Run of show
A run of show maps out the entire day, minute by minute: when the crew arrives, each heat starts and is called, the loads change, and the awards begin. Give a copy to everyone with a job so nobody has to ask what happens next.
This one is built for the example every Team Aretas resource uses: 120 athletes, 8 lanes, one day. Copy it and change the times to your own.
The short answer
- Each heat has two times: when it starts and when athletes need to enter the holding pen. The holding pen time is before the heat start time.
- Mark every change of loads. With six categories, each workout changes loads five times, and those are the changeovers that run late.
- Put the breaks in the resets. Judges get 20 minutes at 12:00 and 16:20, and nowhere else unless a second crew takes over.
The worked example
The throwdown from the playbook: three workouts, 15 heats each, one category per heat, easiest first. A slot is the time cap plus a 4-minute changeover:
| Workout | Slot | First heat | Last heat finishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workout 1 | 14 min | 08:30 | 12:00 |
| Workout 2 | 16 min | 12:20 | 16:20 |
| Workout 3 | 12 min | 16:40 | 19:40 |
Before the doors open
The crew's morning, from arrival to the first heat:
| Time | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 06:30 | Crew arrive; lanes numbered; kit out for the Scaled women | Floor crew |
| 07:15 | Clock, music and score desk tested | MC and score desk |
| 07:30 | Judges arrive | Head judge |
| 07:45 | First aid on site | First aid |
| 08:00 | Doors open, check-in opens | Check-in |
| 08:00 | Judges' briefing, 20 minutes | Head judge |
| 08:20 | Heat 1 to the holding pen; athletes' briefing | Marshal and MC |
| 08:30 | Workout 1, heat 1 | Everyone |
Check-in runs all morning, because the Rx men are not on until 11:18. Ask each category to arrive an hour before its first heat, and the Scaled women as the doors open. Here is check-in at around 08:30, with the Scaled athletes ticked off as they arrive:
Workout 1
Fourteen-minute slots, from 08:30 to 12:00:
| Heat | Starts | Category | In the holding pen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 08:30 | Scaled women | 08:20 |
| 2 | 08:44 | Scaled women | 08:30 |
| 3 | 08:58 | Scaled women | 08:44 |
| 4 | 09:12 | Scaled men, new loads | 08:58 |
| 5 | 09:26 | Scaled men | 09:12 |
| 6 | 09:40 | Scaled men | 09:26 |
| 7 | 09:54 | Masters women, new loads | 09:40 |
| 8 | 10:08 | Masters men, new loads | 09:54 |
| 9 | 10:22 | Masters men | 10:08 |
| 10 | 10:36 | Rx women, new loads | 10:22 |
| 11 | 10:50 | Rx women | 10:36 |
| 12 | 11:04 | Rx women | 10:50 |
| 13 | 11:18 | Rx men, new loads | 11:04 |
| 14 | 11:32 | Rx men | 11:18 |
| 15 | 11:46 | Rx men | 11:32 |
Reset: 12:00 to 12:20
The floor changes over to workout 2 and the pull-up rig is checked. It is also the judges' first break.
Workout 2
Sixteen-minute slots, from 12:20 to 16:20:
| Heat | Starts | Category | In the holding pen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12:20 | Scaled women | 12:00 |
| 2 | 12:36 | Scaled women | 12:20 |
| 3 | 12:52 | Scaled women | 12:36 |
| 4 | 13:08 | Scaled men, new loads | 12:52 |
| 5 | 13:24 | Scaled men | 13:08 |
| 6 | 13:40 | Scaled men | 13:24 |
| 7 | 13:56 | Masters women, new loads | 13:40 |
| 8 | 14:12 | Masters men, new loads | 13:56 |
| 9 | 14:28 | Masters men | 14:12 |
| 10 | 14:44 | Rx women, new loads | 14:28 |
| 11 | 15:00 | Rx women | 14:44 |
| 12 | 15:16 | Rx women | 15:00 |
| 13 | 15:32 | Rx men, new loads | 15:16 |
| 14 | 15:48 | Rx men | 15:32 |
| 15 | 16:04 | Rx men | 15:48 |
Reset: 16:20 to 16:40
Barbells out and loaded for the heaviest lift, and the judges' second break.
Workout 3
Twelve-minute slots, from 16:40 to 19:40:
| Heat | Starts | Category | In the holding pen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16:40 | Scaled women | 16:20 |
| 2 | 16:52 | Scaled women | 16:40 |
| 3 | 17:04 | Scaled women | 16:52 |
| 4 | 17:16 | Scaled men, new loads | 17:04 |
| 5 | 17:28 | Scaled men | 17:16 |
| 6 | 17:40 | Scaled men | 17:28 |
| 7 | 17:52 | Masters women, new loads | 17:40 |
| 8 | 18:04 | Masters men, new loads | 17:52 |
| 9 | 18:16 | Masters men | 18:04 |
| 10 | 18:28 | Rx women, new loads | 18:16 |
| 11 | 18:40 | Rx women | 18:28 |
| 12 | 18:52 | Rx women | 18:40 |
| 13 | 19:04 | Rx men, new loads | 18:52 |
| 14 | 19:16 | Rx men | 19:04 |
| 15 | 19:28 | Rx men | 19:16 |
After the last heat
The end of the day, from the last heat to an empty venue:
| Time | What happens | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 19:40 | Last heat finishes | Everyone |
| 19:40 | Final scores checked and signed off | Head judge and score desk |
| 20:15 | Awards | MC |
| 20:45 | Pack down starts | Floor crew |
| 22:00 | Venue clear | Organiser |
When the day slips
Every heat waits for the one before it, so a minute lost on each heat is 15 minutes by the end of a workout. Three rules keep that in hand:
- Take it back in the reset, not the changeover. A changeover cut short is the one where loads go wrong. A reset can lose 5 minutes and nobody notices.
- Never start a heat early. Athletes plan their warm-up around the printed time.
- Tell athletes once you are 10 minutes behind. The MC says it, and the holding pen times move with it.
Common mistakes
- One time per heat. Without a holding pen time, the marshal is chasing athletes and every heat starts late.
- No load changes marked. The floor crew learns about the switch to Rx men when the Rx men walk on.
- Judges with no break. Eleven hours of no-rep calls with no break shows in the scores of the last heats.
- Awards before the scores are signed off. A podium that changes after the photos is worse than a 20-minute wait.
Run it on Team Aretas
Team Aretas lays out the heats with their times, and athletes see their heat time once you publish the heats. On the day, check-in ticks athletes off as they arrive, judges enter scores on Submit Scores, and the leaderboard ranks each heat as it finishes.