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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 31st.
·
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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