Boulderbrew Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 A friend of mine runs a climbing competition every year called Texas Legends. This year there will be a long break in between qualifiers and finals.He has asked me to put on a basic gripsport competition for anyone interested (probably 20-30 people). Winner will receive a small cash prize of $50. I am trying to think of a fun way to promote grip to people who have never been exposed to it. I thought it would be fun to have every person make a 60 second medley run through as many implements as they can, whoever gets the most successful lifts wins. I have a flask, tips tester, blockbuster pinch, mini tips tester, blobs 35-50lbs, Vbar, 2.5" jug, 2.5" crusher, rolling thunder, 2 3/8" loadable handle, ironmind hub, grippers 60lbs - Chez, 60d nails, 2 3/8" napalms nightmare, inch pinch, stirrup, stub (lol)....etc lots more. I own 3 loading pins. What do you guys think? Any format suggestions? weight ranges for the above mentioned implements? This will be a very low key event, all lifts will be to lockout. I don't want to make it overly complex and scare people off. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Blackburn Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 A medley would be a really cool idea to get newer people to try out as many things as possible. I would say 3 events + a medley at the end. If it is mainly climbers, I have a feeling everyone will have a pretty good basis for most lifts unless it's a gimmicky or technical lift (even then, competitors might be hella strong; who knows lol). I would keep the 3 main events pretty standard (ie: 1-hand Flask, 2.5" Crusher, Hub/tips tester) and just make the medley as fun as possible. I also think everyone with a good climbing background should do pretty well on the Hub and Tips Tester, but you would know better than me. I think if new competitors have fun and see some decent numbers right off the bat, they might be drawn in. I think the biggest thing is just creating a fun, social and encouraging environment, which is really what got me hooked after my first competition. Thanks for being a great representative for the sport, dude! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boulderbrew Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 42 minutes ago, Nigel Blackburn said: I think if new competitors have fun and see some decent numbers right off the bat, they might be drawn in. I think the biggest thing is just creating a fun, social and encouraging environment, I’m with you here, that’s why I was hesitant to do a 3 Grip event format. Newbies don’t have any clue how much weight to use. I thought it may be more approachable for the new guy to just play around with difficult grip items for a minute and have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist of Fury Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I'd say run 3-4 events and use rising bar format. And of course don't include grippers. It's not good for beginners in my opinion. I think you should choose implements which favours climbers, like tips tester and such. Make the events one handed and allow them to switch hands. As introduction I think it's important to choose events where they feel at least a little bit "at home" in what they're doing. You don't want to discurage them. That is why I don't think grippers should be in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Roussin Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I suggest just having a 2-minute medley with about 20 items. A variety of lifts that test various aspects of grip strength. Various difficulty levels — everyone should be able to get at least a few of the lifts, but there should be at least a few items that are hard enough to prevent almost everyone from scoring maximal points. Fastest performance wins in the event of a tie. I’m not very strict when it comes to judging medleys. I don’t require lockout, but I am looking for control. As long as the implement is lifted a few inches and it’s not dropped, I count it. If you have enough equipment, and demand is there, I suggest running a separate women’s medley. I’ve run several medley-only events for people who had no knowledge of grip sport. Everyone seems to like the format. People can try a lot of different lifts yet don’t need to hang around all day. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Climber028 Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I don't have direct suggestions for the comp, but it would be fun to bring bonus items. Have some hard grippers out to play with, maybe a thick dumbbell setup as a no pressure challenge. Helps attract stragglers and keeps people occupied while waiting and good exposure to other implements. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Running a 3 full event contest for that many people could easily take most of a day - I like the Medley idea a lot - most of your climbers will not have huge hands so limit any really wide pinch or really big fat bar stuff. The most popular event at Gripmas over the years has been the Medley year in and year out! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist of Fury Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 57 minutes ago, climber511 said: Running a 3 full event contest for that many people could easily take most of a day - I like the Medley idea a lot - most of your climbers will not have huge hands so limit any really wide pinch or really big fat bar stuff. The most popular event at Gripmas over the years has been the Medley year in and year out! Would it really, if you use "rising bar"? A lot of people will drop out fairly quickly. But I agree, a medley might be even better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acorn Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Medley sounds like your best bet to me for this situation. Something fast and fun. - Aaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeezus Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 At first, I thought you were looking for advice on how to compete in a contest and I was like, "nah, you're good". I agree with the medley. It is definitely the most fun event at most competitions and the easiest to run. No loading between attempts or anything, so it's really easy for you as the promoter too. Just make sure to have 10 or so items that people can try and have a good range from easy to hard so the smaller/weaker folks don't feel super defeated. One thing I like to do is put multiple lifts on the same setup. So you could have a hub that people lift normally and have them also do a double key pinch on it as well. Save you on work and equipment. Just remember, you are effing strong, so stuff that you can destroy in your sleep will still be above max effort for the majority of people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Another thing to consider is that many of the climbers I have tested have really strong fingers but comparatively speaking - weak thumbs. Something to keep in mind perhaps. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boulderbrew Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 Thanks for the feedback guys. I am going to do a medley with a 2min time limit. Let me know if this list looks too easy or too hard, any additions you would make...etc. 60lbs HG Gripper 78lbs HG Gripper 81 lbs FBBC Gripper 109 GHP 5 Gripper 6lbs sledge lever to face 8lbs sledge lever to face 30lbs Inch pinch (no loading pin, just nylon webbing wrapped around 3 10lbs plates clipped to a carabiner) 25lbs ironmind hub 45lbs plate hub 1HP Flask 50lbs 1HP 2 35lbs plates 100lbs 2.5" loadable dumbbell handle 130lbs Tips tester, or mini tips tester (cant do both due to lack of and extra loading pin) 170lbs 2" Vbar 35 blob 1st gen 35 blob 2nd gen 40 hex blob 45 blob 50 blob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAVE101 Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 (edited) I hope I do not come across as pretentious. I'm sure you have much more exposure to this dilemma than me, and I may be telling you things you already know. Have you tried bringing any of your grip implements to a climbing gym before? Climbers where I train have great bodyweight grip, but really bad "pick stuff off the ground" grip. A friend that climbs V7 can NOT pinch two 25s or close a COC trainer (small guy as you can imagine). What age/weight range are the competitors you're looking at? I'm not sure if it's disproportionate where I am, but nearly all of our competitive climbers are teens thru 20s and <150 lbs. If your case is similar, I'd consider completely forgoing the following items: 5 hours ago, Boulderbrew said: 81 lbs FBBC Gripper 109 GHP 5 Gripper 45lbs plate hub 1HP 2 35lbs plates 100lbs 2.5" loadable dumbbell handle 45 blob 50 blob Like Gil said, you are strong bro. One or two "challenge" implements are fine, but unless these guys are Tanner jr. most if not all of these are just going to collect chalk. I'm guessing no one will know how to set a gripper, so using a TNS rule, the 80 lb gripper will be more than enough, not considering the fatigue of the medley. Not only are they not specialized, I'm guessing most are smaller stature with matching small-ish hands. I leave my hub plates, block weights, and grippers at the gym, and it's an exciting day when I can find a 150 lb guy that can lift a 35 lb blob. Again, I may be completely underestimating your population set, and I could be completely wrong. Best of luck, I'm sure it will intrigue a lot of people regardless. Edited August 17, 2018 by DAVE101 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boulderbrew Posted August 17, 2018 Author Share Posted August 17, 2018 25 minutes ago, DAVE101 said: Again, I may be completely underestimating your population set, and I could be completely wrong Thanks for the feedback. A couple guys are V12 climbers that have been to my grip gym before. They were able to lift my 35lbs blob, but not the 45. I kinda want to keep some difficult items in the mix if for no other reason than to slow down the stubborn. One guy has lifted my 45 hub plate. I was hoping the 45 hub might be a tie breaker. I see your point...I don’t want to have too many shut down items. Maybe I’ll lighten the load on my loadable dumbbell. I feel like I need some kinda thickbar event Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Roussin Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 I think your list is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist of Fury Posted August 17, 2018 Share Posted August 17, 2018 3 hours ago, Eric Roussin said: I think your list is fine. I think so too. It has enough varaiety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boulderbrew Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 The Texas Legends Grip medley was a huge success. Everyone had lots and fun. I was not strict at all on what was and wasn’t a legal lift. If you lifted it off the ground, I pretty much gave it to you. The weights ended up being perfect, one of my friends (not in the video) lifted everything easily including gunning a 45, lifting a 40lbs hex blob and easily getting 165 in the Vbar. My friend got lots of gear donated from mountain hardware for this contest. The winner of the grip medley got a tent! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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