TWIN PORTS RAW OPEN
About the Twin Ports Raw Open:
The Twin Ports Raw Open (TPRO) is the newest powerlifting meet on Minnesota’s annual calendar of events. It was first held on June 27, 2009 at Impact Sports Training in Duluth and the future plans are to hold the meet annually in May or June in the Twin Ports of Duluth, MN and Superior, WI. It is possible that the TPO could develop into another “border battle” between Minnesota and Wisconsin much like the Hudson Natural Open in Hudson, WI. The event is different from most in that it is specifically sanctioned as a raw meet in order to provide a contest that caters to the increasing interest of raw/unequipped lifting that has occurred across the country and within Minnesota following the official recognition of a raw division within USA Powerlifting only a few short years ago. The raw format is also designed to make TPRO an attractive venue for young and novice lifters to get meet experience without having to worry about the cost and technical expertise associated with powerlifting equipment/gear (i.e. squat suits, bench shirts, and deadlift suits). In addition to the TPRO being a raw-only event, it is also one of the few contests in which the competitive divisions are narrowed down in order to promote competition by virtue of increased “depth” within the divisions.
The 5 divisions contested in the TPRO are: teen/junior, women, master, open men lightweight, and open men heavyweight. Lifters of various bodyweights compete in each division and the final scoring for the meet is determined by formula. Of course, lifters can still set records (state and American) in their traditional weight classes based upon their bodyweight at weigh-in. The small number of divisions ensures that any lifter taking home a top-three award has to earn it. The TPRO brings USA Powerlifting back to northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin after a hiatus of several years. The inaugural event had 44 lifters from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Canada. It is hoped that the Twin Ports location taps into some new powerlifting talent (in addition to bringing some lifters of years past back to the platform) and affords current lifters an opportunity to visit a beautiful area and experience a new location outside of the traditional Twin Cities meet venues.