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Breaking Down Invented and Specialty Apparatus Categories at Aerial Competitions

Breaking Down Invented and Specialty Apparatus Categories at Aerial Competitions

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As you explore aerial competitions, you may come across categories like Specialty or Invented Apparatus and wonder exactly what they are. These are what we like to call “catchall” categories. They group a variety of apparatuses together under one broader category, governed by rules general enough to apply across all of them while still being fairly and consistently judged.

If you’re looking to compete on an apparatus other than pole, lyra, silks, or hammock, keep reading. This applies to you. Below, we break down everything you need to know about this catchall category, including its pros and cons.

Why Aerial Competitions Have Specialty and Invented Apparatus Categories

Every competition builds its rules, requirements, scoresheets, and judging criteria around a set of standard categories. This varies from competition to competition, but most often we see pole, silks, hammock, and lyra as the headlining categories. These are also the apparatuses most commonly taught at studios and covered in teacher training programs, so it makes sense that they’d be the first represented at competition. Their rules and definitions are written specifically around the tricks, movement demands, and creative potential unique to each apparatus.

But if you’ve been in the aerial world for a while, or spent any time scrolling aerial arts on social media, you know there’s a whole world of other incredible apparatus disciplines out there. Think flying pole, cube, aerial moon, tippy lyra, aerial triangle, stacked lyras, trapeze, rope, cloud swing, aerial net hammock, lollipop lyra, chains, and spiral.

The challenge with these apparatuses is that they’re often too varied or niche to justify their own dedicated competition category, and it can even be difficult to find specific classes or coaches for them. As a result, specialty apparatuses tend to draw very limited participation at competitions, often in the low single digits, sometimes just one athlete.

How to Compete on an Apparatus Without Its Own Category

So how do you compete on an apparatus that doesn’t have a dedicated category? You look for a competition that offers a Specialty or Invented Apparatus category.

Competitions add these categories to give athletes in less common disciplines a chance to compete. They’re often experimental in nature, meant to gauge interest and start building rules specific to that apparatus. With enough interest and participation over time, a specialty or invented apparatus can eventually grow into its own dedicated category.

Pros of Competing in a Specialty or Invented Apparatus Category

  • The opportunity to perform your preferred apparatus on a competition stage
  • A chance to do, and watch, apparatuses that otherwise likely wouldn’t make it into competition at all
  • Can open the door for an apparatus to eventually earn its own dedicated category
  • Helps competitions develop and refine judging criteria specific to that apparatus
  • A great way to gauge interest as a discipline grows
  • A great way to build awareness and interest in these apparatuses

Cons of Competing in a Specialty or Invented Apparatus Category

  • All apparatuses get lumped together, which can skew judging due to generalized rules and a lack of comparable competitors
  • Low participation means that whether you place or not, you’re not competing against a deep, competitive field, making it harder to gauge your standing
  • Comparing different apparatuses against one another can skew scoring and results, since apparatuses differ so much in movement, capability, and handling

The Bottom Line

Specialty and Invented Apparatus categories exist to give athletes on niche or emerging apparatuses a place to compete, and to help those disciplines grow toward becoming standalone categories. They come with real trade offs in judging consistency and competitive depth, but for many athletes, the chance to perform on their apparatus of choice makes it well worth entering.

Fair play graphic representing anti-doping values in sport

Understanding Anti-Doping: 4 Important Things Athletes Should Know

Professional pole and aerial competitions such as those operating under POSA and IPSF have strict anti-doping rules, requiring athletes to sign anti-doping contracts and renew their anti-doping licenses each year. Athletes are required to maintain an active anti doping contract for every year of their competitive career, even if they take a year off from actively competing.

So what exactly is anti-doping, and why is it needed in sport?
Anti doping is about leveling the playing field by promoting and enforcing clean and fair play in competition. The goal is for an athlete’s competitive advantage to come from raw talent, effort, mindset, dedication and hard work rather than from any chemical advantage. Here are four important things every athlete, coach and parent should understand about anti doping before they step onto the competition floor.

Your Anti-Doping Contract Is a Year Round Commitment
Signing an anti doping contract isn’t a one time formality. It’s an ongoing responsibility that follows you throughout your competitive career, including years when you aren’t actively competing. Letting your contract lapse, even unintentionally, can affect your eligibility to compete when you return. Athletes should treat renewal dates the same way they treat membership dues or insurance renewals: mark the date, set a reminder, and don’t wait until registration deadlines are looming.

What Anti-Doping Drug Testing Looks Like
Drug tests may be random or targeted, and can occur in competition or out of competition. As an athlete with an active anti doping contract, you essentially consent to being tested at any time, in any place, on demand, without prior notification. Currently in the world of Pole and Aerial, testing typically occurs during competition, but as our sport continues to grow and align with other long established sports, the possibility of being tested outside of competition, and having to provide your whereabouts, is likely. Sports like track and field and swimming have used whereabouts systems for years, requiring athletes to report their location for a set window each day so testers can find them unannounced.

Drug tests may involve urine or blood sample collection. The type of test is at the discretion of the anti doping agents. If you’re selected for testing, cooperating fully and promptly is part of your obligation as a licensed athlete. Refusing or evading a test is typically treated the same as a positive result.

Consequences and Penalties
Violating anti doping policy carries real consequences. Depending on the severity and whether it’s a first or repeat offense, penalties can include disqualification from the competition, a year-long ban, loss of medals or ranking points, suspension from future events, and in serious or repeated cases, a lengthy or lifetime ban from the sport. These aren’t just formalities, they’re taken seriously precisely because the goal is to protect clean athletes and preserve trust in the results.

Athlete Responsibility
Athletes are responsible for knowing what they are putting into their bodies at all times, and for ensuring that nothing they take contains a banned substance. This means talking with your doctors about prescribed medications and reviewing the ingredients of any over the counter medications and supplements, including drinks, powders and pills. Athletes are solely responsible for any prohibited substance found in their body, regardless of how it got there or whether there was intent to cheat.

A common myth is that a supplement is automatically safe because it’s natural or sold over the counter. That isn’t true. Supplements aren’t tightly regulated, and cross contamination during manufacturing is a real risk. Before taking anything new, athletes should check it against a verified prohibited substances database, such as Global DRO, or consult directly with their sport’s anti doping organization. It only takes a few minutes and can prevent a career altering mistake.

Even if athletes have active prescriptions, if the medication includes a banned ingredient, it could still lead to an issue. So how do you get around that if you have a legitimate medical condition?

Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs)
A TUE is official permission granted to use a prohibited substance for legitimate medical reasons. It allows clean athletes with real medical conditions, such as asthma or severe allergies, to compete legally. Applying for a TUE typically requires documentation from a physician and approval before the substance is used in competition, so athletes with ongoing medical needs should start the process well in advance rather than waiting until close to an event.

Resources Every Athlete Should Know
WADA and WHEA are the anti-doping organizations to know about for Pole and Aerial. They provide an updated list of prohibited substances as well as education for athletes, coaches and parents. Bookmarking these resources and checking them regularly is one of the simplest ways to stay compliant and protect your career.

TLDR: Key Takeaways

  • Anti doping contracts must stay active every year of your career, even during breaks from competition.
  • Testing can happen in or out of competition, with little or no advance notice.
  • Athletes are fully responsible for anything found in their system, regardless of intent.
  • A TUE offers a legal path for athletes with genuine medical needs.
  • WADA and WHEA are your go to resources for checking substances and staying informed.

Anti doping exists to protect the integrity of the sport and the athletes who compete honestly within it. Taking a few minutes to understand your contract, your responsibilities, and the resources available to you is a small investment that protects the career you’ve worked so hard to build.

PSO 2026/27 Rule Changes: Everything You Need to Know

Pole Sport Organization has announced a series of important updates to their rules that go into effect September 1st. Changes for the new season span four key areas: refined judging criteria designed to bring greater clarity and consistency to scoring, updated process changes that streamline how competitions are run, revised level rules to ensure fair and appropriate competition tiers, and new Ethical Guidelines introducing a formal commitment to Responsible Artistry. Together, these updates reflect the organization’s ongoing effort to support fair, transparent, and meaningful competition for every participant. Read on for a full breakdown of what’s changing and what it means for competitors.

Judging Criteria

Clarity of Concept has been updated for Sensual and After Dark categories. This scoring element is being renamed to Sensual Energy (which feels like a super appropriate and needed change) and is defined (and judged) as:

  • Body language conveys sensuality/passion/flirtatiousness
  • Facial expressions match the body language/energy of the routine
  • Movement and trick choices exhibit understanding of sensual energy, as well as the category description

Stage Etiquette requirements for Virtual events no longer include the need to acknowledge the audience at the end of the routine.

Process Changes

Competitor addition to a division after the competition schedule has been posted will also include a shuffling of performance order.

Level Rule Changes

  • A dismount through a flag grip where the competitor is not holding an ayesha is currently a deduction for Levels 2 and 3. For the upcoming season,
    • We are leaving it as a deduction for Level 2.
    • We are removing it as a deduction for Level 3.
  • An arch back in a stargazer, where the competitor’s shoulders or head are below the hips is currently a deduction. Next season, it is an exception for Level 1, and would not be a deduction.

Organization Updates

PSO states that these changes have already been implemented.

Guidelines around responsible artistry have been added to the rules – specifically surrounding industry roots to strippers and sex workers.

Judges are recognized publicly on the schedule prior to the event. This allows for conflicts to be identified and reported.

Flying Pole and Chains are being added to select PSO events on a trial basis. We’ve received report that they will NOT be added to Southwest in Dallas.

PSO Europe will be getting a Finals event and past level 5 winners will be invited to compete. Amateur division will have open signups at this event.

Name pronunciation guide will be continued to help ensure that competitor names are pronounced correctly at competition.

Updated Ethical Guidelines

PSO’s responsible artist guidelines outline responsible artistry best practices for competitors. These guidelines cover: censorship and banned subject matter, sensitive content, cultural appropriation and content warnings.

Read PSO’s full rule update on their website.