General Tournament Rules

Skate Malfunctions (Also understood to include wardrobe malfunctions.)

Jam Skaters should come prepared with tools and extra parts for their skates. League officials will not have and are not responsible to provide repair services and/or extra parts or loaner skates.

1. Jam Skaters should notify League Officials immediately whenever they have a skate malfunction during an Event. Once repairs have been made, League Officials should again be immediately notified to prevent disqualification in accordance with any of the following Skate Malfunction rules and regulations.
2. If a skate malfunction happens BEFORE a battle or performance, League Officials will try, at their discretion, to continue with other competitors within that event which may provide some extra time for the Jam Skater to fix their skate.
3. If a skate malfunction happens DURING any :90 performance, the Jam Skater(s) should stop performing immediately and notify a League Official. At the League Officials discretion, they will try to continue with other competitors within that event which will provide some extra time for the Jam Skater(s) to fix their skate. The Jam Skater(s) will then be able to begin their :90 performance from the beginning and judges will ignore any previous scores or skating from the initial performance and will judge solely on the new performance. *If the Jam Skater has performed for more than 60 seconds when the malfunction happens, the performance will be scored ‘as is’ and the Jam Skater will not be allowed to repair their skate and perform their routine again.
4. If a skate malfunction happens DURING a Solo Battle and it’s still in the first round, the Jam Skater should notify a League Official immediately. League Officials, at their discretion, may stop the battle and try to continue with other competitors from within that event which will provide some extra time for the Jam Skater to fix their skate. After which, the battle will resume from the beginning and all skating and scores will be ignored from the initial interrupted battle.
5. If a skate malfunction happens DURING a Solo Battle and it’s in the second round (or a tie breaker round), the Jam Skater will be judged up until the point the malfunction happened and if necessary, the other Jam Skater will still be given the chance to finish their set.
6. If a skate malfunction happens DURING a Team Battle—regardless of what round it is—the Team will be required to continue the battle without the Jam Skater(s) with the broken skate. If the Jam Skater(s) can fix their skate in time, they may rejoin the battle at anytime during their teams set.
7. In any event and/or situation regarding skate malfunctions where League Officials deem it necessary to provide time for repairs, the Jam Skater will be given a maximum of 15 minutes for MINOR repairs (Repairs that are needed but wouldn’t stop you from being able to skate.) and a maximum of 30 minutes for MAJOR repairs. (Repairs that are needed that would prohibit you from being able to skate.) *MAJOR and MINOR designations to be determined by the sole discretion of League Officials as well as final determination of whether you actually have a legitimate malfunction at all. **Jam Skaters ARE allowed to switch to a different pair of skates, if available, in lieu of making repairs or when repairs are impractical or impossible as long as they conform to the above time restrictions.

Illness or Injuries

1. During any event but BEFORE the Jam Skater is scheduled to battle or perform, at the discretion of League Officials, up to 15 minutes may be given to a Jam Skater who becomes sick or injured so that they can recuperate. If they are still unable to skate after 15 minutes, they will be disqualified.
2. If a Jam Skater becomes sick or injured DURING any battle or performance, they should continue if possible, otherwise they will be scored according to the skating completed before they stopped. *If a Jam Skater must stop due to illness during the first round of a Solo Battle, they are immediately disqualified and their opponent will be given a new competitor. **If a Jam Skater must stop during any round of a Team Battle, the team should continue without them and the judges will base their scores as if the skater simply chose not to continue skating with their team for whatever reason. (Notwithstanding, this would be better than having the entire team stop as well.)

Hazardous Conditions

At anytime during a battle or performance, if you become aware of a hazardous or otherwise unsafe condition, stop skating immediately and notify a League Official. (i.e. debris on the floor, wet spots, spectators in the way, etc.)

1. For battles and performances, it is the Jam Skater’s responsibility to inspect the Jam Circle for any hazardous or unsafe conditions before they begin their set/performance and to notify League Officials immediately if they find anything wrong so the situation can be corrected before the Jam Skater begins.
2. During battles, if Jam Skaters notice any hazardous or unsafe conditions, they should stop skating immediately and notify League Officials. Once the situation is corrected, the Jam Skater(s) can begin their set from the beginning with their full time restored and judges will base their scores solely on this ‘new’ set.

Event Start Times

Events will be scheduled with an anticipated starting time. However, individual battles and performances within that event will rarely, if ever, have specific start times due to the fluid nature and uncertain timeliness of each battle or performance. Therefore, Jam Skaters should be on time for the event and then should make sure they are available to hear all updates including when their name is announced signifying it is their turn to skate.

1. Once a Jam Skaters name has been announced to report to the Jam Circle, they have up to 5 minutes to arrive, otherwise they will be disqualified.

Breaks Between Battles

The National Jam Skating League will make every effort to ‘keep things rolling’ in a timely fashion and at the same time fairly giving adequate time for skaters to rest between battles when necessary.

1. Breaks may be given at the end of a round of brackets, after a Jam Skater wins a battle and then is scheduled to immediately battle again, to accommodate judges or at any time League Officials deem a break is necessary.
2. If League Officials call for a break, an announcement should be made to let all Jam Skaters and spectators know the length of the break and when to expect things to resume.
3. During an event, breaks should be less than 30 minutes.

Uniform

In some sports, very specific uniform requirements are outlined that COULD look something like the following… “In an effort to add coolness to the sport of Jam Skating, all competitors should wear brown rental rollerskates, knee high socks, tight shorts that are at least 12 inches above the knees and a matching jersey tank top with a nifty logo on the front along with their name and favorite number on the back...not to mention a cool sweatband across your forehead…mullets encouraged!” However, in Competitive Jam Skating, comfort, functionality and personal style regarding what Jam Skaters wear are significant factors left up to each individual Jam Skater within the following guidelines:

1. Rollerskates – Jam Skaters must wear a pair of traditional, fully functioning rollerskates from a prominent manufacturer with little to no modifications. All 8 wheels must be free rolling and the rollerskate should not mark-up or damage the skating surface. Any ‘home-made’ rollerskates or parts must be approved for use on a case-by-case basis by League Officials. *League Officials have final say on whether or not a Jam Skater’s rollerskate meets the above criteria and is approved for use in tournaments.
2. Clothing – Jam Skaters should begin battles/performances with clothing that is completely dry and free from sweat that could easily transfer to the skating surface causing a slippery, hazardous or unsafe condition. *Jam Skaters that anticipate sweating a lot should use sweatbands and should keep a sweat towel near the Jam Circle to dry off between rounds. Jam Skater clothes should not mark up or damage the skating floor in any way and should be family friendly/modest in all aspects. Jam Skaters should empty their pockets to avoid having anything fall out onto the skating surface. If a Jam Skater drops anything within the Jam Circle, they are required to remove it before their set ends or after their performance.
3. Sponsors and Logos – In order for any Jam Skater to include the name or logo of a sponsor larger than 4 square inches anywhere on their ‘uniform’, the sponsor must be registered as an official JSL sponsor. (Nominal sponsorship fees may apply) *Additionally, known sponsored skater’s sponsors must be officially registered as an official JSL sponsor (or they will not be allowed to compete) whether or not they wear the sponsors name or logo. (Nominal sponsorship fees may apply)
4. Accessories – Beanies, baseball-style hats, bandanas and a set of sweatbands (One headband and two wristbands) are allowed to be used during battles or performances to aid in the overall execution and/or showmanship of a move, set or routine. (Not more than one of each.) Other props or aids are prohibited.
5. Safety – Jam Skaters should empty their pockets to avoid having anything fall out onto the skating floor. If a Jam Skater drops anything within the Jam Circle, they are required to remove it before their set ends or after their performance.
   
   Jam Skaters are required to wear a shirt (and pants) at all times.
   
   Jam Skaters are not allowed to wear headphones while competing.

Infractions

*All infractions are penalized at the full discretion and judgment of the Referee.

Official Protests

In the event that any participating Jam Skater feels like a circumstance, event or tournament has not been fair in any way, they may file an Official Protest by notifying the head League Official for review.

1. Protests should be brought to the attention of the head League Official as soon as possible. Filing a protest with any other official is not binding albeit they may be able to help you contact the person you need.
2. Protests concerning 1 VS 1 Solo Battles or 5 VS 5 Team Battles should be filed BEFORE the next round of battles begins.
3. Protests concerning :90 Performances should be filed BEFORE the event ends.