GENERAL SAFETY RULES AND ROUTINE REQUIREMENTS

1. All teams must be supervised during all official functions by a qualified director/coach.
   
2. Coaches must require proficiency before skill progression. Coaches must consider the individual, group, and team skill levels with regard to proper performance level placement.
   
3. All teams, gyms, coaches and directors should have an emergency response plan in the event of an injury.
   
4. Athletes and coaches may not be under the influence of alcohol, narcotics, performance enhancing substances, or over-the-counter medications while participating in a practice or performance that would hinder the ability to supervise or execute a routine safely.
   
5. Athletes must always practice and perform on an appropriate surface.
6. Soft-soled shoes must be worn while competing. No dance shoes/boots, and/or gymnastics slippers (or similar) allowed. Shoes must have a solid sole.
   
7. Jewelry of any kind including but not limited to ear, nose, tongue, belly button and facial rings, clear plastic jewelry, bracelets, necklaces and pins on uniforms are prohibited. Jewelry must be removed and may not be taped over. (Exception: medical ID tags/bracelets, and uniform rhinestones. Rhinestones are illegal when adhered to the skin as opposed to a uniform. Temporary tattoos are also allowed.)
   
8. Any height increasing apparatus used to propel a competitor is prohibited. (Exception: spring floor)
   
9. Flags, banners, signs, pom pons, megaphones, and pieces of cloth are the only props allowed. Props with poles or similar support apparatus may not be used in conjunction with any kind of stunt or tumbling. During all cradle dismounts, a flyer may not hold props that are made of solid material, and have corners or sharp edges (i.e. signs, etc). All props must be safely discarded out of harms way (e.g. throwing a hard sign across the mat from a stunt would be illegal). Any uniform piece purposefully removed from the body and used for visual effect will be considered a prop.
   
10. Casts that are hard and unyielding or have rough edges must be appropriately covered with a padded material. Clarification: The appropriately padded material must be such that it protects both the athlete and fellow athletes from injury.
    
11. Drops including but not limited to knee, seat, thigh, front, back, and split drops from a jump, stunt, or inverted position are prohibited unless the majority of the weight is first borne on the hands/feet, which breaks the impact of the drop. Shushunovas are allowed.
    
12. Competition routines shall not exceed 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
    
13. Athletes must have at least one foot, hand or body part (other than hair) on the performing surface when the routine begins. Exception: Athletes may have their feet in the hands of base(s) if the base(s) hands are resting on the performing surface.
    
14. The chewing of gum and/or candy while practicing or performing is prohibited.

INTERMEDIATE

General Tumbling
A. All tumbling must originate from and land on the performing surface. (Exception: Tumbler may [without hip-over-head rotation] rebound from his/her feet into a stunt transition.
Rebounding to a prone position in a stunt is allowed.)
B. Tumbling over, under, or through a stunt, individual, or prop, is not allowed.
C. Tumbling while holding or in contact with any prop is not allowed.
D. Assisted or connected tumbling is not allowed. Clarification: Double cartwheels and double forward rolls are considered stunts and are NOT allowed because they violate this levels inversion rules.
E. Dive rolls:
1. Dive rolls performed in a swan/arched position are not allowed.
2. Dive rolls that involve twisting are not allowed.

Standing Tumbling
A. Flips are not allowed (Exception aerial cartwheels)
B. Series front and back handsprings are allowed.
C. Jump skills in immediate combination with handspring(s) are allowed. (Example: toe touch handsprings and handspring toe touches)
D. Non-airborne skills must involve hand support with at least one hand when passing through the inverted position. Example: Front and back walkovers, cartwheels and round offs
E. Airborne skills must involve hand support with both hands when passing through the inverted position. Example: Front and back handsprings
F. No twisting while airborne. (Exception: Round offs)

Running Tumbling
A. Flips
1. Flips may only be performed in a tuck position from a round off or round off back handspring(s) (Exception: aerial cartwheels, running tuck fronts are allowed)
2. Other skills with hand support prior to the round off or round off back handspring(s) are allowed. (Example: front handsprings and front walkover through to round off back handspring back tuck)
3. Cartwheel tuck flips and ¾ front flips are not allowed
B. No tumbling is allowed after a flip or an aerial cartwheel. (Exception: a forward or backward roll is allowed after a tuck flip; however, no tumbling is allowed after the roll)
C. No twisting while airborne. (Exception: Round offs)

Stunts
A. A spotter is required for all extended stunts (Exception: Triple-based Swedish Fall as long as
all three bases face the flyer).
B. Extended single leg stunts are allowed
C. Twisting mounts and transitions are allowed up to a total of ½ twists between the bases and the top person combined. Clarification: a half twist performed with an additional half turn by the bases would be illegal if performed simultaneously.
D. During transitions, at least one base must remain in contact with the top person.
E. Free flipping or assisted flipping stunts and transitions are not allowed.
F. No stunt, pyramid, or individual may move over or under another separate stunt, pyramid or individual (e.g. shoulder sits walking under prep).
G. Pendulum and pendulum style transitional stunts, where the top person falls away from the original bases, must use at least three stationary catchers, at least two of which are not original bases. Physical contact must be maintained with all of the original base(s).
H. Single based split catches are not allowed.
I. Single based double awesomes/cupies require a separate spotter for each top person.
J. Log rolls are allowed and may only be assisted by a base. Clarification: The log roll may not be assisted by another top person.
K. Stunts - Release Moves
1. No release moves allowed other than those allowed at in "Dismounts" and "Tosses."
2. Release moves may not land in a prone position.
3. Release moves must return to original bases.
4. Helicopters are not allowed.
5. A single full twisting log/barrel roll is allowed as long as it starts and ends in a cradle position. Clarification: Log/Barrel roll must return to original bases and may not include any skill other than the twist (ex: no kick full twists).
6. Release moves may not intentionally travel.
7. Release moves may not pass over, under or through other stunts, pyramids or individuals.
L. Stunts - Inversions
1. All inversions must maintain contact with the performance surface.
Exception: Transitions from ground level inversions to non-inverted positions are allowed.
Clarifications:
Legal: Going from a handstand on the ground to a non-inverted stunt such as a shoulder sit. Illegal: Going from a cradle to a handstand or from a prone position to a forward roll.
M. Bases may not support any weight of a top person while that base is in a backbend or inverted position.

Pyramids
A. Pyramids must follow "Stunts" and "Dismounts" rules and are allowed up to 2 high.
B. Top persons must receive primary support from a base. Clarification: Anytime a top person is released by the bases during a pyramid transition, the top person must land in a cradle or dismount to the performing surface.
C. Extended single leg stunts may not brace or be braced by any other extended stunts.
D. No stunt, pyramid, or individual may move over or under another separate stunt, pyramid or individual (e.g. shoulder sits walking under prep).
E. Extended single-leg stunts:
1. Top person may be braced by hand to hand connection or hand to foot connection.
2. Prep level top persons must have both feet in bases hands. (Exception: shoulder sit, double base thigh stand or shoulder stand)
F. Pyramids-Release Moves
1. During a pyramid transition, a top person may pass above 2 persons high while in direct physical contact with at least two persons at prep level or below.
2. Top person may be in contact with hand to hand connection or hand/foot connection
3. These release transitions may not involve changing bases.
4. These transitions must be caught by at least 2 catchers.
a. Both catchers must be stationary.
b. Both catchers must maintain visual contact with the top person throughout the entire transition.
G. Pyramids-Inversions
Must follow L3 Stunt Inversion rules

Dismounts
A. Cradles from single based stunts at prep level and above must have a separate spotter with
at least one hand/arm supporting the head and shoulder area through the cradle.
B. Cradles from multi-based stunts at prep level and above must have two catchers and a separate spotter with at least one hand/arm supporting the head and shoulder area through the cradle.
C. Dismounts to the performing surface from stunts and pyramids at prep level and above must be assisted by an original base.
D. Only straight pop downs, basic straight cradles and quarter turns are allowed from any single leg stunt.
E. Up to 1-1/4 twists are allowed from any two leg stunts.
F. Up to 1 trick allowed during a dismount from any two leg stunt.
G. No free flipping dismounts allowed.
H. Tension drops/rolls of any kind are not allowed.
I. When cradling single based double awesomes/cupies, 2 catchers must catch each top person. Catchers and bases must be stationary prior to the initiation of the dismount.

Tosses
A. Tosses are allowed up to a total of 4 tossing bases. One base must be behind the top person during the toss and may assist the top person into the toss.
B. Tosses must be performed from ground level and must land in a cradle position. Top person must be caught in a cradle position by at least 3 original bases one of which is positioned at the head and shoulder area of the top person. Bases must remain stationary during the toss
(i.e. No intentional traveling tosses).
C. Flipping, inverted or traveling tosses are not allowed.
D. No stunt, pyramid, individual, or, prop may move over or under a toss, and a toss may not be thrown over, under, or through stunts, pyramids, individuals, or props.
E. Up to 1 trick allowed during a toss (Legal: toe-touch, ball out, pretty girl, etc. – an arch is not considered a skill). (Illegal: Switch kick, pretty girl-kick, double toe-touch)