2025 Rules Updates

Thank you to everyone who responded to our Rules Survey! Your thoughtful feedback and suggestions helped us to improve the final updates. Almost all of these updates clarify language and formalize processes to ensure the fair application of the rules. 

Since the level, move, and deduction clarifications listed in this update do not alter the rules themselves, these changes, along with the formal appeals and reporting processes, will become effective immediately. There is one category change that will go into effect as of September 2025.

Once again, thank you to everyone who provided us with feedback! We hope these changes help provide clarity and prevent deductions. 

Overall judging system updates

• Formalizing the process for reporting potential sandbagging ahead of events
  

• Formalizing a process for reporting potential deductions during an event
  

• Creating a formal appeals process for deductions
  

• We understand how much time, energy, and heart go into preparing for your performance. If you would like to appeal a deduction decision after the competition, please respond to the deduction email that you received at the event. Include a clear explanation of your appeal along with any supporting materials, such as video evidence. An example of video evidence would be an alternative angle of your stage performance, such as a view from backstage or a side view of the stage.
  

• Appeals must be submitted no later than the Tuesday following the competition, so that we can review in a timely fashion. Appeals are reviewed beginning on the Wednesday following the competition, allowing the team to travel back to their hometowns and take a day off after an event weekend. Please allow up to one week for a response. Our team carefully reviews all related scoring, photos, and videos.
  

• We are committed to providing a fair and neutral appeal process. Members of the PSO team who were not on the original judging panel will review all appeals.

• While we respect and appreciate constructive feedback from the community, we will not consider an appeal if a competitor posts publicly online about their deduction BEFORE the PSO team has finalized the appeal review. This will help ensure our team remains unbiased until the review process is complete.

• Appealing a deduction during an event

• The one specific scenario in which competitors can make an appeal during a live event is if they emailed the PSO team and someone incorrectly approved a move or skill for a certain level via email.
  

• Please approach the front of house manager at the check-in table and ask to speak to the judge wrangler during a break. When you speak with the judge wrangler, please present the email that confirms your move was approved for your level.

Level/move clarifications

• Step up to invert (Reiko mount) is clarified as an aerial invert, so this is deducted in Level 2. Internally, this has been the process, but we’re explicitly stating it in the rules.
  

• Kips with 1 hand on the pole: This technically has 1 contact point while inverted, but is approved for Level 4.
  

• Moves that pass through 1 point of contact while inverted, and the body’s weight is fully supported by the pole. Ex. Elbow ayesha to cup grip ayesha, flick flack
  

• Clarifying this wording to: Moves that pass through 1 point of contact while inverted, and the entire body is off of the floor. Some examples are: Elbow ayesha to cup grip ayesha, flick flack, cup grip flip, brass monkey flip, etc.

Props updates

• Human props touching the pole

• Unintentional or accidental grazes will not incur a deduction.
  

• Contact deemed more significant than an accidental graze, where contact is briefly maintained with the pole, is -5 points per judge.
  

• Any prolonged or intentional contact (more than 1 second) with the pole is -25 points per judge. Any grabbing, kicking, or striking of the pole is -25 points per judge.

Deductions updates

• Entering and exiting stage other than stairs or wings: the deduction is clarified as -5 points per judge.
  

• Using unapproved grip aids: We created a list of unapproved grip aids to promote competitors’ safety by ensuring poles can be thoroughly and easily cleaned between each competitor. As it is difficult to prove that a competitor has used an unapproved grip aid, we have determined that a -10 points per judge deduction will apply if the event is delayed by 5 minutes or more for pole cleaning purposes (Pole cleaning typically takes about 1-2 minutes.).
  

• Touching the truss unintentionally: If brief (around 1 second or less), this will not result in a deduction.

Resource updates

• We are creating a video collection of common deductions so that competitors can visually see common mistakes.
  

• We are creating a checklist of common deductions so that competitors can watch their practice videos and go through the checklist before the competition to avoid these deductions.

Category update - effective Sept. 2025

• Removing the separate After Dark Level 5 categories. All After Dark categories will be combined into a single category, Sensual Level 5, which is judged using the Artistic system.