Overview
By competing as a Steinholding Competition Participant ("competitor" or "participant") in a U.S. Steinholding Association (USSA) event, you acknowledge and agree to the terms outlined in this document as a required condition of participation. Any person participating as a competitor in a State Championship Finals or National Championship Finals competition is required to sign a copy of this document explicitly indicating their acceptance of these terms. If you have any questions regarding the program rules or restrictions, contact the office of the USSA Commissioner at jbanko@ussteinholding.com.
Alcohol Notice and Responsibility
Although Steinholding is commonly associated with beer, each venue may choose to fill competition steins with water. Competitors are not required to eat, drink or otherwise consume any food or beverage, alcoholic or otherwise, as part of a Steinholding competition. Since competition venues commonly fill their competition steins with beer, USSA requires that all participants be aged 21 years or older at the time of their entry into any USSA-affiliated competition. USSA supports our partner venues in encouraging responsible serving and consumption of alcohol in alignment with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations.
You acknowledge that alcohol may be present and/or served at this event. You agree to comply with all applicable laws, regulations, venue rules, and event policies regarding alcohol consumption. You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for your own conduct and food/beverage consumption. You agree not to participate if you are impaired, and acknowledge that USSA and its partners and event hosts may remove you from participation for safety reasons, at their discretion, without refund or compensation. By agreeing to participate, you also agree to release and hold harmless USSA, its partners and sponsors, event venue hosts, and all affiliated parties from any claims arising out of your consumption of alcohol or conduct related to alcohol use.
Competition Disputes and Official Results
Any competition results communicated to participants on site at a Wild Card, State Finals or National Finals competition event, including the competitors' times, should be considered "unofficial" results and times. Competition footage for all Wild Card, State Finals and National Finals events will be reviewed by USSA to confirm and certify the official results and competition times.
USSA reserves the right to determine a winner and adjust official competition times or outcomes based on USSA's review of available competition video footage. If there is sufficient evidence to indicate that the result(s) of a match were determined incorrectly by the judging staff present on site, USSA, at its sole discretion, reserves the right to overturn the results of the match and adjust or assign new competition times and, in rare cases, declare a new winner.
Enforcement and interpretation of the rules and any disputes will be decided at the sole discretion of USSA and any decision or ruling made by USSA will be final. By participating, you and any designees, representatives, or assigns waive any rights to seek a jury trial, court decision, arbitration, or other injunctive relief resulting from a disputed competition result.
Competitor Code of Conduct
USSA considers good sportsmanship to be among the sport's greatest values. For this reason, competitors are expected to conduct themselves with respect for other competitors, competition judges, spectators, competition venue hosting staff, and all other members of the Steinholding community. Taunting and any form of interference with another competitor during a Steinholding match are strictly forbidden.
While clarification may be sought from a competition judge, arguing or any form of harassing behavior towards a competition judge is considered to be a breach of this code of conduct. This includes direct hostility toward a judge as well as a competitor causing another individual to harass a judge on their behalf. Competitors will be held responsible for the conduct of individuals they bring to competition events as guests, and may be subject to disciplinary action for actions taken by their guests.
Purposefully cheating is strictly forbidden. USSA recognizes that "cheating" is a subjective term, that portions of the rules of Steinholding are open to an amount of subjectivity and interpretation, and that competitors who are pushing themselves to their limits will not be able to maintain proper form indefinitely during a Steinholding match. This unintentional degradation of form is not considered cheating, and it is the duty of judging staff to properly issue strikes and form adjustments to competitors as appropriate. However, anyone who attempts to purposely violate any of the official USSA competition rules will be reviewed for disciplinary action. Potential examples of cheating include but are not limited to: use of the non-holding hand to support the holding arm or make adjustments to grip when judging staff is not looking, purposefully interfering with another competitor during a match through physical contact or other means, etc.
Competitors who fail to meet the requirements of this Code of Conduct may be sanctioned at USSA's sole discretion, including warnings, temporary suspension, and permanent banning from future competitions.
Competition Restrictions and Limitations of Participation
Participants in the State Championship Program are each able to represent only one State Tournament Qualifying ("Qualifier") location at the State Finals. If you are the winner at a Qualifier, you may not participate in any further Qualifiers in that state during the current year. This restriction helps to avoid logistical challenges of determining who will be the venue representative, and to maintain a high level of sportsmanship within the sport and encourage participation by new competitors. If a competitor is found to have participated in additional Qualifiers in the same state after having already qualified for the State Finals, they will receive one warning and if they are found to have participated in additional Qualifiers after receiving this warning, they may be disqualified from participating in the State Finals at USSA's discretion.
On the date of the State Championship Finals event, eligible participants will be required to check in with USSA or State Finals venue personnel prior to the finals event. Any necessary details regarding where and with whom to check in will be provided to you in advance. You will be required to provide identification including date of birth to confirm your identity and that you are 21 years old or older. At the time of check in you will receive any additional applicable instructions regarding the Finals event. If you do not follow all required instructions or are not present at the time of check-in or at the start of the State Finals competition, you may forfeit your eligibility to compete.
A competitor who wins a Wild Card event or State Finals competition or is otherwise chosen to be the representative of a State due to the winner declining or forfeiting their eligibility, is no longer eligible to participate in any further Wild Card or State Finals events or Qualifiers in any state during the current competition season. Any competitor may only participate in the National Championship as a representative of a single State. If a competitor is found to have participated in additional Qualifiers, Wild Card, or State Finals events after having already qualified for the National Championship, they may be disqualified from participating in the National Championship Finals at USSA's discretion.
Prizes and Advancement to Future Competitions
If you are the men's or women's division winner at an official State Qualifying Round Competition (Qualifier), as determined by the competition venue's judging personnel, or if you are otherwise chosen to be the representative of a Qualifier due to the winner declining or forfeiting their eligibility, you will be eligible to advance to the next round of competition which is the State Championship Finals (State Finals) provided that you perform the following:
USSA will make reasonable attempts to collect competitor contact information from Qualifier venues and to contact you if we are provided with your contact information. USSA is not and cannot be responsible in the event that the Qualifier venue does not provide your contact information to us, or if messages sent to you by USSA are not received. We recommend to monitor your email account's junk or spam folders to help ensure receipt and to avoid any missed communication.
The prize for winning a Wild Card or State Finals competition is the eligibility to advance to the USSA National Championship and eligibility to receive the benefits of participation described below. No cash equivalent will be awarded to you if you choose not to participate in the National Championship as a competitor.
If you are confirmed by USSA to be the winner of a Wild Card event or State Finals, or if you are otherwise chosen by USSA to be the representative of a State due to the official winner declining or forfeiting their eligibility, you will be contacted by USSA to confirm your attendance at the National Championship. In order to confirm your attendance, you must respond to communications from USSA confirming your intent to participate in the National Championship within 48 hours of receiving communication via phone call, text message, and/or email from USSA (or within any timeframe specified in communications from USSA personnel). You must confirm your intent to attend the National Championship and compete as a representative of your State Finals event if you wish to attend and participate, at which time you will be considered a Confirmed National Finalist.
To retain your status as a Confirmed National Finalist, you are required to provide to USSA personnel evidence of your commitment to attend the National Championship within 48 hours of initially confirming your intent to participate as a Confirmed National Finalist. One of the following must be provided:
Note: Since all competition results observed on site at State Finals events are considered unofficial until confirmed via video review by USSA, we recommend that you do not purchase travel bookings or incur other expenses in anticipation of participating in the National Championship until you are contacted by USSA personnel indicating that you are a Confirmed National Finalist. If you choose to book your travel or incur other expenses before being confirmed by USSA as the official winner and as being eligible to participate in the National Finals, you do so at your own risk and will not be reimbursed by USSA as described below if you are not ultimately confirmed as a Confirmed National Finalist.
For competitors representing a State Finals event, upon your confirmation and providing the travel information above, you will be eligible to receive the following benefits of participating as a Confirmed National Finalist:
For competitors representing a Wild Card event, upon your confirmation and providing the travel information above, you will be eligible to receive the following benefits of participating as a Confirmed National Finalist:
Additional Conditions of National Championship Participation
Due to the challenging and complex nature of hosting a nationwide tournament and holding the National Championship event in a second location with participants from across the country, all requirements and conditions of participation cannot be fully anticipated in advance and therefore cannot be included in this document. Additional instructions will be provided to Confirmed National Finalists in advance of the National Championship event and, unless otherwise noted, all instructions should be considered mandatory extensions of this agreement document which are required as conditions of your participation.
Use of Contact Information and Personal Likeness
Your contact information will be used by USSA to communicate with you to confirm your participation in subsequent rounds of competition and share championship event information. Your contact information will be provided to our State Finals venue and sponsors for the purpose of communicating state championship event information, coordinating prize details, and other logistical communications.
By participating in the State Finals and/or National Championship, you consent to the use of your name and likeness by USSA and partner organizations in live broadcasts of the event, rebroadcasts of the event, compilations of footage of the event, photos, and any other forms of media, to be used for advertising and in any promotional materials developed by USSA in the future without any further notice or compensation to you.
Wild Card, State Finals, and National Championship competitions are held as part of public events, therefore rights to photos, video, and other media will remain the intellectual property of the individual or organization recording the media.
You hereby agree to allow USSA and its partners and sponsor organizations (all Releasees listed above) to record, broadcast, and publish photos and videos (including audio) of yourself for the purpose of promoting USSA and its events and activities. You understand that photographs, video and/or audio tape recordings may be taken of yourself and/or family members, guests and other attendees at USSA events before, during, or after competitions. You understand that this media may be produced and used for commercial and promotional purposes, and you authorize USSA to use your photograph, video and/or audio recording on its website and social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc., as well as other official printed publications without further consideration. All such media gathered by USSA and Releasees may be broadcast in real time as a live event or may be released or published at a later time. In addition, you acknowledge USSA's right to crop or treat the media at its discretion, and you also acknowledge that USSA may choose not to use your image at this time, but may do so at its own discretion at a later date. You also understand that once any such image(s) or media have been captured, they may be posted on USSA's website or social media platforms, and the image can be downloaded by any computer user. USSA also reserves the right to discontinue use of photos or other media without notice. You waive any right to inspect or approve the finished product or any accompanying text, advertising copy, or use in which your likeness appears.
Disclaimer and Waiver of Injury Liability
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RISK, RELEASE OF LIABILITY, INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT, AND COVENANT NOT TO SUE ("Release of Liability" or "Agreement")
In consideration of being allowed to attend and participate in any events and activities ("Activities") associated with U.S. Steinholding Association LLC, a/k/a U.S. Steinholding Association, or U.S. Steinholding, or USSA (collectively referred to herein as "U.S. Steinholding" or "USSA"), with office located at 315 Floral Drive, Red Lion, PA 17356, I, the undersigned, acknowledge and agree that:
1. There is a risk of physical injury from participating in any physical sport or competition (such as a USSA event) and while particular training, skills, and personal discipline may reduce this risk, the risk of injury does exist.
2. I KNOWINGLY AND FREELY ASSUME ALL SUCH RISKS, both known and unknown, EVEN IF ARISING FROM NEGLIGENCE OF THE RELEASEES (as defined below) or others, and assume full responsibility for my participation in USSA events.
3. Despite such risks, I willingly agree to participate in USSA events and comply with the terms and conditions for participation in the USSA events, which I acknowledge receiving and understand completely. If I observe any unusual significant hazard during my presence or participation, I will remove myself from participation and will notify event staff and/or USSA of such hazard immediately.
4. I certify that I am physically and mentally fit to participate in USSA events and have not been advised by a qualified medical professional not to participate in any Activities such as those offered at USSA events. I certify that there are no health-related reasons or problems which preclude my participation in these Activities or events.
5. I hereby consent to receive medical treatment which may be deemed advisable by USSA in the event of injury, accident, and/or illness during my participation in USSA events. I agree that I will not hold the Releasees responsible for any claims resulting from any medical treatment I receive. I certify that I currently have medical/health insurance to cover any injuries that I may sustain during my participation in USSA events.
6. I RELEASE, WAIVE, AND DISCHARGE ANY AND ALL CLAIMS that I or my heirs, assigns, personal representatives, and next of kin, may have now or in the future against USSA, and its officers, volunteers, employees, contractors, subcontractors, sponsors, suppliers, partners or associations, representatives, agents, affiliates, insurers, successors and assigns, other participants, teams, sponsors, and advertisers of the USSA events; and, if applicable, owners and lessors of the premises used for USSA events (collectively the "Releasees") for any liability, expenses, loss or damage to person or property, injury, death or disability suffered from or in connection with my presence or participation in the USSA events due to any cause whatsoever, INCLUDING THE NEGLIGENCE ON THE PART OF THE RELEASEES. I HEREBY AGREE NOT TO SUE OR MAKE CLAIMS AGAINST THE RELEASEES AND GIVE UP ALL MY RIGHTS TO DO SO.
7. I, for myself and on behalf of my heirs, assigns, personal representatives and next of kin, HEREBY INDEMNIFY, DEFEND AND HOLD HARMLESS the Releasees, WITH RESPECT TO ANY AND ALL LIABILITY, INJURY, DISABILITY, DEATH or loss or damage to person or property, or expenses or fees (including reasonable attorney's fees) associated with my presence or participation in the Activities at any USSA event, WHETHER ARISING FROM THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE RELEASEES OR OTHERWISE, to the fullest extent permitted by law.
8. This Agreement contains the entire agreement between the undersigned and USSA concerning its subject matter. This Agreement supersedes any prior agreements or understandings between Participant and USSA concerning the subject matter of this Agreement and will remain in effect and unless and until terminated or replaced by a new written agreement.
9. This Agreement and any disputes arising out of or related to participant's involvement in USSA events or this Agreement shall be governed by, construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania without regard to conflict of law principles. Jurisdiction and venue for any disputes arising out of or related to Participant's involvement in USSA events or this Agreement shall be exclusively in the Court of Common Pleas of York County or the Federal District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg.
10. If any provision of this Release of Liability, or the application of such provision, shall be rendered or declared invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, or by reason of it requiring any steps, actions or results, the remaining parts or portions of this Release of Liability shall remain in full force and effect.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I acknowledge that: (a) I have read this full Competitor Code of Conduct Agreement, Disclaimer, Media Release, and Liability Waiver document and I fully understand all of the terms; and (b) my signature indicates that I understand and accept the information and acknowledgments set forth above, and that I have the legal right to enter into this agreement.
I HAVE READ THIS RELEASE OF LIABILITY, FULLY UNDERSTAND ITS TERMS, UNDERSTAND THAT I HAVE GIVEN UP SUBSTANTIAL LEGAL RIGHTS BY SIGNING IT, AND SIGN IT FREELY AND VOLUNTARILY.
If you are identified as a State Championship Qualifying competition winner or Wild Card event winner, you will be contacted by USSA and asked to sign this document electronically online. To sign electronically, you may also click here at any time to use the DigiSigner service portal.
