Single Grip Open 2023

Event Overview

The 2023 Single Grip Open will run November 24th to 27th. This year marks the contest's 8th consecutive year running, and as in previous years, it will take place online, with contestants’ continuous clips showing off their best “single grip” begleri flow. Our rule set for this year is very similar to previous SGO contests, with one notable change this year being the allowance of "open palm" as a grip option. See below for details. 

Clips can be submitted via Instagram, Facebook, or Reddit (details below). 

This year’s event will maintain the same rule set used last year, keeping with the original spirit of the event, and a strict adherence to the “single grip” caveat. The single grip contest was originally devised as a way of levelling the playing field between players, and putting more emphasis on creativity and artistry than straight up technical skill. There will, of course, be draw prizes, to encourage broad participation, even for players who don’t expect to take a spot on the podium, and a special promo code for future use, for anyone who participates. 

If you're looking for inspiration, peep last year's entries on Instagram by searching the hashtag #2022singlegripopen to get a taste of just how much can be done without changing the grip you're holding your begleri in. 

Scoring of clips will be based on the same criteria used last year (see below for the rubric). 

This year’s judges: 

• Chris @chainheart._
• Brax @mkxarb
• Soul @the_soul_smith
• Rusty @rmaustemery
• And yours truly Matt @aroundsquare

Scoring Rubric

How to Participate

The 2023 Single Grip Open will run for four days, November 24th to 27th, inclusive. All you have to do to participate is to prepare a “single grip” begleri clip or edit, compliant with the rules below (basically, just do what you can within one single grip), and post it publicly to one of the designated platforms, as below: 

• Instagram: Post a public clip to your own account, and tag it with the hashtag #2023singlegripopen
• Facebook: Post a public clip to the page: https://www.facebook.com/begleriworldcup/
• Reddit: Post a public clip to the sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/SingleGripOpen/

If you are posting on a platform other than Instagram, it is advisable that you contact the judges directly to ensure your clip is not missed. Email public link to hello@aroundsquare.com but please send only one email and do not expect a response. 

All clips must be submitted prior to 11:59pm Pacific time on November 27, 2023. Clips will be reviewed by the judges, and winners will be announced after the closing of the contest, likely during the following week. 

Draw prizes will be awarded on all days of the contest, meaning that participants who submit a clip on the 24th will have more chances to win. There will be one draw prize winner per day, randomly selected from clips as of that day. 

Rules

• Clip must be continuous, and must be 20s to 30s in length total (avoid long intros)
• Please only submit one clip. Participants posting more than one clip will be disqualified (this includes deleting and reposting). 
• Clip may contain minimal editing, slow motion segments, zooming etc., provided the continuity of the clip is not interrupted (freeze frames are allowed, no reversal of clip direction)
• Any begleri can be used (i.e., it does not need to be an AO2 set)

• Clip must be performed from a single grip, with the following clarifications: 

• A grip is defined by the position of the string between two fingers, regardless of whether the fingers are closed, extended, or scissored open. This applies to all grips except open palm.
• Starting from 2023, open palm grip is allowed as a primary grip. In open palm, the begleri is allowed to drape across the thumb side and/ or the pinkie side of the hand, and switch between these options. However, the begleri or cord may not be "grasped" by the thumb or other fingers to maintain the grip. 
• Stalls on the back of the hand or other parts of the body are permitted in conjunction with any primary grip. These are not considered additional grips and can be used in conjunction with aerials.   
• Players are allowed to switch between grip variants (i.e., standard to fakie or back, within the same grip).
• “Additional” grips are only permitted if they are in addition to the primary grip (i.e., wraps, where the free bead is trapped in a secondary grip; tension grips, where the free bead is caught to create string tension). However, the secondary grip must be released before the primary grip, otherwise it will be considered a grip change, resulting in disqualification (i.e., no “spring to aerial” or the like)
• Aerials are allowed, provided the begleri launches from and lands in the same grip:
• Aerials may launch and land in a different variant of the same grip (i.e., launch from standard and catch in fakie etc.)
• Aerials must not pass through another grip in the process of launching or landing (i.e., no spring to aerial, tension grip to aerial, landing in a roll etc.)
• Rolling stops/ rolls are not allowed, since these pass through another grip, however, an aerial is allowed to pass through another grip provided it is not in contact with the finger. The path of motion may resemble a rolling stop, but without contacting the finger. 
• Switching hands is considered a grip change, and is not allowed (i.e., high grip with the right hand considered a different grip from high grip with left hand); however, the other hand can be used in wraps, rebounds, and tension grips etc., as long as the use of the off hand is in line with the other rules and clarifications.
• Notwithstanding the rules and clarifications above, the clip must reflect the intent of this contest as a “single grip” contest. If the judges feel there are excessive deviations from that intent, the clip may be disqualified at the judges sole discretion, regardless of whether they are explicitly breaking the rules. 
• Anything not explicitly allowed in the rules, and anything falling into a grey area, will be subject to judges’ decision, which will be final. Feel free to innovate, but don’t make it about looking for loopholes in the rules. If you’re unsure of something you can contact AO2 for clarification prior to the competition. 

Prizes 

Lots of great prizes are planned for this year’s contest, including draw prizes that will go to randomly selected participants. There will be designated prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the main contest. Draw prizes will be given to randomly selected participants. All participants will receive an exclusive promo code for a discount off their next purchase from AO2.

• First prize: $200 cash; bragging rights as 2023 One Grip Wonder; choice of almost any AO2 item, including exotics
• Second prize: $100 cash; choice of almost any AO2 item, including exotics
• Third prize: $50 cash; choice of almost any AO2 item, including exotics