The Chalk Circle — Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms & Eligibility

By creating an account, accessing, or using the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you are under 18 years of age, your legal parent or legal guardian must review and accept these Terms on your behalf prior to account activation.

• Athlete Accounts: Designed for prospective student-athletes competing in gymnastics (Level 9, Level 10, Elite, NCAA). Minor accounts require verified parent/guardian consent in compliance with COPPA regulations.
• Institutional Recruiter Accounts: Restricted strictly to active university coaching staffs and authorized athletic department personnel using a verified .edu email domain.
• Club & Gym Owner Accounts: Restricted to verified gym owners, head coaches, or administrative staff representing an active gymnastics training facility.

2. Athlete Safety, SafeSport & COPPA Compliance

The Chalk Circle is engineered around the strict safety guidelines of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and NCAA recruiting regulations.

• Mandatory Parent Transparency: Every direct message, outreach notification, or recruiter communication sent through the Platform automatically carbon-copies (CCs) the athlete’s verified parent/guardian email address.
• Zero 1:1 Unmonitored Access: Unmonitored direct communication between adults and minor athletes is strictly prohibited and programmatically blocked by database security triggers.
• Verified Access Locks: Unverified accounts, public spectators, or non-institutional accounts cannot browse private athlete contact details or unverified media feeds.

3. Community Code of Conduct: "Hype Without the Hate"

The Chalk Circle maintains a Zero-Tolerance Policy regarding disrespect, toxicity, cyberbullying, and inappropriate behavior. We spend 30+ hours a week in the gym; our online space must remain dedicated to safety, support, and athletic progress.

Prohibited Behaviors Include:

• No Mean Posts or Comments: Any form of harassment, insults, negative commentary on athlete falls/mistakes, body-shaming, or destructive criticism will result in an immediate, permanent account ban.
• No Disrespecting Fellow Athletes: Users must treat every gymnast, coach, parent, and recruiter with respect. Discrimination, hate speech, or malicious rumors are strictly forbidden.
• No Impersonation or Fake Accounts: Creating burner accounts, pretending to be another athlete, or falsely claiming affiliation with a university or athletic club will trigger immediate account termination and IP blacklisting.
• No Unsolicited Commercial Spam: Promoting unauthorized products, commercial services, or external links inside workout feeds or direct messages is prohibited.

4. User Content & Video Ownership

You retain full ownership rights to all practice videos, routine clips, competition scores, and media files ("User Content") that you upload to The Chalk Circle.

• License Grant: By uploading User Content, you grant The Chalk Circle a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to host, display, stream, and format your footage solely for the purpose of operating the Platform, displaying your profile, and facilitating athletic evaluation by verified collegiate scouts.
• Content Integrity: You represent that you own or have obtained all necessary rights, permissions, and parental consents for any media uploaded to your profile.
• Content Removal: The Chalk Circle reserves the right, but is not obligated, to remove any User Content that violates these Terms or compromises athlete safety.

5. Subscriptions, Payments & Program Passes

• Institutional Scout Passes: University recruiting access is billed on an annual subscription model ($199/year per Program). One pass grants access to your verified .edu coaching staff.
• Billing & Auto-Renewal: Subscriptions automatically renew every 12 months unless canceled prior to the renewal date via your account console.
• Refund Policy: Annual program pass purchases are non-refundable once activated and verified against an institutional domain, except where required by applicable law.

6. NCAA & Recruiting Compliance Disclaimer

The Chalk Circle provides technology tools designed to assist in athletic evaluation and recruiting pipeline management.

• Compliance Responsibility: Compliance with NCAA, NAIA, and USAG recruiting calendars, contact periods (e.g., June 15th communication gates), and amateurism rules remains the sole responsibility of participating collegiate programs, coaches, and prospective student-athletes.
• No Guarantee of Placement: Creation of an account or purchase of a program pass does not guarantee athletic scholarships, university admission, or roster placement.