SJ4 - Questions / Recap

[MCrushetta]

Pulling these questions from @JHenze646 post so as not to clog the thread on the overall lifter award discussion. His questions are in GREEN - my thoughts in black below them.

* What made this (SJ4) the highest contended contest so far?

Seems a few things. The events were appealing. The warmup area was great. The energy was infectious. The optional medley was perfect for people who have had enough of grip after a few hours and don't want to stick around. The surprise guests held some appeal. The relentless promotion by @anwnate on the gripboard and on facebook and I imagine in the form of direct messages to competitors in the community. Setting the date EARLY  -  at least 4 -6 months out so people have time to plan. That often has a huge impact. See the post I wrote a year or so ago after Gil and I put SS16 together here in regards to getting attendance. Tho Nate had many more people than us, I think he did some of those things: 

* What would make this a better event? Logistics? Administration? Cost?

Logistics and cost of this seemed reasonable. It was not hard to navigate how to get there ... the party afterwards was very close by ... and the planning and communication of it was great.

The contest could have run a little more smoothly if more sheets had been printed out for judges and volunteers to take down scores and if lists had been pre determined to divide up the 3 gripper groups / and the other split groups. Multiple Crushers and Flasks are necessary for a group that size. Really anything over 15 if you want to move quickly.  Loading sheets are helpful. The one on the wall was huge but not easy to keep referencing once the contest started and you were up at the front. I think we could easily run grip events with 3 attempts instead of 4, especially when they are approaching this size. One handed events are a huge plus in a competition this size, for both people loading and time friendliness. 

How can we improve this? and How can we make it easier for promoters to sanction events?

Create a calendar of grip events that lives somewhere other than the grip board for more people to access. Get a database together of potential gyms that might want to host a contest - could be a small one. Ask those making equipment to possibly donate some items in the form of a package or contest starter kit for gyms. Possibly move to 3 attempts per person instead of 4. We then could communicate more clearly to potential hosts how long these events will take. Create a rules pamphlet for 'standard' or 'common events', maybe even a volunteer training manual of sorts - how to judge / what it looks like. Get more contest loading pins out there. I know @Squeezus has refined his. Develop a Contest promotion committee possibly to take on this task. Divide it up into Regions of the US / or World. Combine these events with some type of educational clinics or grip specific workshops. Grip for golfers ... for tennis elbow ... etc etc. I have worked with several physical therapists that are pumped up about grip strength and what it can do for shoulders etc. 

What kind of data can we provide promoters to persuade sponsors? Contest numbers / implement sale numbers / gyms that host etc. There absolutely should be a chalk company that is all over US to sponsor events - we shouldn't be buying it ... other stuff too. I imagine that we can use the top 100 list to say to sponsors, hey, this event has been contested this many times this year .... they can send reps out etc. 

Scoring will be a developmental process. Simple question: do you have an idea you would like to try for scoring? Reverse Strongman scoring is EASY - it is simple and doesn't require people hosting contests to know much at all about excel or deal with the percentage stuff. We could also (if there were a hypothetical contest committee) put together a scoring packet of different kinds of scoring that gyms hosting grip events used. I am in favor of simplifying the weight classes - L M H .... for both genders as it's easy to deal with. The more we can simplify some of these processes, the more likely we are to get others on board. 

[JHenze646]

On 7/19/2017 at 11:08 AM, MCrushetta said:

highest contended contest so far?

Seems a few things. The events were appealing. The warmup area was great. The energy was infectious. The optional medley was perfect for people who have had enough of grip after a few hours and don't want to stick around. The surprise guests held some appeal. The relentless promotion by @anwnate on the gripboard and on facebook and I imagine in the form of direct messages to competitors in the community. Setting the date EARLY  -  at least 4 -6 months out so people have time to plan. That often has a huge impact.

Nate's relentless promotion was a huge factor. (what is He gonna do with his life now!?!) He also promoted an event rather than a competition. Regardless of physical performance, you felt like you were missing something if you weren't there. I didn't hear one person say, "I am not going to win so why go".

Edited July 20, 2017 by JHenze646
Autocorrect

[KapMan]

12 minutes ago, JHenze646 said:

 I didn't hear one person say, "I am not going to win so why go".

I knew i wasnt going to win. I just wanted to compete, and crush prs. Plus i had a feeling it would be epic. I wasnt let down

[Chez]

14 minutes ago, JHenze646 said:

Nate's relentless promotion was a huge factor. (what is He gonna do with his life now!?!) He also promoted an event rather than a competition. Regardless of physical performance, you felt like you were missing something if you weren't there. I didn't hear one person say, "I am not going to win so why go".

Nate went full stalker mode for this comp.....................

[anwnate]

1 hour ago, Chez said:

Nate went full stalker mode for this comp.....................

[JHenze646]

On 7/19/2017 at 11:08 AM, MCrushetta said:

What would make this a better event? Logistics? Administration? Cost?

Logistics and cost of this seemed reasonable. It was not hard to navigate how to get there ... the party afterwards was very close by ... and the planning and communication of it was great.

The contest could have run a little more smoothly if more sheets had been printed out for judges and volunteers to take down scores and if lists had been pre determined to divide up the 3 gripper groups / and the other split groups. Multiple Crushers and Flasks are necessary for a group that size. Really anything over 15 if you want to move quickly.  Loading sheets are helpful. The one on the wall was huge but not easy to keep referencing once the contest started and you were up at the front. I think we could easily run grip events with 3 attempts instead of 4, especially when they are approaching this size. One handed events are a huge plus in a competition this size, for both people loading and time friendliness. 

For possible smoother running competition, we should consider locating the scorekeeper behind the lifting platform. Paired with the judge(s) in front of the platform and the loader(s) on the platform it may help eliminate confusion and improve efficiency. The loader would load and announce the weight, The athlete would step to the platform and give their name to the score keeper, and the judge would signal the success of the attempt directly to the athlete and scorekeeper. Any crowd or noise at the front of the platform or into the crowd would have minimal affect on the communication between the loader, judge, and scorekeeper.

Several weight sheets as Maria has pointed out is also beneficial.

[JHenze646]

For planning and communication, hats off to Nate. He is a machine.

I haven't heard of one person who did not like the "host hotel" location. I will be inquiring about the details of this arrangement from @anwnate.

[anwnate]

There were a lot of positives about the "host hotel."

It's right off of 295.

It was close as hell to my house.

Free breakfast. lol

It's certainly not the Ritz, but was adequate.  Unfortunately I heard of an A/C issue in one of the rooms.  Hopefully it was resolved to satisfaction.

The comp room itself was perfect...for 30 contestants and some guests. 

As soon as we ballooned to 50 and some guests...it got real hot in there.  A larger room would have handled the heat better for sure.

But...I'd rather have an extra 20 people in a comp than be perfectly comfortable.  At least the hallways were nice and cool.

All criticism so far has been constructive and on point.  

As gripsport grows (hope to heck it does), we will continue to encounter issues that will help us streamline the process.

The fact that people are analysing the comp thoroughly means they are dedicated to improvement in Gripsport.  Thanks guys.

[MCrushetta]

On 7/23/2017 at 11:05 AM, JHenze646 said:

For possible smoother running competition, we should consider locating the scorekeeper behind the lifting platform. Paired with the judge(s) in front of the platform and the loader(s) on the platform it may help eliminate confusion and improve efficiency. The loader would load and announce the weight, The athlete would step to the platform and give their name to the score keeper, and the judge would signal the success of the attempt directly to the athlete and scorekeeper. Any crowd or noise at the front of the platform or into the crowd would have minimal affect on the communication between the loader, judge, and scorekeeper.

Several weight sheets as Maria has pointed out is also beneficial.

This is a great idea. Thanks for this!