by Chuck Gleason
With
the upcoming board meeting prior to the US Nationals, I thought I would
throw out a few issues that I feel need to be addressed in order to
improve the sport we all love. These ideas have come from
conversations I have had with footers across the nation throughout the
year.
Over
the last year, there has been a concerted effort by the rules committees
to give the skiers the greatest opportunity to do their BEST it
tournaments, and reward them for there efforts, even if it results in a
failed attempt at the trick. Some examples include:
Failed
front or back toe-hold - The skier can get a percentage of the total
credit (or 50 pt deduction) for attempting, but failing, to do a front
or back toe-hold.
Back
to Front "Butt out" - The skier gets a deduction for a
butt-out (100 pts), but still gets credit for completing a back-to-front
or Front-to-Front 360.
Multiple
Turn Point Increases - Multiple turn point values were increased to entice
more skiers to attempt 360s etc in tournaments.
Whenever
I'm teaching a skier to do a trick such as a toe-up, back-deep, or
surface turn, the phrase I repeat over and over is "Never Give
Up" and "Don't let the trick beat you". It's a
lesson we learn to use both on and off the water. "If you
have a positive attitude and the will to keep trying, you can accomplish
anything you set your mind to"
Here
are some rules that currently go against that philosophy:
The
Toe-up RUB: Say you've trained all summer on a toe-up, and you
finally have the nerve to attempt one in a tournament. You're in
the toe strap about to toe up, and for some reason, whether it be
jitters, rollers, boat speed, whatever, your go for it and you fall back
on your butt. You're goal was to show the crowd you can do one of
these things, so you go ahead a make a second attempt, knowing that you
are going to be half way down the lake before you can start your trick
pass. But, you did it, and were able to get most of your tricks in
as well. The Rules say, your toe-up does not count. I
think this rule needs to change, and here's why: If a skier
wants to make a decision to go ahead and make a second toe-up attempt
for credit knowing that they are loosing lake length and trick time,
they should get credit for the start if they do it. Call it the
NEVER GIVE UP deduction. It promotes a positive message and rewards
people for sticking with it. I would recommend a 50 or 100 pt
deduction for each additional attempt needed to complete a toe-up start.
The
Multiple Turn RUB: This is what I consider to be the most
important rule that needs to be addressed. Say you've spent the
last 3 years learning surface turns and now your doing 360s or 540s for
that matter. You go to a tournament, complete your trick run to
the applause and cheering of all your friends, family, and peers on the
shoreline. But when you go to the score board to check your score,
it's not even close to what you think it should be. You hunt down
the nearest official, and you begin to hear a lecture on how they
thought your 360 had a hitch in it. The result: Your score
dropped to a big fat zero on your 360. You spend the rest of the
day having your friends tell you how they thing you got hosed. You
come to find out that the judges had to go to video review because their
score sheets did not match, and they play the video in slow motion, or
frame by frame to look for a hitch.
I
think a couple things need to change regarding multiple
turns:
1.
If video review is being used to score any trick run, it should be against
the rules to review any video in slow motion or frame by
frame. We don't ski in slow motion, we don't watch from the boat
or shore in slow motion, therefore we shouldn't review the video in slow
motion. Reviewing in slow motion is for the sole purpose of
finding fault. We should be focused on the positive and looking
for more ways to give the skier the benefit of the doubt in any
situation.
2.
There needs to be a "Hitch deduction" rule instead of the all
or nothing mentality. If everyone looking at the video or judging
in the boat knows the attempted trick was a 360 or 540, the rules should
then focus only on whether to issue a hitch deduction of 50 pts per
hitch or not. If a skier has trained the amount of time it takes
to do these tricks, then has the guts to do one in a tournament under
pressure, they should get as much credit as possible for doing
them. Noone likes spending money to compete, just to get a lecture
from other footers (who in most cases don't do the tricks themselves) on
how to do a clean 360, 540, or 720. If the definition of
"What is a Hitch?" comes up, then define it as anything from
1/2 to 1 second. Anything under is not a hitch, anything over is a
failed trick. A full second is an eternity in a multiple turn.
The
Start Re-ride: Everyone who attempts a difficult start, such
as a back deep for the first time, flying back, or back deep to one, is
always worried about the type of pull they will get and if they will
make the start. Then finally, will they get a re-ride if they miss
a start.
Here's
an idea to help skiers eliminate some of the pressure. Allow
competitors to do what we do in golf scrambles (i.e. Buy a
Mulligan). Allow every competitor the opportunity to buy one or
two mulligans for $5 ea at each tournament. This will help in two
ways. It will take some pressure off the competitor, and it will
raise more money for the ABC. Not buying a mulligan wouldn't mean
you would not be afforded a re-ride if it was warranted, it would only
guarantee it if you needed it. Call it re-ride insurance.
The ABC could offer tournament only re-ride insurance for $5 per
tournament, or year long insurance for every tournament for an extra $35
or $50. Just an idea.
So now you have my two
cents on the rules issues that I feel the Barefoot World Council or ABC
needs to address before the 2004 season.
Chuck Gleason
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