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Raw Unity Powerlifting
Championships
October 22,
2009
Hello
fellow lifters.
Please
read this newsletter in its entirety as
there is some very important information
in it. I
wanted to provide everyone with the
following update on developments and
progress toward the 3nd
Annual Raw Unity Championships.
As of the time of this writing, here is the
list of competitors that have committed to the
2010 Raw Unity Championships:
http://www.rawunitymeet.com/RUPC3Athletes.html
We are still
looking for a few more female competitors, a
few more middleweights/heavyweights, and about
10 more benchers and
deadlifters. Please keep in
mind that there are no qualifying totals for
the deadlift only competition, and that it is
first come first served.
·
Bench Only
Switched to Saturday:
The
bench only competition has been switched to
Saturday, January 30th
and the deadlift only competition has been
switched to Sunday, January
31
st.
·
Record
Certificates:
Raw
Unity Meet Record Certificates, as well as
American Raw Record National Certificates are
now available from Raw Unity executive
committee member Johnny Vasquez.
If you are interested in getting one, then
please email Johnny at
kvasquez1@stx.rr.com
.
Johnny has examples that he can email to
you that show what the certificates look
like.
·
Host
Hotels:
The two host hotels for any of you
(lifters, coaches, spotters, spectators, etc.)
coming to Raw Unity this year are the
Intercontinental Tampa http://www.intercontampa.com/
and the Embassy Suites Tampa Airport/Westshore
http://embassysuites1.hilton.com/en_US/es/hotel/TPAFLES-Embassy-Suites-Tampa-Airport-Westshore-Florida/index.do
. Rooms at the Intercontinental
will be $95/night + tax.
Rooms at the Embassy will be $99/night +
tax. Both hotels are about a
quarter of a mile apart from each other, and
both are situated right across from the
Westshore Plaza Mall http://www.westshoreplaza.com/.
Both sites are 5 miles or
10 minutes from the meet site at the Jackson
Springs Recreation Center.
I will be sending the lifters and anyone who
contacts me who would like a room at one of
these two hotels the information they need to
secure their reservations some time during the
week of October 26-31.
We plan on having the shuttle service from the
hotel to the meet site once again
this year. The shuttle service
will be $5 each way or $10 round
trip. I will need
confirmation from you if you plan on using the
shuttle service so that we can arrange
our schedule accordingly.
Both hotels offer complimentary shuttle service
from the airport to the hotels.
·
Tilted Kilt on board as a
Sponsor:
The Tilted Kilt in Carrollwood (about
15-20 minutes from the meet site http://www.tiltedkilt.com/index.html)
will be hosting an after party for anyone
that comes to Raw Unity (competitors,
coaches, families, spectators, etc) on both
Saturday
Night and
Sunday Night. The parties are
special for Raw Unity! We want to
pack the place and have a great
time!
·
Teaming up
with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission and
24/Seven Magazine:
We are very excited to announce
that Raw Unity has teamed up with the Tampa Bay
Sports Commission (TBSC) and
24/Seven Magazine to promote and grow
the event here in Tampa.
24/Seven Magazine http://www.24sevenmagazine.com/
has the largest photo library of any
magazine in Tampa Bay. There
are over 100,000 photos of Extreme Sports,
Night Clubs, Fashion, Music, Events,
etc. In discussing our new
involvement with 24/Seven, I can tell you that
they are very well connected not only locally
but nationally. I believe
that Raw Unity will now have a much better
chance of being noticed by a promoter or
various TV networks. The
exposure that 24/Seven will give to Raw Unity
to the right people is an incredible
opportunity that has already begun to pay
off. More exciting details
to follow… J
The TBSC http://www.tampabaysports.org/
has already helped Raw Unity in terms of
finding the best deals for everyone involved in
terms of accommodation; as well as putting
together special savings booklets that will be
made up and distributed to Raw Unity
participants. These coupons
will offer incredible savings on
dining/nightlife, attractions/entertainment,
arts/culture, shopping, outdoor activities, and
general business. With these
coupon books and special rates for rooms, we
hope that everyone will have a more fulfilling
experience in visiting Tampa Bay; and that it
will become more than just a competition but an
annual vacation for
everyone. The TBSC is also
helping us to look for additional sponsors for
Raw Unity, and with their connections and
exposure we are excited at what the future may
bring. We have already
discussed some other perks that will happen for
Raw Unity-such as welcoming lifters on the
scrolling marquees at Tampa International
Airport. The sky is the
limit for Raw Unity with the help of the
TBSC!!
·
Sponsorship
Opportunities
We have several powerlifting companies on
board as sponsors of the 2010 event (APT Pro
Gear, Critical Bench, Titan Support Systems,
IronDrive Sports, and House of Pain); but we
have room for a few more.
I want to emphasize that 100% of the
sponsorship dollars go directly to the prize
money for the event. I have a
document that describes the various levels of
sponsorship for Raw Unity, what each one costs,
and what each level receives for their
money. When we can bring more sponsors on
board, then we can offer more prize
money. When we offer more prize money, it
tends to bring out the “Big Guns” of our
sport. In bringing out all
of the best in powerlifting, we will take steps
towards the ultimate goal of Raw Unity:
To Reunite the Sport and bring legitimacy back
to calling oneself a national champion.
If anyone reading this newsletter is interested
in sponsoring Raw Unity or knows someone that
might; then please email me and I can send you
the document that describes the various
sponsorship packages in
detail.
·
All
Profits Go To
Charity:
I would like to mention once again that
the profits from Raw Unity will go to the
Hillsborough
County after
school athletic programs and scholarship
funds. If you would like more specific
information about the programs then please
email me. I would be happy
to elaborate for you. Based on the
expenses of the past two years, we *hope* to be
able to cover the basic operating costs of the
2 day competition with the entry fees from the
competitors. If that is the case for
2010, then every spectator’s entry fee of $5
would essentially be a direct donation to the
aforementioned programs. I really want to
drive this point home and get behind Raw Unity
for the lifters as well as the kids of
Hillsborough County. It is an absolute
win-win for everyone involved.
·
Benefits
of Signing Up Early:
Once you send in your entry form and pay your
entry fee, I will issue you discount codes that
you can use at APT and Iron Drive’s web
sites
. Alan and Travis
will both donate a portion of the sales from
the use of these codes to the prize money at
Raw Unity. In other words, the more that you
buy from these guys, the bigger the prize money
will be! Please take some time to check out
each of their respective web sites and show
your support by adding to their web traffic and
looking at and perhaps purchasing some of their
great products. Since we all use a singlet, a
belt, and most of us use wrist wraps and
neoprene knee sleeves; then it would be a great
idea to buy these items from one of these
sponsors. I just purchased a set of fractional
plates from APT Pro Gear, and I felt good about
it knowing that purchase directly contributed
to the prize money at Raw Unity. The more that
Raw Unity powerlifters support these businesses
the more these businesses are able to do for
our sport and the bigger the prize money will
be. It is a win-win for all of
us
. If you have already sent
in your entry form and fee but have
not received these discount codes then
please email me!
IronDrive: http://www.irondrivesports.com/
APT Pro Gear: http://www.prowriststraps.com/home
·
Benchers
and Deadlifters Wanted!
We will limit the bench-only competition (20)
and the deadlift-only competition (20) to 20
lifters each; for a total of 40
lifters.
There are qualifying totals for the bench only
competition, but the deadlift only competition
is first come, first served.
There are no qualifying totals for the deadlift
only competition for 2010.
·
Review of
the Rules of Raw
Unity:
If you are new to Raw Unity or just need a
refresher course on its rules, please take a
look at the following videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8HxcKMMpgU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5UqejhT_WU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_UH1Wvr7fA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc7K97ASBD4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRbJx4JFW14
As always, please email me with any
questions you might have about
anything.
·
Raw Unity
FAQ’s:
Raw Unity FAQ’s can be found here:
http://www.rawunitymeet.com/index.html
·
Web
Site:
In case you are not aware, the official
meet web site is http://www.rawunitymeet.com.
Everything you need to know about the meet will
be posted on the site, along with each
newsletter, entry form, and any changes that
may occur.
If you know of anyone that is interested in
competing, attending, or helping out at the Raw
Unity Meet I ask that you direct that person to
the web site for information.
Many thanks go out to Bud Lyte and BMF Sports for building
and maintaining the site.
·
2 Day
Event:
The 2010 Raw Unity Championships will be a 2
day event. The competition
will be on January 30th and
31st at the Jackson Springs
Recreation center in Tampa.
More information can be found on the web
site. Qualifying totals will
be accepted up until December 31, 2009 and many
of the slots have already been
filled. The qualifying
totals for each weight class can be found under
the “About/Qualify” tab; and you can use any
meet to qualify just as long as we can verify
your results as being done
raw.
·
Prize
Money:
As of the time of this writing, we have $4425
in total prize money and are clearly still
pushing for more. We will
award money to the top 3 lightweight and top 3
middleweight women by Wilks formula, as well as
the top 3 in each of the men’s divisions, and
the best lightweight and heavyweight bench
pressers by formula; which will allow the women
to compete against the men.
In other words, 17 individuals will be walking
out of Raw Unity with cash
payouts. We are hopeful that
we will be able to award some money to the best
deadlift by formula as well.
·
Kilos
or Pounds?
Although I agree that this is the United States
of American and that we use pounds, the Raw
Unity Meet will be in kilos.
We have been able to secure a set of Ivanko
Chrome Competition plates for the meet and
would much rather know that the weight on the
bar is accurate. We will be
sure to provide lifters, friends, and family
with a kilo-pounds conversion chart and
announce attempts in both kilos and
pounds. The warm up area
will be in pounds.
·
Entry
Fees
The entry fee for the full power will
again be $60 and for bench only and deadlift
only it will be $50. This will be
payable by check, money order, or
PayPal.
Profits from the meet will go to fund the
Jackson Springs Recreation Center after-school
athletic programs. We are very
excited to help the youth in our
community!!! I would advise
that you get your entry fees in early not only
to help me out and make my job easier, but to
let your fellow competitors know who will be
coming and competing. We
will maintain an active list of those
competitors that have registered and paid their
entry fee on the official web
site. The link for the entry
form is here: http://www.rawunitymeet.com/Entry.html
As always, if you have any questions at
all please do not hesitate to contact me at
erictalmant@yahoo.com.
I return every email that I receive.
I thank each and every one of you for
your time and support.
In Strength and Health,
Eric
CITIUS,
ALTIUS, FORTIUS
Proudly Sponsored by:
BMF Sports http://www.bmfsports.com
Ultra Life, Inc. http://www.ultralifeinc.com
Critical Bench http://www.criticalbench.com
Titan Support Systems http://www.titansupport.com
APT Pro Gear http://www.prowriststraps.com
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