The Florida Pole Fitness Championship (FPFC) has determined that a safe, civil, and supportive environment during a competition event is necessary for athletes, performers, and affiliates to perform, compete, and achieve high sporting and artistic standards. In order to maintain that environment, the FPFC prohibits acts of harassment, bullying, cyber-bullying, intimidation, or any other victimization of athletes, performers, attendees, and affiliates based on any actual or perceived traits or characteristics. To that end, the FPFC has in place processes and procedures to address incidents of bullying and harassment.

This policy will be annually disseminated to all FPFC staff, volunteers, athletes, performers, affiliates and parents and may be publicized in FPFC agreements and event web sites. This policy is in effect while athletes, performers and affiliates are on the event property, at any event-sponsored activity, on event-provided equipment or transportation, or at any official studio affiliated with the FPFC. If the act takes place off event property or outside of an event-sponsored activity, this policy is in effect if the conduct is directed specifically at an athlete, performer, staff, parent, affiliate or attendees and has the effect of creating a hostile environment or otherwise creating a substantial disruption to the event’s image, performance environment, or competition process.

Pursuant to FL. Code Ann. § 1006.147 “Harassment, intimidation, or bullying” means an act that substantially interferes with a person’s (in this case an athlete, performer, attendee or affiliate) educational benefits, opportunities, or performance, and the act has the effect of:

• Physically harming an athlete, performer, attendee or affiliate or damaging property;
• Knowingly placing an athlete, performer, attendees or affiliate in reasonable fear of physical harm to them or damage to their property;
• Causing emotional distress to an athlete, performer, attendees or affiliate; or
• Creating a hostile event environment.

For purposes of this section:

(a) “Bullying” includes cyberbullying and means systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one or more athletes, performers, affiliates, etc. and may involve:

1. Teasing;

2. Social exclusion;

3. Threat;

4. Intimidation;

5. Stalking;

6. Physical violence;

7. Theft;

8. Sexual, religious, or racial harassment;

9. Public or private humiliation; or

10. Destruction of property.

(b) “Cyberbullying” means bullying through the use of technology or any electronic communication, which includes, but is not limited to, any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic system, photo-electronic system, or photo-optical system, including, but not limited to, electronic mail, Internet communications, instant messages, or facsimile communications. Cyberbullying includes the creation of a webpage or weblog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person, or the knowing impersonation of another person as the author of posted content or messages, if the creation or impersonation creates any of the conditions enumerated in the definition of bullying. Cyberbullying also includes the distribution by electronic means of a communication to more than one person or the posting of material on an electronic medium that may be accessed by one or more persons, if the distribution or posting creates any of the conditions enumerated in the definition of bullying.

Any athlete, performer, affiliate, staff member, or that is in any way involved with the FPFC that does not adhere to the above policy will be immediately disqualified and banned from future FPFC events. Bullying and harassment of any kind will have ZERO TOLERANCE and will be rectified immediately.