SAKSA State Wave Titles - Briefing Document
Rules, Judging Criteria and Safety Information.
Welcome to the 2011 SAKSA State Wave Titles. This competition is expressly a wave-riding competition, thus derives much of it's rules, etiquette and judging criteria from surf competitions.
This year, as was done for the 2010 SAKSA Freestyle Championships, we have adopted a PKRA criteria for judges. This allows us to use an internationally recognised judging format that prepares competitors for international standard riding and judging, should they progress to that level. But in doing so, it caters for all rider levels and styles in a fair and unbiased manner.
CATEGORIES
Juniors: Under 18 years at 1st January 2011.
Amateurs: Non-industry competitors. No shop riders, no instructors. For riders with limited wave-riding experience. Competitors deemed by the judges to be “over-qualified” for Amateurs, may be bumped up to a higher grade after the first round has been run. The spirit of the Amateur division is to give riders without much experience in competition and wave-riding a chance to try their hand at the competition.
Open Women: This is an open category and eliminates competitors from other categories.
Open Men: This is an open category and eliminates competitors from other categories.
Masters: Over 35 years only. Competitors can enter Amateurs as well.
Competitors can choose a maximum of 2 categories to compete in, excluding Open Men or Women. Competitors choosing to enter Open categories are limited to that category only and may not enter Juniors, Amateurs or Masters categories as well. This is to ensure fair competition.
JUDGING
1 The judging panel shall consist of 3 judges with a background in kite
wave-riding or surfing.
2 The point scoring system, on the basis of 1 - 10
3 If a judge misses a wave, or part of a wave, he will put an M in the square of the manual sheet, and that score will be tabulated at the end of the heat by the Head judge and will be the average of the other two judges scores.
4 The contest director will determine the number of waves to be scored on each heat at the beginning of the competition, taking into consideration the wave conditions for the day. This could be modified at the beginning of each round if conditions change drastically during the day. As a starting point, the number of waves is set at 2.
5 The scoring sheets will be shown upon request to a competitor, as long as that competitor competed on that heat.
6 The judge's decision cannot be appealed.
7 The head judge has the power to re-run a heat, only when they were able to watch the
entire heat and they firmly believe there is a big discrepancy in the judging scores. This may also be based on conditions.
JUDGING CRITERIA
1 The judging criteria will be based in the following:
The rider must perform radical maneuvers in the critical section of a wave with Speed, Power and Flow to maximize scoring potential. Progressive wave ridding as well as Variety of Repertoire, will be taken into consideration when rewarding points for waves ridden. The rider who executes this criteria with the maximum degree of difficulty and commitment on the waves shall be rewarded with the higher scores.
2 The criteria shall be broken into 3 main sections for evaluation.
A) Radical Controlled Maneuvers
This is by far the most important part of the criteria. Modern day maneuvers basically constitute change of direction of the board on the wave (not the surfer on the board). Such maneuvers would include re-entries, cutbacks, floaters, aerials, tube rides etc. How radical they are, followed by the amount of control and commitment put into each of them, will determine how high they will score.
POWER COMMITMENT CONTROL
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE, EVEN IF A SURFER HAS COMPLETED 90% OF A MANEUVER, IT WILL NOT SCORE IF HE LOSES CONTROL AND FALLS OFF.
B) Most Critical Section
This part of the criteria describes the positions on the wave maneuvers should be performed to score the maximum points. THE CRITICAL SECTION OF THE WAVE IS THE "POCKET ", CLOSEST TO THE CURL. The degree of commitment and the risk involved in performing close to the curl is the reason that it scores higher. The most important critical section of the wave is the first section " OUT THE BACK". Degree of difficulty and risk taken = reward.
C) Best Waves
WAVE SELECTION IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR FOR A SURFER IN HIS HEAT. The wave that he selects will dictate the maneuvers he is able to perform. Today there is less emphasis put on wave size in small to medium conditions due to the fact that the best waves may not necessarily be the biggest.
However in a contest with big wave conditions, the most important part of the Criteria would be the size. The surfer who is prepared to catch the biggest waves and do the maneuvers shows the greatest commitment.
A surfer does not automatically score high because of wave size or quality. The surfer must comply with the first section of the Criteria and wave selection to capitalize on full scoring potential.
3 When a rider is going out to see and he makes a transition maneuver to change direction and catch the wave, such action wont count in the wave riding score and the judges will only start judging the wave once he riders starts riding it.
4 When a riders wipes out on the wave his score will be counted until the point at
which he wiped out.
5 If a rider is already riding a wave when the heat ends this wave will count on its entirety and the judges will score it.
6 Using the energy generated from the kite to surf the wave wont penalize the rider, however a rider that uses exclusively the energy generated by the wave to surf the wave will score higher than a rider that uses the energy of the kite during his wave riding.
7 The use of foot-straps wont penalize the rider that uses them over one that doesn't. However it will be taken in to consideration when doing maneuvers like aerials, floaters, 360, etc.... due to the higher difficulty of performing such maneuvers without foot-straps.
PENALTIES
1 A competitor could be disqualified by the judges for making a fault against another
competitor.
2 A competitor could be disqualified from a heat or the event for violating the PKRA Wave Riding Rules.
RIGHT OF WAY RULES
1 Opposite Tack
a) When two competitors cross each other while one of them is surfing, the one surfing the wave has right of way. The competitor going out should stay clear of competitors surfing the wave.
b) When two competitors in opposite tacks cross each other when not surfing a wave, then the windward rider should keep his kite high to avoid a tangle with the leeward rider.
c) When two competitors in opposite tacks and equally upwind, the Starboard Rider has right of way over the port rider. Starboard Rider should cross-upwind keeping the kite high while the port rider should cross downwind keeping the kite low.
2 Riders in the same wave.
a) The competitor that catches the wave the earliest will have right of way over the other riders, and the other riders should get off the wave to avoid obstructing the rider who has preference.
b) When two or more riders catch the wave at the same time, the one farthest upwind shall have right of way.
3 Transitions.
a) A competitor changing tacks should keep clear of other competitors on a tack.
b) When two competitors are changing tacks at the same time, then the competitor
to windward should stay clear of the competitor to leeward.
4 Right of way doesn't exonerate a competitor who abuses the right of way, and deliberately makes contact with the competitor who is blocking his way. Safe kiting rules apply here.
5 When a competitor drops his kite and is swimming in the water, the other competitors shall avoid riding or jumping across his lines, whenever it is physically possible.
6 As a general rule, competitors should give themselves room and keep each other sufficiently separate to not get on each other way.
7 Any competitor not following the above rules could be penalized or disqualified from his heat.
8 When a tangle occurs the rider at fault will be disqualified from his heat, and the affected rider will either, advance to the next heat in case the heat had only two competitors, or his heat will be reran in case the heat involved a third competitor.
SAFE KITING GUIDELINES
Kitesurfing is easy to practice safely with a little forethought and common sense. Ultimately we are responsible for minimising the risk to ourselves and others, which will help protect the future of this great sport - be very CLEAR about your responisbilities.
CLEAR
CONDITIONS
Wind strength
Wind direction
Always keep downwind area well clear
Waves, tides and currents
Consider possible changes
LOOK
Before you launch, land, jump, jibe etc.
EQUIPMENT
Always complete a pre-flight check
Use a kite leash
Use a quick release on anything you hook into
Practice using your safety systems regularly so that it becomes instinctive
Never exceed manufacturers specifications
ATTITUDE
Always seek and listen to local advice
Do not exceed your limitations
Use judgement to prevent situations, do not rely on skill to try and get out of it
RESPECT
Others - be considerate and courteous to all other waters and beach users
The law
Fellow kiters - follow the right of way rules
The environment
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE ASK ONE OF US! WE'RE HERE TO HELP! We would rather you asked and got it right than guessed and got hurt.
