GSI North American Regional Championships

[Eric Roussin]

In case you didn't receive or haven't read this week's GSI newsletter, we will be attempting to introduce Regional Championships this year. There will be three Regional Championships in Canada and six in the US. The regional boundaries are depicted in the map below.

Additional Details:

•    Contests will only be open to residents of the given region.
•    The contests can be new or co-branded with existing contests. If co-branded with an existing contest that is open to out-of-region competitors, these competitors would not be counted in the regional standings.
•    Contests can be scheduled any time during the year (one per region), though avoiding dates close to major contests (e.g. Nationals, King Kong, etc.) is strongly encouraged.
•    Weight classes can be selected at the promoter’s discretion, however a minimum of three men’s classes and two women’s classes must be offered. Classes should be selected among those currently tracked by GSI (59/66/74/83/93/105/120/120+ kg for men; 47/52/57/63/72/84/100/100+ for women).
•    Awards must be given out to the top three competitors in each class.
•    A $50 USD sanctioning fee is to be submitted by the promoter to GSI.

If you are interested in hosting a Regional Championship, please contact Jedd Johnson (jedd.diesel@gmail.com) with your proposal (i.e. tentative contest date, location, weight classes, and events). Preference will be given to promoters who have previously held a GSI-sanctioned contest.
 
The hope is for the 2025 Regional Championship contest schedule to be established by the end of February.

Let's work together to make this a success!

[Jedd Johnson]

If you are not on the newsletter, and want to be added, simply email me at jedd.diesel@gmail.com

Thanks.

[Vinnie]

Wow, I am surprised you didn't need an extra Canadian subdivision for all the millions of gripsport competitors in Nunavut's balmy archipelago region.

[marko]

Eric,

 

Any thoughts on blackout dates for contest hosting as well as requiring a contest to be planned with lead up time like two months?

The idea being a regional contest may require travel and have a higher level of financial commitment to attend.  If folks have lead up time travel is cheaper and they can train for the events.

The blackout dates as you mention may prevent competition stack up against other big events that are fixed even in other sanctions such as Armlifting USA.  Many athletes compete across sanctioning bodies and if the goal is maximum participation, these date ranges may help.

 

Thanks

 

[Eric Roussin]

On 1/6/2025 at 11:50 AM, marko said:

Eric,

 

Any thoughts on blackout dates for contest hosting as well as requiring a contest to be planned with lead up time like two months?

The idea being a regional contest may require travel and have a higher level of financial commitment to attend.  If folks have lead up time travel is cheaper and they can train for the events.

The blackout dates as you mention may prevent competition stack up against other big events that are fixed even in other sanctions such as Armlifting USA.  Many athletes compete across sanctioning bodies and if the goal is maximum participation, these date ranges may help.

 

Thanks

 

We would work with promoters before dates get settled and take into consideration other big events. As for Armlifting USA, the only big event for which the date is consistent from year to year is the Arnold. (Possibly now the Shaw Classic, too.) The Armlifting USA Worlds follow the Olympia, for which the dates change every year. And as for the Super Series, it would be difficult to rule out the entire months of June and August. But yes, we would help guide date selection.

I completely agree that a lead up time of at least a couple of months would make the most sense, and so far, all of the promoters who have expressed interest have suggested dates of April or later.

[marko]

Thanks for the detailed response.  I agree with what you said.  

Edited Wednesday at 06:09 PM by marko