The 2017 US Strengthlifting Federation (USSF) Fall Classic will take place on Sunday, October 29th at CrossFit Oakland and I’ve got details for you. This meet is our largest one yet and we are breaking it into two sessions. Since there are almost equal numbers of men and women, we will have the men lift in the morning session and the women lift in the afternoon session. The dudes need to wake up early. My apologies, gents. The lifters in each flight and session are listed below.
2017 USSF Fall Classic Flights and Sessions
Please be aware that after the 8:00 AM start of the men’s session, the schedule might change slightly. It is more likely to get pushed back than forward if the men take longer than anticipated to lift. Please be flexible. This is our first two-session meet, so the times here are estimates. For the women, it will probably be wise to arrive half an hour before the listed check-in time to be safe. In general, the meets have run quickly, but there is a saying about the “best laid plans of mice and men” that might be appropriate here.
06:00 – Doors Open, Check In, Get Rack Heights, etc…
06:45 – Men’s Attempt Cards Due at Judge’s Table
07:00 – Rules Briefing
07:30 – Warm Ups Begin, Judges and Spotters Meeting
08:00 – Men’s Lifting Commences
12:30 – Men’s Lifting Is Probably Close to Done.
12:15 – Women’s Check-In Begins (approximately)
13:00 – Probable Men’s Awards ceremony
13:30 – Women’s Attempt Cards Due at Judge’s Table
13:45 – Rules Briefing Part Deux
14:15 – Women’s Warm Ups Begin
14:45 – Women’s Lifting Commences
18:45 – Women’s Lifting is Probably Close to Done
19:00 – Probable Women’s Awards ceremony
Generalities
When you register at the door, you will get an attempt card and your t-shirt or tank top. We do not have a weigh in for this meet. Instead, there will be a weigh out. More on that below. You still need to get your rack heights for the squat and press and note your opening attempts on the attempt card and present that card to the judge’s table by by the appropriate time for your session. We’ve got between 28 to 30 lifters signed up for each session and it takes a bit of time to adjust the rack and make sure it is the right height for you. I recommend arriving early enough to do all of this comfortably. If you don’t turn in your attempt card by the deadline for your session, you won’t be able to lift.
The order in which you lift within your flight will be determined by your opening weights. If all goes according to plan, I will have your position for each lift available shortly after the rules briefing. There will be two flights in each session and everyone in a given session will complete all their squats before moving to presses and deadlifts.
Please read the rules in their entirety. I know that no one likes to read the rules, but these rules are actually riveting. Trust me. They are Hemmingway-esque in their compact and powerful prose. If you want to see me provide a summary of the rules on video, well, here’s the one from the last meet. I will put up a new one in a few days provided I can pull it off in time.
This meet will be conducted in kilograms and the minimum increment for increases will be 1 kg. Pound to kilogram conversion charts will be available, but it is not a bad idea to have a calculator, or a conversion app for your phone handy if you are not fluent in kilograms. I will also have a handy conversion chart for you at the meet. It is yours to keep and cherish for as long as you like.
After your last deadlift, a meet official will guide you from the platform to the scale where you will weigh out. A sex appropriate official will be present in the event you need or want to disrobe to make weight. The weigh outs are being done to make it very difficult to cut weight for the meet. It also keeps people who are squatting on the platform at 104 kg from being part of the 100 kg class.
Attire and Equipment
This meet requires that you wear a singlet. I do this to make you suffer. An unintended benefit is that the judges can easily see whether you are squatting to depth and whether your joints are in extension at appropriate times in the lifts.
You need to have a t-shirt on for both the squat and the press. T-shirts need to worn underneath your singlet. If you selected a t-shirt instead of a tank top, you get one upon checking in. It even has a dinosaur on it. For the deadlift, you do not need a t-shirt.
Long socks are required for the deadlift. They must fully cover the calf to immediately below the knee. Soccer, baseball, rugby, etc… socks all fit the bill. We will not let you deadlift if your shins are not covered. This is for the protection of the other lifters as well as for your shins.
Shoes of some sort are required for all of the lifts. Deadlift slippers qualify as shoes, but you cannot just lift in your socks. All deadlifts will need to be pulled from a conventional stance with the legs inside the arms.
Awards
We have some cool prizes for the winners. As with last meet, the best male and female winner walk away with a stuffed Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Heavyweight, lightweight, and masters winners get smaller stuffed Triceratops. They are pretty cool, too.
Best female and male lifters will be determined via the Wilks equation. Same for best heavy, light, and masters lifters. Masters lifters are calculated via a combination of the Wilks and McCulloch coefficients. So much math! Weight class winners will be determined via total within the weight class and will be announced at the meet. Unfortunately, the only prize for winning your weight class is pride. You won’t necessarily get to take home any dinos, unless you also win your division. Hey, if everyone gets a dino, then no one may as well get a dino. That stuffed T. Rex did not become the most coveted award in all of strength sports because I gave them away with abandon.
Speaking of awards, this meet will take place at the same time as several other locations across the US. We will combine our results, which actually means I will combine the results, and announce an overall winner for the men’s and women’s open and masters divisions. If you win the overall meet, you can hold your head high and tell all your friends. You will also get a free spot to the upcoming USSF Nationals in January.
Closing Details
The competition will take place using a Rogue B&R 2.0 barbell. This is a 29mm, 20 kilogram, bare steel bar that has a center knurl in addition to the knurl on the sides. No special squat or deadlift bars will be used. The weights used will be from a calibrated Eleiko competition kilogram set.
Spectators are welcome and admittance for them is free of charge.
Lastly, bring food and a bottle for water. The meet will not be catered, nor will there be food for sale. There are some restaurants and the Berkeley Bowl grocery store within about two or three blocks north of the gym, so you have plenty of options for food. None of them, unfortunately, are in the building. CrossFit Oakland has water for you, but will likely not have any cups, so bring something in which to hold and drink water. The map below shows the gym along with places to obtain sustenance.