Catalyst Games Timetable:
7am – registration open, coffee from Cafe Natura, tour the gym
7:45am – competitors’ meeting, rules review for all events, weigh-in
8am – Bench Press/Truck Pull
Open Category
Fire/Police/Military Category
Trainer Category
10am – Max Effort Deadlift
Open Category
Fire/Police/Military Category
Trainer Category
12pm – "Murph"
Open Category
Fire/Police/Military Category
Trainer Category
2pm – Awards
OFFICIAL RULES ARE BELOW. CLICK TO READ.
OFFICIAL RULES – CATALYST GAMES
1. Events start promptly. Once the clock starts, it doesn’t stop. Please be ready to go.
2. Events are scored in ‘Strongman-style’ format: 10 points for first,
9 points for second, 8 for 3rd, 7 for 4th, 6 for 5th, and 5 for 6th.
No points after 6th place. In case of a tie, both athletes share the
next point category down (for instance, a tie for first results in both
athletes receiving 9 points.) Winner is the competitor with most
points at the end of the day. In the case of a tie, winner is
determined by number of first place finishes. If the result remains a
tie, the winner is determined by Murph time. If it’s still a tie,
they can fight to the death.
Rules – Bench Press/Truck Pull
Men – Load: bodyweight (on barbell.) Lifter will use 55lbs bar and power rack.
Women – Load: 50% bodyweight (on barbell,) also using 55lbs bar and power rack.
1. Bench Press – Lifter performs as many bench presses as possible with
his bodyweight. No excessive bouncing off the chest is permitted. Feet
may move but must maintain ground contact at all times. Butt may not
leave the bench while pressing. If the bar is touched after unracking
by anyone other than the lifter, he must rack the bar and count only
the reps before the touch.
As soon as the bar is racked, the lifter has exactly 60 seconds to start the truck pull. They may start early if they like.
The lifter must maintain a seated position inside the tire and pull the
truck until its bumper touches the tire. This is a timed event,
starting with the initiation of the first pull, or the expiration of
the 60-second clock. If the puller is not prepared to start at the
expiration of the 60-second clock, the timer starts recording anyway.
Be ready!
Reps in the bench press are then subtracted (1 rep = 1 second credit)
from the truck pull time. Results are recorded to the tenth of the
second. 10 points for first, 9 for second, etc.
Rules – Max Effort Deadlift 
Each lifter has unlimited warmup lifts, but must be prepared to make
their first attempt at the 20-minute mark from the start of their
flight. Lifters have 3 total attempts at a max. Lifter may wear a
belt, which they must provide and is subject to inspection by judges. A
lifter may increase the weight on each attempt, but MAY NOT DECREASE
the weight after an attempt. For instance, if the lifter chooses 450
for his first attempt and doesn’t make the lift, they may not choose
430 for the second, though they may stay the same.
Opener: the first lift is called the ‘opener,’ and should be a weight
the athlete can lift fairly easily (around 85% of max.) After the
first lift is finished, the lifter must choose his next weight attempt
before leaving the platform area.
To be considered ‘good,’ a deadlift must travel from the floor to
‘lockout’ position: knees and hips fully straight and locked, shoulders
retracted. The bar may not ‘hitch’ up the thigh (any downward motion
of the bar after the initial pull is a disqualified lift.) At lockout,
the lifter must hold the bar until the judge lowers his arm and gives
the ‘Down’ command. The lifter must then lower the weight in a
controlled manner (hands on the bar, but don’t waste energy going very
slowly.)
The lifter’s best successful lift is then divided by the lifter’s
weight to determine the bodyweight coefficient to the hundredth of a
pound. For instance, a 200lbs lifter who deadlifts 500lbs has a
coefficient of 2.5. Highest coefficient receives 10 points,
second-highest receives 9, etc.
Rules – "Murph"
"Murph" is a Crossfit workout named after Sgt. Michael Murphy, killed in Afghanistan June 28, 2005. Simply put, "Murph" is:
1 mile run
100 pullups
200 pushups
300 squats
1 mile run
The pullups, pushups, and squats may be broken up as the athlete sees fit; however, the runs must bracket the other exercises. This is a timed event; first to cross the finish line (entrance to the gym through the large bay door) is the winner, and receives 10 points.
Rules:
Pullups – No jumping pullups. Women may substitute bodyweight rows (legs fully extended) but their chin must reach the bars or rings.
Pullups (chinups are fine) may be done on one of the 3 power cages, one of the 3 sets of rings, or the monkey bars. First come, first served. Go fast on the run to make sure you’ve got a good spot!
No jumping on chinups, but first of each set may be done from touching the floor. In other words, you don’t have to achieve a full hang before the first chinup of each set. However, you can’t do 2 reps in a row with your feet touching the floor. If that’s necessary, you must do another exercise in between. If you’re finished your squats and pushups, though, you may touch the floor – still no jumping – between reps of pullups.
That’s it. Maintain your sense of honour and fair play throughout. Don’t get mad at the referees if they call you for depth; they’re right, and you’re wrong, and they’re volunteering their time to raise money for a cause they believe in. Have fun, and wear a belt home!