Hosting your first grip contest

[pancho_grip_lift]

Hey guys, here we cover some of the common questions that a new promoter could have before hosting their first GSI sanctioned contest, with the help of the great @Jedd Johnson

Also I want to add to the discussion the following comments from @Eric Roussin:

"1 – In terms of when results should be submitted, for single venue contests there’s no set requirement, but the sooner they are sent, the sooner they are entered into the GSI database. Many competitors are eager to see their results in the database, so they’ll be appreciative if the results are sent in quickly. For multi-venue contests however, like King Kong, the results must be sent immediately following the contest (i.e. the same day). This is EXTREMELY important because the results can be tabulated until all of them are received.

2 – Just a note on regular, non-calibrated weight plates. Many people may not know this, but the actual weights can vary significantly. I have some 45-lb plates that weigh as little as 42.5 lbs and as much as 47.5 lbs. And I know some are even more off than that. So if someone asks “what’s the difference”, you can just tell them this.

3 – An important detail about Last Man Standing format that I think wasn’t mentioned is that there’s no guaranteed minimum number of trips to the platform. So for example, if you fail to get a successful lift on your second trip to the platform, that’s it – you’re done. This is a key difference from 4 attempts. With 4 attempts, you can reattempt a failed weight on a subsequent trip. Another reason why a promoter might opt for a 4-attempt format over LMS is that generally the competitors are given more options for specific weight attempts. So if in LMS the weight keeps going up 10 lbs at a time, in 4 attempts competitors are usually permitted to chose smaller increments.

4 – 6” is what we are recommending as a standard height for all new lifts. So eventually, the hope is that the vast majority of lifts will be done to the same height.

5 – The main reason I’m not in favour of allowing liquid chalk is that it could potentially open the door to abuse. I feel the promoter should be the one to provide chalk and a towel/brush for everyone to use. I’m not a fan of competitors bringing their own chalk – at a minimum I would request that they share their chalk with any competitor who requests it. The main goal is to ensure an equal playing field.

6 – As Jedd said, for a single venue contest, there are several details left to the contest director’s discretion. The goal should be to try to strike a balance between fairness and expediency. I know I adjust how I run my contests based on the field I’m expecting. For example, I’ll make the medley slightly easier or harder, I’ll allow 30 seconds or 1 minute for each trip to the platform, etc. At the North American Championships that I’m hosting in June, almost 40 people will be participating. I’ve decided to use LMS format, but competitors will have a maximum of six trips to the platform, so they’ll need to be more strategic in the weights they decide to attempt. 30 seconds per trip to the platform. If I don’t impose these types of limits, the contest would take forever to run. For a multi-venue more standardization is required (i.e. every venue should allow the same amount of time for each trip to the platform), but for a single venue contest, contest directors should use their best judgement."

Stay tuned for further episodes of season #4!!

 

[Jedd Johnson]

Great additions by Eric.