We follow the USASF guidelines.
a. The only individuals that may stop a routine for injury are:
● Competition Officials
● Club Owner/Coach from the performing team
● Injured athlete/athlete in distress
● USASF Certified Legality Official
b. Stopping a Routine – An athlete in distress may also create a potential safety hazard to other athletes because of the inability to hold, support, spot, or catch. For the safety of all athletes competing, a routine should be interrupted/stopped in cases of:
● Obvious Injury (i.e. An athlete lands a skill and falls to the floor but doesn’t get back up.)
● Perceived Injury (i.e. An athlete is crying, keeps grabbing injured area and/or does not resume
their role in the routine within approximately 5 seconds of questionable injury.)
● Athlete in distress leaving the competition floor
● Bodily Fluids, including but not limited to vomit, blood (i.e. An athlete has a nosebleed
while competing.)
● Uniform Malfunction (See below for suggested protocols)
NOTE: If a routine is interrupted due to the above, it will be at the Competition Officials’ discretion whether that team will be allowed to perform again at a later time.
c. Uniform Malfunction - Protocols should be in place to help protect any athlete from unintentional exposure of any private body
part, including but not limited to selecting uniforms in accordance with the Athletic Performance Standards. The USASF assumes no responsibility for Member Club uniform selections as they are made at the sole
discretion of the Member Club.
Should an unintentional exposure occur during a team’s performance, the USASF recommends the following protocols for USASF Sanctioned Event Producers, including but not limited to:
1. Stop the music.
2. Provide directions over the loudspeaker for the team to return backstage.
3. Dim the lights.
4. Cover the exposed athlete should time permit while on stage.
5. Provide a general announcement over the loudspeaker to the effect that those who may have recorded the performance should delete any images or videos from their electronic device, including phones, to comply with federal or state law concerning child pornography.
d. Legality Officials – record the time in which the routine was stopped (Ex 1:27 mark) and the reason for stopping the routine in your USASF Legality Tracking Report. If that team returns to perform a second time, please note if the perceived injured athlete is competing again.
e. Emergency Medical Response - At first sight or sound of a medical emergency, the Competition Official should notify the EMT or Athletic Trainer on-site to respond with immediate medical care.
● The EMT or Athletic Trainer will typically activate EMS (Emergency Medical Services) if the emergency is life-threatening. (i.e. An unconscious athlete, an athlete who is not breathing, someone who has an open fracture, someone who appears to be going into anaphylaxis, someone who appears to have sustained a head injury, etc.)
● Be sure all protocols related to your Emergency Action Plan have been met (i.e. incident or accident report completed, injured athlete follow-up)
f. Returning To Competitoin - Athletes:
An injured participant MAY NOT return to the competition floor unless the Competition Officials receive clearance from ALL the representatives listed below:
● Competition medical personnel attending to that participant.
● Parent/Guardian (if present).
● Head coach/Club owner of the competing team.
In the event of a suspected head injury, the participant cannot return to perform without clearance from a licensed medical professional that has training related to head injuries.
If an athlete is returning to perform ALL athletes’ safety MUST be considered.
(i.e. Can the injured athlete properly base, brace, lift, be lifted, etc. without concern for the safety of the
athletes being supported and/or supporting the injured participant?)
Teams:
If a team is allowed to perform again following a routine interruption, the second performance requirements, scoring, etc. will be at the sole discretion of the Competition Official.
Typically, although at the discretion of the Competition Official, the team (pending the injury’s impact on the routine) performs the routine again in its entirety full out but judging resumes from the point at which the injury/interruption occurred as determined by the Competition Official. Typically, scoring and point deductions accumulated (if applicable) to that point carry over.
If a team is permitted to perform again but fails to perform the routine in its entirety (example: throwing back tucks instead of the full twist thrown in the original performance or single pirouettes instead of the a la seconde turns in the original performance), it is at the discretion of the Competition Official how that team’s scores will be affected.
