Weightlifting Meet

😎 Get ready for the Summer Meet on Saturday June 14 at RCF Barbell SODO! Lifting sessions begin at 10:00am.

🍬 This meet is also a snack swap! It's like a potluck on easy mode. Bring a snack on meet day to share and enjoy with the other athletes. Snacks are great for fueling up before lifting, refueling afterward, and having a tasty treat with gym friends.

🎁 Prizes will be awarded to athletes who participate in their first weightlifting meet or make all of their lifts!

📋 ATHLETE REGISTRATION FORM 📋 Entry fee: bring a snack on meet day to share. Registration closes June 7.

Meet Details

Weightlifting meets happen quarterly at RCF Barbell SODO. These meets are not sanctioned USAW competitions, but rather informal opportunities for athletes to participate in some aspects of the meet format. They are occasions to train for and cheer each other on. Perfect for beginners to the sport or just having a structured heavy day for fun.

✅ YES

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2025 schedule:

This weightlifting meet format is unconventional. It is intended to be easier to participate in and manage than a sanctioned weightlifting meet. Read more about this meet’s format below. New athletes may need to familiarize themselves with the rules and procedures of a sanctioned USAW/IWF weightlifting meet to better understand any unstated or unclear aspects of this meet’s format.

Up to 6 athletes will lift in a session. There are no gender or bodyweight categories, and no weigh-ins. Athletes will be introduced at the start of the session. Athletes will first take 3 attempts in the snatch, and then 3 attempts in the clean & jerk. There will be a 10-minute clock after athlete introductions before the first snatch attempt, and a 20-minute break after snatching and before the first clean & jerk attempt. Attempts will be taken in rounds. Athletes will be assigned a lifting order within their session, and in that order each athlete will take turns making their first attempts. After all first attempts are completed everyone will take their second attempts in the same order. Third attempts will follow the same process. This predictable lifting order allows athletes to plan their own warm-ups without the aid of a personal coach/handler during the session.

When an athlete is called to the platform they have 1 minute to make their attempt. Additionally, there will be a separate 1-minute clock between each platform attempt where any athlete may take a warm-up lift if they wish. No warm-up lifts will be allowed during an athlete’s platform attempt 1-minute clock. This pattern of alternating warm-up lift opportunities and platform attempts allows athletes to fully spectate each others’ platform attempts and allows the warm-up platforms and attempt platform to safely share the same space.

Athletes will not separately put in any weight declarations or changes for their platform attempts to a marshal. When an athlete is called to the platform for their attempt the weight they have currently loaded on their bar will serve as their final declared attempt weight spoken by the announcer. (Thus athletes may independently decide to change their attempt weights an unlimited number of times before and between their platform attempts.) An athlete’s second or third attempt weight cannot be lower than their own previous attempt. After an athlete completes a successful attempt (judged a "good lift") any of their own subsequent attempt weights must be at least 1kg higher than their last successful weight. The attempt weights of other athletes in the session have no bearing on the attempt weights selected or allowed by an athlete. This implicit weight declaration allows athletes to focus on their own lifting rather than timing paperwork and what weights other athletes are lifting.

Athletes will perform their platform attempts with the same bar and weights they use for warming up. Athletes are responsible for loading all their own weights since there are no volunteer loaders. There are no specialized competition collars weighing 2.5kg so all weight loading must be met with bumper and change plates. Plates should still be loaded as close to competition loading as possible, using the fewest and heaviest first. Platform attempt weights must be secured with collars, and the incidental collar weight will not be counted.

The attempt platform will be the front and center of the lifting area and marked with tape. When an athlete is called to the platform for an attempt they will roll their loaded bar to the taped platform area if they are not already there. Other athletes will move themselves and their equipment a safe distance away from the attempt platform.

Athletes will strive to execute their attempts within the standard competition rules. There will be a single official serving as the meet’s announcer, timekeeper, referee, and scorekeeper. For each attempt the official will score and announce the athlete’s lift as either a "good lift" or "no lift." The "good/no lift" decision will also serve as the "down" signal for completed attempts held motionless overhead. For "no lift" scores a brief explanation will be given for the decision. (Athletes are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the rules and how even an attempt that finishes overhead may still be scored a "no lift" for an error during or after the lift.)

Athletes may compete in whatever lifting attire they wish, and standard equipment is allowed. Singlets are welcome but not required. For the ease of scoring lifts it is helpful if the athlete’s outfit allows for a clear understanding of the positions of the athlete’s feet, knees, shoulders, and elbows throughout the lifts, but it is not required that skin be visible for there to be a clear understanding of positions.

At the conclusion of the session each athlete, in lifting order, will be celebrated for their meet participation and their result will be announced. An athlete’s result will be their number of successful attempts (such as "4 for 6") and their total, which is the sum of their heaviest successful snatch and clean & jerk. Special appreciation will be given to athletes who have just participated in their first meet or gone 6 for 6. If an athlete did not successfully complete either any snatches or any clean & jerks their result will not include a total. Athlete totals will not be ranked against each other and there will not be a podium or medals based on results. There will be no "best lifter" awards.

An abbreviated session progression example for athletes ordered A through F:

When athletes register for the meet they will provide an entry total, which is the sum of their planned 1st snatch attempt weight and 1st clean & jerk attempt weight. For example, an athlete planning to open with a 40kg snatch attempt and 50kg clean & jerk attempt would have a 90kg entry total. The weights athletes choose for their 1st attempts in each lift should be numbers they are 100% confident they could successfully make even on a bad day. Actual 1st attempts on meet day may be changed, but the "20kg rule" will be enforced, meaning the sum of the athlete’s actual opening attempts must equal or exceed the entry total minus 20kg. For example, if an athlete registered with a 90kg entry total then the sum of their actual 1st attempts at the meet must not be lower than 70kg. Entry totals will inform how athletes are grouped into sessions, but sessions will not necessarily be grouped by similar entry totals.

Minimum entry totals will depend on which barbell the athlete plans to use:

7.5kg barbell (25mm diameter)

15kg barbell (25mm diameter)

20kg barbell (28mm diameter)

The first session on meet day is expected to begin at 10:00am at RCF Barbell SODO. Additional sessions may be scheduled in back-to-back sequence depending on the number of athletes registered.

After meet registration has closed athletes will be notified of their estimated session time, the number of athletes in their session, and their lifting order within their session. Athletes should plan their session warm-up progression accounting for the possibility that some other athletes may withdraw before or during the session for any reason.

📋 ATHLETE REGISTRATION FORM 📋 Entry fee: bring a snack on meet day to share. Registration closes June 7.

Contact

💌 Email meet director Elsa

🫙 Tip jar