In the run up to this year’s VIC contest to be held this July in Laguna Beach, The majority of skimboardings top competing pros signed a petition to remove the wave limit count from the contest rules.

The rule was imposed at the 2007 VIC at the last minute, without consulting with any of the competing athletes. The rule itself was simple: A 10 wave limit per competitor per heat. (This was again changed on the beach: upped to a 12 wave limit in the final) It was imposed with the hopes that the limit would decrease interference between riders running for waves simply for the sake of running for waves and blocking other competitors from completing a scoring ride.

Below is the Petition in its entirety:

The Victoria Contest is arguably the most prestigious event in skimboarding. The format of the contest is an important facet to determine a winner. The proposed 7 scoring ride requirement and 12 wave maximum rule discourages progression and is not the best way to prevent interference. In fact, it may stimulate more close calls and interference because riders will be overly selective and bunch up on certain waves.

It is very difficult to catch 7 scoring waves on any given day in 12 minutes. We do not feel it is ample time to perform high scoring maneuvers in such time when dealing with the uncontrollable force of nature. Judging 7 scoring waves out of 12 total waves in 12 minutes calculates that a rider must catch 1 wave every minute.

We, the professional riders, believe that judges want to see progression and high scoring maneuvers. Furthermore, we believe that focusing on high scoring progressive maneuvers in skimboard contests is important for the growth and relevance of competitive skimboarding. With that in mind, we would like to amend the rules of the Victoria Contest by returning to a no set wave limit and reducing the number of scoring waves to 4.

Since the presentation of the petition, contest directors have been very positive in their reception of the athletes comments and they are currently working together towards a resolution. Stay tuned for the results!

The VIC aside, it is Skimboarder Magazine’s opinion that all contest sanctioned by the UST need to adopt a unified judging, scoring and priority system that is consistently enforced at every contest to further legitimize the entire contest season and the crowning of an overall champion.

Well informed, paid judges are a necessity. In surfing’s WCT, Judges are visually separated and not allowed to talk to each other, talk to athletes and via versa. There is a single head judge who overseas the scoring judges and handles any disputes. A single priority judge or a pair of priority judges keeping track of who has priority using highly visible, color coded flags that match competitors jerseys is a viable option. To enforce priority a unified system of scoring and penalties for interference must be created and adhered to. Without all of the above, Competitive skimboarding will have a very difficult time growing and reaching a larger audience.

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