Cuervo European Pro Tour Rules
1. The purpose of the European Wakeboard Tour is to help introduce people to the sport of competitive wakeboarding, provide consistent and fair standards for competition, and to help educate the public on ways to have more fun and generally improve individual skills in wakeboarding. The rules set forth here govern the sanctioned competitions within the European Tour.
2. All conpetitors of the European Wakeboard Tour are encouraged to participate and to let their feelingsw and ideas be known so that the organisers may better serve the competitors. The rules and information set forth shall be updated annually. Any suggestions//improvements for the year must be received by 15th November for implementation for the following year.
3. The first and foremost concern at all
European Wakeboard Tour events is safety. All contestants must wear a lifevest
that will absolutely float a contestant who is unconscious, ideally Coast Guard/CE
approved. Rescue craft must be positioned in suitable positions to assist injured
or stricken riders.
4. Athletes are required to wear a Tour supplied bib during media riding, qualifying, actual competition and interviews. The bib will remain the property of the Tour until after the Finals.
Any disagreements : majority rules. Protests must be submitted to the Chief Judge in writing within 1 hour of the occurrence.
No verbal protests will be accepted. A correction of an error in the computation of scoring shall not be considered a protest and the correction shall be made on the approval of the Chief Judge and the Calculator within 30 minutes after the results are announced and the judges scoring sheets have been made available for inspection. It is recommended that a video camera is available in the boat for any such protests.
The cost for registering a complaint is $30.00 and, if justifiable, then the levy will be refunded.
All complants must be dealt with on the day.
The Appeal Committee will consist of the judging panel on the day of the competition.
Any athlete or official whose conduct is deemed unsportsmanlike, may be fined or disqualifed. Unsportsmanlike conduct includes, but is not limited to: refusing autographs or interviews, use of vulgar language in public, public tantrums, not riding to fullest potential, failure to attend designated functions or events, consuming alcoholic beverages during competition, competing under false pretenses, concealing significant injuries or health problems. In the event that the disruptions are caused by non-competing persons, the competition co-ordinator has the right to ban these persons from the site. All disqualification must be handled through the competition co-ordinator and officials of the event.
All competitors on the European Wakeboard Tour must be members of their respective Federation, or for American riders, members of the WWA. Proof of membership will be required at each event.
A rider is allowed to enter one event only without being a member of their respective Federation.
Prior to competing, a competitor must sign a participation contract and understand the nature of the sport and its special risks, particularly in the format.
It is the responsibility ofr the competitor to register with the designated registration person and show proof of Federation/WWA membership before riding.
Competitors must disclose to the event organiser any special medical conditions, including but not limited to injuries in the past or present or other pre-existing medical conditions.
Divisions of competitions are as follows:
Juniors ages 15 and under (as of 1st January)
Ladies no age restriction
Intermediate no age restriction - open division. Riders are restricted to performing 5 inverts only
Pro Mens restricted to sponsored riders only and those who compete on a professional basis. Riders that competed in the 1999 Tour and came in the top 10 must compete in this division
Divisions may be created or merged at the sole discretion of the Chief Judge. Riders can only compete in one division per competition.
If a contestant elects to ride in a particular division they must remain in that division through the remaining tour stops in order to gain an overall standings list.
The purpose of including an Intermediate division is to encourage greater participation. It is at the Chief Judge's discretion to move a competitor from one division to another, if he feels the standard of rider warrants this.
1. The Chief Judge must appoint the following:
2 Assistant Judges
Calculator
Driver
Riders who have not previously competed in the European Tour and are not on the standings list will randomly select their own running order to compete in individual heats (the number of riders in each heat is dependent on the total number of riders entered). A percentage of the riders from each heat will then go through to the finals.
Rounds can be altered at Tour discretion due to number of entries, weather conditions, television or any other applicable situation as designated by the Tour.
A ranking list from the 1999 European Tour results will be usede to determine the division status for the Pro Mens division.
Riders will perform a subjectively judged freeriding routine. Contestants may perform any manoeuvres they choose in any order they wish. The boat will travel in a straight path on the lack in each direction. At the end of the second pass, riders will be given a double-up in the discretion of their choice. The double-up manoeuvre is NOT included in the qualification round of competition. There will be no predetermined points for any tricks and no attack sheets. Riders will be judged on the difficulty and proficiency of the moves executed, how big they are going, variety of moves performed, and on the creativity and fluidity of the routine.
1.Each contestant shall be judged on one individual routine. The rider will be allowed to continue after one fall. The judging of this routine begins when the rider enters the course and ends when the rider completes his double-up manoeuvre OR falls for the second time. In the first round of competition, the routine ends when the rider exits the course after the second pass. This format is a freeriding style of competition. This means each contestant is free to perform whichever manoeuvres in whatever order he/she desires. Riders are encouraged to perform at least four big moves per pass. There is no maximum or minimum number of tricks required, however riders should concentrate on quality( not quantity). For example, it is better to perform 10 big moves than 14 smaller moves. Contestants are encouraged to demonstrate the range and limits of their abilities. These abilities should include, but are not limited to, performing a variety of moves, taking each move to its limit, hitting a double-up, using the terrain in the course (if applicable) and showing creativity and fluidity in the route. Every move the rider performs will be evaluated in the scoring of the routine. Each contestant will be judged on the three subjective style categories ONLY (Execution, Intensity, Composition) to arrive at a single combined score from 0-100.
2. The course shall be between 1200 to 1500 feet long. It will be marked at either end of the lake by beginning and ending buoys. Contestants will be notified at each event where these buoys will be located. The rider will leave the starting dock and head towards one end of the lake. The boat will turnaround, and enter the course. At the end of the first pass, the boat will again turnaround and re-enter the course. The judging will stop after the double-up.
3. It is the sole responsibility of the rider to communicate to the driver before leaving the dock which direction to turn for the double-up, where to proceed through the course, and to verify the proper speed of the boat. There will be NO re-rides due to miscommunication. Communication is the key to having a good session.
4. A rider may have one out-of-course fall only before the start of his/her first pass.
5. Each rider may also have one handle throw before the start of his/her first pass. This will count as one out-of-course fall.
6. In the event of a double up given in the wrong direction, the rider must wave off the double up and not attempt any manoeuvres. If any manoeuvre is attempted off a wrong double up, the rider has accepted that as his/her double up. If a rider waves off the double up and doesnt attempt anything off the double up, the boat will travel back down the course, turn around, and go back to complete the correct double up. There will be no re ride for turbulent water created by this action.
7. A rider can have a maximum of two falls during a routine. Should a fall occur, the driver will be directed to pick up the rider as quickly as possible. The rider will not be picked up after a second fall, or after a fall that occurs beyond the halfway point of the second pass. The point after which a rider will not be picked up will be clearly marked with a buoy. Upon a second fall, the routine is over, and the boat will return to the dock.
8. Riders are encouraged to perform at least FIVE tricks per pass, and should try for five moves if possible. Riders should not repeat manoeuvres. The goal is to perform as wide a variety of moves as possible, to perform each move as cleanly as possible, and to take each move to its limit whilst making the entire routine flow.
9. Riders may perform new manoeuvres at any time during the routine. This format is an opportunity to introduce and perform in competition new moves as soon as you can land them. Take advantage of this opportunity.
Riders must inform the driver of the speed he/she desires. It is the riders responsibility to make this clear. The same applies when referred to what length the rope should be attached, when applicable. Any rider who fails to be on immediate hand and in condition to ride when it is his/her turn in the running order and the boat is ready for the rider will be disqualified. However, the dock official may grant up to one additional minute of time for emergencies developing or discovered just prior to the contestants turn to rider (example: ripped binding, etc). A rope with knots also falls into this category. It is the riders responsibility to have a rope without knots.
The weight in the boat will be decided at the beginning of each event and will be at the discretion of the Chief Judge and a rider representative. If a rider representative is not present, then it will be at the sole discretion of the Chief Judge.
3. Communication to the Boat
The rider shall use the standardized Tour signals and not cause the boat to stop, if possible. Deliberate use of delaying tactics will be considered unsportsmanlike conduct and will subject the rider to fines or disqualification. The following signals apply to addition to well-known riding signals. Use in combination as applicable.
a) Thumb(s) up means go faster
b) Thumb(s) down means go slower
c) Pointing at an item of equipment means a problem with it
d) Pointing back toward object means debris in water
e) Raising hand overhead means request for re-ride
f) Fallen rider must signal to tow boat and safety boat that he/she is OK and/or injured
For any equipment failure, the rider has three minutes to repair the equipment. The Chief Judge will have the final say as to whether the equipment has failed. Equipment can either be repaired on the boat or at the dock if needed. Time starts either when the rider gets on the back of the boat for an on-boat repair or when rider stops on the dock for a dock repair. The rider must be in his/her bindings on the boat before the time elapses or his/her ride is over. A rider can wave off his run if he throws the handle before he enters the course before the first pass only if there is a problem, such as the rope being on the wrong ring, with no penalty.
The course shall be between approximately 1200 and 1500 feet long (similar to 24 mph for 28-30 seconds from end gate to end gate). It will be marked at either end of the lake by beginning and ending buoys. There will also be a buoy marking of the course for the second pass, where the rider will no longer get picked up to continue his or her run.
Since wakeboarding is an outdoor sport and, since the Tour is designed to appeal to an audience as well as provide a competition, time consuming measures to assure identical and/or ideal riding conditions will be at the sole discretion of the Chief Judge and/or tour management. Protests or re-ride requests will not be allowed if they are based on variations in weather/water conditions.
In the case of less than desirable water or weather conditions where the contest must continue, a "Severe Weather/Rough Water" provision may be applied to that round of that event. Decisions regarding "Severe Weather" shall be the responsibility of a committee composed of the Chief Judge, event organisers and only the affected competitors. However, the event organisers reserves the right to make the final decision. The "Severe Weather" provision applies not only to rough water, but to any weather and water conditions that make riding significantly more difficulty or may seriously affect performances. The "Severe Weather" committee shall determine any modification to the riding specifications that may be needed in the interest of safety and providing a fair and attractive event. Such modifications may include but are not limited to changes in boat speed, boat pattern, course length, and format. Once a round of an event has been so designated and riding has started, the "Severe Weather" designation shall apply to all competitors in that round, even though conditions may improve.
Wakeboarding uses the heat formats. In qualifying rounds, positions are determined by the competitors seeding, which is determined by last years Ranking list. For those riders who have not competed in the previous years Tour, their specific heat and running order will be randomly determined by computer.
9. Dispersing of Prize Money
Prize money will be paid directly to the appropriate rider only, except when a rider files a request with the Tour for his/her prize money to be paid to a parent or guardian or other nominated individual. No other person will be authorised to collect prize money for another rider, unless previously authorised by that rider in writing.
A maximum of 100 style points can be earned for the routine. Style points will be awarded at EACH judges discretion based on their impressions of the entire routine. Everything you do on the water counts. The judges will score the contestants in each of the following three categories:
This reflects the level of technical difficulty and perfection of each manoeuvre performed, as well as the successful completion of the entire run with a minimum of falls.
This reflects the degree of performance to which each manoeuvre was performed in terms of how big the moves were, as well as the overall performance of the run.
This reflects the overall composition of the run in terms of riders ability to perform a variety of manoeuvres in a flowing, creative sequence.
The Average method of calculating will be used. All three judges scores in all categories are averaged to tabulate the results.
The running order, for unseeded riders, will be randomly selected by computer in order to compete in individual heats (the number of riders in each heat is dependent on the total number of riders entere3d). A percentage of the riders from each heat will then go through to the semi finals and finals.
The Last Chance Qualification round may or may not be used within the competition, dependent on numbers.
Each rider will be awarded points dependent on his/her overall placing. In the case of the semi finals and first heat, the points will be equally split between groups. As follows:
1st place 100 points
2nd place 80 points
3rd place 65 points
4th place 55 points
5th place 45 points
6th place 35 points
7th place 25 points
8th place 20 points
9th place 17 points
10th place 14 points
11th place 11 points
12th place 8 points
13th place 6 points
14th place 5 points
15th place 4 points
16th place 3 points
17th place 2 points
18th place 1 point
Each placing after 18th will each receive 1 point as verification of entering the competition.
If, for any reason, a competition is cancelled prior to the finals taking place, then the results from the previous round which has been completed (whether it be round 1 or the semi finals) will be used to determine the final event placings. This is necessary in order to secure a podium presentation on the Sunday.
However, the points will be distributed equally amongst the riders within that round on a pro-rata basis. The same will apply to the prize money.
In view of the safety aspect for this year, we do not recommend the use of sliders/ramps/jumps in general competitions. However obstacles can be brought in as a separate competition to the main event.
From a logistics point of view, it is not feasible for the Tour to provide sliders/ramps/jumps at every event. It is therefore up to the discretion of the Chief Judge and Tour Management, whether these should be used if a site does have obstacles available.
Note: Only the Pro Riders will be allowed to use the sliders. If any other division attempts to use the obstacles they will be disqualified and fines may be imposed
The freeride format applies. Exceptions include, but not limited to: Falls - your run will end on your second fall UNLESS the second fall occurs on the use of an obstacle. Riders experiencing their second fall on the use of an obstacle will then be picked up and allowed to complete their run unless a third fall occurs. Also if you forgo to use the jump ramp and fall past that point, the rule will go into effect. The rule is after passing the mark on your second pass, you will no longer get picked up to continue your run. Helmets or some form of head protection must be worn in all cases.