Q&A INTERVIEW: JIM LORIMER

CO-PROMOTER OF THE ARNOLD WEEKEND

Jim Lorimer met Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1970s, when Arnold was still competing and Jim was promoting bodybuilding contests in the Columbus, Ohio area. Soon after they began co-promoting physique events, which eventually evolved into the "Arnold Weekend" - the Arnold Classic, the Ms. Internationa, and Fitness International contest, andwhich now includes a wide variety of other athletic events including martial arts, weightlifting, arm wrestling, gymnastics and one of the largest fitness expos in the world, with 600 boths featuring equipment, supplements and clothing.

But as successful as Jim and Arnold have made the Arnold Weekend, what is of most significance to fans of female physique is how well the women competitors are supported, promoted and rewarded at this event. In a time in which women's bodybuilding has been subject to a lot of criticism from the bodybuilding federations and the physique magazines, the women continue to receive first class treatment in Columbus. We talked recently to Jim Lorimer and asked how this has come about.

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Q: Jim, women who compete in physique events have seen their prize money shrink in recent years. How are you and Arnold dealing with prize money in your shows?

JIM: In 2001, we offered the women total prize money of $100,000 - $50,000 each for the Ms. International and Fitness Internations. I think you'll find that prize money tends to be less for women than men in most sports, not because of discrimination but simply due to economics - there is less sponsorship money available for women. But we have always found that our Columbus shows attract a very enthusiastic audience for women's bodybuilding and fitness and that's what allows us to offer this amount of prize money.

Q: You had a lot more women on stage in Columbus in 2001 than the Olympia did a few months before.

JIM: Yes, we did.. We had the largest fields ever in all three contests - men's and women's bodybuilding and fitness. We had reigning Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman entering the Arnold Classic, and I think that added a lot more interestt. We had 20 fitness competitors and 10 competitors in each of the two women's bodybuilding weight classes. Actually, we got so many requests to enter the shows that we had to disappoint a number of very qualified female competitors. There are so many really excellent fitness women and female bodybuilders out there we just can't invite all of them.

Q: So as far as you are concerned women's bodybuilding and fitness are alive and doing well?

JIM: Our audiences love both types of competition. Again, bodybuilding for men has a bigger fan base, but it has been around a lot longer. But I think our success in Columbus shows that you can sell tickets to women's physique events if you go about promoting the contests properly.

Q: At the Olympia, the women bodybuilders were added as something of an afterthought. You and Arnold seem to give the women the same attention, effort and support as the men.

JIM: If you watched any of the recent Olympics - and, by the way, we have had a number of Olympic champions involved in our events in Columbus - you saw that the women athletes were just as exciting as the men, and in some events the women draw a much larger audience than the men do. When it comes to bodybuilding, the women work just as hard as the men do, even harder in the sense that dieting for maximum definition is more difficult for women - and they deserve the same amount of respect. Besides, you are not going to see any kind of gender discrimination where Arnold Schwarzegger is involved. He is married to a very talented, intelligent and able woman in Maria, he has daughters and he is a champion athlete himself - so he feels the same way I do about giving the female competitors - in both bodybuilding and fitness - the full respect and support they deserve.

Q: According to your website, the Ms. International and Fitness International wasn't the only place to see female athletes during the Arnold Weekend.

JIM: Yes, that's right. We had a huge number of other types of competition, including martial arts, gymnastics and cheerleading, many of them involving women athletes. You got to see all 106 lbs of Tara Nott, the first American woman to earn a Gold Medal in weightlifting. You'll also get a chance to see the lovely Russian gymnast Svetlana Khorkina, who was upset - in both senses of the word - by the problems with the equipment at the Sidney Olympics. Additionally, when you go to the Expo you have a chance to meet dozens of top female bodybuilders and fitness champions who are not in the contest this year but who are working at some of the booths. And lots of well-known fitness models you frequently see in the physique magazines. So if you are a fan of female physique, Columbus is the place to be the first weekend in March. And I promise you, the Arnold Weekend in 2002 will be even bigger and better, with more types of competition, more events going on and an Expo that will be even bigger than before. I hope as many fans of female bodybuilding and fitness arrange to attend. We'll look forward to seeing you.

For more info:
www.arnoldclassic.com

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