Which three violations are of concern in inhibiting competition?

• A. Padding classes, paying another competitor's entry fee (directly or indirectly), but not encouraging others
• B. Falsifying scores
• C. Padding classes, paying another competitor's entry fee (directly or indirectly), encouraging a competitor to refrain from entering a class
• D. Cheating on equipment

Answer: (C)

Inhibiting competition is about actions that suppress participation or unfairly alter who competes. The best choice combines three distinct ways this can happen: padding classes (filling a division to manipulate appearance of turnout), paying another competitor’s entry fee (directly or indirectly) to influence who enters, and encouraging a competitor to refrain from entering a class. Together, these practices directly reduce fair competition by distorting entry patterns or removing potential contenders.

Falsifying scores and cheating on equipment are serious rule violations, but they relate to integrity during judging or hardware, not to the acts of manipulating who competes or how many enter.