Ross Love Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I wanted this topic to follow Andrews thread and maybe help some guys that were on the fence about promoting their own competition... I plan to promote one in Mid-Late July at The Warehouse Gym in League City, Tx. So... What do I need to be prepared for? What do I need to know? I would love to hear from the Veteran Promoters on this as far as their experiences on what they would do the same or differently. - I plan to do a 4 event Novice competition with a Large and Small hand division. - Cash prize to the winner of each division and the rest of the money will go towards more equipment for the gym. So everyone wins. - I know a fair amount of people in the area so I maybe able to get a supplement sponsor for this.. As well as maybe a small cash donation. Events that I have right now: 1. IM Axle 2. RT's 3. Non calibrated Grippers 4. A couple of Hex's 5. Ghetto 2hp device that I train with... 6. 3" Rotating Bar that is just sick. 7. Im anvil horn. 8. 2 Hand pinch sled device. Lets get some constructive chatter going! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigdeze Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Great to see you picking up the ball and running with it Ross. I think your grippers would need to be calibrated or use an adjustable gripper. (Vulcan or Baraban) I'll have to see how far League City is for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I wanted this topic to follow Andrews thread and maybe help some guys that were on the fence about promoting their own competition... I plan to promote one in Mid-Late July at The Warehouse Gym in League City, Tx. So... What do I need to be prepared for? What do I need to know? I would love to hear from the Veteran Promoters on this as far as their experiences on what they would do the same or differently. - I plan to do a 4 event Novice competition with a Large and Small hand division. - Cash prize to the winner of each division and the rest of the money will go towards more equipment for the gym. So everyone wins. - I know a fair amount of people in the area so I maybe able to get a supplement sponsor for this.. As well as maybe a small cash donation. Events that I have right now: 1. IM Axle 2. RT's 3. Non calibrated Grippers 4. A couple of Hex's 5. Ghetto 2hp device that I train with... 6. 3" Rotating Bar that is just sick. 7. Im anvil horn. 8. 2 Hand pinch sled device. Lets get some constructive chatter going! Ross - great to see this - this is what we need - people stepping up to the plate! Some tips Have as big a selection of grippers as possible to avoid ties and allow people to give their best performance. Borrow them from someone if necessary - it's what everyone does for comps - we put the best progression possible on the table. This is the real advantage of the RGC - it gives you a way to sort them by difficulty into a sequence with numbers that can be used for scoring purposes. Perfect or not - it's the best we have right now and works pretty well. I'll calibrate them for free anytime. Get all your plates and apparatus weighed at the Post Office or somewhere certified - no ones numbers will count towards Nationals without this and some might want to qualify at your contest. Decide on the scoring system you want to use and get very familiar with it - I can send you the Excel program that most of us use - it makes it quick and easier than a calculator and paper. Timed events can need special handling on the scoring - play around in advance with scoring so it's smooth come game time. Try to avoid main events that are too much alike - an example would be Axle and Rolling Thunder - both offer the same test - fat bar ability. It's fine to have one as a main event and one in a Medley setting etc. This is just my personal opinion of course - there is no rule against it. I just like to see all aspects of grip tested at a contest is all. You have plenty of time to consider getting equipment from Paul or Eric etc - or having something made up for an event you think would be fun. Turn your imagination loose on events. Lots of things that you may have laying around make good grip items - various plate pinches - the sledge hammer that's in your garage - wrist curl on an Oly bar - one hand DL on an Oly bar - some odd chunks of steel etc etc. You can find and use things that won't cost you a bunch. Variety seems to make for a fun contest. Rising bar for max lifts works better than reps with a fixed weight if you have a wide range of strength levels like at a novice comp - you don't want to choose a base weight that some people can't even lift. If you have a sled pull - maybe for distance instead of time so it's more grip strength than foot speed - stuff like that can make a real difference. Be organized - things get hectic enough even then. Loading charts for pinch - axle etc keep down mistakes. Get some help - a couple guys to load and one to score speeds things up a lot. There's more but that's a start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Love Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Excellent! Great info already. Im hoping Mr. Knight will find a weekend I could coordinate with him to come down here and give it a go lol. Maybe even have an Open Division too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Love Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Talked to Paul today and he said he is down to help me out... So when I get back on April 4th I'm going to start working on details. I'm excited. I think I can get some big name Pro Strongmen to give this a go as well. Hoping to have 3 different divisions. Small hand novice Large hand novice Open Possible womens division as well - my sisters hands are over 8 inches lol so she may wanna give this a go. And we have a few other ladies that could possibly be interested. Gonna shoot for a supplement and food sponsor.. League City is a nice little city. 20 miles from Houston and 25 miles from Galveston. Great location. Will start a thread when I get more stuff lined out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Get all your plates and apparatus weighed at the Post Office or somewhere certified - no ones numbers will count towards Nationals without this and some might want to qualify at your contest. Are we sure this is correct? This is the first I've heard of it. I knew they wouldn't count towards the records but I was unaware of Nats. If this is the case, we're going to cancel the KC Qualifer II because the weights are not weighed, nor have they ever been (regarding our contests) Thanks, Josh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Love Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Get all your plates and apparatus weighed at the Post Office or somewhere certified - no ones numbers will count towards Nationals without this and some might want to qualify at your contest. Are we sure this is correct? This is the first I've heard of it. I knew they wouldn't count towards the records but I was unaware of Nats. If this is the case, we're going to cancel the KC Qualifer II because the weights are not weighed, nor have they ever been (regarding our contests) Thanks, Josh Josh... Wouldn't it be really easy to weigh the plates? or would it have to be done in a particular way? Also I'm thinking rising bar on everything is going to be mandatory for time purposes.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 No, they don't just have to be weighed, they have to be weighed at a Post Office. This is another issue/roadblock for more contests, especially if we're saying they have to be weighed to count as a NAGS sanctioned contest. Ben and myself have called several Post Offices in the STL and KC areas over the years and they all just laugh, almost like we're kidding. I know other parts of the country obviously allow it but not here. If the rule was, you just have to weigh them, then yes, that would fine but the Grip world thinks you have to use a certified scale which to my knowledge has always been the PO (I've not heard of anybody using anything else). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Love Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Wooow well I can def see how that would complicate things. I have a freight scale that is very accurate.. But it sounds like that's not an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 It won't count unless it's "certified". I'm not sure who that needs to be certified through and how many times/how long your "certification" is good for?? To my knowledge, everyone with "calibrated" plates either has competition bumpers or has had them weighed at the PO. I don't know of any other acceptable sources?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchapman Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 High School wrestling teams have to have their "home" scale certified each year in order to have official weigh-ins. Just a thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 The wrestling scales at our High School is "certified" and kept up to date. The meat scales etc at most grocery stores are as well. We have an industry here with BIG certified scales - plus the Post Office, who in our town will weigh about anything you take in. What about Fedex and UPS maybe??? And I live in a town of around 2000 people. Look around - you might be able to find something. And of course ask Jedd - it's his organization but it was always my understanding that you had to have accurate plate weights for lifts to count??? It's not unusual for plates to be off 10% - and that's kind of a big deal I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I've asked UPS and Fedex and that's another no-go. I haven't asked a grocery store but I'd imagine that would be an even tougher sell. Maybe a scrap yard or something like that? I don't have a problem with weighing them but why can't we weigh them on a good scale? I don't think a good scale is 10% different than the PO but I've been wrong before. I weigh clients in my office everyday and it's always </= 1# difference compared to the scale used over at Washington University ID Clinic where they do clinical trials (assumes a day or so has passed, client dressed similiarly,etc..). I don't understand why we can use medical scales for clinical research but they're not good enough for weighing barbell plates? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 And of course ask Jedd - it's his organization but it was always my understanding that you had to have accurate plate weights for lifts to count??? Again, my question is to count towards a qualifying lift for Nats or records? Records, I knew about and understood but a qualifying lift for Nats changes everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I've emailed Jedd in case he doesn't see this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Love Posted March 17, 2011 Author Share Posted March 17, 2011 Ok... So my parents have a UPS scale at their office. I can use that? How do i prove that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 That's the ironic part Ross; you don't have to prove anything. You can weigh them on your freight scale, mark them with paint pen, and tell everybody they were done a certified scale. We're worried about what scale to use but there is absolutely no verification process in place for where they were actually weighed. Once upon a time Mikael Siversson (sp?) threatened to call a PO and verify if he felt it was necessary and he probably would have but that's an entirely different discussion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Love Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 Well I do have access to a UPS certified scale in my parents shipping\receiving department.. So I'll check that out. By the way they do screen print and embroidery if anyone is looking. Im hoping to provide T's for all the competitors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sher Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 (edited) Ross, that should do it right there. Just look for the cert sticker. If scales have been certified (traceable to NIST, say), then they are marked. Usually they're done at least annually. There would also be the actual certificate of analysis with the test results and tolerances, but the cert sticker indicates the scale met acceptable tolerances throughout its working range. It'd be nice to know what the tolerances are (+- 0.1 lb or +-1.0 lb depending on scale range) but it's worse not knowing IMO. It really can be a big deal if there's a pound or two between records or qualifiers and a few 47-pound plates are on one axle and true 45s on another. Sounds like a great comp! Edited March 18, 2011 by xengym Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 The wrestling scales at our High School is "certified" and kept up to date. The meat scales etc at most grocery stores are as well. We have an industry here with BIG certified scales - plus the Post Office, who in our town will weigh about anything you take in. What about Fedex and UPS maybe??? And I live in a town of around 2000 people. Look around - you might be able to find something. And of course ask Jedd - it's his organization but it was always my understanding that you had to have accurate plate weights for lifts to count??? It's not unusual for plates to be off 10% - and that's kind of a big deal I think. Josh just called me regarding this possible snafu on our part and although I've never claimed that our weights were precisely calibrated - I've weighed all of my plates on my digital scale and mark them with that number in permanent marker. Is it super accurate? Probably not. But it's a digital scale that weighs in increments of 1/10th of a pound and the FEW things I know the exact weight of (like 3 small plates that were sent to me that were weighed on a certified postal scale in Missouri) my digital scale has weighed them to so close to the original number as to be laughable to say the two are far apart. So the 2.65lb plate that I have weighed 2.6lbs on my digital scale. If anything, it tends to underestimate by a 1/10th of a pound if it's an increment that it can't read. Like 1/20th of a pound. At least 3/4th of my plates weigh heavy. Some are barely heavy. But I have more than a few 45s that actually weigh a bit over 45lbs. 2lbs here and there obviously adds up pretty quickly when you're like me and stacking every available 45 I own on the 1" vbar. I have to count every pound is what I'm saying - don't want to get stiffed 10lbs or more on a big lift. Josh has already said it but he and I have called many post offices in our areas and I have never had one say that it's okay to weigh my plates there. Never. I know he's been very diligent too about his search for a post office that would let us weigh all our plates. With no luck. I will voice my opinion that - although I understand the solid reasoning behind having calibrated plates for contests - if we don't allow regional or other small contests (that secure Jedd's permission of course) to let people qualify for the big show (Nationals, other big ones) with non-calibrated plates we are going to lose potential competitors and especially promoters. I'm only talking about small regional contests though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
climber511 Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Ben - what scale do you have? I have a digital "bathroom" scale and the darn thing won't weigh any small plates - it just turns off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bencrush Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Ben - what scale do you have? I have a digital "bathroom" scale and the darn thing won't weigh any small plates - it just turns off. I have a Tanita bodyfat scale. I can look up the model number if you'd like later today. It's a great scale though. Any word from Jedd yet? Not rushing him but I'm really curious because I don't want the KC Qualifier II to be cancelled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odin Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I've seen post offices with an after-hours self-service area with a scale and apparently no workers monitoring it, maybe there is one in your area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jad Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I haven't heard from him yet Ben. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jedd Johnson Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Josh, Next time you email me, and I don't answer, feel free to follow up with me. I got your email when I was driving and did not want to email you back since I was driving. Then I forgot about it. I don't have an infallible memory. I also have not been on the board much the last ten days or so because I have been busy, so I have not seen this thread. For qualifiers, I do not think it is necessary to have weighed plates. Like you point out, it is a stumbling block. I would much rather increase the number of contests that are going on than require that plates be weighed at qualifiers. However, the lifts that are done will not count for records. With as much as plates vary, I don't think using non-calibrated weights is a good ide for records. So, I am sorry for the delay. Please ANYBODY feel free to follow up with me if I don't get back to you. By the way Josh, did you ssee the video I did for you on YouTube regarding the question you asked me about Upright Rows and whether they are good for the shoulders? I not, here it is: Jedd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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