XVII. Judging:

A. Overview:

1. Three or more judges should be used to judge an event. Judges may judge from the boat or from the shore, or a combination of both.

2. Wakeboarding is a subjectively judged sport. There are no predetermined points for any tricks and each contestant is free to hit whichever obstacles and perform whichever tricks in whatever order he or she desires. There is no maximum or minimum number of hits or tricks required, although riders are encouraged to make the most of the time and course allotted. Riders are not judged on the number of tricks performed, but rather the quality. Each trick is scored on its own merits, regardless of technical difficulty and only as part of an entire run.

3. Each contestant shall be judged on one individual run. That run will be compared against other runs from the same heat and ranked only against those runs. Riders are not judged against themselves or their reputation, past performances, expectations or abilities.

4. Riders should emphasize quality over quantity while demonstrating the range and limits of their abilities. For example, it is better to perform 10 big moves than 14 small moves. These abilities should include, but are not limited to, performing a variety of tricks, taking each one to its limit, use of obstacles, hitting double ups and showing creativity and fluidity in the run. Every move the rider performs will be evaluated in the scoring of the run.

5. Each contestant will be judged on the two following criteria. It is at the discretion of the event organizer and the events chief judge to determine which criteria and judging format will be used.

B. Criteria:
1. Standard three-category judging format:

Riders will be judged on the difficulty and the proficiency of the moves executed, how big they are going, variety of moves performed, and on the creativity and fluidity of the routine. A maximum of 100 points can be earned for the routine. The judges will score the contestants in each of the following three categories:

a) Execution
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.

b) Intensity
This reflects the degree of performance to which each maneuver was performed in terms of how big the moves were, as well as the overall performance of the run.

c) Composition
This reflects the overall composition of the run in terms of rider’s ability to perform a variety of maneuvers in a flowing, creative sequence. This also includes the difficulty of moves performed in an overall run.