[AlexG]

Came across this open letter posted on the GeneX forums, it's also been posted at the Muscle Mayhem and Unrealmuscle forums.

To get it in under the 5000 character limit, I've broken the quoted post into two parts.

Source: http://www.ftppv.com/ftvideo/showthread.php?p=55165

Source: http://www.musclemayhem.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56654

Source: http://www.unrealmuscle.com/forum/index.php/topic,11196.0.html

(I've included those links, in case anyone is interested in reading other feedback commentary from the community.)

From Ed & Betty Pariso:

A sad day for this Promoter of Women's Bodybuilding

First let me say the only constant complaints I received at the Europa Super Show were from the
Pro Women Bodybuilders. 

The Show was too long:
The FBB's complained the show was too long. It was the largest show in the history for the IFBB.  If you want to get it over fast, go to some of those smaller Pro Shows.  With a record setting 127 in the Show, it is not fair to rush someone's time on stage just to get the show over.  You would not want that done when it is your turn to stand on stage.  So you had to sit around..big deal… it's a record setting show that included Women's BB on this big stage, at a big event and Web Cast around the World.

2 day show
The only way BB.COM would accommodate Women BB into the Web Cast, was to have it with the Men's show over 2 days. So Ed & I go to bat for the FBB and get this extra production expense to get this included in the Web Cast and get the Women more exposure, and all we got from the FBB was griping.  Lets be clear….57 Pro Men, 38 Pro  Figure and 16 Pro Fitness, all  had to do the same thing, compete over 2 days.. and not one complaint, …we only got attitude from the FBB's.

The FINALS opening
We had planned a big opening performance with all 127 Pro Athletes on stage at one time to be filmed live
around the World.  Unbelievable only 3 FBB showed up, and 2 Pro's had actually told Ed they were not coming back for that "crap".  So we put something in place to showcase the FBB and show them in a different light to the world, and they don't show up,  just because they are inconvenienced and had to show up early… and sit around for a while.  What really surprised me was to tell a promoter to his face , they were not coming back for that "crap".  These were 2 women that took home some of our prize money.

Special Awards
We had over 10 Special Awards for the Women BB and not one stayed around till after the Show finals to pick up any of these special awards.  The Pro Fitness, Pro Figure and Pro Men all stayed around and showed up, but not one FBB was there, all the Trophies were still on the table when we cleaned up.

No Overall & 2 Weight Classes
We felt the show is about getting your Olympia qualification, 2 weight classes and getting the Women on the Web Cast.  We are the only event that featured the Women on a live Web Cast, and because of camera time and cost we were limited on what time allotment we could have.  Another factor was we did not want to dilute the prize money. I fought hard for weight classes, which is what the women wanted,  in the end it has proved to me as a Promoter to be a problem not worth it.  We get no additional competitors that a single class show gets, and just more angry FBB backstage.

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[AlexG]

Hotel Photography
We even had complaints about the Hotel not being photograph friendly.  We had complaints from the Hotel that the FBB were standing on the waterfall in a thong at the Hotel check-in area doing a photo shoot,  and also parading around in their posing suits in the elevators, without cover ups.  Not all, but some photographers and FBB showed a complete lack of respect to the Hotel and the other Hotel guests.  This showed a complete lack of class and does nothing to helped the image of FBB.

What was amazing to me is I would have thought the Men would be the ones to complain, but all we
got from them was praise.  The fitness women who actually sat around just as long, understood that big shows…especially record setting big shows take time.

Let me say that for the 2 or 3 FBB that did support us…thank you.  All in all I am very disappointed in the way we were treated, talked to and disrespected by the FBB's.  Part of what the Pro FBB's do not get is this was all done this way to encourage BB.COM to include Women BB in the World Web Cast.  In the end Ed & I were trying to make the show special for the FBB, and include them in everything we could to get the additional exposure that the women are always asking for….and all we got was "attitude" from the bodybuilding women.

Putting on Women's Bodybuilding is at best a very, very hard sell for a Promoter, but for the Women Bodybuilders to make it even harder, does not make sense. This proves to me the Pro FBB have no clue on the reality of Women's Bodybuilding, and the decline in the amount of shows and the lack of Promoters that support our sport.

As the IFBB Women's Rep, Promoter, and a constant supporter of Women's Bodybuilding, after the show was over I felt disappointed and disrespected from only one group…my own peers.

PS.    By the way our e-mails are flooded with praise from Vendors, Guests, other Athletes, and IFBB officials that
          this event has become one of the biggest, fun & most successful events in the World.

          Because of this overwhelming success from the Corporate Sponsors that attended the EXPO, we have already
          locked in our NEW 2nd EXPO in Orlando (Europa Show of Champions).

Betty Pariso
Vision Star Entertainment Inc – President
2009 Europa Super Show-Dallas
2009 Europa Show of Champions-Orlando

“I like a good story well told. That is the reason I am sometimes forced to tell them myself.”
~ Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens (1907)

[cpbell0033944]

Very strange.  I know that FBBers are used to poor set-up and are perhaps a bit sceptical, but to not recognise a good opportunity for increasing the exposure of the sport is strange.  Very disappointing. >:(

[Holiday]

This is really pitiful news. Ed and Betty worked so hard and they get complaints from the women? That's just sad.

[cpbell0033944]

At least, by the looks of the entry list on Gene's forum, the only Pro FBBer involved who's on my drool list is Annie Rivieccio, and I'd like to think that she was one of the few who did stay, so at least I'm not going to be deleting 'em from my list for bad behaviour.

That being said, as far as reinforcing negative sterotypes and, as was said by "PicsMan" in the MM forum, shooting oneself in the foot, this takes some beating.  Was it arrogance?  Petulance?  Sheer stupidity?  Who knows.

[DevonCory]

I'll be blunt and settle for 'sheer stupidity'.

Most people can recognise a good thing, but obviously these ladies can't.

[JimmyDimples]

I myself am reminded of a quote from Oscar Wilde:

"If the Queen can't treat her prisoners any better than this, she doesn't deserve to have any." :-

[BlackKusanagi]

Setting up their own noose. -_-

[Author]

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