Official Rules & Code of Conduct

Section A – League Registration

  1. In order to participate in ASCL events, climbers must:
    • Be registered with the ASCL and have an active climber account
    • Be paid in full for the season
    • Complete all required account activities in their climber account
  2. Climbers must register for the school they currently attend or would attend based upon enrollment area if they are home schooled or attend an online-only school.
  3. Climbers may be assigned to a region as ‘Unattached’ if they do not wish to compete for their home school or their home school has notified the ASCL the climber should be excluded from the school team according to school rules as a result of disciplinary action.
  4. Consolidated/conglomerate/gym teams are not allowed.
  5. Climbers registered for different teams may practice together even though their scores at a competition will contribute to different team scores.
  6. Climbers or coaches will immediately notify the League upon discovery of inaccurate account details (ie. incorrect school affiliation, incorrect grade level, etc…)  

Section B – Safety

  1. All belayers as well as lead climbers will be “certified” by the host gym for a competition. The host gym has the final say regarding the knowledge and skill level of belayers and climbers.
  2. High school climbers who are certified to lead climb by the host gym may attempt roped routes on top rope or lead. Middle school climbers may only attempt roped routes on top rope regardless of their certification status with the host gym.
  3. All climbers will tie a figure-eight-follow-through knot directly into the harness in the location specified by the manufacturer.  A back-up knot must be in place.
  4. Lead climbers must make every clip.  Skipping clips, back clipping, and z-clipping are not allowed.  If the climber commits one of these errors and fixes the problem on their own, they may continue without penalty.  If not, they must be safely instructed and lowered.  This is considered a fall.
  5. Climbers on boulder problems will utilize available safety standards of the gym while climbing.
  6. Climbers will not put fingers into bolt hangers, t-nut holes or grab onto quick draws.
  7. Climbers will not hang on rafters or belay bars at the top of climbs. Climbers will not grab the top of the wall unless it is the designated finish of a route/problem.
  8. Climbers may not climb with earbuds or headphones.
  9. Climbers will follow all gym rules and verbal instructions given by gym staff or ASCL Officials at a competition.

Section C – Competition Protocols

  1. Climbers may not contact start holds or climb any competition routes prior to the start of the competition and qualify for the flash bonus. This includes warm up and any prior practice at the host gym. When submitting climbs for scoring, any climb that has been previously attempted must be reported to the scoring system when prompted in order to withhold the flash bonus.
  2. Climbers may not warm-up or start a line for any route/problem during the pre-comp meeting. This is to ensure that important rules reminders and gym specific details are heard by each competitor as well as to provide an equitable start to the comp for each climber.
  3. Climbers may not contact holds during the competition unless they are in progress on an official attempt. This includes while the climber is on the ground or above the ground after a fall. Climbers must record a fall for intentionally or unintentionally contacting holds in order to gain an advantage on their later attempt(s).
  4. Climbers must wait their turn to make an attempt on a climb in an orderly manner. Climbers may not line up or tie-in to a climb prior to the start of the competition. For climbs with multiple climbers waiting to make an attempt, scorecards should be placed in a stack (on a clipboard if available).
    • Scorecards may not be added to the stack prior to the start of the comp.
    • As cards are added to the stack, they should be added to the bottom of the stack.
    • The top card in the stack belongs to the climber whose turn it is for an attempt.
    • A climber may attempt another available climb while their scorecard is in the stack. If they complete the other climb, their witness must write their Witness ID on the scorecard as soon as possible after the successful attempt.
    • If a climber is not present when their card becomes the top card and it is their turn for an attempt, their card will be returned to the bottom of the stack.
    • Intentionally tampering with the order of cards in the stack is grounds for disqualification from the competition.
  5. Sharing beta is encouraged after the first attempt and only while on the ground. Beta/coaching cannot be given while the climber is on-route. A climber who receives beta while climbing must return to the ground and count a fall. It is NOT considered beta for the belayer or witness to tell a climber with a vision impairment, including color blindness, “yes” or “no” indicating if a hold is on-route or off-route. Any climber with a vision impairment should check in with the Regional Director prior to the start of the comp to confirm this accommodation. Laser pointers may not be used to assist a climber.
  6. After a fall a climber must immediately return to the ground, untie if on a roped route, mark the fall on their scorecard, and return to the queue to allow other climbers to compete. The climber may make as many attempts as desired as long as they return to the queue after each fall.
  7. An attempt begins after the climber has both feet off of the ground. It is considered a fall if the climber returns to the ground after an attempt has begun.
  8. An attempt must be initiated with a “controlled start” unless it is the obvious design of the route setter that a dynamic start is required (for instance if the distance between the first and second holds would require a climber to have momentum to cross). A “controlled start” consists of establishing static control of the start hold(s), with both feet off of the ground, before making progress on the climb. (see this part of the Virtual Competitors Meeting for an example)
  9. Climbers must stay on-route.  This means using only the designated hand and foot holds or natural features.  Use of other holds or features that are not on-route to support weight or move upward on a climb will be considered a fall. Incidental contact of a hold or feature that is not on-route is allowed.
  10. Competition slack will be given to top roped climbers. Competition slack will be given as a “belly” of slack in front of the belayer. (see this part of the Virtual Competitors Meeting for an example) If the climber weights the rope it is considered a fall.
  11. A “Technical” may be called if a hand-hold, foot-hold or feature moves or breaks.  The climber must make this call at the time of the difficulty.  They will be lowered without penalty and allowed to attempt the climb again.  The climber may forego calling a “Technical” if they decide it did not affect their climb.  If they make this choice, then they cannot call a “Technical” after the fact.
  12. Each route must end in a controlled finish. A controlled finish is achieved by performing one of the following:
    • Top Roped Route – two hands on the final marked hold (or top of wall if it is the route finish) for 3 seconds.
    • Lead Route – clipping the top anchors with one hand on the final marked hold (or top of wall if it is the route finish).
    • Bouldering Problem – two hands on the final hold or marked finish box for 3 seconds, or a successful top-out if that is the finish.
  13. Only registered climbers and ASCL staff wearing a current season ASCL ID in a visible location may be on the competition floor during a competition. All spectators and ASCL staff who do not have their ID must remain in the designated spectator areas of the gym.
  14. Individuals with scheduling conflicts may not schedule an alternate day/time to climb competition routes and submit official results. All competitors must compete during the designated competition start and finish times. For competitions that have more than one wave, competitors may request permission from their Regional Director to climb in a wave other than their designated wave for legitimate conflicts. Permission to switch waves is not guaranteed.
  15. A climber may compete at competitions that are outside of their home region for additional experience, but only competitions in their home region for which an official score has been recorded will count toward Regional and State qualification.

Section D – Transgender Student-Athlete:

Depending on the state you reside and compete in, the gender policy will be consistent with state law or the High School Athletic Association policy for that state. To search your state’s policy, please refer to the following sites that have summarized these nationwide policies. By clicking on these links, you will be accessing information aggregated by a 3rd party.

ESPN article posted August 2023

Transathlete.com K-12 Summary

The policies summarized in the linked pages above are subject to change.

Section E – Scoring

  1. The honor system will be used to score at each competition.
    • The climber will record completed route information (route/problem #, lead status if applicable, and falls) for each climb on his/her physical scorecard.
    • For legitimate scorecard submissions:
      • ASCL registered coaches and competitors other than the climber must witness and write their Witness ID# on the climber’s scorecard. No other individuals may serve as official witnesses.
      • One Witnesses ID# is required per climb during the regular season. Two Witness ID#s are required per climb for the Regional and State Final.
      • It is encouraged that the signature(s) is from a witness not on the same team as the climber.

        Any attempt to falsify route information or witness verification will result in disciplinary action against the climber and/or the witness depending upon the infraction.

  2. To be scored climbers must do the following PRIOR TO LEAVING the competition venue:
    • Enter the designated number and type of routes to be scored online,
    • Verify the routes submitted online are accurate,
    • Record the online generated score on the physical scorecard,
    • Turn in the physical scorecard to the designated location.
  3. Team scores will be computed from the top 3 climbers per gender at regular season competitions and at the Regional Comp. Team scores for the JV wave of the State Comp will be computed from the top 2 climbers per gender.
  4. Late Submissions – A submission is considered late if a climber neglects to enter climbs online immediately after the completion of a comp, fails to turn in a physical scorecard prior to leaving the venue for a single day comp, or fails to upload images of the scorecard for multi-day comp. In the case of a Late Submission:
    • The climber’s results will NOT be included for individual or team awards.
    • The climber has up to 3 days to submit a late result to be included in the season standings and Regional/State qualification calculation. To submit a late result, the climber must submit a copy of the completed scorecard to his/her team coach or the comp director for verification. After verification, the team coach or comp director will enter the scorecard to the scoring system on behalf of the climber.
    • Late submissions are not allowed for the Regional and State Championship Competitions.
  5. If you need to Appeal your Score or question the score of a fellow competitor, you or your coach must contact your Regional Director. For a Regular Season Comp, this must occur within 24 hours of the closure of online results submission when official results become available. If it is a Regional or State Final, this contact must occur within 15 minutes of the closure of online results submission when official results become available. You or the Regional Director must have your scorecard or a picture of your card to use for evidence.

Section F – Discipline

If there is a disciplinary issue, the following process will be followed:

  • 1st offense:  Parent will be contacted by the Coach, Regional Director, State Director or ASCL Executive Director. The competition during which the disciplinary issue occurred will not count toward season standings and Regional/State qualification standards. The results of the climber will be voided and not count toward individual or team awards for that comp.
  • 2nd offense:  Conference w/ parent, athlete, Coach, Regional director, State Director or ASCL Executive Director. Consequences determined by League Officials.
  • 3rd offense:  Conference w/ parent, athlete, Coach, Regional Director, State Director or ASCL Executive Director.  Consequences determined by League Officials.

ATHLETE CODE OF CONDUCT:

As a climber in the American Scholastic Climbing League, I will:

  1. Read, Understand, and Follow the Rules of the ASCL.
  2. Be on time for all competitions and give full attention to the coaches and host gym staff.
  3. Know and understand that in order to finish the season in good standing and qualify for Regional and State Comp participation, I must compete at and have official results for at least three (3) regular season comps within my home Region.
  4. Have fun and give 100% effort in competitions.  I will work hard to accomplish my team’s goals as well as individual goals.
  5. Not use profanity, be careless, or show inappropriate behavior during competitions.  I will work like an athlete and display positive sportsmanship.
  6. Encourage and support my teammates at comps.
  7. Understand that my parents, family and friends in attendance must adhere to the rules of positive sportsmanship and athlete safety.  Infractions may discount my score for the individual comp and possible removal from the League.
  8. Develop a positive attitude and maintain it throughout the season.  Respect my coaches’, gym host’s, and Regional Coordinator’s decisions and be a proud member of the American Scholastic Climbing League.
  9. Accept final decisions made by the ASCL regarding discipline issues.