According to an announcement by USA Powerlifting (USAPL) on April 21st, Open, Youth, Bench and Raw athletes will no longer be required to secure a qualifying total in order to register for 2020 Nationals.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic compelled USAPL to postpone all events through May 30th and in some cases cancel events entirely. The decision to forego qualifying totals comes in response to the negative effects the pandemic placed on “athletes’ ability to complete qualifiers prior to the deadlines for our upcoming 2020 National events.”
[Related: Relive these 5 massive performances from the USAPL 2019 Raw Nationals.]
Despite this significant change, USAPL will still honor the qualifying totals any athlete has already secured for 2020 Nationals. According to USAPL’s announcement, registration for 2020 Nationals will now be as follows:
- Athletes who currently have qualifying totals will be able to secure their spot if they register before the May 15th deadline. Athletes without qualifying totals will not be able to register before this time.
- Starting May 16th, USAPL members who have not secured a qualifying total will be allowed to register for Open, Bench, or Raw Nationals as long as they meet the the following conditions:
- Achieved a total in any previous USAPL meet.
- 2020 Nationals is not be your first powerlifting meet.
Specifically for Youth Nationals:
- Athletes may register for Youth Nationals without any qualifying total or previous meet. For clarity, athletes can register for 2020 Youth Nationals even if it is their first meet.
USAPL will set a cap for events on each day of 2020 Nationals so registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
Calendar
Here is the current schedule for USAPL 2020 Nationals:
- Youth Nationals will take place the morning of August 14th.
- Open Nationals will begin in the afternoon of August 14th and continue through August 16th.
- Bench Press Nationals
- Raw will take place on October 6th.
- Equipped will take place on October 7th.
- Raw Nationals will take place October 8th through 11th.
Feature image from USA Powerlifting’s Instagram page: @usapowerlifting
