OVERVIEW OF THE 2023

YOUTH BOULDER DIVISIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Date: February 11-12, 2023

Format: Two Rounds, Isolation/Onsight, 4 Boulders, 4-minute Climbing Period

NOTE: This document is not a substitute for - nor does it take precedence over - the USA Climbing Rules, which all competitors and coaches are expected to know. They can be found at https://usaclimbing.org/rules 

Each Divisional Championship will have an online Info Sheet located on both Regions’ pages on the usaclimbing.org website that will be periodically updated and contain the Divisional Championship detailed schedule and important information about things like volunteering, local accommodations, and parking.

ELIGIBILITY & REGISTRATION

• Competitors who are ranked in the top 13 in their category at the Regional Championship are eligible to compete at the Divisional Championship; see Rule 12.11 for additional details, including extra quota rules. Eligibility lists - including those who are pre-qualified for Divisionals - will be posted in the Divisional Championship section of the Youth Series page of the USA Climbing website. As with Regionals, email invitations will be sent out, but eligible competitors can register directly through the USA Climbing membership platform.

• The registration deadlines for the Boulder Divisional Championship are as follows:

• Invitations that are not accepted by the end of the Extended Registration Period will not be “passed down” to other competitors. In other words, there are no second or third round invites.
• All steps of the registration process, including payment, must be completed in order for an athlete to be registered for the competition. You will receive an email confirmation once you have successfully completed the process. If you do not receive a confirmation email within 15 minutes, you should contact events@usaclimbing.org immediately. Once registered, the event will appear on the Entries tab in the athlete’s Membership account, and their name will be on the event’s public Entry List (link provided on the Info Sheet). Failure to complete all the registration steps by the Extended Registration deadline will result in the competitor not being eligible to compete.
• Registration fees for Championship events are refundable 48 hours prior to the event start or earlier. Within 48 hours of the event or later, registration fees are non-refundable. Any refund issued will be less the processing fees.

• Contact for registration issues or if a confirmation email has not been received 15 min after payment: events@usaclimbing.org 
• Contact for refund and cancellation requests: refund@usaclimbing.org 

ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS
Any competitor or coach requesting an accommodation related to a disability (e.g., color-blindness, Type-1 Diabetes, serious allergies, neurodivergence, physical disorders or disabilities that require a Competitor Aide, etc.) has the responsibility to notify USA Climbing at accommodation@usaclimbing.org at least thirty (30) days prior to the start of the competition. For the Boulder Regional Championship, that date would be January 12, 2023. This will give the event organizers, gym staff, and Jury President enough time to consider the request and implement any appropriate accommodations.

START LISTS

For Onsight format competitions such as Divisionals, registered competitors are randomly assigned to a Start List for their category. An athlete’s performance at Regionals has no impact on their placement in the Start List. The Start List, which will also include the expected time that an athlete will be starting their first boulder, is typically published a few days prior to the event. A link to the Start List will be provided on the event’s Info Sheet or search for your event at usacresults.org.

ISOLATION

• Competitors must check-in to the Isolation Area - sometimes referred to as “ISO” - during their category’s designated check-in window, which is published in the event schedule (in Info Sheet). Except in rare circumstances, athletes who arrive after the Isolation deadline will not be allowed to compete.
• After checking in, competitors will be in an Isolation/Warm-Up Zone until their turn to climb. Only coaches who are Level 2 Certified with USA Climbing (and designated volunteers) are permitted to be in this warm-up area with the athletes. Athletes may not leave the Isolation area (unless escorted by a Head Judging Official or designated volunteer) until it is their turn to climb.
• Competitors and coaches are prohibited from bringing into Isolation any electronic communication equipment - meaning any device capable of data, voice or other communication, such as phones, smart watches, pagers, walkie-talkies, cameras, personal fitness devices, wireless headphones, etc. They will be able to leave those devices at check-in and retrieve it when they are done climbing. They may bring whatever food, drinks, reading materials, etc. they want into Isolation. Unless permitted by a Head Judging Official, nothing can be delivered into Isolation for a competitor or coach once they have entered.

CLIMBER FLOW & LOGISTICS

• Approximately ten minutes before their Start Time on the first boulder, the climber will be escorted out of Isolation and into the Field of Play, where athletes will be either climbing or sitting in a chair facing away from the boulder. These chairs are an extension of the Isolation Zone; competitors seated in them are not allowed to communicate with or accept food, drink or equipment from spectators or coaches.
• Athletes have four (4) minutes to climb each boulder (called the Climbing Period). It may be followed by a Preparation Period (formerly known as “transition time”) of up to one minute during which climbers move to their next boulder. This is followed by a four-minute rest sitting in a chair facing away from their next boulder. If there is a Preparation Period, then the climber can use that time to warm up (without turning around) before they attempt the next boulder. Athletes repeat this process until they have concluded their attempts on the fourth and last boulder. After their fourth boulder’s Climbing Period has ended, climbers will sit in another chair for four minutes, still effectively in the Isolation Zone, in case there is an appeal that might involve them getting the opportunity to have more attempts on a boulder.
• There will be a digital timer showing the amount of time remaining in the Climbing Period or Preparation Period (if applicable). Further, the timer will provide audio signals indicating when one (1) minute is remaining and during the final five (5) seconds of the Climbing Period, as well as at the end of the Preparation Period (i.e., when the competitor may begin climbing). A video showing an example timer and tones is provided at http://www.badpens.com/timer/4min-s and at https://youtu.be/EBzOktlsY4c
• Competitors may make as many attempts on a boulder as they wish during their four-minute Climbing Period for that boulder. If a competitor tops the boulder before the Climbing Period has ended, they return to the chair for the time remaining. The competitor is still in Isolation and must not communicate with any spectators.
• Scores will be recorded by the Climbing Judge at each boulder and presented to the competitor via electronic device. Climbing Judges will also maintain a written tally sheet as a backup to the electronic scoring.
• If a competitor disagrees with a Climbing Judge's score, they should discuss that with the judge immediately and in a respectful manner. If not resolved immediately to the competitor's satisfaction, they may file an Appeal (see more details on Appeals here).
• Spectators and coaches must not have any interaction with the Climbing Judges; if they have concerns or questions, they may speak to one of the Head Judging Officials (Jury President or USAC Judge). In addition, please remember that no “beta,” coaching or advice may be given at any time.
• For serious infringement of the Rules, competitors and coaches may be issued an official warning (Yellow Card) or be disqualified (Red Card), and spectators may be issued an official warning or be dismissed from the facility. See Rulebook section 4 for more details.

SCORING, RANKING & ADVANCEMENT TO FINAL ROUND

• Competitors are ranked in their category by:

• Number of Tops achieved, then
• Number of Zones achieved, then
• Number of LowZones achieved (if applicable), then
• Number of Total Attempts to achieve Tops
• Number of Total Attempts to achieve Zones, and then
• Number of Total Attempts to achieve LowZones (if applicable)

• In the Qualification Round, any climbers tied on all of the above will be considered tied. Competitors who are ranked in the top 13 (including ties) in their category in the Qualification Round advance to the Final Round; see Rule 12.11 for additional details, including extra quota rules.
• In the Final Round any climbers tied on all of the above will have their tie broken by a countback to their ranking in the Qualification Round, If they remain tied, they will have their tie broken as outlined in Rule 8.14.3.

• Live results are displayed online during the competition. A link to the event’s results page will be shared at the competition. You can also go to usacresults.org and search for your event. Refer to the “How to Read Boulder Scores” document for more information.

TECHNICAL INCIDENTS

• In general, a Technical Incident (a “technical”) is an event or circumstance that results in a disadvantage or unfair advantage to a competitor and is beyond the control of that competitor. Examples include: a spinning/broken hold, collision with another climber, or a timing system failure. Note that issues with clothing or hair, twisted ankles, etc. are NOT technicals.
• A competitor must call a technical immediately and if the judge agrees, the competitor must cease the attempt, or they will forfeit the opportunity to call a technical later.

BLEEDING COMPETITORS

• A bleeding competitor is not allowed to climb or continue climbing, and they are not granted a technical (i.e., the clock continues running, and a bleeding competitor is not given extra time). A medic will be available to help all competitors. Additional assistance for bleeding competitors in the Youth D and Youth C categories is addressed in Rule 3.3.3.
• USA Climbing recommends that all competitors have a small medical kit that includes tape, bandages, gauze, etc. with them in the Field of Play in case the medical professional is not immediately available to assist the competitor to stop minor bleeding. Cutting the tape into small strips beforehand can be helpful so that climbers don’t have to tear it in a stressful moment.

APPEALS

In the Qualification Round, the deadline for making an appeal at a Divisional Championship is twenty (20) minutes after the publication of the Official Results for that category. In the FInal Round, the appeal deadline is ten (10) minutes after the publishing of Official Results. The appeal deadline will be announced and published on the online results page. The appeal fee is $100. Refer to USAC’s Guide to Appeals for more information.

ADVANCEMENT TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

• Competitors who are ranked in the top 6 in their category at the Divisional Championship are eligible to compete at the National Championship in July; see Rule 12.11 for additional details, including extra quota rules. Email invitations will be sent out closer to the event (likely in June), and eligible competitors can register directly through the USA Climbing membership platform once registration opens.
• Invitations to Nationals that are not accepted will not be “passed down” to other competitors. In other words, there are no second or third round invites.
• More information about the National Championship (detailed schedule, volunteering, accommodations, etc.) will be posted in the Youth Series section of the USA Climbing website.