European Wakeboard Association Rules
I.1. The purpose of the European Wakeboard Association 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.
I.2. The European Wakeboard Association is an association with the backing of the International Water Ski Federation elected from the IWSF membership. All members are encouraged to participate and to let their feelings and ideas be known so that this association may better serve the EAME members. 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.
Rules for the European Championships and IWSF Worlds will be identical. Additional pages will be printed closer to the events which will be more in keeping with the format of the events themselves.
All contestants must wear a lifevest that will absolutely float a contestant who is unconscious, ideally Coast Guard/CE approved. A first aid team must be on site for all federation sanctioned competitions. Rescue craft must be positioned in suitable positions to assist injured or stricken riders.
Contestants shall provide their own ropes and handles. All two ropes used in competition must have the approval of both the safety officer and Chief Judge.
Re-rides may be allowed at the discretion of judges for variance of boat speed, unsafe conditions, breaking of rope or other extraneous circumstances. Re-rides will not be granted if contestants personal equipment fails.
Age as of January 1 of the current year will be used to determine age bracket. It is the sole discretion of the Chief Judge to determine which division contestants enter. 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. It is at the Chief Judges discretion to move a competitor from one division to another, if he feels the standard of the rider warrants this. Rookies No upper or lower age restriction. This division is to encourage new riders and will consist of one Freeride (time to be agreed). Junior Boys & Junior Girls 9 and under. It is at the sole discretion of the Chief Judge to merge the division if not enough riders compete. Boys & Girls 10 to 15 years old as per calendar year. It is the sole discretion of the Chief Judge to merge the division if not enough riders compete. Junior Men & Junior Ladies 15 to 18 years old as per calendar year. Intermediates This division has been introduced to encourage riders to enter who do not feel are capable of competing in the Pro Mens division. This division is open to any age group. Riders can only perform a maximum of 5 inverts. Open/Pro Division Men & Ladies The Open/Pro division is open to any age group. Masters 30 years old and over as per calendar year.
Speed is at the discretion of the rider.
National Championship: Free National Event: 100 CHF International Event: 200 CHF Cash Prize: 10% amount of the cash prize, 500 CHF minimum and 3000 CHF maximum
All competitions consist of Freeride format only.
Protests will only be heard under IWSF 9.0. 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.
Any athlete or official whose conduct is deemed unsportsmanlike, may be fined or disqualifed. Unsportsmanlike conduct includes, but is not limited to: use of volgar 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.
I.13. All competitors must be members of their respective Federation. Proof of membership will be required at each event. 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 of the competitor to register with the designated registration person and show proof of Federation 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.
II.1. The Chief Judge must appoint the following: 2 Assistant Judges Calculator Driver
Freeride Competition 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 lake in each direction. At the end of the second pass, riders will be given a double-up in the direction of their choice. The Chief Judge has the option of adding a double-up following the first pass. 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.
III.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.
III.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.
III.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.
III.4. A rider may have one out-of-course fall only before the start of his/her first pass.
III.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.
III.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.
III.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.
III.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.
III.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
With the introduction of the freeride format, there will be no more record capability competitions and hence no records will be kept or published. A rankings list will be created and results collected from the European Wakeboard Pro Tour. Also the same for the European Championships and other homologated events. This rankings list will be used for the World event.
For homologated competitions there must be 3 judges, all must be recognised by the EWA. European Pro Tour Regarding the Intermediate division, one of the three judges will act as International Judge (Level 1). The remaining two judges must be of at least a National Chief Judge (National Level 1, International Level 2) standard. International/European Championships All judges (with exception of Intermediate division) must be of a National Chief Judge (National Level 1, International Level 2) or International Judge (Level 1) standard. World Championships All judges must be of International Judge (Level 1) standard.
All wakeboard judges, regardless of level, must attend one Judging Seminar each year to retain their status.
The prospective judge should actively seek out and attend judging seminars associated with the sport.
Assistant judges are designated by and on the responsibility of their respective federations. They must be members of their federation and remain so in order to retain their position as Assistant Judge. All candidates must be 16 years or over.
Assistant judges are qualified to officiate at all competitions up to but not including Normal Homologation.
A short introductory course will result in the candidate becoming an Assistant Judge culminating in a written examination - with an 80% pass mark. Assistant judges will be encouraged to progress on to become National Level 2 standard.
Second Class judges are designated by and on the responsibility of the EWA. They must be members of their respective federations and remain so in order to retain their qualification. All candidates must be aged 18 years or over. (Prior to taking their exam all candidates must have acted as an assistant official at 4 National Calendar competitions).
National Level 2 Judges are qualified to judge at Normal Homologation National Competitions.
The EWA is responsible for organising and correcting examinations for candidates. The exam consists of two parts, one written and one practical.
The exam tests that the candidate has a basic knowledge of the rules. An 80% pass mark is required.
The exam is a trick reading examination that must take place either during a seminar or the course of a single event. The examiner present must be of an International Level 1 standard. The candidate shall write the trick runs of different competitors at which he takes the examination. He is not required to judge whether tricks are performed according to the rules or not.
Each of the following will be counted as one error:
Only passes which contain three or more inverts will be considered. Each such pass with zero or one error will be counted as a success. Each such pass with two or more errors will be counted as a failure. The pass mark is achieving 12 successes before having 6 failures.
The conditions of renewal of nominations as National judges are the responsibility of the EWA.
First Class National Judges (or Second Class International Judges) are designated by and on the responsibility of the EWA. They must be members of their respective federations and remain so in order to retain their qualification. All candidates for First Class National Judge (or Second Class International Judges) must be aged 18 or over. Prior to taking their exam, all candidates must have acted as an official at 4 National Calendar competitions.
First Class National Judges (or Second Class International Judges) are qualified to judge at Normal Homologation National Competitions and European Competitions.
The EWA is responsible for organising and correcting examinations for candidates for nomination as First Class National Judges (or Second Class International Judges). The exam consists of two parts, one written and one practical.
The exam tests that the candidate has a basic knowledge of the rules. An 80% pass mark is required.
The exam is a trick reading examination that must take place either during a seminar or the course of a single event. The examiner present must be of an International Level 1 standard. The candidate shall write the trick runs of different competitors at which he takes the examination. He is not required to judge whether tricks are performed according to the rules or not.
Each of the following will be counted as one error:
Only passes which contain three or more inverts will be considered. Each such pass with zero or one error will be counted as a success. Each such pass with two or more errors will be counted as a failure. The pass mark is achieving 12 successes before having 6 failures.
The conditions of renewal of nominations as International judges are the responsibility of the EWA.
First Class International Judges are designated by and on the responsibility of the EWA. They must be members of their respective federations and remain so in order to retain their qualification. All candidates for First Class International Judge must be aged 18 or over.
First Class International Judges are qualified to judge European and World Competitions.
The EWA is responsible for organising and correcting examinations for candidates for nomination as First Class International Judges. The exam consists of two parts, one written and one practical.
The exam tests that the candidate has a basic knowledge of the rules. An 80% pass mark is required.
The exam is a trick reading examination that must take place either during a seminar or the course of a single event. The examiner present must be of an International Level 1 standard. The candidate shall write the trick runs of different competitors at which he takes the examination. He is not required to judge whether tricks are performed according to the rules or not.
Each of the following will be counted as one error:
Only passes which contain three or more inverts will be considered. Each such pass with zero or one error will be counted as a success. Each such pass with two or more errors will be counted as a failure. The pass mark is achieving 12 successes before having 6 failures.
The conditions of renewal of nominations as International judges are the responsibility of the EWA.
Must judge at minimum of 2 National events, 1 International event (each year) plus be part of the European/World Championships or to attend Judging Seminar.