rico300zx Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 Now that i'm done with school i'm considering hosting 2 or 3 small grip comps a year. Right now i'm really not sure where to start though. Would any one have some ideas or thoughts to help me out to make it run smoothly without snags. Parris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 I think just start small, maybe 3 events, and you're going to realize right away, "I'm gonna do THIS/THAT next time." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macaz Posted October 13, 2012 Share Posted October 13, 2012 See if you can get sponsors Daniel got a bunch of them so maybe PM him and find out how he does it. You need that ranking formula too. I myself need to sit down and learn how the mysterious numbers are calculated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico300zx Posted October 13, 2012 Author Share Posted October 13, 2012 See if you can get sponsors Daniel got a bunch of them so maybe PM him and find out how he does it. You need that ranking formula too. I myself need to sit down and learn how the mysterious numbers are calculated. yea I need to get something loaded onto my laptop or Ipad that I could use for scoring. As far as spnsers uh was thinking of something like Adam just did to coincide with my event. Only because I know that itwould probally be hard to get people to drive to my house unless they lived close. Parris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwwm Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 The best way to hold a grip contest is by the handle. The other end is too dangerous Depending on how many people you think might show up, you might contact a local crossfit, or some other 'bare bones' gym that would be willing to let you host it there. They may charge a fee or something. This is how Aaron has been doing it in Tucson, and I think everybody likes it. The only thing is one has to haul a lot of stuff to the location. The other thing that one has to consider is liability - most gyms already have the insurance coverate, and a standard waiver form. If you're doing it at your house with a small group of people, then it's your home owner's insurance policy, and the unwritten assumption that people who participate understand there is a potential for injury (unless you have them sign something). From a legal standpoint, this is less protection as I understand it, but I'm no lawyer. Daniel Reinard had a great poster design that he put together to advertise - it was very illustrative of the lifts he was hosting, so people would know what they are getting themselves into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico300zx Posted October 14, 2012 Author Share Posted October 14, 2012 (edited) Yea i'm looking to host a contest at my house. I didn't even think about insurance, couldn't the participants sign a waver or something? plus my gym would never let me have something there. But maybe they would let me put up a poster in the hall. Then ill have something drawn up. My buddy designs phone book ads. He could help me. Parris Edited October 14, 2012 by rico300zx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwwm Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 You can definitely go the waiver route - a lot of personal trainers have them, and that might be one option. Some people don't bother. If it's just going to be people you know, then it's probably not a big deal, but if you're going to be advertising and having people show-up 'off-the-street', well, you never know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel reinard Posted October 16, 2012 Share Posted October 16, 2012 I have a waiver form you can copy and/or modify as needed Parris. Just let me know and I can email it to you. They are nice to have too to track competitors height, weight, age etc for the NAGS ranking lists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter77B50 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Interesting information Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba29 Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I think we should pin this thread as a resource for the future. I would love if people who have held grip and weightlifting competitions could chime in with their advice on these how to's in regard to competitions: Promote/advertise/recruit Get sponsors T shirts, prizes, food, etc. Comp day organization, documentation, scheduling, flow, etc. I think there may be many people who want to compete and/or hold competitions but are intimidated for some reason or another. A resource like this could make it easier and less daunting to actually step up and hold something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Lipinski Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Well, here is a primer. I consider this a starter for a guy getting his feet wet. If you want to hold some bigger event, this won't be enough. 1. Gather interest. Message everyone on the gripboard from your area, and try to get local interest if you can. I padded out my first few comps with friends from powerlifting and just general lifting. If you have regular training get togethers, you will get a good group of core guys that will help generate and maintain interest. That should be your goal, because unless you have good connections with grip-related strength guys, you will really have to work to get outside interest. Be available, put your phone number and email out there, and go out of your way to help guys who want to enter their first contest but are nervous about it. 2. Choose events, judging, loading, and scoring. Event choice can make judging easier- Pinch, grippers, axle, etc. are established events with known criteria. When I started, I had to make up rues and judging criteria in advance. Oddball events will still require this; I would recommend new promoters keep it simple. Scoring criteria is also already set, so no need to worry about that. I would recommend a spreadsheet, and a dedicated scorekeeper/record keeper if possible. I have recommended Google documents in the past. It saves you time by posting the results to the internet as you go along. If you are ambitious, a special challenge can attract more attention. Best example is the medley of Chris Rice. If you have something interesting or unique, feature it. If you do go with a unique event, consider every possible way someone might "cheat"- Some people will try to lift implements in a way you never thought of, especially guys not into grip. People to help with loading will be important if you plan to have the two hand pinch. Most competitors will chip in and help, but it will fall on you as the promoter to keep it going. If you also plan on judging, competing, and scorekeeping, you will be very busy. Get help, preferably someone not competing. 3. Location and equipment. Make sure you have space and a venue to accommodate all weather conditions. Make sure people can find your venue. If you live far out of the way, you may need to find a venue closer to civilization. My first contest I approached a powerlifting gym. If the members (or you) pay for a day pass, this will also cover any insurance concerns you might have. You'll want a Euro Pinch or comp legal pinch setup. I love grippers, but after 10+ years of squeezing and collecting them, I still have holes in my competition gripper lineup. I would recommend a Vulcan unless you are one of the true gripper nuts who knows them inside and out. For example, the difficulty of a narrow or wide gripper will depend quite a bit on hand size, and not always to the advantage of the large handed guy. I wouldn't let equipment hold you back though. You can do a great grip comp with limited equipment. A one hand deadlift and plate pinch can be done with any equipment for example, and a hub lift plus sledgehammer for reps would put you out ~$25 plus normal weight equipment. Weigh your plates and calibrate your scale. Also, make sure you have enough plates and the right kinds. 8 45's, 8 25's, 4 10's, 2 5's, 2 2.5's should be more than adequate, unless someone shows up wanting to smash the Axle record. 4. Sponsors/prizes/food When I first started, everyone was handing out tons of stuff for grip comps. Not so much now, you'll need a good name or lots of hustle to get a good spread. I think I spent $200 or more plus sponsorships to get what I wanted for prizes. This is just my opinion, but I would not get aggressive with sponsorship for your first contest. "Save" your sponsors for something special, especially if you plan on having multiple comps a year. Guys with better connections probably won't need my advice anyways. I would remind people to be courteous to their sponsors- Feature their products in the results and competition, thank them, ask the competitors to thank them, and give them the first crack at publishing results if they are online. If I used the sponsor's products and had a positive opinion of them, I would post it in discussions. No need to be a shill or liar (that can be annoying), just recommend their products if you use them. If you want to have food- Food is difficult, at least for me. One of the best reasons to enforce early entry is to find out how much money you'll need to lay out. I would get soda, water, fruit, crackers, cookies, granola bars, etc. for during the comp, Depending on whether you have a place that allows for a party after (usually the most fun part of grip comps, hanging around, BS'ing, and trying odd feats of strength), then you might want something for after. Have someone available to run for supplies if needed. If people a decent amount of money and you forget something stupid, make sure you can fix it (food with no plates, etc).In big round numbers, $50-100 for food and $200 for prizes can get you through a small first comp, if you don't have a party after. I would probably advise people to have a first comp with minimal prizes and frills, just to get your feet wet. If your goal is to build a local network of guys who are really interested in grip (and that should be your goal), the food and prizes won't matter to them. More later. I am tired. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Consider that most early comps you hold will probably cost you cash out of your pocket to put on. You are also going to be really surprised how much work you're going to have to put into it. After you have a few and word of mouth gets out about how things went - the next ones you hold will be a lot easier. What I did was have a "get together" and just invited people to show up the first couple times - very informal - very fun -- no money, prizes, etc. Just a bunch of guys in my garage gym having fun. We had a great time and the guys who attended talked about it - making my first actual contest have a very nice number of people show up. You have to generate enough interest that people are willing to fly, or at least drive several hours to attend unless you live where you have a lot of local guys interested in what you are offering - this is the toughest part - generating that initial interest to hold that first contest and have anyone show up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikael Siversson Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Might be problematic given that Parris 'seasoned' his Euro pinch replica (if I understood him correctly in a previous post) with salt (i.e., deliberately adding a compound that speeds up the destructive oxidization of the steel)! This is not exactly how David Horne and I intended the equippment to be seasoned. It is certainly against the original rules. Hopefully Parris can produce a Euro set up that has been seasoned using a somewhat less controversial method. You'll want a Euro Pinch or comp legal pinch setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico300zx Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 Might be problematic given that Parris 'seasoned' his Euro pinch replica (if I understood him correctly in a previous post) with salt (i.e., deliberately adding a compound that speeds up the destructive oxidization of the steel)! This is not exactly how David Horne and I intended the equippment to be seasoned. It is certainly against the original rules. Hopefully Parris can produce a Euro set up that has been seasoned using a somewhat less controversial method. You'll want a Euro Pinch or comp legal pinch setup. My euro is just fine, no foul play and of equal quality when compared to any other used at comps. It is a couple years old now and in great condition. If I did have to get anything it would be a ironmind axil. The one I have is nice but not iron mind brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 (edited) Decide on the date – nail down the location (your house – garage gym – rented commercial building or whatever). Read the “rules” put out by the collective and follow them. Two hour weigh in period and all the little things that could cause questions later on – which you certainly don’t want. Decide on the events you will hold. Then gather up all the equipment necessary to hold those events. Be sure all equipment satisfies all the rules necessary for any records that might be set to count – get a ruling (I would suggest from David Horne) on your pinch setup. All RGCed grippers – acceptable two hand pinch – real IM Axle – etc. Contact people about borrowing grippers for example to have a nice run with small jumps. I doubt anyone will come to a contest where their lifts might not be accepted – leave no room for doubt on this part. I always have items from others at my contests and I always take some of my stuff to other contests to use so this is pretty normal. Be sure “everything” being used has been weighed on a certified scale – don’t forget the little things like collars – each individual spacer and part in the 2HP etc. No lifts will count without this being done. Loading sheets are really handy along with numbered plates showing which ones get loaded first – second etc. Be as organized as possible – this will make for a much quicker contest. Point calibrate your digital scale for weigh in purposes for each weight class. Install a new battery for this. Post the contest on various forums and perhaps on the bulletin boards at various local gyms etc along with entry form and contact information. Call your friends – get the word out. Get the scoring spreadsheet (I can send you this) – and put it on your computer – then play with it a little so you can use it smoothly and quickly on the day. Ask for advance signups – this is a real help – knowing how many people are coming – but then don’t be surprised if others show up at the last minute either. Gripmas went from 9 signed up by the deadline to 18 when the contest started. This could be a big deal if your wife is cooking a meal for everyone – not so much if you are ordering pizza or going out somewhere after the contest. But it went from what I thought would be a 6 hour contest to about 9 hours counting the 2 hour weigh ins – that could be a big deal if you had rented someplace where you had to be out at a certain time. Grip guys are great at pitching in and helping load etc but having a couple young guys to load etc is a great idea. I assume you will be competing as well as promoting, judging, and scorekeeping. The more help you can set up – the easier things will be on you. It’s a big job for you alone. Plan for the best - prepare for the worst! Edited January 2, 2013 by climber511 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico300zx Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 Wow thanks Chris! And thank you to Bob! I'm printing all that out. I have to buy a quality scale to weigh everything, can anyone recommend one at agood price, what qualities should I look for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedd Johnson Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Wow thanks Chris!And thank you to Bob! I'm printing all that out. I have to buy a quality scale to weigh everything, can anyone recommend one at agood price, what qualities should I look for? It needs to be either a post office scale or somethat gets routinely checked for calibration by a certified technician, bud. There may be someone in your area that does the calibrations. I got contact info from the post office for somebody in my little bitty town. i am sure there is somebody in your bigger town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Parris - a scale good enough to actually use for your plates etc is going to cost a whole bunch of money (that's why we all use the Post Office for the most part) - and will then need to be routinely calibrated every 6 months to a year to keep it's certification current. I was talking about the scale you will use for weight classes - which can be a high quality digital "bathroom" type scale that will weigh into tenths of a pound etc. This you will have to "point calibrate" to each individual weight class limit by using the calibrated weight plates you weighed and marked at the Post Office etc. There is a thread somewhere where we had a discussion on what constitutes a legally calibrated certified scale - and another where Mikeal talks about how to do a "point calibration" for the weight classes (it's not difficult) on that scale. It's a big but necessary job as a promoter that thankfully only has to be done once. My Post Office here weighs stuff all the time for people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 The only answer is that every single item to be used in a contest HAS TO BE weighed on a CERTIFIED scale. (not Blobs or Medley items etc but all bars - plates - collars - Pinch plates and spacers - collars and bar used etc. I know how upset I would be if I got knocked off the top 50 list for example and I later found out the weights were not accurate that were used in that contest - so it's not just for World Records but for all competitive results. I have well over a ton of plates I have weighed and they vary so much as to be meaningless as marked by the manufacturer. I have I think two 45# plates that actually way 45# - out of over 20 45# plates. Being a promoter is a lot more work and carries a larger responsibility than most people think - and close enough is NOT acceptable. If you can't do all this stuff in time - have a "get together" - and have a great time and don't worry about all of it. Grip has come a long way - knowing that a given weight is actually as stated is a critical part of keeping the respect of the strength sport community. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rico300zx Posted January 2, 2013 Author Share Posted January 2, 2013 I see what you guys are saying, I thought I could pick up something like Juha has in his videos. I guest not from what your saying. I may have to put some serious work int weighing this stuff. I've got a bunch of plates. I just hate the post office, our clerks are so miserable it's not even funny. I may go to fedx at staples. Jedd I'll ask who does their calibration Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted January 2, 2013 Share Posted January 2, 2013 Parris I live in a town of 2400 people. Here are the certified scales in our tiny town that I know of. Post Office - the one here is easy to work with and only three houses away from me. I worked there for 33 years and did most of my stuff when I was there but I still take things in as I get new stuff. New people there now I didn't work with but they are all cool with it - but a box of pastries now and then doesn't hurt anything either as a little Thank You Grocery Store - I haven't asked here but I know the guy so I imagine I could use it One industry - told me to bring in whatever I want - but I haven't used them yet The scale used to weigh wrestlers at our High School is certified each year - I work as a coach at the school so I can borrow this one during the off season. I brought it home and weighed every single thing I own - most of which had already been done at the PO - everything was the same, as it should have been. So a look around should find something you can use. If you know someone in the athletic dept at your school - that might be good - taking the scale to the weights is a lot easier than the other way around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikael Siversson Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 (edited) Parris, Another alternative is to buy enough certfied plates (eg Eleiko competition plates), with all the smaller ones included (i.e., 0.25k, 0.5k, 1.25k etc) to equal the heaviest item you are going to weigh. You can buy a good quality (but non-certified) post-office type scale that can handle weights up to say 25-30k. These would cost about 1/10th of a that of a certified scale (maybe $150-200). You can now calibrate your scale using the certified weights and use the data to weigh non-certified items (plates, 2HP set up, collars etc.). For example, let's say that a 45lb (nominal weight) weighs 22.73k on your scale. You then place eg 22.75 k of certfied weights on the scale. Lets say the scale shows 22.63k. You can then assign 22.73/22.63x22.75=22.85k to your 45lb plate. Repeat with a certified 23.00k and make sure you get the same result. The advantage of having certified plates is that it makes it easier to keep track of the results (as opposed to having to remember if someone used the 19.89k plate or the 20,11k one). In the long run I think we will move towards the use of certified plates. Edited January 5, 2013 by Mikael Siversson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedd Johnson Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 I see what you guys are saying, I thought I could pick up something like Juha has in his videos. I guest not from what your saying. I may have to put some serious work int weighing this stuff. I've got a bunch of plates. I just hate the post office, our clerks are so miserable it's not even funny. I may go to fedx at staples. Jedd I'll ask who does their calibration Now you know the work we have all put in to get this stuff done right. It isn't easy to run a comp, if you want to run it per full specs. What I did was really get to know the guy at the post office for about 6 months before I even brought up the idea of weighing something. Just the regular old, "Hey how ya doin?" to making sure I shook his hand on Veterans day. He has since retired, but to this day when I see him he still remembers me and asks how I am doing in Grip. I actually consider the guy a good friend now. Like romancing a new girlfriend, you've got to put in the work, whether you are looking for a long term relationship, or a one-night stand (getting all your plates weighed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel reinard Posted January 5, 2013 Share Posted January 5, 2013 Some other options for plates Parris is make friends with someone who has one at work or buy a postal scale and have a scale guy calibrate it. My post office doesn't have a scale for public use and the office is too busy to weigh all the stuff behind the counter. The nearest city with an available postal scale was too much a drive and I'd have to share the thing with 150,000 other people. Sometimes living in larger cities makes things harder to accomplish yourself. Things tend to become service based, not so much DIY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Parris,Another alternative is to buy enough certfied plates (eg Eleiko competition plates), with all the smaller ones included (i.e., 0.25k, 0.5k, 1.25k etc) to equal the heaviest item you are going to weigh. You can buy a good quality (but non-certified) post-office type scale that can handle weights up to say 25-30k. These would cost about 1/10th of a that of a certified scale (maybe $150-200). You can now calibrate your scale using the certified weights and use the data to weigh non-certified items (plates, 2HP set up, collars etc.). For example, let's say that a 45lb (nominal weight) weighs 22.73k on your scale. You then place eg 22.75 k of certfied weights on the scale. Lets say the scale shows 22.63k. You can then assign 22.73/22.63x22.75=22.85k to your 45lb plate. Repeat with a certified 23.00k and make sure you get the same result. The advantage of having certified plates is that it makes it easier to keep track of the results (as opposed to having to remember if someone used the 19.89k plate or the 20,11k one). In the long run I think we will move towards the use of certified plates. I wish I could afford enough Competition Eleiko (or other comp) plates to have them for a contest. We always use Andrews Eleiko comp set for Axle but the plates are too big a diameter (Bumpers) for the 2 HP - that will require Powerlifting plates for it. If you have those available - I am envious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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