FAQs

Please note that competitors must have achieved the USA Powerlifting qualifying total in a USA Powerlifting Sanctioned Competition between Jan 1st of the year before the event is to happen through the registration deadline to enter this championship. Please also note that if you wish to go down in weight class you will need to RE-QUALIFY in your new weight class by the entry deadline. >> Qualifying Totals<<

ALL QUALIFYING TOTALS ARE IN KILOS (KG)

All Coaches must be a current USA Powerlifting Member (Read More Here)

If you are entering a team, your team must be a USA Powerlifting Registered Club. 

Have a new Qualifying Total since you entered Nationals? 

No worries, you do not need to submit a change.  Our scoring manager will automatically incorporate your highest achieved total during the qualifying period.

USA Powerlifting approved equipment will be used on the platform and the warm-up area.

The weight classes are listed in the USA Powerlifting rulebook.

No. You must be a current high school student in good standing or have graduated in the same year of the competition.

You must be a current High School student in good standing. We will not ask for you to have a certain GPA. If you are lifting for a team, your coach and/or school may have grade requirements. 

High School freshman and sophomores (grades 9 and 10, respectively) may choose to compete in either the junior varsity (JV) or varsity (V) division provided they have achieved the appropriate qualifying total for the division they enter. High School juniors and seniors (grades 11 and 12, respectively) may only compete in the varsity division and must have achieved the appropriate varsity qualifying total.

If you enter this event, you may be selected to be drug tested.  Lifters are notified by the Drug Testing Officer (DCO) at the completion of the lifting session.  If you have completed all your attempts and want to leave prior to the awards ceremony, you must check in with the DCO to make sure you have not been selected for drug testing.  This includes if you have weighed in and decided not to lift, injured yourself during the competition and withdraw or bomb, you are still in the drug testing pool.

Failure to be available when called for drug testing will be considered a doping failure.

Medications prescribed by your doctor may be considered a prohibited substance.  You must check all your medications.  If the medication is prohibited, it may be allowed by receiving a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).  

• Check your medications here: GlobalDRO
• TUE Application
• Anti-Doping Information

Please check out the USA Powerlifting's Anti-Doping page to find more resources. 

Please review the USA Powerlifting Rulebook to be informed. 

All equipment worn at this event must meet the specifications per the USA Powerlifting Rulebook.

No weight class changes after March 8th, 2023.

If you are moving up a weight class, your qualifying total in the lower class must be equal to or greater than the qualifying total of the higher weight class.

If you wish to go down in weight class you will need to RE-QUALIFY in your new weight class by the 14-day weight-class change deadline published on this site.

Unlike many local level meets, weigh-ins are conducted by 'Lot Numbers.'  A lot number is a randomly assigned number to each athlete, within each session.  

When it is time for your weigh-ins, be there when it start.  The Referee will call you in order of your assigned Lot Number, NOT by when you show up.  If you are not present when you are called, you will go to the back of the weigh-in order.

For more information, please refer to the Rulebook.

YES!  Any State record you break will automatically be credited once results are uploaded into the results database.

Guest lifters are only allowed under the following conditions:

• If it is a youth lifter who is still 13, but will be 14 prior to Youth Nationals, they are able to compete in the Teen 1 division.
• You did not make weight, you will be allowed to compete as a Guest in the weight class you were registered in.

Guest lifting is not permitted for anyone who can not meet the criteria of our membership.

Per our rulebook

1.9. Team Competition at National Championships - General
1.9.1. Each team is allowed a maximum of eleven (11) competitors spread throughout the range of the eleven (11)
bodyweight categories for women and twelve (12) competitors spread throughout the range of twelve (12) bodyweight
categories for men. There must not be more than two competitors from any one team in any particular bodyweight category.
1.9.2. Each team must submit a team roster giving the name of each lifter and their bodyweight category. The exact
process (including deadlines) for team roster submission will be published for each meet.
1.9.3. Point scoring for all team championships shall be: 12, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2, for the first 9 placing in any
bodyweight category. Thereafter, each lifter who makes a total in the competition shall be awarded one point.
1.9.4. Only the point scores of the five best placed lifters of each team will be counted for the team competition at all
national championships. In case of a tie in points scored, final team placing shall be decided for team awards as in item
1.9.5. below. If a member of a team is found to have committed a violation of the anti-doping rules during an event where a
team ranking is based on the addition of individual results (points), the points of the athlete committing the violation will be
subtracted from the team result and may not be replaced by the resulting points of another team member.
1.9.5. Team awards shall be given for the first three places at national events. In the case of a tie for the classification of a
team, the team having the greatest number of first places will be ranked first. In the case of a tie between two teams having
the same number of first places, the one having the greatest number of second places will be classified first, and so on
through the placing of the maximum of five scoring lifters. Should teams finish equally after this procedure has been applied,
then the team with the greater total number of DOTS points (of the five best placed lifters) will be declared the higher
placed.
1.9.6. Team awards and placing procedures may be done differently at local, state, and regional meets based on either
organizational policy or meet director preference. Those interested in knowing the team awards and placing procedures for
a local, state, or regional meet should contact the specific meet director for details.

1.10. Team Competition at High School Nationals
1.10.1. Boys team scoring and girls team scoring at High School Nationals generally follow the procedures listed above in
“Team Competition at National Championships – General.” Areas where there are differences are listed below.
1.10.2. Only the top ten places in any one bodyweight category are scored; the points are as follows: 12, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3,
2, and 1.
1.10.3. Combined team scoring will be based upon taking up to the top five scoring men and up to the top five scoring
women from the men’s and women’s team rosters. A scoring member must place in the top 10. There must be a minimum
of one member of each sex that places in the top 10 for the team to score.
1.10.4. Freshman and sophomores (grades 9 and 10, respectively) may choose to compete in either the junior varsity (JV)
or varsity (V) division provided they have achieved the appropriate qualifying total for the division they enter. Juniors and
seniors (grades 11 and 12, respectively) may only compete in the varsity division and must have achieved the appropriate
varsity qualifying total.
1.10.5. For questions about team competition and scoring at High School Nationals, please contact the chair of the
Teenage/Junior Committee (https://www.usapowerlifting.com/committee-chairs/).

Interesting in sponsoring USA Powerlifting High School Nationals? Contact us.