Westside Out

[_Wolf_]

check out this article fellas:

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First I would like to apologize for the treatment of Taisia and Sergiy at the 2007 Arnold Classic, on the behalf of Westside Barbell and all of its lifters. Because of this, I Louie Simmons and all members of Westside Barbell, will not and cannot be associated with the APF and/or the WPO from this point on April 3, 2007.

I hope others with integrity will follow us in a new direction. If powerlifters don’t stand behind each other, regardless of race and nationalities, the integrity will crumble before our feet. My life has been dedicated to powerlifting for 41 years and all my memories and friendships have sprung from powerlifting. The fins, Germans and of course the Ukrainians are a large part of these friendships.

I would like to extend a warm invitation to all countries especially the Ukraine’s and of course Mr. Kutcher and Mr. Yarymbash and the 19 year old 100k lifter who was disqualified without doing a single deadlift, to come to Ohio and have a chance to win money and I mean guaranteed cash money competing against the best we have to offer. If our competitions from our foreign lands die, we die as well. We will treat you as we would like to be treated, fairly and with respect.

Once again, I would like to apologize to Taisia and her Ukrainian teammates.

Sincerely

Louie

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original write-up: [url="http://goheavy.com/forums/train/index.cgi/read/28641"Click Here[/url]

[widdoes2504]

Wow...that makes one hell of a statement.

[hrdgain81]

I wish I knew the whole story, what happened at the arnorld anuj?

[Scorcher2005]

wondering the same thing...

[Eric3237]

I'm not exactly sure but apparently Kieran Kidder, the WPC/WPO president wouldn't let a couple of Ukranian lifters (Taisia and Sergiy) compete or he disqualified them saying that Taisia didn't pay the $3000 guest fee and accusing her of lying about having the money and shit. Then he gave two of their countrymen (Kutcher and Yarymbash) only half their prize money. Apparently Kidder is thought of as an all around asshole and people are sick of him not taking care of his lifters. Nothing official here, just the word on the streets.

[hrdgain81]

^^ doesnt make much sense to piss off a bunch of powerlifters ... thats like walking between a mama bear and her cubs, just stupid.


Either way if thats whats going on, its good to see the West Side guys man up this way. Much respect to louie.

[Eric3237]

It's kind of crazy to run something like that on such a tight margin that one person not paying (ridiculous) guest fee cause other lifters not to get paid.

[_Wolf_]

oh yeah i got some info...

i got some more info..

A little digging to get a fuller story...

Originally Posted by Powerlifting Watch

WPO/WPC/APF President Kieran Kidder threatens expulsion from the WPC/WPO for any lifters who associate with Ukrainian coach Sergiy Ryzhuk. Ryzhuk coaches powerlifting stars Oleksandr Kutcher and Evgen Yarymbash among others. Kidder didn't allow a lifter coached by Ryzhuk, Vadim Dovhanuyk, to finish the recent WPO Finals, reportedly for not paying him $3,000. Dovhanuyk was pulled from the meet after his completing his benches.

Originally Posted by Kieran Kidder

Dear WPC/WPO Ukrainian Lifters:

Any WPC/WPO Ukrainian Lifters who associates with Sergiy Ryzhuk will be thrown out of the WPC/WPO for good!! He is directly responsible for the WPO not receiving $6000 of prize money. Which many lifters obviously would have liked to receive. But the most important thing all WPC/WPO Ukrainian Lifters need to know is he's a fraud. The contest he ran last month had absolutely no affiliation with the WPC. His web site has no affiliation with the WPC/WPO. If you are under the impression you broke a WPC World Record at Sergiy Ryzhuk's recent contest it counts for nothing.

Spartak Vaskovsky is the only WPC/WPO President in the Ukraine. His web site (www.wpc.com.ua) is the only web site associated with WPC/WPO Ukraine. He and only he controls all WPC/WPO Competitions in the Ukraine. All Ukrainian lifters are free to lift with their own coaches, but when going to WPC Competitions only one WPC Ukrainian Team can represent the Ukraine, headed by Spartak Vaskovsky. There won't ever be another Ukraine Team B again.

From what I hear Sergiy Ryzhuk has illegally defected to the USA. If any immigration oficiers are reading this he's in Chicago. Please go get his illegal ass!! He never returned to the Ukraine from the Arnold Classic. But I'm sure he will stay in contact by e-mail with certain lifters. Do not associate yourself with him, or you will be thrown out of the WPC/WPO. There are 2 Ukrainian lifters right now who face being ejected from the WPC/WPO for associating with him. They had agreed to pay Guest Lifter fees that would have got the WPO prize money, but Sergiy Ryzhuk convinced them not to pay Me/WPO. They must pay the money to be let back in the WPC/WPO. All WPC/WPO Ukrainian Lifters should take this warning very seriously. Thank you.

Kieran Kidder, WPC/WPO President.

The source can be viewed here, along with commentary from a scant few folks who appear informed.

http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/node/4532

this info was given to me Serpens Aeon

more stuff:

More that might be of interest, namely Mr. Kidder's response to Taisiya Kuznetsova...

Originally Posted by Kieran Kidder

Taisia:

Hello. I can't tell you how upset you have made me by refusing to pay Me the $3000 you promised you would have before the contest started. Even if you had not bombed out in the deadlift you still would have been disqualified since you lied about the getting the money before the deadlift started. Kind of ironic that you screwed the WPO over, but you you ended up screwing yourself over by missing all 3 deadlifts. Now to get back into the WPC/WPO you must pay the $3000 Arnold Classic Guest Lifter Fee, and additional $2000 fine for a total of $5000.You have no choice, but to pay this money if you want to continue on lifting in the WPC/WPO.

The way I see it you are responsible for your 2 of your own Countrymen not receiving the prize money they deserved. Oleksandr Kutcher 2 time WPO Lightweight Champion, and Evgen Yarymbash the new WPO Heavyweight Champion only got $1500 each, if you had paid the money you promised they would have been able to receive $3000 each. I will make sure that Spartak makes them aware of this. You will have 2 WPO World Champions who are your fellow Ukrainian Teammates mad at you for your selfishness. I had planned on using that money for all 4 WPO Champions to receive prize money. By not paying your $3000 Guest Lifter fee you are also responsible for WPO Middleweight Champion Dondell Blue, and WPO Superheavyweight Champion Andrew Bolton not getting $3000 each. Andrew Bolton is the best powerlifter in the World!! Your a nobody whose self centered thoughtlessness ways are preventing the Worlds Greatest Powerlifter from getting prize money.

I have sacrificed more time, energy, and money into this sport than anybody in the history of powerlifting. You are one of thousands of lifters who want to lift in the in the Arnold Classic at the WPO Finals. Yes I did not mention the Guest Lifter fee in Lake George New York to to lift in WPO Finals at the Arnold Classic. But that is not the point! You are a great upcoming talent no doubt. But with that being said you are only 20 years old, and havent completely proven yourself. You are one of many high level female powerlifters, and I can think of 6 female lifters I would have picked before you if they were ready to lift. So out of respect/appreciation you should have been more than happy to pay the Me/WPO the money to Guest Lift, and I know for a fact your sponsor gave you the money. But you chose to be a greedy person instead, which explains your negative attitude. We might not speak the same language, but I can tell by looking at you that you are a lifter who only cares about herself. So now your greediness is going to cost $5000 total to get back in the WPC/WPO. I know you have been kicked out of the IPF, and the whole powerlifting world knows the GPC is for second rate lifters. For the sake of your powerlifting career I would get your sponsor to get you the money as soon as possible. If you have nowhere to compete your sponsor won't want to sponsor you anymore. Get Spartak the $5000 immediately!! Good day!!

Kieran Kidder, WPC/WPO President.

SOURCE with more commentary:

http://www.powerliftingwatch.com/node/4580

I will not pretend to know what's going on, but take the snippets I have presented with a grain of salt, as it is a very incomplete picture.

[hrdgain81]

no doubt anuj, but drama is always fun.

[widdoes2504]

That is a lot of drama....