Overview:

 

1.  One or a combination of 2 formats will be used in competition. The traditional heat format consisting of 4-6 riders per heat and/or a head to head format in the Pro Men finals only.  

 

2. There will be a minimum of two rounds, a Qualification and/or Semifinal Round, and a Final Round. A Last Chance Qualifier Round (LCQ) will be run when practical, depending on the number of riders.  The decision to run the LCQ will be at the discretion of the Chief Judge. 

 

3. Competitors may perform any number of tricks they choose in any order they wish. Riders are encouraged to put together a creative and smooth flowing run with a wide variety of tricks. Each trick should be done as cleanly as possible and taken to its limit. Riders will be judged on the technical difficulty, intensity and proficiency of their tricks, the variety and combination of tricks performed, as well as the use of obstacles, course space and the overall fluidity of the run. 

 

4. Speed will be at the discretion of the rider but must be within the maximum and minimum tolerances allowed for the site.  The speed must remain constant while the rider is in the course. 

 

5. All riding schedules are tentative only and subject to change. It is the athlete’s responsibility to know their scheduled riding time. Athletes must be on site one hour prior to their scheduled ride time.   

 

6. If a rider is not present on the dock at the scheduled time, they will be scratched and disqualified from the event. 

 

The Course:

 

1. The end of the course will be marked by a buoy where the rider should exit. The buoy will be placed at a predetermined distance after the starting dock. If conditions are appropriate, an obstacle such as a kicker or rail may also be used as the finish point on the course.  

 

2. A “last fall” buoy may be placed near the end of the course. This buoy will mark where the rider can have their last fall. Depending on the size of the cableway, the motor tower may also be used as the last fall point. If the rider’s first fall is past this buoy or tower, the fall will end the rider’s run. This is similar to the “3/4” buoy in a traditional wakeboard pass.  

 

3.  Obstacles in the course will be used at the rider’s own risk and helmets are required for the use of all obstacles. If a rider hits an obstacle without a helmet, he/she will be disqualified from the competition.

 

 

4. For safety reasons, if a rider falls in front of an obstacle he/she must let go of the handle or they will be disqualified. 

 

5. Any tricks performed outside of the course will NOT be scored. 

 

The Run:

 

1. Each run will consist of one full lap and end at the buoy or obstacle placed after the starting dock. The scoring of the run will begin immediately off the dock and end at the buoy or obstacle designated as the end of the course. 

 

2. There are NO wildcard tricks in this format. 

 

3. Re-rides may be granted at the sole discretion of the Chief Judge for failure of the cable system only. 

 

 

Falls:

 

1. Riders in wakeboard divisions will be allowed one fall and will be picked up from the point of their fall to continue the run. Riders who fall will need to immediately swim back and grab the handle for a water start. They will be given one more attempt to complete their pass. The second fall will end the rider's run. If a rider falls on the attempted water start, this will count as their third fall.  

 

2. Riders in wakeskate divisions will be allowed one extra fall and will be picked up from the point of their fall to continue the run. Riders who fall will need to immediately swim back and grab the handle for a water start. They will be given 2 more attempts to complete their pass. The third fall will end the rider's run. If a rider falls on the attempted water start, this will count as their third fall.  

 

3. Wakeskate will be given 2 tries off the dock to encourage a variety of maneuvers on the dock start. If the rider immediately falls on their dock start, they will be given a second opportunity without penalty. The dock start trick will count in the rider's overall score. 

 

4. Judges will only score tricks that are successfully landed.  Falls are simply a missed trick and course time is lost. Riders will not be judged down for falls, however, this can take away from the overall look and flow of a rider’s run. 

 

5. If a rider falls and drags on the cable (where either their stomach or back touches the water) but is able to recover and continue the run, the trick the rider fell on will NOT be scored.  All tricks performed before and after, however, will be scored. 

 

Judging:

 

1. Judging will be subjective only. There are no predetermined points for any tricks.  Judging of the run begins when the rider enters the course and ends when the rider exits the course or falls for the final time. Tricks performed outside of the course will not be scored. 

 

2. A minimum of 3 judges will be used for all divisions. Each judge will be assigned ONE of the following categories: composition, obstacles or flat tricks and is only responsible for tricks from that category. 

 

Composition will account for 40% of the rider’s overall score.This includes the overall look, flow and impression of the run, the use of course space, the level of variety and creativity displayed by the rider, as well as the diversity of tricks performed in a flowing sequence with smooth transitions between moves).  

 

Obstacles will account for 30% of the rider’s overall score.This includes any trick performed on an obstacle such as a rail, kicker, box, or wall.

Flat tricks will account for 30% of the rider’s overall score.This includes any trick performed in the flats or open water area of the course)

 

 

 

3. The number of tricks performed in each category is up to the rider, but if a rider does not do a trick from a category, they will receive NO POINTS FROM THAT CATEGORY. This is to encourage a well-composed run, with a variety of tricks. 

 

 

4. Repeating a trick does not show good composition and will not be counted. 

 

 

 

5. Judges will use the following D.R.I.V.E criteria to analyze the run:  

 

 

 

D.     Difficulty

R.     Risk

I.      Intensity

V.     Variety

E.     Execution 

 

 

Difficulty: (in comparison to other riders in the same heat)

Combos (combining tricks, adding spins, grabs, etc)

Front side or backside (blind) / Toe side or Heel side

Switch v regular

Landing wrapped vs. landing after the handle pass

Landing blind

Grabbing a trick or not

Obstacle approaches (ollie on, spins on and/or off the rails as opposed to on the rail, gaps, transfers, etc).

Placement of trick in the run or course to make it more difficult

Number of rotations

Number of handle passed tricks 

 

 

 

Risk: (in comparison to other riders in the same heat)

Where in the run is the trick performed?

Was there a ‘safe’ alternative?

Linking difficult tricks

Intensity Grabs held longer?

Height and energy of tricks performed

Risk shown in obstacle approaches and on the rails 

 

 

Intensity: (in comparison to other riders in the same heat)

This reflects the degree of performance to which each maneuver was carried out in terms of amplitude or how big the moves were, overall height and energy off the water or kickers, as well as the risk demonstrated in the run. Risk can be the choice of trick, or placement of trick in the pass, or the way the trick was performed.  

 

 

Variety: (in comparison to other riders in the same heat)

Were the tricks all based on the same type or variety of trick?

(roll, roll 2 rev, roll 2 blind, kgb = similar)

Judges want to see a variation of air, roll, flip, spin, raley, and mobe tricks.

In the mobe category, a variation of roll, flip, and raley mobes should be demonstrated Were the grabs different?

Did the rider spin in both directions?

Were the rails slid differently?

(board slide v lip slide, heel side v front side, 50/50, nose press, etc). 

 

 

Execution: (in comparison to other riders in the same heat)

This reflects the level of technical difficulty and perfection of each maneuver performed, as well as the successful completion of the entire run with a minimum of falls.

Does the rider have good body position, balance and control on the water, obstacle or in the air?  

Were tricks landed clean?

Did the rider show personal style, customize or adapt tricks to make them their own?

Is the trick grabbed, boned, tweaked or shifted and for how long?

Were grabs legit?

How good is the approach or cut of each trick for the overall flow of the run? 

 

Scoring:

 

1. Each judge will award a score out of 10 for each category, taking into account the D.R.I.V.E criteria. The score out of 10 is only for the tricks in that category, the number of tricks does not influence the score. The rider’s final scores are used for placement purposes only in the heat.  

 

2. Ties will be broken by placements. The first tie breaker will go to the rider with the highest placement in the COMPOSITION category.   

 

The Composition aspect of the rider’s run is the defining criteria which will separate the more skilled and stylish riders from others.

 

JUDGES WANT TO SEE ROLL, FLIP, SPIN, AND RALEY VARIATIONS.

 

A RIDER SHOULD SHOW SPIN ROTATION IN BOTH DIRECTIONS AND SHOW A VARIETY IN THE TYPE OF OBSTACLES USED AND VARIETY OF GRABS. 

 

RIDERS WHO ARE DOING MULTIPLE MOBES SHOULD ALSO SHOW VARIATIONS IN THE STYLE OF MOBES, SUCH AS ROLL MOBES, FLIP MOBES, RALEY MOBES.  

 

IT IS BETTER TO SPIN ONTO AND OFF OBSTACLES VERSUS SPINING ON TOP OF OR ALONG AN OBSTACLE. COURSE MANAGEMENT (USE OF COURSE SPACE) IS IMPORTANT.  

 

 

End.