2010 Raw Unity
Powerlifting Championships
FAQ

What is Raw Unity?

The Raw Unity Powerlifting Championships was created in 2007 as a way for the best raw lifters in the United States to come together under one roof to compete under a common set of rules to see who is the strongest in each weight class.  In order to avoid federation politics, the Raw Unity Meet always has been and always will be unsanctioned.  All lifters from all federations are welcomed.  There is only one division for the Raw Unity Powerlifting Championships:  Open.

How do I qualify for Raw Unity? 

For 2010, if you have competed in either of the previous two Raw Unity Championships then you are eligible to enter.  If you have not competed in Raw Unity before, then you can either post a qualifying total (qualifying totals can be found here: http://www.rawunitymeet.com/5.html); or by simply putting together a “lifter resume” and emailing it to me at erictalmant@yahoo.com with a request for an invite to Raw Unity.

We have also added a deadlift only competition for this year.  There is no qualifying total for this inaugural year.  We will simply take the first 25 competitors for deadlift only.  There will be more about the deadlift only division to follow.

What are the rules of Raw Unity?

The rules of performance of Raw Unity can be found here:  http://www.rawunitymeet.com/3.html .  Please take note that for the squat, the hip joint going lower than the knee joint is the same as the top crease of the hip being lower than the top of the knee.  If you are unsure about what will pass in the squat for Raw Unity, then submit your videos to me and I will run them by our judges.  Our judging team is very experienced.  They are not asking you to do any more than the rules that are written.  However, please understand that our judging team interprets the rules exactly as written.  Having the top of your leg parallel with the ground does not mean you have broken parallel!  The same goes for the bench press and the deadlift.  If you have any reservations, just send me your videos and I will let you know if it would pass at Raw Unity.  We want to ensure that every lifter has all of the tools he or she needs to be successful in this event.

What personal costume items are allowed at Raw Unity?

Lifters are allowed to wear a non-supportive singlet, wrist wraps of any length, competition powerlifting belt, and NEOPRENE knee sleeves.  If you have any questions at all about anything you would like to use at Raw Unity that you are unsure of, then please email me and I will let you know if it can be used in Raw Unity.

What equipment will be used on the platform at Raw Unity?

For the squat, we will use a combo rack that is an ER rack, Polak Rack, or something similar.  We will use the 55 pound, 8 foot long Texas squat bar for the men’s squat and the 45 pound Texas power bar for the women’s squat.  For the bench press, we will use the bench that attaches to the combo rack, and a 45 pound Texas power bar.  We have used a 20 kilo Ivanko bar for the bench press in the past, but due to the whip of the bar we are changing to the Texas power bar.  For the deadlift, we will use the 7.5 foot Texas deadlift bar.  The plates will be chrome Ivanko and calibrated.

What is the date and location for Raw Unity 2010?

The 2010 Raw Unity Powerlifting Championships will be held in Tampa, Florida.  We are still determining the exact location because there are two locations that we are considering.  The women, men’s lightweight, and deadlift only will be on Saturday, January 30^th.  The men’s middleweight, men’s heavyweight, and bench only will be on Sunday, January 31^st.

Meet Awards:

Contrary to the past two years, there will be a more elaborate awards ceremony at the 2010 event.  For each class, 1^st place-3^rd place will be recognized with a medal and certificates; and there will be an awards podium just like at the Olympics.  In addition, there will (hopefully) be prize money for the best lightweight lifters (up to 181), best middleweight lifters (182-242), best heavyweight lifters(243-Unlimited), best female lightweight (105-132), best female middleweight (133-Unlimited), best bench press lightweight (up to 198) and best bench press heavyweight (199-unlimited).  For each best lifter ranking, Raw Unity will once again use the Wilks formula.  If you have any questions about the Wilks formula, then please Google “Wilks Formula” or email me.  We hope to be able to (for the first time) award prize money to first, second, and third place in each division (instead of just first place-like in the past), as well as the deadlift only competition.  Exact prize money amounts will be disclosed as the date draws nearer.

The 2010 Raw Unity Championships will be a 2 day event.  The competition will be on January 30^th and 31^st in Tampa, Florida.  More information regarding the meet site, host hotels, directions, etc. will follow shortly.  Qualifying totals will be accepted up until December 31, 2009 and registration for the event will begin on June 15th, 2009.  The qualifying totals for each weight class can be found here:  http://www.rawunitymeet.com/5.html and you can use any meet to qualify just as long as we can verify your results as being done raw.  For qualifying purposes the definition of raw is whatever that federation says it is.  For example, if someone competes in the APA then they are allowed to use the monolift and knee wraps.  However, once they are at the Raw Unity Championships they are subject to the rules and regulations that we have outlined specifically for Raw Unity.  These can also be found on the web site or by following the link provided above under “What are the rules of Raw Unity?”

Who will be sponsoring the event and what will the prize money be? 

More information on the 2010 Raw Unity Championships sponsors and prize money will be released very soon.  Last year, $2400 in cash was awarded and distributed among the various best lifters, and there were many free giveaways from our generous sponsors.

Will there be drug testing?

No.  Since this is an unsanctioned event that happens once a year, it would be much easier for a lifter to “beat” a planned drug test.  Furthermore, there are some lifters out there that use either hormone replacement therapy, hormones for the treatment of a medical condition, or designer drugs that there are no known tests for.  I have had extensive conversations with some very knowledgeable people regarding this issue, and rather than try to spend money on testing that is flawed in one way or another I felt it was better to use the funds that would be allocated for drug testing for some other aspect of the meet; such as prize money or more food for the lifters.  We understand that it takes a certain kind of lifter to be able to compete under these circumstances; but overall this is the majority opinion of the lifters that have chosen to compete at Raw Unity.  We have drug tested in the past, but we will not do so for 2010.  If you have any questions about this rule change then feel free to email me at erictalmant@yahoo.com .