CLWSC TRICK SKIING RULES

General

Each contestant shall be allowed two 20-second passes through the trick course during which he may perform as many tricks as they can.

Divisions

· Minis: New and beginner skiers, 8 years old and under. Same rules apply as Novice.

· Junior, Men and Women Beginners and Novices: New and beginner riders. Basic surface tricks, 1-wake tricks. Novice skiers will mark 8 tricks instead of 6 to allow them to adjust their run during competition. The judge will only score the first 6 tricks completed and the other 2 will receive no credit. If a novice rider attempts a trick and does not complete the trick or falls, they will be allowed to try another trick from the remaining tricks that are marked on their attack sheet, and receive credit.   No variations, (such as grabs) of these tricks will be counted. Tricks may be done on both passes, but not repeated in the same pass.

· Seniors: This division is for the 40 year and over competitors. Intermediate rules will apply.

· Junior, Men’s, and Women’s intermediate: The Intermediate divisions are intended for mid-level skiers with primarily 2 wake jumps, grabs, 180¹s and basic 2 wake tricks. Intermediate riders may also be working on their first basic stepovers or 360 spin. Intermediate skiers can try any trick on the CLWSC Trick Lists.

· The Intermediate class is not designed for riders with a solid invert and multiple 360 variations. If the judges feel an Intermediate rider has a solid invert or multiple 360 variations, the rider will be bumped up to a higher division. Thirtysomethings: The thirtysomethings division is designed for 30 years old and over. Same rules as Intermediate.

· Advanced 3: The Advanced 3 division is intended for skiers with 1-4 solid basic inverts/360’s.. Six tricks are allowed per pass, riders can repeat tricks, but not in the same pass. Any Advanced skiers with 4 or more solid inverts, will be bumped to a higher division

• Advanced 5: The Advanced 5 division is intended for riders with 4-7 solid inverts. The Advanced Skiers will be allowed 5 inverts total. Spins do not count as inverts, and are not limited. Six tricks are allowed per pass, Expert riders cannot repeat tricks.

· Semi-Pro: This division is for Semi-Pro level skiers. Semi-Pro skiers can throw any trick on the CLWSC Trick List. Any variation of a trick will be counted as a different trick. Five tricks are allowed per pass, with no repeats. This is to allow more time for the skier to attempt more challenging tricks.  Semi-Pro skiers that have a particular upper level trick that is rarely seen are encouraged to tell the judges in the boat to look for the trick.

Name	Description
Minis	8 & under
Junior Beginner	9-13
Women's Beginner	14 & over
Men's Beginner	14 & over
Junior Novice	9-13
Women's Novice	13 & over
Men's Novice	13 & over
Junior Intermediate	13 and under
Women's Intermediate	13 & over
Men's Intermediate	13 & over
Thirtysomethings	30 and over
Seniors	40 and over (Men and Women)
Advanced 3	3 inverts or less
Advanced 5	5 inverts or less
Semi-Pro	Semi-Pro

Trick Course

Buoys approximately 200 meters (650 feet) apart shall establish the beginning of the trick course from each direction (see Official Trick Course Diagram in Appen-dix). The end of the course shall be signified by the 20-second time interval only.

Trick Pass

(a) The trick pass shall start, after passing the approximate position of the first (may start) entrance buoy:

(1) For a surface trick, at the first discernable rotation of the ski from the tracking direction (or position).

(2) For a wake trick, at the earliest of the following to occur:

(i) At the first discernable rotation of the ski from the tracking direction (or position) as the skier approaches the wake, or;

(ii) When the ski under the binding of the leading foot leaves the water surface no longer supporting the weight of the skier, or;

(iii) When the binding of the leading foot crosses the crest of the wake.

(3) If the skier fails to make any such movement, as the skier passes the second (must start) entrance buoy.

(b) The trick pass shall end when:

(1) Twenty seconds have elapsed from the beginning of the pass, which time shall be marked by sounding a loud audible device; or

(2) The skier falls in the course; or

(3) Three minutes have elapsed, including any time to repair or replace equipment, from the time the skier fell; or

(4) The skier falls twice while practicing.

Falls

(b) The skier is allowed one practice fall without penalty. If a second fall occurs before the start of the first pass, the skier shall not be permitted either pass. A fall at the conclusion of the first pass after the audible device has sounded shall not be considered a fall while practicing, if it is apparent that the fall resulted from a trick the skier was attempting to perform in the first pass. If a second fall occurs before the start of the second pass, the contestant shall not be permitted the second pass.

(c) The stopping of the boat at the skier’s request to adjust line length or to pick up or drop a ski will not be scored as a fall.

(d) If the skier is granted three minutes for equipment repair in the event of a fall, in accordance with rule 11.15, then the skier shall receive no further passes if he is not on his skis within three minutes from the time the towboat returns to pick him up.

(e) A handle throw without cause, as decided by a majority of the event judges, is considered a fall while practicing.

Boat Speed

The skier shall tell the boat driver what speed he desires on each pass, and/or he may use the preparation time to set the speed up to 50m before entering the course. The skier is allowed to request a speed change after the 50m point, in-cluding any time during the run itself, but by doing so must accept the speed given without the right to request a reride for incorrect speed.

The skier must be given the speed setting he asks for before starting the run. If the wrong speed setting is given then that is a reason for a reride provided the skier does not subsequently change the speed.

Boat Path

The boat shall follow, as closely as possible, the path specified by the judges for the event, such path to include the preparation time before each pass. The second pass shall be in the opposite direction. The boat must make a reasonably straight path through the course. If the skier falls during or at the end of the first pass he will receive a maximum of 30 seconds in which to be ready to be taken by the boat for his second pass. At the skier's option, if he did not fall in his first pass, the boat may stop between passes for a maximum of 45 seconds. In each case the time shall start when the boat gets to the skier. In each case the skier is allowed to change equipment but must be in the water ready to go within the appropriate time frame or he loses the right to his second pass.

Timing

(a) At the start of the trick pass, the timer shall start his timing device with an audible sound that can be heard in the event judges' tower locations. At the end of 20 seconds, he shall sound his audible device, unless the skier falls within approximately the first 10 seconds. In the event the official timer or device fails to operate, the backup timer and device shall apply.

Rerides

(b) Boat Speed: A reride shall be granted if the boat judge or the boat driver observes the boat speed to vary by more than ± 1 mph.

(c) Boat Path: A reride shall be granted if the towboat does not follow the boat path established for the tournament.

(d) Timing Devices: In the event both timing devices should malfunction and the time is missed a reride is mandatory.

(e) Procedure:

(1) If a reride is granted, the reride shall be taken immediately. The reride shall then be given in the original direction through the course.

(2) If more than one pass in any run is disallowed for any reason, the skier shall have the option of requesting a five-minute rest before completing the run.

(3) If a skier receives less than 20 seconds, he shall be granted the option of a reride only on the pass affected. If the skier receives more than 20 seconds, a reride is mandatory.

(4) When weather, tournament-supplied equipment, or some other reason not the fault of the skier causes a delay of more than ten minutes be-tween trick passes, the skier shall be allowed an unscored warm up pass, in the opposite direction of the scoring pass to be taken, with a protected score on the first pass already completed. However, the Chief Judge, with the approval of the majority of the Appointed Judges, may deny this option if there is reason to believe that further delays will preclude finishing the tournament in a timely manner or otherwise work to the disadvantage of the remaining skiers.

Handle Throws

A contestant may refuse to enter the official trick course on either pass by throw-ing the handle in the air or by being released by the quick release operator by means of a prearranged signal before passing the yellow start buoy. He shall not be penalized for doing so provided the refusal was for a reason acceptable to a majority of the event judges. The skier must be ready to ski immediately upon the boat’s return. Should the skier not be ready, the skier will lose one pass. If the skier’s refusal is accepted, the boat must repeat the regular path and once again head for the trick course. A handle throw without cause will be considered a fall while practicing. See Rule 11.15 regarding damaged equipment.

Trick Descriptions Credit and Point Values

(a) Except in the case of an attempted side slide, a trick is any activity that occurs between two hesitations. Hesitations are defined as the complete stopping of the ski(s) and not the body motion of the skier.

(b) To receive credit for any trick, the skier must remain in or return to skiing position.

(c) Only tricks listed in the rules will be scored in a tournament.

(d) Credit may be received for performance of only one trick and the associated re-verse, if any, on one ski, and one trick and the associated reverse, if any, on two skis under each number listed. If a trick skier performs two tricks under the same number, the higher scoring trick should be credited regardless of which is performed first. Tricks may be repeated, but a repeated trick scores zero unless the judges ruled that the first attempt or attempts were unsuccessful.

(e) A wake turn is a trick performed in mid-air while crossing the crest of the wake. A wake turn not executed in mid-air and across the crest of the wake scores zero.

(f) All reverse turns must immediately follow the basic turn in the same pass; how-ever, any 180-degree turn is allowed between two such turns. The reverse shall not be disallowed simply because it follows an attempted multiple turn trick that is ruled not continuous, or if the basic trick is a repeated trick. Reverse turns under Trick Number 5 are limited to 360 degrees but may follow a 360-degree, 540-degree or 720-degree turn. Reverse tricks under Trick Number 12 are li-mited to 540 degrees, but may follow a 540-degree or 720-degree turn.

(g) There must be no stopping in the turning of the skis in a continuous turn.

(h) Stepover line tricks are credited only when the free foot touches the ski or water (except for the toehold stepover), or lifted ski touches the water. The skier may not put his leg or lifted ski across or on top of the line, the handle or either arm until he begins to execute the turn. The stepover and turn actions must be simultaneous. Immediately on completion of a FB stepover turn, the skier must have at least one arm between his legs holding the handle, except for the toehold stepover. It is not required that the free foot or ski touch the water prior to the execution of a stepover turn. A stepover turn not performed according to the rules scores zero. Toehold stepover tricks must be a simultaneous action. The towing foot may not touch the water during execution of the stepover portion of the trick. The touching of the towing foot in the water immediately prior to or during the rotation of the ski while attempting a stepover trick will result in no credit for the trick. However, if the towing foot touches the water after all rotation has been completed, credit will be given.

(i) A Side Slide includes a 90-degree turn from skiing position and a return to skiing position in the original direction. In order for a Side Slide to be a credit-able trick, the skier must hesitate before commencing the trick, turn 90 degrees to either side, stop, slide two meters, return to the starting position, and stop. To perform the reverse, the skier must turn 90 degrees in the oppo-site direction, stop, slide two meters, return to the starting position, and hesi-tate again.

(j) A Wake Stepover 360 consists of a 180-degree stepover and a 180-degree turn combined, in either order, all done in the air off the wake in a continuous turn. A Wake Stepover 540 consists of a 180-degree stepover and a 360-degree turn combined, in either order, or a 180-degree stepover preceded and followed by a 180-degree turn combined, all done in the air off the wake in a continuous turn. A Wake Double Stepover 540 consists of a 180-degree ste-pover and a wake stepover 360 combined, in either order, all done in the air off the wake in a continuous turn. The stepover portion of the turn must conform to all of the rules governing stepovers.

(k) In ski line tricks, both feet must be on the ski and pass over the line while in midair. The feet may pass over the line at any point during the execution of the turn. The line must be out of the water during the execution of the turn. This does not include the inadvertent hitting of the rooster tail near the boat.

(l) Trick skiers may use only one line. Helper lines are prohibited.

(m) A toe turn is the execution of a trick with the skier being towed exclusively by one foot, and upon the completion of the trick, supported by one ski.

(n) Once the skier has put the toe strap on his foot, any trick performed in which the foot in the strap intentionally touches the ski during the setup or execution of the trick shall not be scored.

(o) For wake flips with body rotation, the body rotation must be done simulta-neously with the flip, not before or after. The BFLB is not considered a 180-degree turn for purposes of reverse turns as in Rule 11.12(f). Additionally, for the BFLLB, the reverse must land in the opposite wrap or turn in the op-posite direction. Also, specifically for the BFLLB, the stepover portion of the trick must be done simultaneously with the flip and the body rotation.

To receive credit for any wake flip, it is required that both feet be higher than the head and in approximately the same vertical plane at some point during the execution of the trick. A front wake flip shall be defined as a for-ward somersault done in the air off the wake, in which the tail of the ski passes up and over the head as the head goes down and forward. The rota-tion must be in the direction of travel. The reverse BFL is defined as a BFL leading with the opposite shoulder and traveling in the opposite direction (right to left vs. left to right) from the orig-inal BFL immediately preceding it.

Scoring

(a) The scorer shall receive the judges’ individual tabulations and, in the event of a discrepancy, shall decide the tricks to be scored on the basis of a simple majority. If five judges are calling the event, then three judges must give credit for the trick to be scored. Where three judges are calling the event, then two judges must give credit. The official score and placement in the event shall be determined on the basis of the total points for credited tricks performed in both passes. Score values for individual tricks are shown in the Official Trick Point Value Table in the Appendix.

(b) A trick not completed before the end of the pass shall not be scored. If a contestant’s pass is concluded during the execution of a multiple-turn trick, the portion of the trick, whether continuous or not, completed before the conclusion of the pass shall not be scored.

(c) A trick completed before the end of the pass shall not be scored if the skier ultimately falls as a result of that trick, even if the fall is after the conclusion of the pass.

(d) Only tricks listed in the rules will be scored in a tournament.

(e) In the case of a multiple turn trick where the judges disagree, the contes-tant’s score shall be based on the highest number of turns credited by the majority of the event judges.

Ties

(a) In the event of a tie, the highest scoring single pass shall determine the winner. If a tie still exists, there shall be a new drawing for order and each tying contestant shall be allowed one pass through the trick course until the tie is broken.

(b) Ties shall be run off for the first five places at Regionals and Nationals and the first three places in all other tournaments.

(c) A two-way tie for second place would eliminate third place, while a three-way tie for second place would eliminate third and fourth places.

(d) Ties in tricks in multi-round tournaments shall be determined by the highest single round. If a tie still exists, the next highest single round, etc. If the tie still exists after all rounds, then the highest single pass, the next highest single pass, etc., shall be used to determine the winner.

Damaged Equipment

If a skier notices that his equipment is damaged after a handle throw, a pass that leads to a reride or a completed pass the event judges may grant him, upon im-mediate request, three minutes to repair or change the damaged equipment. The three-minute period should start upon the request being granted by the judges. If the skier is not ready to ski at the end of the three-minute period, he shall not be allowed to continue in that round.

Tricking Equipment and Definitions

(b) Quick-Release Operator: A skier will be allowed the option of a person of his choice, excluding the official boat judge or driver, to act as a quick-release operator. This person will be considered a part of the skier’s equipment. The skier-supplied release person would subject the skier to disqualification in the event he interferes vocally or physically with the duties of the boat driver or the boat judge.

(c) Trick Release: If used, the trick release shall normally be skier-supplied equipment. However, a skier may accept a tournament-supplied release me-chanism. In either case, the skier is fully responsible for any release or mal-function of the device, and no request for a reride will be granted for premature or accidental release.