Well after all the announcements and controversy of Scott Mendleson’s meet at the FIT Expo I have been receiving numerous phone calls, text messages, e-mails, and PM’s on various boards. So I am going to touch on this topic one time and one time only. I am posting as a real person with my real name so if this gets cut and pasted onto Power lifting Watch I would hope everyone would have the balls to post with there real names as well.

A week prior to the internet announcement I spoke with Mendy on the phone. Mendy told me and I quote “Bro I got $5,000.00 secured for all three weight brackets. I want you there Bro!” Now keep in mind I attended Mendy’s meet last year and won it and Mendy paid his bills so I thought he would be good for his word. Note to self - Never trust a man that brags about his gym lifts with no video.

A week later the $15,000.00 that he had secured was down to $11,000.00 and the bracket that I was going to compete in was getting the short end of the stick. So I called Mendy on it. And Mendy told me his decision was due to the lack of competition in the middle weights. So the respect I get from my so called friend is that you have busted your ass to be the best but you don’t deserve any more than a grand. Of course I was offended and pissed off by the lies I was told about the $15,000.00 that was secured. If he truly had problems with sponsor money that is cool but what incentive is it for the middle weight lifters to compete for a grand when the light weights and heavy weights were competing for $5,000.00. None what so ever considering I would barely break even.

What is even funnier is I talked to other lifters in the light weights and heavy weight classes and they all said the same thing. Why not divide the $11,000.00 by 3 and make that the pay off for all 3 weight brackets. I truly believe Mendy has a motive for the unequal pay. After all he is lifting in his own meet and not as a guest lifter with his own hand picked judges. Smells fishy to me. Two of the lifters Shawn Frankl and Ryan Kennelly who more likely than not would walk away with the win in there classes had no problem with equal prize money.

Scott has a spokesman posting all over the boards which is cool. But why are they avoiding the questions about the pay for the WPO Finals? After all Mendy is running that as well. Why not be honest with the lfiters and keep them informed.

My decision not to lift in this meet is strictly a trust issue. So if you want to see the Middle Weight class at the Mendy’s meet save your money and travel to Iowa January 26 and watch Harrison, Briggs, and my self go at it under legitimate lifting conditions with no hand picked judges.

Train hard and good luck to everyone in 2008. This year will not different than last year. I will continue to get inspired by lifters like Kennelly and Frankl and use there success to drive my training to the next level.