Goal: 59 points

Below is the Russian federation's ranking table(link here); this one seems to be the one used in most countries, such as Latvia (doc file) :

The above table is also used by IUKL when classifyng lifters into various competetive categories (masters, amateurs...).

These ranks are supposed to be changed following the numbers of qualified practitioners, if a bunch of people qualify for Master of Sports, then rank criteria should be altered so that less practitioners qualify. The last years, however, it is my impression that numbers have remained the same. The exception is the relatively recent change that women attain higher ranks with 24kg bell (the last table).

At the comp Ventspils Atlants in a few weeks, my goal is to attain the lowest rank, i.e. rank 3, in the top table. As I weigh 85kg, that means 59 points. One jerk gives 1 point, one snatch 0,5 points.
Note that lowest does not imply low, and rank 3 means that you are a ranked GS-lifter. A solid achievement, at least in my book.

While training both last Thursday and Monday, I got the numbers needed for rank 3 with competition bells (which is harder for me).
Still, for ranking, the trick is (1) to get the reps cleared/counted by a trained judge, and (2) lift under conditions imposed by the competition setting. Last year in Ventspils, there was a lot of "no counts" generally. I think that circa 25-30% of my jerks were "no count" (I suspect because of press-outs). Regarding the second point, I think my mishap of picking an unchalked bell ranges under the label "competition experience." So, it's both a strength endurance and technique event.

The good news is that whatever you achieve, is achieved. In other words, you get a reliable picture of your ability as a kettlebell lifter at the moment and what you have been doing right and wrong, respectively, since last formal competition. No use fooling myself :-).

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