(612) 808-0252
1915 E 22nd St, Minneapolis
Beginner Olympic Weightlifting Meet
June 10th, 2023
1915 E 22nd Street, Minneapolis, MN
Contest Date: Saturday, June 10th 2023
Registration Dates: Monday April 10th- Thursday, June 8th
Athlete Slots Available: 40 lifters
Cost: $60
Join us for our annual beginner-friendly Olympic weightlifting contest! Please read the following information carefully prior to signing up.
This event is unsanctioned, which means it does not adhere to the policies of USA Weightlifting pertaining to gendered divisions or any policies regulating or restricting competition for transgender athletes. We are excited to be trying something new that allows more people to compete. We are experimenting with a more flexible way of organizing divisions for athletes to compete in.
Instead of having a Women's Session and Men's Session, we are dividing the meet into three sessions. Sessions A and B are competitive sessions. Lifters will be scored using Olyftia software, which requires us to input the lifter’s gender and bodyweight. Session C will have referees but there will be no awards for the top three lifters. Lifters are free to choose whatever session they'd like to compete in, and we've provided recommendations below for who might compete in the division based on a number of factors - competitiveness within a division, bar used, and competition pool.
While one gender may be more heavily represented among each division's participants, we do not consider these divisions to be gendered categories, and lifters of any gender are free to participate in any division. We hope that all divisions will have participants of many genders and encourage each lifter to select the division that feels comfortable to them!
Session A:transgender women, cisgender women, nonbinary people and people of other genders who want to compete in this division. This division uses a 35# bar.
Session B: transgender men, cisgender men, nonbinary people and people of other genders who want to compete in this division. This division uses a 45# bar.
Session C: Play Category- in this session, anyone and everyone are welcome! We will organize the category via opening attempts. Lifters can opt to use the barbell of their choice, options include 22#, 35# and 45# bar.
Participants will have the chance to achieve their best score, in 3 attempts each, for both the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. Our contest is specifically designed for athletes who have never participated in weightlifting contest before, or are considered a novice in the sport of weightlifting. This meet is open to all ages.
Singlets are the traditional “uniform” for lifters during a contest. We encourage participants to wear singlets, but they are not required! Lifters who opt out of singlets are required to wear a tucked-in, form-fitting shirt and spandex shorts cut off above the knee.
If you opt to compete in a competitive session, you are required to weigh in before your session so we can use your exact bodyweight that day to calculate your score.
Before you sign up:
* We need your current best total in order to organize the sessions. Your total = best snatch score + best clean and jerk score in kilograms.
Example: Best snatch score = 25kg. Best clean and jerk score= 45kg. Total= 70kg
We will release the tentative lifting schedule Monday, June 5th.
Details regarding sessions will be released at minimum one week prior to meet date.
Sign up Now to Participate
Solcana Beginner Olympic Weightlifting Meet
You can bring one coach to support you during the meet (optionally). If you plan to, please provide their details below.
How Does it Work?
Each person participating will have three chances to complete a snatch weight of their choosing. Then each person will have three chances to complete a clean and jerk weight of their choosing.
FAQ about the event
Q: How will scoring work?
A: There will be referees and some basic rules for what counts as a successful lift (see below) and sessions A and B will announce the top three lifters for each at the end of the meet. Session C will have referees and no scoring or announced winners.
Q: Will there be referees?
A: Yes - there will be individuals with past referee experience and/or certification. Mostly to provide a playfield of consistency and accountability. Each lifter will receive 3 attempts. Referees will be responsible for determining if lifts are successful or not.
Q: Do you need my gender or bodyweight for scoring?
A: Yes, for sessions A and B. Session C will not.
Q: Will I have to wear a singlet?
A: Nope - at least not if you don't want to! Wear something you feel comfortable lifting in. For consistency - we just ask that you wear something that our judges can see your elbows, knees and hip crease in order to determine the athlete has control of the bar.
Q: What's considered a successful lift?
A: Judges will be looking for a variety of things, including: following verbal commands, locking out elbows when catching the snatch, successful lift, control, etc. If you've never lifted in a competition, but have interest - this will be a great opportunity to have 'meet' exposure, in a low-risk, fun environment.
Q: What equipment is/isn't allowed?
A: All we ask is for lifters to wear a singlet or attire wherein we can see the lifters elbows and knees. Lifters can bring equipment, including but not limited to: belt (buckle, latch, velcro), lifting shoes, knee/elbow sleeves, knee/elbow wraps, etc.
Q: What type of equipment will be used?
A: We will be using official olympic weightlifting bars. We will not be using competition clips to secure plates, we will use locking clips. Additionally, we will use kilo (kg) plates. There will be conversion charts available from lbs to kg.
Q: What will the flow of the day be?
A: Lifters will check in (starting at 7:30 AM). There will be a brief rules briefing for all lifters at 8:00 AM. Lifting will start at 9:00 AM. Closer to the meet - all registrants will receive an email with a day-of timeline. This will include commonly asked questions about the flow of a meet, check-in details, and more.
