Yes have them lift, but not at a national comp. Make them work hard and earn that rite. I know you have a few lifters that deserve to be there and I hope they do well.
There will always be a rift between raw and equipped thats just the way it is. Just like pro bodybuilding and natural. People still love to see the freaks.
You cannot compare BB and PL.
Listening to comments from novices, they cant get their head around equipped lifters. I get it, I'm 48.
These guys lift to get stronger too see what they can lift.
You claim people like to see the freaks. I say you are wrong. While there was no raw, there was nearly no PL. CAPO had no Sydney, no SA, no Tas. A few in Albury and Vic, 3 lifters at the WA state titles a couple of years ago.
I guess nobody really wants to see equipped, except for old timers. Guys new to the sport dont understand why you simply dont lift the weight in your gym gear. I dont try to explain, its useless.
I love the sport of lifting. Its how I feed my kids.
I wouldnt cross the road to watch an equipped comp sorry.
Dont assume that someone lifting an extra 100kg because of a tight shirt is a freak, it may be your opinion, but your in the minority now.
The PA and CAPO guys have told me about the ammount of spectators at comps in recent years, nothing to brag about as far as I can tell.
Also, no rift at all between equipped and raw as far as I can tell, how did you come up with this, we lift side by side and help each other