Move United / Events / Junior Nationals /

Eligibility and Classification and Rules

Eligibility, Classification & Rules

Eligibility & Qualifying Events

Eligibility Requirements

  1. Be under the age of 23 (as measured by athlete’s age on 12/31/2022)
  2. Have a physical, visual, or intellectual impairment that is classifiable under the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Classification System. (https://www.paralympic.org/classification)
  3. Achieve required qualifying standards prior to the Junior Nationals registration deadline
  4. Be nationally classified or request national classification at Junior Nationals for archery, swimming, and track and field.

Qualifying Events

Athletes must achieve required qualifying standards in each event at least once during the designated qualification period of August 1, 2021 through the close of the 2022 Move United Junior Nationals registration. Qualifying standards must have been met or surpassed at a Move United Sanctioned Competition, an NGB or High School Athletic Association sanctioned event, or other event as approved by Move United. View the 2022 Move United Sanctioned Competitions calendar and register to compete!  Sports specific qualifying information is below.

Qualifying Information and Sport Specifics

Archery

Move United Archery Rules: https://moveunitedsport.org/sport/archery

Move United Junior Nationals competition distances:

Age GroupRecurveCompound/W1Barebow/BasicVisually Impaired
Yeomen (Under 10)15m15m15m10m
Under 13 (Bowman)30m25m30m20m
Under 15 (Cub)50m30m30m20m
Under 18 (Cadet)60m50m50m30m
Under 21 (Junior)70m50m50m30m
Senior (any age)70m50m50m30m
Masters 50+60m50m50m30m
Masters 60+60m50m50m30m
Masters 70+60m50m50m30m

Athletes must hit a qualifying score of 100 or greater to compete at the Move United Junior Nationals. An athlete must qualify at the distance listed above for his/her age group and event.

During the qualification period, the athlete shall qualify to shoot by:

  • Participating in a Move United regional or national sanctioned archery shoot.
  • Participating in a USA Archery, National Field Archery Association, or Scholastic 3D paper target sanctioned shoot.
    • Complete a Proof of Performance form to be signed by a certified official.
    • Present an official signed score card showing a qualifying minimum score of at 100 points shot at the appropriate distance*.

If due to the pandemic attending a sanctioned event is not possible, an athlete may qualify at a team practice such as a JOAD club, Scholastic 3D club, or another event with the approval of Move United.

  • Complete a Proof of Performance form to be signed by a certified official.
  • Present an official signed score card showing a qualifying minimum score of at 100 points shot at the appropriate distance*.

Para Powerlifting

Move United Para Powerlifting Rules: https://moveunitedsport.org/sport/powerlifting

Competitors become eligible to compete in powerlifting on the day of their 14th birthday unless competing on an international level.

Age Groups

  • U23
  • Next Gen: 18 to 20 years of age
  • Rookie: 14 to 17 years of age

Qualifying

To qualify Rookie and Next Gen athletes must at minimum lift a 20 KG bar and U23 athletes must at minimum lift a 25 KG bar. During the qualification period, the athlete may qualify by:

  • Participating in a Move United sanctioned powerlifting competition
  • Participating in a local competition not sanctioned by Move United and submitting video proof of a proper lift as well as a copy of the meet results signed by the head official.

If due to the pandemic attending a meet is not possible, an athlete may qualify at a team practice or other event with the approval of Move United.

  • Submit a video of you properly performing a lift of a 20KG bar at a practice. Forward a copy of the video and a note from your coach confirming the bar was a 20kg bar. At Junior Nationals, during the competition weigh in when the official determines your bar height, you also may be required to show you can lift the bar before being allowed to compete.

Paratriathlon

In Paratriathlon, athletes will compete in a single race that combines three different events: swimming, biking and running. Athletes can choose to compete as an individual or on a 2 or 3-person relay team. As an individual, athletes will compete on their own in all three stages. As a relay team, team members will divide up the three stages of the course with one team member competing in no more than two legs of the course, the swim, the bike or the run.

Awards will be broken down by the following categories:

  • Gender (Male/Female)
  • Age Groups (U11, U14/U17 together, U20/U23 together)
  • Disability Group (Ambulatory, Wheelchair, Visual Impairment)
  • We will have an “open” relay division.  All relay teams will be competing against each other. No team points can be earned in the “open” relay division.

Distances:

  • Junior Distance (U11) – 100yd swim, 3-4 mile bike*, 0.5 mile run
  • Senior Distance (U14/17/20/23) – 200 yd swim, 5-6 mile bike*, 1 mile run

How to Qualify:

  • Juniors (U11) need to hit the national standard for the 100yd swim AND 800m run per their classification.  They must be able to complete a 100yd swim, 2.5 mile bike, and 0.5 mile run in under 1 hour.
  • Seniors (U14 and up) need to hit the national standards for the 200yd swim AND 1500m run per their classification. They must be able to complete a 200yd swim, 5 mile bike, and 1 mile run in under 1 hour. 

Athletes can submit their times from a sanctioned regional competition, a local paratriathlon race, or provide results from a tracking device (Garmin, Strava, etc.). All athletes that want to compete in paratriathlon must have swum in competition sometime since August 1, 2021.

Qualifying Standards: 2022 Move United Junior Nationals Paratriathlon Qualifying Standards

Equipment Needed to Compete:

  • Wheelchair – No equipment for swim (straps or wetsuit pants are acceptable in the pool), handcycle for bike, racing wheelchair for run
  • Ambulatory – No equipment for swim, upright 2 wheel bicycle for bike, ambulatory run but can use prosthetics or approved crutches.  Recumbent foot-pedaled trikes are not allowed.
  • Visual Impairment – Can swim tethered with a guide, tandem upright 2 wheel bicycle for bike with a sighted guide/pilot, ambulatory run using tether with sighted guide

Shooting

The competition will consist of a 10M air rifle match from the seated, prone position. Personal air rifles must comply with USA Shooting equipment standards. Precision air rifles, shooting tables and spring stands (SH2 only) will be available for athletes. However, shooting jackets, gloves, slings and boots will NOT be provided.  Each athlete will compete in a 40 shot qualifying round for their division, with the top shooters advancing to the final, elimination round.

In order to be eligible to register for shooting, an athlete must have previously competed in an approved precision air rifle competition and must shoot a minimum score of 200 pts for a match consisting of 40 total shots for the Open – SH1 – SH2 Divisions and a minimum score of 100 pts for 40 total shots for the SH3 Division.

Examples of approved matches include but are not limited to matches conducted through the NRA, CMP, USA Shooting, JROTC, American Legion, Orion League, Adaptive Sports USA (sanctioned level 2 local, regional, national competitions), and high school leagues. If an athlete qualifies to compete at a non-Move United sanctioned event, please email a copy of the match result bulletins from your qualifying competition(s) to jcloy@moveunitedsport.org.

If due to the pandemic attending a sanctioned competition is not possible, an athlete may qualify at a team practice or other event with approval by Move United. For rules on how to qualify outside of a sanctioned competition, click here.

Maximum athlete entries is 20 due to the space and time constraints for this event. If more than 20 athletes register for this event, athletes will be contacted to let them know who has qualified to compete.

Move United / USA Shooting / ISSF Regulations: https://moveunitedsport.org/sport/shooting

Swimming

Move United Swimming Rules

Move United Junior Nationals Qualifying Standards

Age Groups

  • U11 (under 11)
  • U14 (under 14)
  • U17 (under 17)
  • U20 (under 20)
  • U23 (under 23)

During the qualification period, the athlete may meet standard(s) by:

  • Participating in a Move United sanctioned swim meet
  • Participating in a USA Swimming, YMCA, NCAA, and/or high school sanctioned swim meet and reporting official results via a proof of performance form.

If due to the pandemic attending a meet is not possible, an athlete may qualify at a team practice or other event with the approval of Move United.

  • Swim the event(s) at a practice with a certified official and (hand) timers to verify results and complete a Proof of Performance form to be signed by a certified official. Video the race.

Track and Field

Adaptive Track and Field USA Rulebook http://www.atfusa.org/RULES/RULES.htm

    • Junior Nationals Track & Field Qualifying Standards:

http://www.atfusa.org/STANDARDS/STANDARD.htm

Age Groups

  • U11 (under 11)
  • U14 (under 14)
  • U17 (under 17)
  • U20 (under 20)
  • U23 (under 23)

During the qualification period, the athlete may meet standard(s) by:

  • Participating in a Move United/ATFUSA sanctioned track and field meet
  • Participating in a USA Track and Field, NCAA, AAU, and/or high school sanctioned meet and reporting official results through a proof of performance form.

If due to the pandemic attending a meet is not possible, an athlete may qualify at a team practice or other event with the approval of Move United and ATFUSA.

The athlete or coach (for a team event) must submit a formal request to Move United for approval. The request must include the date and time of the session, the venue information (note: the venue must meet Level 2 venue criteria), and the name(s) of the individual(s) who will act as Referee(s).  ATFUSA must approve the request for it to count for standard qualification. All WPA/ATFUSA athletics rules must be adhered to.

Following the session, within 7 days, approved results must be submitted on a proof of performance (POP) form (for a single individual) or a POP Form with an accompanying spreadsheet for multiple athlete results.

Wheelchair Tennis

Eligibility Requirements

  • Participants must be under the age of 18 (verified by DOB). Please refer to pg. 53-54, Table 4 – “Junior Eligibility” – within the USTA’s “Friend at Court 2022”
  • Participants must qualify as a “person with a permanent disability” (acquired, congenital, or degenerative) – please refer to pg. 56, Table 5 – “Eligible Impairment Criteria for WC Divisions” – within the USTA’s “Friend at Court 2022”
  • Participants are recommended to have a basic understanding of the rules and regulations of tennis, and wheelchair tennis. – please refer to Part 1 – “ITF Rules of Tennis” – p.18-19:  “Rules of Wheelchair Tennis” – within the USTA’s “Friend at Court 2022”

 

USTA’s “Friend at Court 2022”

For any additional information, please refer to USTA.com for “Resources for Players” – https://www.usta.com/en/home/play/youth-tennis/programs/national/resources-for-players.html

Classification & Rules

Athletes must be nationally classified by sport according to their functional ability. National classification appointments at the 2022 Move United Junior Nationals are available for archery, swimming, and track and field. Learn more here.

 

What is Classification?

Classification provides a structure for competition among athletes with impairments. Athletes competing in Move United sports all have been identified with one or more impairments that limit neuromuscular, motor, sensory and/or cognitive functioning. Because the nature of these impairments can vary significantly, a system is needed to allow for fair competition.

Information about classification for all sports on the Paralympic Games program can be found at https://www.paralympic.org/classification. You can also learn more about classification, eligible impairments, and how to become a classifier at the Team USA website.

 

Who Needs To Be Classified?

All new athletes to adaptive sports need to be nationally classified to compete in archery, swimming, and/or track and field events at Junior Nationals. A limited number of classification appointments will be available at Junior Nationals for athletes competing in those sports. For those competing in paratriathlon and/or shooting, there will not be formal classification required. Instead, event management will gather information from the registration form for competition placement.

 

Athletes with Physical Impairments

Athletes with a physical impairment should be classified in person at a Move United Sanctioned Competition, Move United Junior Nationals, or another event offering classification opportunities.

 

Athletes with Visual Impairments

Visually impaired athletes are eligible to compete in archery, paratriathlon, shooting, swimming, and track and field. Athletes with visual impairments may obtain a national classification at any time during the year and do not need to attend an event as part of the classification process. To obtain a National VI Classification, athletes must have the visual impairment medical diagnosis form completed by their ophthalmologist and return it to their NGB along with supporting documentation related to the diagnosed eye condition as outlined on the medical diagnosis form at least four weeks prior to a competition they intend to compete at.

Questions? Contact USOPC Classification Manager (NPCUSAclassification@usopc.org)

 

Athletes with Intellectual Impairments

Intellectually impaired athletes are eligible to compete in swimming, table tennis, and track and field. Athletes with intellectual impairments may obtain a national classification at any time during the year. Athletes must contact Athletes Without Limits to apply to obtain their national classification. Visit https://www.athleteswithoutlimits.org/eligibility for more information. There are three eligibility groups outlined by Athletes Without Limits. Intellectual Disability 1 (II1) is the original eligibility group for athletes with intellectual impairments and is offered at all Athletes Without Limits & Virtus competitions. It is also the eligibility criteria for Paralympic-style opportunities including Junior Nationals.

 

Rules

Please click here for  Move United Junior National event rules.