1. I support it. I support the present organizers: they are doing a very good job, overall.
2. RUM is an interesting project. Apart from my organization’s projects (I am a member of the IPL/USPA), this is the only one that interests me.
3. I lifted raw, equipped, classic – everything. I enjoy raw lifting better. I have a lot of interest in equipment, I collect equipment, use it and study it. There is very little hard evidence for claims that go beyond the general consensus that knee wraps provide carry-over – an unknown percentage of a lifter’s raw lift, but it does.
4. I will not engage in bullshitology arguments. They are boring.
5. The monolift makes total sense for equipped multi-ply lifting. Otherwise, I support my organization’s approach (the IPL/USPA), well described in our rulebook: you need to walk back with the weight. As with many rules, it is an arbitrary one, characterizing what is called a “game” (sport is an institutionalized game).
6. My experience with RUM was of an amazing meet with an atmosphere of true brotherhood and mutual support.
7. What everyone thinks about raw X equipped is unimportant: the good side (others are not that great) of a non-olympic multi-federation sport is that the athletes enjoy the freedom to choose where it is best for them to lift. If one doesn’t like raw lifting, there are plenty of alternatives.
My views on the subjects related to this topic can be found on the links bellow:
Raw versus equipped: the bloody war of the millennium