes to compete against athletes that are not tested, the fact that one is born in New Zealand should not be a hindrance to high aspirations. The idea that people maybe competing at the NATIONALS just for fun and pleasure and therefore should not have to face steroid taking athletes who wish to be professionals is absurd. The National Championships should be for the best of the best who wish to either gain pro status or represent New Zealand. A National Championship for any sport is not the place of a weekend warrior, this is supposed to be a time for the elite athletes to battle it out. However because the drug testing regime is in place the elite athletes are not there, well not a significant quantity anyway.

Also in regards to the Nationals, one way that the NZFBB will definitely kill the sport is through the excessive pricing of tickets. It would make interesting reading to see the variation between the expenditure for the Nationals and for the regional/local shows held at the same venue. With equivalent advertising, the same venue, same amount of judges, the same amount of entertainment (none; no guest poser, dance/music/cultural groups) it is not easy to find a valid reason for such a large ticket price differential between local shows and the Nationals. In a sport that has limited fan support spectators should not be so financially punished, simple economics state the higher the price the lower the demand. The price of tickets was higher than what one can go and see the Warriors for, the day the Warriors played the Bulldogs the tickets were cheaper and better physiques were on display.

[Andrew]

Are you saying that if your not taking steroids your not serious about the sport (weekend warrior)

[waldo]

Crikey! Producing a pro that places in the top 5 of a show? Moe managed 14th in his first pro show. Are you saying we should be producing a Phil Heath every year or so? I don't think we have the labs to do that do we?!

[Jazz]

Are you saying that if your not taking steroids your not serious about the sport (weekend warrior)

How does one progress to the elite levels of the sport(the pro leagues) without being a steroid user? It is not apparant how one could be serious about attaining high honors within the sport without the use of steroids. A new model for the NZFBB would allow natural athletes who love to compete the chance to do well, however it would not be at the cost of producing top tier athletes.

[Jazz]

Crikey! Producing a pro that places in the top 5 of a show? Moe managed 14th in his first pro show. Are you saying we should be producing a Phil Heath every year or so? I don't think we have the labs to do that do we?!

If there was an average of around 10 pro shows per year for the last 5 years that would be 250 opportunities for a New Zealander to place in the top of a professional contest. Moe got 14th in his first pro show, however Moe did not recieve his pro card from New Zealand and the NZFBB did not develop him as a bodybuilder. Moe's development took place long before he stepped into this country. Moe is a great guy and great bodybuilder, he is not New Zealands to claim though.

Theortically if an athlete is at a level to recieve their pro card and they do so in 2008, in 2010 should be their first contest, one would not expect a top 5 placing here. However by gradually increasing development every year the athlete should be able to gradually make their way up the placings.

In regards to a commment about having the labs, no of course there are not in New Zealand. If one looks for a development program on the NZFBB website they will not find one. Having some labs would certainly come after the NZFBB having a clear athlete development stratergy. This stratergy would need to show a plan for developing athletes from the point of recognizing a genetically gifted individual in the gym all the way through to the attainment of a pro card, if the federation wishes to there could even be additional support for the athelete once in the pro ranks.

[Andrew]

How many people in New Zealand do you really think want to be Pro’s and out off those how many would really make it?

Form the past numbers (before the very resent drug testing) the answer would be very few..why change the rules for the minority?