FAQs

GENERAL

On Monday, December 5, registration for Collegiate Nationals will open for universities and colleges who have an official club with USA Powerlifting. Registration for athletes who are not in an official club will open on Wednesday, December 21. 

Why will colleges and universities with an official club receive priority registration? 

With the Qualifying totals changing to become more attainable, we do expect to reach a lifter capacity before the March 13 entry deadline. With that being said, it is important to give our official teams time to register their rosters prior to registration opening to everyone. 

The team atmosphere is the foundation of our championships. While we are excited to invite all higher education institutions to Arlington, we must ensure that our teams have the priority to register. 

How will priority registration work? 

From December 5 to December 20, a unique code will be provided to each team. This code will be emailed to the individuals who are listed as the primary contacts in the club database. If the contact information of your club has changed,  you must send the new information to collegiate@usapowerlifting.com . We will not be able to provide the promo code to your team without this information.

Our team is currently not a registered official club with USA Powerlifting. Can we do this now and receive priority registration? 

Yes! The primary reason we have a two-week window for priority registration is to allow teams to register/renew their clubs. Once you complete your official club registration/renewal, we will create a promo code for your team. 

What is the lifter capacity of Collegiate Nationals?

The capacity is at 860 lifters. 

Why is there a lifter capacity? 

The primary factor in setting the lifter capacity at Collegiate Nationals is staff and personnel. Each session requires 35-40 referees. These numbers do not include spotters/loaders nor the people managing registration and admission help desks, drug testing, and live streaming. 

Our capacity has been set based on our staffing limitations. There is a possibility that we can increase the capacity, but this is dependent on the availability of additional staffing for the weekend. 

To qualify, you must achieve a qualifying total in a USA Powerlifting event between January 1, 2023, through the registration deadline.

Link to Qualifying Totals


To be academically eligible, one must meet the following standards:


  1. The student must be enrolled in a 2 or 4 year higher education institution.

  2. The student must be enrolled as a full-time student at the institution. This is determined by what his or her particular university considers full-time enrollment. 

  3. The student must be in good academic standing at the institution (Must not be on academic probation). 

Additionally, there is an age limit of 25 years old for Collegiate lifting. A lifter cannot have reached their 26th birthday.

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 (between Jan 1st of the year before the event is to happen through the registration deadline).

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 college student in good standing.

You must be a current college 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. 

DRUG TESTING

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).  

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

RULES

Please review the USA Powerlifting Rulebook to be informed. 

Only USA Powerlifting approved equipment is allowed at National events.  Please review the USA Powerlifting rulebook for our specifications.

All weight-class changes must be declared using the Registration app. Inside your profile, you can change your weight class.

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 starts.  A 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:

  • 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 seven 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.

SPONSOR & VENDOR OPPORTUNITIES

Interesting in sponsoring the 2021 USA Powerlifting High School Nationals?  Some options available (Limited opportunities, to first-come-first-serve)

  • Presenting Sponsor for the entire event
  • Title Sponsor for the day
  • Event Sponsor – entire event
  • Platform Sponsor (Session or Day)
  • Athlete/Officials Badge Sponsor
  • Athlete/Officials Lanyard Sponsor
  • Awards Sponsor
  • Live Broadcast Sponsor

Contact Jennifer at rmlcco@yahoo.com 

Vendor Booth space is available for your company for $500 for the entire event!

Contact rmlcco@yahoo.com to arrange for your company's booth!