International competition: When is it legit? When are you ready? When is it worth it?

0:10 You just can't win them all. You know, Lionel Messi is bringing Argentina back to the World Cup. Congratulations all around, So you can win everything. But then the US just got that ass whooped in Feba World Cup Basketball. Yeah, and then I just dropped that in ass can't can't win it? You and Lebron James and our good friend Jacob Brass's South Sudan team qualified for the Olympics. Yeah, which is insane. Sucedan has barely been a country, hmm impressive Yeah, but yeah, FIBA, I don't know how they did in Feba. I think they did mediocrely, but they won a game like FIBA, but like basketball. Yeah, literally, one is football association, one's basketball association. What's fish do you know? That's a good question. I don't know the answer to that. Probably something International Basketball Association.

1:04 They're supposedly insane. There's a movie I only watched half of it, got a little too nerdy, but about how corrupt FIFA is as an organization. Oh all, everything is crapt shit shit, shit, fuck South Park or something. Turette's episode shit back Federation International Basketball something that sounds like a mumbo jumbo words made up. It's not They made a sound, and then they tried to fit words into association federation. Looking at their website, it doesn't even say it says FIBA, the International Basketball Federation. It doesn't actually say what the words mean, what the f means? I mean international basketball?

1:53 What the f they? But yeah, so I think it's Germany and I don't know who playing in that, but the World Cups here, that's the big news. Where here? Where's here? Right here? And third Street? In third Street? What? Yep? No, it's in Santa Clara, Seattle, La Texas. Are you gonna go? I'm gonna try. That sounds fun. MESSI technically said he's retired and not going to do it, but then he's playing the qualls and you never know what he's gonna do, and he's playing so well, so he might do it again. And if he plays again, I'm gonna definitely try to get to a messy game. I mean, that's literally the greatest. How much are you willing to pay? Probably good amount, probably good amount. It's like once in a lifetime, yeah, you know, yeah, Like I don't think I ever saw Jordan's I never saw Tom Brady if you're about it. I've seen Lebron's cool, seen Lebron a bunch even for me though, Like I'm not into it. And really even if you know he's he's literally gonna go down as the best player ever. Yeah, you don't care. No, not willing to spend like hundreds of dollars because I'm not going to pretend to be like a fan of soccer. Sorry football, and like you should be sorry whatever, But like the in the World Cup, like you feel like I'm not allowed to No, you're allowed to fuck them, fuck the gatekeepers.

3:16 I think soccer fans don't care. And I also think like the World Cup and international soccer at least what I've heard and what I've seen on TV is the craziest fans and craziest environment and all sports. You know, I want to do a Super Bowl in my lifetime. It gets more international. Yeah, when when the last World Cup there was like seventy thousand Argentinians flew there. Yeah that's crazy, and it's like a Broque country a way they spend all of the money. Yeah, they emptied the treasury so they could go. Yeah, day funds like a lottery where you know you could get a ticket and the government will paid for it. That's pretty crazy because like how many people care but I don't. I don't know. It's not it's not like anything personally. I'm sorry, No, it feels personal. No, I just like you don't want to just like I'm not gonna have a bruski and wave a flag for an hour. I'm not going to pretend to be like interested or involved or like participate when I don't really know or understand or like even watch it on TV. Okay, you have a thousand dollars.

4:18 You can't use it on anything else. You can't use it on anything else. It has to be a live event, an experience. What are you doing? T Swift? No, Beyonce maybe, really, she's a great performer. I've heard the when I was flying to Vegas this last time there was I think Beyonce was in Vegas. Maybe Drake. She did Coachella. They did like a whole documentary on Netflix, and like, oh so maybe beyon you should watch it. Just leave it on your TV. I do like I do like live music. Yeah music, they have a whole she's a whole marching band. Yeah, you'd love it. Ye. I do like shit like that. No whole marching. But I'm not a huge Beyonce fan in particular. Yeah, I guess. But it also like shows the bat behind the scenes of like when she was pregnant and then it was after that, so she had to like on a crazy diet, training and like dance and like like hours a day. That's underrated fitness, absolutely reforming for an hour and a half, screaming, dancing, even if you're like not like choreograph but just jumping around and singing. Yeah, it's hard. If I walked for long enough, I can't get out of breath when I'm talking.

5:24 Yeah, now beyond yeah, now beyond pitch Yeah, remembering all the songs of the row if they're really singing. Yeah. I think a lot of artists it went to a weird phase for a while, but I think because they got called out. I don't think a lot of people lipsync too. I think that the super Bowl is mostly lip sync. I didn't watch Rihanna's performance. Oh no, I think Rihanna was singing. Really. I think so she's pregnant again. It's nice to believe. I don't think it's true, but anyway, but you can tell. I could watch it again and tell you one I don't remember. It is more the issue, but you can tell one hundred. I can tell yeah, because there's fluctuations voice. Yeah, no, you can tell one percent, or if it just matches the radio recording or the studio recording or used to hear it. Yeah right, that's the way you tell. Yeah, because they will change it up. Yeah, yeah, they'll hit harmonization, or you could hear a note off, or they'll they'll go on a different Yeah, their ad libs will be a little different. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know. Rihanna could sing though, Yeah, yeah, Rihanna could sing. I agree, that's true. Yeah, yeah, I just I couldn't tell you one where or the other. It seemed like it was a real possibility that because so many of the Super Bowl performances have been lip sync. Yeah, I haven't seen her as in particular, or I don't remember it in particular, but I know, like Brunos wasn't Bruno's insane live Bart was on a kick when we were driving around bro and we just watched his live concert, or listen to his live concert. He's so good. He's so good. I think a lot of artists now the cream has separated, because there was there's a

6:54 who was the famous one. I think it was Jessica Simpson's sister. She was like the most famous flip up where like her voice and her lips were like different on like an SNL. And I remember that being kind of the epitome of like, oh my god, no one's a performer anymore. And that was maybe like two thousand and nine, and everyone's like everyone's fake, no one has talent, blah blah blah. And then I think a lot of people that were real artists went against that to kind of prove like, no, we're not like that. Well there's also the Milli Vanilli thing where it wasn't even ever them singing that it was all lip sync. That's wildly its not in studio too, you know the voices in studio where other people and the performers were different people, different people. I mean, I get it right. And that's why like even now we use the term like yeah, performer or artist rather than like singer or songwriter or band. You don't even use those terms anymore, or because at has like a whole cult yeah, yeah, fifties. So I think about it like causing an earthquake there or something. Did you guys hear about that? No, Like I think she was in Mexico City when Dan was, though he said there's Americans everywhere.

8:03 Yeah, probably pretty crazy. I don't really get the T Swift thing. I don't. I don't either. I like her old stuff. I don't wasn't to any of the new ones even still, Like, I understand that she's like a good songwriter, but why is it so bag? Yeah? Why is she? Like like you watch one live Michael Jackson performance, and whether you like it or not, you're like, all right, this dude's different, you know, Like I get it. Uh, But like T Swift, I'm like, there's a lot of music that kind of sounds like that. I don't know either, honestly, because it is like a cult following kind of thing. Yeah, yeah, I don't understand. But I also like, I would also wouldn't mind watching Ariana Grande a live ck Kendrick Kendrick will be good, although Kendrick recently had one. Yeah, I just I don't. I mean, they all go on tour. I don't like music enough honestly to like go to I've never been to a clans.

8:54 I know, we gotta go. I love live music music. Yeah, I don't know. We gotta get you to a big concert. I like orchestras and symphonies. Yeah, yeah, I've done that a couple of times. Yeah, I haven't cool. I haven't since college. And I was like an experience that I took for half a credit and I enjoyed it and I was like, I'm old. I took a music appreciation class like that and it required you to go to a certain number and like review live performance. What I talk about your experience? Yeah, I did. I did a lot, and I was It was in La too, so I had a lot of was a Santa a lot of opportunity. La is good. It's a good place. Yeah. Yeah, like you know string quartets, Yeah, I just like watching everything happen. Yeah, you could just like movement with sound. Yeah. We went, uh I think it's January twenty twenty, like really like right before the pandemic. Went to Juilliard and saw a jazz performance. There was like vocal jazz performance. It was fun, great obviously Juilliard, right yeah, yeah, yeah, I bet all those cultures go crazy. I had a friend that went to Berkeley. Uh, you know Berkeley. Yeah, and so of course not this Berkeley Berkeley.

10:11 So Berkeley School of Music is like what Juilliard is for, like performing arts. Berkeley is for like music purely. Then No, I've only heard of VUC Berkeley. Yeah, Berkeley. I think it's like l e U. Yeah, he said Berkeley, not Berkeley, Berkeley, Berkeley. But you'd be like going to like guitar class and that's randomly like John Mayer's they're teaching you that day, yeah or shit like that. I see. Yeah, I bet you. They have to perform for every class, every unit. And I'm sure you can go watch insane artists you've never heard of on the daily. It's out in like Massachusetts. Where's Juilliard? New York, New York? Yeah, and the other one's bombs. I love to go to New York one day, one day. But awesome, one of my favorite cities, like whole lot too. Yeah, I haven't been in a while.

11:05 Good hang as well. Yeah, head up to the Bronx. I don't know. Yeah, get some Caribbean food. Yeah, Kyson and them? There isn't he moving to Korea? He did? Like Japan? Uh, Larry Wheels and all those cats are from the Bronx. So so we've been there to work out. Oh yeah, and what's his face, Bob? Oh? Yeah, I think Bob might be Brooklyn. I might be wrong. Yeah, I think he's Brooklyn. But yeah, New York Cardi B's from the Bronx as Yeah, Brooklyn, Jenny's from the Block. Yeah.

11:46 I mean a lot of fucking music, bro. It's actually kind of insane when you think about it, the amount of artists that are from New York, Bronx, all of it. Yeah, Brooklyn. Well, so much of the population and the country is also like east. True. True. It's like when if you continental divide, most of everybody is in the east of the continental divide. But just like culturally it makes sense too. Yeah, like there's so much more going on there than fucking Tulsa, Oklahoma. Yeah, what are you gonna like? Kind of like white comedians tend to like try to like take breaks and go live life because you need like stimulus to make jokes about, Like, you need experience shit to joke about. You need like experience to like make music about. So if you're Jay Z or whatever growing up in the slums, now you have like stories to tell, right, But if you grew up in Oklahoma and your life's pretty good and you're just like Bail, Hey, you know, I guess that's where country music comes in. You can sing about Bail and Hay and drink a beer. You know what I mean? Though, Like the stories and country music tend to be very similar. That's true versus like, I guess who who's in the bronx as app Yeah he's Brooklyn. I mean everyone literally what you're rapping about? Yeah? Not a great area, Yeah, not a great area. Michael Jackson Life Experiences, Gary, Indiana. If we ever want to talk about childhood trauma, I can get maybe you should be a right do you were made to be a child rapper? No, I'll just be one of those what is that the spoken poetry thing? No?

13:15 Spoken word slam poetry? Yeah, poetry slams tim and like David so just like talk make fun about like fun of the poetry thing. How people always do this like same cadence, but you don't really need to. That's like twenty one Jump Street Jonah Hill does it. I wish I could just do it because it's so funny, But I'm not good enough to just come up with words like Jonah Hills was so funny in that movie? No, no, what's so good? Have you seen it? You've seen it? Twenty one Jump Street with Jonah Hill and oh my god, he's that movie is actually legitimately funny. Yeah, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. I heard the second one was actually funnier. It's good too, Yeah, it's good too. They're both pretty good. I mean, those guys, they're just pretty funny together. And I know Jonah Hills under whatever, bad boyfriend? Yeah, he's that's so stupid, Like what defend him? Yeah, I'm not defending him, but the anything bad people cancel the same, whether you're a pedophile, murderer, sexual assaultist, or you're a bad boyfriend. Oh yeah.

14:15 I think it's because the controlling behavior that shows up in those texts. Yeah, is he's a bad boyfriend? Well no, but but but it's like I'm not I'm not a slippery slope argument kind of person. But that kind of behavior turns into two I don't know, can be like toxic on an entirely different controlling level for sure, like destroying, So can the creepy guy, Yeah, the creepy guy in the corner could be a school shooter. But I'm not going to just put every creepy guy in the corner and call him a school shooter. I don't know. I don't like people enough. I'm willing to just dismiss every Yeah, I don't, I don't. I don't think the cancelation is one you never get canceled, Like it's just board they are, it's just internet shit. Like, yeah, he be a piece of shit, boyfriend, He could be a piece of shit friend.

15:01 Does that mean he's just like is not? That's just so different than being a murderer. It is different being a murdered. It's different from being a rapist. It's different from being you know. Yeah, but everyone's under the under the microscope these days. So like if there's like a spotlight on you, you're fucked everything whatever the wave catches. Yeah, but there's just so many bad people around. Yeah, everyone sucks. I want to talk about one, but this is for it. No, no, no, no, no, yeah, yeah, you're canceling people. No stop, no, not me, But don't let's not get into this. Well, I don't know. It sounds like a juicy topic. It is, but I can't speak a bit on here, Okay, we have to hear about later. So we were dancing around a topic a little bit earlier before we got into what would you spend a thousand dollars on live performance? National competition?

16:02 USAPO worlds, no, US versus the only the only right this is It's like, why do they call the World Series the World Series because the world doesn't compete in it. It's like a little bit of Canada. I think that argument is different though, because if you're the best baseball player in Venezuela, you're going to play an MLB probably. Yeah. And same with the NBA because that's the big controversy right now. If you saw the track star did you see that? No, So there's an American track star that's calling out the NBA for calling themselves world champions. He's like, why I actually go to the Olympics. I'm actually a world champion. But if you're the best basketball player in your country, ninety eight percent chances are playing in the NBA. And that's why it's called the World Championship, Okay, right?

16:48 And same with MLB. Yeah, although Japan is strong, Yeah sure, but I bet you, I bet you top the bottom if you're the best player in Japan, you want to play here. Mexico saw so pretty strong? Sure, sure, sure, But if you want to play here because because they want to play as professionals and so, then if you get the best from the world in the same league and and I don't know about what the other countries do, but in the US for baseball, it tends to be an an MLB experienced manager and then maybe a few couple year veterans and a lot of rookies, a lot of in terms of what a team composition. Oh sure, sure, sure, so they're not they're not the best players in the United States. Are the best players that could be spared to play in the Olympics? Yeah, yeah, No, I'm talking about the MLB. I'm not talking about who the USA team. Oh and why it's called the World Series or a world Yeah right, it's because if you're the best in the world, you want to play here. Yeah, It's that simple. And that's the difference between the USAPL. The USAPL is actually just Americans. The only way I would like care to go to any whatever competition or spend money on whatever, like what is it playoff championship game or whatever is like if I want to travel to that state or country I mean country, yeah, or like city. I don't really care for the sport itself. I don't care enough. The issue of the USAPL is that they've

18:18 had a meet in China and one meet in South Korea, and as far as I'm aware, that's it. So they have this very long list on their website of countries that are represented in the in USA Power, Australia right well, Afghanistan, Albania, American, Samoa, Argentina, Interesting, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, and it goes on and on and on. Does it have a qualification for that? Does that just mean like one meat's been ran there? This is all it says, Yeah, because it means that maybe people from their competed here. To me, so that's what's true. Yeah, because I've even heard is it South Dakota or North Dakota They of two USAPO members? Oh lord yeah? And so like mamics not to USAPL means yeah, I don't think they do. Yeah. So then you're like all right, so like yeah, they're part of the USAPL, but like are they That's why the Olympics is the Olympics, Like, there's so many qualifications you have to get there. There has to be like a per capita like competition and all these things to even qualify to go there. You can't just send a random runner, even though some people say that has been happening with money lately. Who is that runner who was a Somalian? Yeah, they send like the Prince's daughter or something. She just got smoked by like ten seconds in a sprint and they think that was like a money game.

19:38 But majority of the time to get somewhere, you have to go through, you know, some kind of qualification. That's embarrassed. And that's the other thing with the USAPO Worlds I think is it's like a sign up. I don't know if it's an invite. She should have just pulled out, but ump punks, I don't actually know. I can't actually even find it. Yeah, that's what I heard. I heard that it's more of a signup. We're all of you see the IPF you have to go win your country's Yeah, they say. They actually say they have affiliates in Australia, China, Korea, Hong Kong, England, Ireland, Netherlands, Mexico, Portugal, yeah, and then like what does that? Yeah, what does an affiliate mean? Because like, I don't know, I'm pretty sure affiliate their language. I don't know how standardized is standardized it is, but like affiliate just meets. You paid that five hundred dollars to be a USAPL X brand's coach team, right, so maybe they have a coach there. No, don't even have a meet, right yea. If someone someone's in Japan and loves the USAPL because they're an avylou fan, then they pay five hundred bucks for his coaching team to be part of the USAPL. It's just all you know what I mean, Because then you're technically a USAPL coach and a USAPL affiliate. I guess that makes sense. So then your athletes can compete under Japan. But if they don't have like regular meets there, what's the point of like making a competition. The only point to me that have the nationals in the world is to have the elite of the elite. Power Lifting is beautiful because it's a it's a participation sport, right, the viewers, the consumers, they're all participants. Anyone who buys the gear, who runs meets, who goes to the gyms, they all compete. The fans are the

21:11 ones competing, which is very different than most sports. But if we're gonna if we're gonna build a bracket, if we're gonna build championships, it has to be the best of the best. Otherwise we're just wasting everyone's time. Then it literally is there's a difference between being a participation sport, which is good the consumers, the viewers, everyone knows what's going on. It's really cool. That's what makes it so niche. But versus like a participation trophy that's never good. I hate those. Those are so stupid. Get them, Like, why would you even want it? I don't want to accept that. I don't know that anybody really does. I think that that's a thing that was forced on a beginning in a certain generation. Yeah, I feel like my generation was starting to be at the beginning of it. I understand. Maybe even like local meets, like you don't compete against anyone who's just you get one, okay, whatever, Like maybe I'll keep people in the sport they're interested whatever. Yeah, but like at the higher level ones or everyone should at least know, like just because you're the only one in your weight class and division. You get a metal doesn't mean you're actually like what does that mean to you that your first place? Do you really do you really feel that because you didn't compete against anyone. That's been a thing and powerlifting and Massonomics actually shout out the boys just made a shirt about it.

22:15 It says like powerlifting champ and then super small. It says like by state record bench only like all this county, but like that's been a thing, like since probably twenty thirteen. On Instagram, people start to put shit like California Junior seventy two bench record holder, Like bitch, no one cares, Yeah, like no one gives a fuck. Yeah, you podium at like a legitimate nationals or you have an all time world record or no one gives a fuck. Right yeah, these people are like who at least wouldn't someone I forgot who it was or there was it was a junior world was a thing. And then they put like best eighty two. I forgot what weight class they're in, like in the world old or whatever, Like you know, you only competed in junior juniors, right and I even competing in open and juniors are like kind of competitive now, but like six years ago, no one's signed it up for juniors. I never signed up for a junior thing. Always specific. It's like, dude, a team someone in the teens could have potentially lifted more than you. Right, It's like, but you're saying you're this or you're twenty three and a half. You don't understand six months you got to compete against russ, right, so now what are you? You know, like, who cares? Yeah? I was so old at the point that I started competing in powerlifting that I was already masters, But I always signed up for open because there was no such thing like there was but yeah, there there, Yeah, there was. And I can't tell you the number of times that I ended up getting, you know, some dinky ass little metal because I even though I didn't enter as

23:48 a master's lifter, they put me in that category as well and so and there was either one or two other people in that age group or whatever, and I ended up winning something. But yeah, people sign lifting almost nothing and winning something. So yeah, people sign quote unquote winning multiple like classes just like win shit. I get if you're trying to qualify for again a world meet, like a legitimate IPF all right, that's that's a journey. But like if you're just doing it to collect metals, put it on the gram. Yeah, and then like if your dots is sub three fifty even sub okay, I guess sub four is like pretty common. But like it's like, I don't know, like compare yourself to the like I set a bar higher for yourself and this metal. Just know what it means. Keep yourself grounded a little bit, you know. Yeah, it is a fine balance of like being proud of your efforts and journey and yeah, pushing yourself.

24:44 Yeah, but a lot tend to lean too much on the yeah, random records or like chasing a random record, like oh I got to compete here and there because I'm going to be the junior. I'm like, no one competes in that. There are some people who have a mind there's some people who have that mindset who don't even like who aren't even trying to get any record at all, Like who are below that? I'm like, what are you? What are you doing? And I guess if it gives you that much fulfillment, that's fine, but it's just weird when you start to make it so public. It's been a thing. You know, it's cloud. It's the cloud culture nowadays, which I can never I don't like it because I've never had that mindset of like trying to be this or that. I've only recently become more like a ship need to be more competitive and it's good, and that's after I became competitive without trying kind of quote unquote yeah, but being competitive is good. It's just being competitive in like things that are so minor. But it's like, if I'm trying to be competitive, I'm not bragging about winning whatever place at a local meet, yeah, because I'm like, well this is cool, but I'm trying to aim for this, so I'm not like rubbing this into everyone's face because I know, like I have, I'm not gonna be that kind of I'm not gonna be that satisfied until I get to a certain point kind of thing. Where does that sit then for you? With IPF versus USAPL, because that's like the big you know, I feel tsunami that's coming. You know, I think a lot of the usa PL stars because the splits what two years old, three years old? I think a lot of the USAPL stars are starting to feel that way, where like, even even though the USAPL Nats is highly competitive,

26:18 I feel like the guys at the top are already feeling like I don't want to be the participation ward guy. Yeah, I have to go win IPF, right, And I don't blame them for that either, because it really is again like USAPL, only it's not a world title. It's a different set of competitive circumstances from most people too, because most people at an international true international meet are traveling there for sure, yea, which is still huge level time differences, the flag, you know, bigger stage, literal, bigger stag, the next step, Like you know, I'm not going to go to IPF until I've kind of made my like, I guess done what I've needed to do in nationals here like USAPL. But if I like kind of feel like everyone my course, then then you got to switch over to what's next is Yeah, but I mean I wonder if that's where things end up sitting. And it would make sense if the USAPL is almost like our g League, like our Triple A to our IPF, because you take and you know baseball better than me, but I imagine you take some of our good Triple A teams and they're going to compete on the world stage pretty good. That's what we did in basketball, right we would send our college guys and they would go and they would go play internationally and still succeed.

27:36 So I wonder if the USAPL becomes that and and you do you you go and you podium a couple of years, and then you win one and then you're like all right, and then people go to the power of thing America to really go to the worlds and win win. Boxing is kind of like that, but backwards for some reason, or you would go to the Olympics and kind of win and then you'd go to the big stud Boxing is a different sport though. Yeah what all all USA or all US Olympics used to be that. We used to only be in amateurs. Like I would go to that switched. Yeah, if that happens, I would go to the IPF. But if I didn't want to go to the IPF, I just want to for some reason, I want to compete like USAPLF forever. If my dots beats like whoever's winning the IPF, then it's like at the end of the day, whatever federation, whatever meat, whatever, blah blah blah.

28:18 If you break it down to the dots, which is what we're comparing each other in, or IPF score whatever, you can use whatever calculator you want. Do they use it different one now if you score, Yeah, I think they use dots. I might be wrong. I don't I don't even freaking known, but like regardless, it's like if you put yourself on this equation, on the scale of whatever equation you're using, and like you compare yourself across just like people person to person, Like I don't know who cares which one which one you competed in if it was like a sanctioned meat you know, and like you're you're doing similar role, similar equipment. Powerlifting is like the only sport you can kind of do that, I guess exactly because you can't do that in boxing. Yeah, maybe golf a little bit. You know, you play the same course. Yeah, kind of compare scores, but then weather and stuff a little bit or where you're from.

29:02 Jim's right, like throwing down even though even the NATS people don't understand how big the US is, so like you're gonna have to, you know, if you live in California and you're competing in Memphis or flour nine and a half hours travel. Yeah, it's still a three hour change. But it is a difference, you know, getting to train at at home or compete at home. I think it's different. But if you're taking that into account, you might as well take into account like the athletes, well, how they're meet pep one and there, and the fact that they just had a baby not too long ago and like their job would be their job was like, so it looks so great for having a baby in this like last month or whatever. Like you have to take their occupation to account and I'll give them what pity points for that, No, not pity, but that that is big part of sport. It is. But like traveling, traveling is a little different because that's like direct. It's direct. Yeah, baby, it's indirect. I don't know if I if I lost a like several points due to what I would think is travel. I'm not saying yeah, but if I didn't travel, you know, no, you can't say that.

30:00 But you can show up at the same meat. There is a beauty in that too. What do you mean, like all competing the same day, same circumstances, same judges. But how like, how like there is a beauty in that winning head to head, like dots will get you in the ballpark. Like, all right, I'm in this league. I'm not in this league. But competing head to head in the IPF, Oh yeah, you know what I mean, or the chef field. I know. But like if I'm doing that, then I'm not going to complain about or like blame a bunch of stuff on the travel. No, no, no, I'm not saying travel. I'm just saying that's it's it is a factor that should be accounted for in what way, in the way that you need to go there to prove it. Because if everyone just competes in their hometown and then because then there would be no worlds because then everyone would just compete in their hometown and we would just compare dots on the I agree, that's like it's cool, but I don't know. Or same with the Olympics. Then then there would be no Olympics. You would just run your track time by laser and just compare scores. Say it's like IPF, someone wins IPF whatever, but then someone in nationals like beat their dots for by whatever. Yeah, it's like, I guess in that case, it's like it doesn't that's like my track thing, because then no one would go to the Olympics.

31:15 They would just run their track with a laser timer and just compare running scores like all I ran, I ran the forty and a ten. Yeah, but no, you gotta go to the Olympics. You gotta do it, and you gotta do it with the lights on, and you gotta do it next to the other fastest guy. Yeah, and and same testing protocols and all the exact same laser, not the same type of laser, the exact same laser. I know, you know what I mean. Yeah, I agree, it's just like below that, beneath that if I said, if I didn't want, I get it. I get what you're saying. Yeah, but there there is like room for that. And that's why I wonder if the USAPL becomes that, it becomes the jump start. Yeah, I'm going back to the Worlds. But IPF coefficient they use gl points. Yeah, they're using using that through the end of this year, and I don't know what comes after that. It's talking about good lifts and then why yeah, why do we switch it every two years? Or whenever they want.

32:07 I think that they're testing this to see can we find the equation? Yeah. Yeah, And I get the improvement of it because I know Wilkes did have a stronger advantage to like big dudes and little women. Yeah, and I get it, But like every two years, every one year, you know, it's like, I don't know, random, maybe because there's so many lifters that are as a sport gains popularity or like that you have more stats to work with. Yeah, no, for sure, there's more data, but it just seems so weird. Like changing something in a major sport is like a big deal. Yeah, you know, did it for this year? A lot of things change this, Yeah, and so, but that's not every year. Something's not all that comfortable anymore. Yeah, like having to pitch under a pitch clock, right, totally different experience for yeah, it's like basketball a little shot clock. Yeah. But but like changing the three point line, they did that like once, yeah, you know, and then in college they did it. When I went to college, they moved it out from high school. But they did that once. It's not every year they're like, oh, well the percentages are down, let's move this a foot out. Yeah, that's what I feel like powerlifting does.

33:14 They're just like always wiggling these scores, that's true, you know, or even even like the heels down, head up, the bench grip, like they're just always changing shit, Like the sport isn't that new? No, you know what I mean, Like they're acting like the sport came out last week. Yeah, I don't understand any of that. The weird picky we've talked about. Yeah, right, I just I guess so annoyed just thinking about that. Yeah, it's just weird. Wait why why why are we tweeting? Well, because it's not like like and I understand the baseball reason one. Baseball is run by money, right, So they're trying to speed up the game so they get more eyes, so they get more Budweiser accounts, and that all makes sense. At least at least they have a purpose behind it, I guess, yeah, they have. The issue is getting people to watch it. But in terms of advertising, actually losing a half hour of game, you're losing half hour opportunity for ads. True, but but if you multiply more eyes, yeah, and you charge more p Well, now, like when they're pitching changes them sometimes they don't pull all the way away, or if there's you know, if there's a replay review sometimes or whatever, you'll get an ad like in a third of the screen.

34:20 Yeah, Twitch, a vertical third. I swear Twitch invented that probably so yeah, because there'd be streamers and all of a sudden there's like a can on the side of my screen. I'm like, what the fuck are they selling me? And they'll just shrink the screen. It's actually genius, right, because it's kind of a win win right, right, You get you don't miss a big play and then you're still getting the new Coca Cola flavor. Yeah. Yeah, with the switches, with parlefting and stuff, I think these there's just a bunch of parlofting dorks have nothing more to care about other than this, and then they get bored and like, you know what, this isn't specific enough. We need to like change this is and that, Like, dude, god, this is a hobby. Yeah. I do wonder who, like how that process is made, and I know they have like a council in the and that, but like I think they're lame. Well, like where's the intention again with the baseball intention? All right? We want to speed it up because we think we'll get more viewers.

35:07 Like at least there's a there's like a shining star, Like, what's the shining star with this bench rule? I don't even care. Is everyone's wide grid bench ruining the sport? Yeah? Besides Instagram haters, real powerlifters never say that, right, No real powerlifter says Sumo's cheating. There's there's five percent. Yeah, Well, when a federation cares about your underwear or what you wear in your head, I don't even think you no underwear, right, I don't know that. I can't do your logo on your shirt. I'm sure a logo, you're fuck that's about money. Yeah, but yeah you can do a headband, but you can't do a hat. Yeah. There's so many things like how's that? Am I hiding fucking a squat suit under my hat? Or steroids? Like what the hell is? There's literally no logic associated with at all. That's why I think it's stupid and a bunch of idiots, like you're bored whatever, And like dumb rules in other sports that I can think of always reverted to, like getting rid of the dumb rules, not making dumbles like the NBA for a long time had color really tight color restrictions on your sneakers. Yeah, and you're like, I get it because you want it to be uniform. But then they're like, wow, what's our intent? And they took it away. Now you can wear fucking orange sneakers when you're a blue team. Like, who really cares? Right? Well? A lot of that has to do with endorsement deals for the athletes, where they're gonna they want to wear their favorite show from their their sponsor, yeah, something or something unique or even. But again, yeah, if it doesn't take away from the sport, and the NBA cares about money obviously, but also the product that's on the court.

36:37 If it makes them have more fun, play better, look better, sell more shit, then it's a win. But yeah, what's the win with all these little nippigy bullshits. They're not making any money, right, They should be focusing more on that. Make money and then give it to the people in the federation. Get them, dude, God, get it to me. I've gotten nothing. Let them know. I mean, I don't know if people know that. I think I've mentioned it before. People are like, what really? Yeah, because the pro status yeah, nothing, well even I mean I'm not the top of the top or the best of the best, but like shit, is that where they're heading? So you get your pro card and then there's the pro circuit. Does each pro meet give money? At least? I think so because that's like because that would make sense, because that's what IFBB does, right, You gotta you gotta work hard to become a pro, and then every pro show, I think the podium you get some cash. So that kind of makes sense if they had that way. But if you're a pro for no reason, you know, yeah, I haven't done well enough to win any money like that.

37:37 So yeah, because there's the prom which doesn't make sense either, I guess like yeah to the smaller folks and like including me because I'm just in the middle. Kind of it's like maybe if I've won this or that, you might have thought that I've won something that I haven't. Yeah, pro ams and lifting don't really make sense to me because pro ams and every other sport are like an exhibition. It is where you get to see like just cool like basketball, like the Drew League, even the leagues I used to play, and you'd get like European pros that are over here on summer break, and then you get like up and coming college kids and you get random people like me that we're good and they'd all play together and it's fun, you know, like or the Drew League where oh, Lebron James decided to show up and Lebron James playing some kids from usc playing some kids from the street, just playing some random people. But a pro am at the Arnold doesn't really make sense either, Like just have a pro day and an amateur day, yeah, or only pro days? Yeah? Like why why can't mall pros just compete against each other? Well, the Arnold's supposed to be like the biggest thing, and then now I don't know what it is. Maybe you can look to Jim. The USAPL is doing something for the first time at the Olympia, which is November December, But I don't know if it's I don't know if it's any different. Is it just a pro meat?

38:45 Is it just a regular meat? It says pro qualifying. Yeah, I don't know, because then, like the Olympias like the biggest bi bodybuilding show show in the world, and it used to be attached to the USPA, and even then right. It was just a regular meat which is kind of dumb. Like it was cool you go to the you went to the Arnold and you saw the expo. They would do a powerlifting meet in the middle of all that at the Olympia. It was kind of cool. But I think it was like a very basic qual to get there or invite but there was nothing special about it. But you're in the middle of an expo, like there's people everywhere. Like it was a really cool idea, but then what makes it any different or special? Just yeah, yeah, yeah, that's not enough. If we want to grow the sport, like and they're making money somewhere and their sponsors somewhere that will throw a grand at that thing.

39:31 Yeah, it doesn't have to be a millionaire. I don't know where their money is going. Yeah, I don't either. That's why I wish I could make some money off of it, maybe if I competed this year. So what it says? Happy to share the newest addition to the USAPL calendar, the twenty twenty three USAPL Olympia International Good November four, Orange County Convention Center. Minimum qualifying dots four ninety five, Male four seventy five female. Oh that's higher. That's higher than I read. I thought it was four fifty four twenty five. Yeah, that's pretty good. Registration is now open for international non US lifters. There's Olympia and then there's another world's thing, isn't there. Yeah, that's the World. Yeah, they're just making it up and it's cool, like it will be on a big stage.

40:15 But then same ideas, Like I heard the only reason the Olympia's in Orlando is to avoid Formula one costs because Formula ones running in Vegas around the same time and yeah, and so like priced them out. So the Olympias like, fuck, we can't, we don't have that kind of money. We'll go back to Orlando and run an XBO. I'm like, again, like what's your point, Like why why your point should be like to make money and do cool shit, and and now you're just like running away. I don't really get it. I don't really get the people running these things. And I've never run anything that big, so obviously it's easy to you know, kind of lazy bomber because it used to be in like septems used to be like right now, Yeah, I don't know, I don't know that either. I know, during COVID it puts everything got weird. Yeah, pushed eight months and it did go to Orlando, but then it came back last year and I don't know the date. Where was it. So it's been in Vegas for twenty five years or something and then yeah, just during COVID it did one or two in Orlando, but then it went back to Vegas, and then now it's back in Orlando. And Orlando's a fine city to runk conventions by all means, But yeah, like what are you avoiding?

41:22 Why are you doing it? What's the real purpose other than just saving you money? You're like, I still think Memphis is a stupid option. Yeah, the USAPL, I think you'd just lock it down. And I get the competitive advantage thing, but like just just dropping in Vegas or like go Vegas to Orlando, Vegas Orlando, so you have a East coast, west coast, But to do random cities that you're getting a deal on a on a ex bow hall, I don't know. Is it. Do cities bid on these things or do promoters bid on that? I think that I think the USAPL is too small. I bet you USAPL just looks for a deal. I think they probably the opposite well, because they probably can't promise enough money to the city, right, like the All Star Game and stuff.

42:04 Cities will bid because they know it'll bring the city money. But I just bet the usapl one probably doesn't have the data. But like a city like Vegas, it could help Vegas, Like it's not big enough, but people will go there and do shit. Yeah right if you're just in the middle of nowhere and it's a week loan. Now, like who wants to be in Memphis for that long? That's another question, Like how long should these big national international meets actually be? I mean, how many lifters should be involved? I think the answer should be fewer enough. Yeah, I agree, put their bank accounts, one of their moms qualify. Yeah yeah, Why isn't it Why isn't it like top thirty? Yeah, and it's one day and you because what's nats right now? It's just a dots and then you just click the button as fast as you can, right yeah.

42:47 Yeah, So like technically a bunch of ninety kgs could show up in very few eighty two's hypothetically based on clicking speed. Yeah, which is dumb too. Why isn't it just all right top thirty of each weight class or whatever getting invite and then they have ten days to sign up. If they don't sign up them, we go to thirty five. But that just seems so simple because now like it actually takes into consideration, like some people didn't qualify, like compete in a meat to qualify soon enough. Although like what if someone was actually more competitive and like didn't click fast enough, Like you're saying yeah, and it's like now you're now the like if I were to compete against you and were in the same weight class and I got in but you didn't, but I know you're you would beat me. It's like why I feel kind of whatever I place, It's like I wanted to compete compete against so when I know it's competitive exactly, It's like I would want you to be in the same meat competing with me, so that if I beat you, I'll feel more SATISFACU like we compete in the same meat together, and like I like, like you said it with the IPF thing, like we can pay the same thing same but if you couldn't because you didn't couldn't register fast enough. Yeah, it's like, well, then what does this national meat like supposed to be It's before like and if my qualifying total, I know it is low compared to like most people and I got in, Like yeah, it brings the average down for that weight class. Do you know how many people compete at nuts? Too many? It's a lot and they shrunk it. Yeah, like they have I guess to give them a little props because we're just shipping on powerlifting. They have made it harder to call

44:20 because back in the day it was so easy to call. I would call on like a push pole. So they have made the qualifications semi legit. But because but now everyone's strong too, It's like exactly, so it's just like the scale is moving because the scale is moving. Yeah, it doesn't really, Yeah, they haven't weeded out that many. And then like yeah, like going to NATS should be like a challenge. It should. I hate that it's just a participation thing. Yeah, and it's cool for the community to get there, but why not have like if they make that tougher, and then they can make regionals tougher, and then regionals could be a cool community thing, you know, like there should be more of a bracket play, give people something to strive for it. Don't we just make it a participation awards so that there's like more people who want to join the club.

45:00 Yeah, because so they could get a star or stick. There's like a lot of little things you could do that, I'm sure, like golf and other sports do. Like say you win a regionals or say you have to like get top twenty at a regionals to go to Nats, and then if you podium out of Regionals or podium out of Nats, you're invited automatically for the next five years. Oh, that would be cool if they just paid for something for once, you know, like there's kind of no reason not to build something like that because there's all these regionals and they promote it, but it's meaningless still, it doesn't get you anywhere. Yeah. Yeah, I was thinking, like the States, I thought, if I didn't compete this one, like, I would lose my pro card. But the last two years, but upon thinking like that I was going to lose the pro card, I'm like, oh darn, I'm gonna oh wait, it doesn't matter. It never did anything for me in the first place. I lose nothing. I don't even have a physical card for them to take away from me. Even pro card, they give you a real card in the bodybuilding, Yeah, I don't send you a little card. People are like, oh, you don't even get a card, and I'm like, no, they just call it. It should just be an unlimit a credit card.

46:00 It should be something something. It should just throw you a platte card. Yeah, the USAPO bank account. Can they make it cool? I don't know. Maybe I'm just being a baby about it, but yeah, it's okay, but it's not that cool. They don't hear me anyway. I have no say in any of this. That's sad and true. I just I remember when it first came out like a pro thing, and I was like, that is so cool, Like I finally have something that's like hired to strive for, right, because you know, I don't know genetically speaking out't I qualified for nationals somehow and I was like cool, and then I placed fifth. Cool, But I didn't think I would actually like get the pro card till I had to really try for it. But I still got that. And it's like I thought it was so cool and like prestigious or some type of advantage or like yeah status or I don't know, showing that I'm a high level but I don't really I thought I would get something from it and I didn't. Yeah, so I mean maybe you're early.

46:52 Maybe they got things in the works. I know they like announced all this shit all the time. I don't really understand it. It's always but it's just there's just a lot of talking and not a lot of doing. You don't have faith, no, you know, like how we talk about how you could plan and have a bunch of ideas between execute. It's not going to mean anything. That's true. It's kind of what it feels like. You sound very wise. I just jaded. I think too, that the size of these means probably has something to do with the cost of producing them, right, They gotta know handle the ratio. Yeah, I think that's probably it, but it it waters down the level of competition. Hear. There's no way they can't scale it, right, it doesn't have to be in a ballroom in Vegas, like it could be in like a smaller ballroom or right whatever the fuck, you know, like a smaller stage that would cost less because it's less square foot. If the qualifications were higher, maybe it would like humble some of these kids, you know, probably not and like some of these cloud lifters, it's like you don't have cloud because you're not even I don't know. Cloud lifting is so not new because I remember when the USP. What's more, more people are doing it now. I guess yeah, people called me a cloud lift us. Yeah you are started.

48:06 Like everyone was like, oh god, you know three world records or yeah, you know, five American records and a state record or whatever in one meet and it's like you did what yeah, Or they'll switch weight classes, yeah did they because that's at least cool. Some people don't even have any of that, and they'll still like, no, it's because the Federation was brandy everybody. So if I'm the first one to bench one thirty five, it's a world record. Yeah. Yeah. That's how I felt when I was like number one fifty six or whatever in a weight class and I was a new weight class. Oh it's a new weight class, and I felt so sad. I was like, damn, that's another thing that's happened way too often too both I think weightlifting and powerlifting and switched weight classes at least twice in the last like twenty years. I would be the first, just what's the point I would be the first to discredit myself though, I'd be like, oh, it's like new weight class, who cares, right, But then anyone else would or not ever anyone else, but a lot of people would be like fuck yeah, like this isn't that. Yeah.

48:53 I was like when Iver had that realization, I kind of went to the fifty sevens to see like where I would have been in the best Yeah, because because it is the same. I'm a real competitor, not a freaking anyways. I hate the participation stuff. Do you have a heart out? Ivy? Kind of? I mean, as to get to arden so but it's yeah, m hmm, we'll let you be free. Let me see how long it would take ding ding ding ding ding ding ding dinging? Do do do do do do? What are you mapping it? Do? Do? Do? Do do? Do? Okay, dude, fourteen minutes, dude, maybe ten minutes. Maybe closes up and do a ten minute one.

49:42 All right, Yeah sounds good. Where can people find you Avy besides the pro stage? Uh, I don't even say that you're a pro. I don't know when the next time. I'll be honest, you're a power Instagram at ivy dot lou ivy dot p r oh means nothing, state local, county, doesn't stand zip code, record holder, it doesn't steffer professional. I wish I could think on the spot. Another act protein centric protein a protein personally radical operation. Thank you, Yes, ladies and gentlemen. New episodes every Wednesday and Friday. I'm Salem, Mike. If you want to find me good company Discord dot com. Join us in there. We grab questions and feature you on the podcast. Three Speed dot CEO for all your clothing needs and we'll talk to you soon, Matthew Jim mcdeon on all the social media. This show is fifty percent facts, or percent is a word and fifty is just numbers. Fifty percent Facts is a Spreaker Prime podcast in association with Iheartmy on the Obscure Celebrity Network and want to talk to You Ustim