# Competitions

> Competitions group gymnasts within a level by age and into subdivisions for scheduling and awards.

> **Visual guide:** [View the age groups decision tree in Figma](https://www.figma.com/board/VSa3rYgMnJS96opwqzJv50/) | [View the age group structure diagram in Figma](https://www.figma.com/board/G6IsAsyvBbqDHnIR51UgGN/)

## Key Concepts

### Competition

A **competition** is the combination of a level, an age group, and one or more subdivisions. It's the unit that gets assigned to sessions and ranked.

For example, "Level 5 - Ages 8-9" is a competition within the Level 5 level.

### Age Group

An **age group** defines a birth date range. Gymnasts whose birth date falls within the range belong to that age group.

* **All Ages** (default) - No age restriction; all gymnasts in the level compete together.
* **Custom age group** - Defined by an earliest and latest birth date (e.g., born between Jan 1, 2014 and Dec 31, 2015).

### Subdivision

A **subdivision** is a sub-group of gymnasts within a competition. Subdivisions are used for:

* **Scheduling** - Each subdivision can be assigned to a different session
* **Award groups** - When "treat subdivisions as award groups" is enabled, each subdivision is ranked separately

Every competition has at least one subdivision (even if it's just one group containing everyone).

## Two Structures: 2-Layer vs 3-Layer

### 2-Layer: Level → Subdivisions (No Age Groups)

The simplest structure. All gymnasts in a level are in one "All Ages" competition, split into subdivisions only for scheduling.

```
Level 5
  └── All Ages (single competition)
        ├── Subdivision A → Session 1
        └── Subdivision B → Session 2
```

Use this when age doesn't matter for ranking or scheduling. See [How to create subdivisions](/competitions/create-subdivisions.md).

### 3-Layer: Level → Age Groups → Subdivisions

Each age group creates its own competition. Within each competition, gymnasts are split into subdivisions.

```
Level 5
  ├── Ages 8-9 (competition)
  │     ├── Subdivision A → Session 1
  │     └── Subdivision B → Session 2
  └── Ages 10-11 (competition)
        └── Subdivision A → Session 3
```

Use this when gymnasts should be ranked against others in their age range. See [How to create age groups](/competitions/create-age-groups.md).

## Decision Guide

Not sure which structure to use? See [How to decide: age groups vs subdivisions only](/competitions/choose-age-groups-vs-subdivisions.md).

| Question                                              | If Yes →                                    | If No →                         |
| ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| Do gymnasts of different ages need separate rankings? | Use age groups (3-layer)                    | Use subdivisions only (2-layer) |
| Do you need to split a large level across sessions?   | Add subdivisions                            | One subdivision is fine         |
| Should each session group have its own awards?        | Enable "treat subdivisions as award groups" | Rank all subdivisions together  |

## Score Settings Override

By default, competitions inherit score settings from their level. However, you can **override** score settings on individual competitions - for example, using a different tiebreaker for a specific age group.

## Steps

1. [**Decide your structure**](/competitions/choose-age-groups-vs-subdivisions.md) - Age groups or subdivisions only?
2. [**Create subdivisions**](/competitions/create-subdivisions.md) - If using 2-layer (or after creating age groups)
3. [**Create age groups**](/competitions/create-age-groups.md) - If using 3-layer
4. [**Assign subdivisions to sessions**](/competitions/assign-subdivisions-to-sessions.md) - Map subdivisions to session time blocks

## Related

* [How do I configure competition levels?](/levels/index.md)
* [How do I set up scheduling?](/scheduling/index.md)
* [How to configure individual score settings](/levels/individual-score-settings.md)
* [Glossary](/getting-started/glossary.md)


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