Copyright on this rulebook is owned by STACK; Sport, Team And Competitive Kiting, and AKA; American Kite Association
Publishing is only allowed (after approval of STACK) under the following conditions:
[ please take note of the 1996 amendments !]
Appendix C. SCORER'S WORKSHEET TEAMS
[will be done]
Appendix D. PILOTS MEETING AGENDA
The following points should be covered during the Pilots Meeting, which is typically held at the beginning of each day's competition and is conducted by the Chief Judge or designee:
Beginning of each day (Chief Judge)
[ ] Emphasize the importance of safety
[ ] Review last minute changes to the published schedule
[ ] Review the Stage-in, competition and 'Stage-out' areas
[ ] Review reasons for disqualification
[ ] Discuss how to handle schedule conflicts
[ ] Review rules regarding equipment checks/ replacements
[ ] Review how the Stage-in Area will be managed by the Pit Boss
[ ] Review how the Field Directors will manage the competition field
[ ] Emphasize the importance of having launch crews
[ ] Cover key penalties
[ ] Review any adjustments to the compulsory figures or to the number of figures to be flown
[ ] Review procedures for filling a protest
[ ] Discuss any other rule book change or any other issues and answer any questions raised by competitors
Before each Competition event (Head Judge)
[ ] Introduce competition officials (judges, field directors, pit bosses, linejudges, safety personnel, etc.)
[ ] Announce the Flight Order and take a roll call
[ ] Collect cassette tapes from the competitors (music events)
Suggestion: Mark your copy of the rulebook to be able to refer to specific sections/ pages in the book for further detail.
Appendix E Job Descriptions
The Head Judge is the "captain" of a judging team for a particular competition event.
Key duties as follows:
Gather your "Competition Team" (Judges, Field Director, Pit Boss, Line Judges) prior to the event and:
Make any needed introductions. Brief each member of the team about any particular aspects of the upcoming event they need to be aware of (i.e. flying field characteristics, safety hazards, rule book clarifications, etc.). Discuss and clarify any questions presented by the team.
Conduct a preflight briefing for all competitors (See Appendix D for items to cover during the preflight briefing).
Organize the Judges (and Scorers) on the competition field. After this is done, give the go ahead signal to the Field Director, to request the first (and subsequent) competitor to begin. Whether or not communications equipment is being used to connect you and the Field Director, the use of hand signals is recommended since the airwaves can get very busy when more than one event is being flown at the same time.
The Head Judge plays a number of roles ... the lead official for a competition event, ready to make on the field operational recommendations and decisions in order to keep the event moving along ... the control of all activity on the competition field, assuring that the judging quality is maintained at the highest level, reacting to unpredictable wind shifts (sometimes causing the relocation of Judges, Field Director, Pit Boss and Line Judges) ... requests from the Chief Judge, Announcer and Event Coordinator covering any number of things related to that competition event or possibly the overall competition itself.
The coordination and appliation of any penalties that need to be assessed in order to assure uniformity; and for verifying any ground touches and time violations with the Field Director.
In addition to all of the above points, the Head Judge must be aware of the duties of the other Judges, the Field Director and the Pit Boss.
Judges are assigned to a competition event as part of a judging panel (i.e., either a three or five person judging team) and are under the direction of the Head Judge. Some of the key points about the Judge's role are:
Briefings: Before each competition event, Judges are required to review the specific criteria for that event. Any questions should be discussed with the Head Judge. Judges are expected to attend the Preflight Briefing in order to hear any rule clarifications and/or answers to competitor questions.
Professionalism: Generally, judges should not discuss a competitor's performance with anyone until that competition event is finished. Possible exceptions (which are left to the Head Judge's discretion) are when the event is so new that few, if any, of the judges have experience judging it (e.g., Free Style, Quad Line); or when a number of the judges are less experienced and will benefit from such a discussion.
It is each Judge's responsibility to be as impartial and objective as possible; any obvious gestures, remarks, or other references regarding a particular competitor gives the appearance of favoritism, and may affect the judgement of less experienced judges. The evolution of national, regional and league ranking systems and the increas in prices makes it more and more important to always maintain an unbiased demeanor.
Scoring Process: Judges are required to complete a score sheet for each competitor in that competition event. Review the score sheets being used to become familiarized with them prior to the start of the competition. Again any questions should be discussed with the Head Judge before the competition event begins.
Scoring Techniques: One of the most exciting aspects of judging sport kite competitions is the increasing interest in the use of sophisticated scoring systems, concepts and approaches. Some of the most proven scoring techniques that may be used are:
Wiping the Slate Clean - As the phrase implies, each competitor's performance must be judged solely on its own and not by consciously comparing it with any previous competitor's routine. Judges must be as objective as possible and must be consistent in assigning largely "subjective" scores. This is easy in compulsory figures because you know what to look for, and difficult in precision free style, ballet and free style events because it is impossible to predict what maneuver the competitor will perform next. Be mindful of the class of competitor and the different focus of free style, ballet, and free style.
Additive Scoring Method - With this method, each competitor starts with no points. Points are added (mentally or through some simple marking method such as pencil ticks) based on positive aspects of the performance. This approach is particularly useful when it is difficult to predict what a competitor will do next (i.e., free flight, ballet, and creative). The application of this technique is very personal; some judges will add fractions of a point as the flight progresses, while others will count their ticks at the end of the flight.
Subtractive Scoring Method - With this method, judges assign a perfect score to the competitor and then deduct points of fractions based on any errors observed during the flight. This method is most commonly used for compulsory figues since the figures must be flown in an exact manner.
The Subtractive Method is the easiest scoring technique for new judges to use. However, it is important to point out that each judge use some method to ensure the consistency of his/her scores.
Comparative Method - This technique is used for new events, or for orienting new judges. It is to be used only with the approval of the event's Head Judge, and usually only for the first one or two competitors in that competition event. Here's how it works:
Each Judge independently determines a score for the competitor;
Each Judge privately notifies the Head Judge of his or her score;
The Head Judge averages the scores and announces the average to all Judges;
Each Judge adjusts their score as he or she sees fit.
The Comparative Method provides judges an opportunity to make adjustments to their scores if they are significantly off the judging team's average score. In addition, if a judging team's scores are literally "all over the lot", the Head Judge will determine if this technique should be used to help the team better focus on what to look for. If so, the Head Judge should allow time for some discussion before continuing the event.
Weather Conditions - A tough issue, since changes in wind direction and velocity during a flight can have a devastating impact on a competitor's performance. Low or changing wind conditions are not factored into the score. It is impossible to consistently distinguish between a "good" competitor having problems with a bad wind or a "poor" competitor having problems with bad wind.
Different Kite Capabilities - Different kites allow a competitor to perform a maneuver differently and will respond differently in a given wind speed. While the more experience someone has with a particular kite may subconsciously affect their objectivity in determining a score, no conscious attempt to add or deduct points based on the kite should be made.
It is becoming or has already become impossible for every judge to have the type of experience with every commercial stunt kite to fully judge its capabilities. It is highly unlikely that a full team of judges will have experience with any limited-edition, or specially constructed kites. And of course, the judging team has no way of knowing whether commercial equipment has been "tweaked" or tuned, and what effect this has on the kite's flying characteristics. As a result, judge the competitor's performance, not the capability of the kite.
Scoring Consistency - An important concern is whether a judge's scores are consistent across competitors, and how the scores relate to those of the remainder of the judging team. The Comparative Technique is useful in establishing a "baseline" score; unfortunately, it is time consuming. At this point, experience with different teams and competition events seeems to be the best - perhaps only - way to achieve consistency. Remember the criteria of the competition event being judged.
Although it conflicts with the non-discretion point mentioned under Professionalism earlier, making each judge's score public while the event is in progress (e.g., by flashing score cards or by scorers using voice recording) serves to establish and maintain some consistency (of course, these are both time-consuming reporting methods, so they are not always practical).
General:
The Field Director is in charge of directing all acitivities on the competition field, and is respobsible for the following:
The safety of competitors, judges and spectators.
Keeping track of elapsed times and the movements of the competitor on the field.
Keeping the competition field clear of spectators, kites, etc.
Getting the flight orders from the head judge.
Competition Procedures:
Processing competitors using the following procedures:
Signal the pit boss when to send in the next competitor.
Position the competitor on the field so that the kite is within the designated boundaries.
Start one stop watch in order to be able to monitor setup time (competitors are given a reasonable amount of time on the field to prepare for their performance; see rules book section "Initial Setup Times" for more detail).
Indicate the competitor's name and flight order number to the head judge.
Instruct the competitor to perform a wind window check (i.e. flying to the left and right and top and bottom points in their wind window).
Once the judges indicate they are ready, instruct the competitor to begin.
Instruct pilots or team leaders to shout "In" when they begin. At this time you must indicate to the judges that the competitor has begun. Depending on the event, a whistle blow, a raised flag or an arm wave will tell the judges the competitor has begun.
Start the second stopwatch on the "In" signal.
When the competitor shouts "Out" indicate this to the judges. Check elapsed time and inform the head judge if the total performance time did not meet the minimum or maximum time requirements for that event.
Exceeding Time Limits:
If the maximum time for that competition event is exceeded, first indicate to the judges by raising a red flag or an arm and call "Time", then tell the competitor that maximum time has elapsed and to stop their performance.
Compulsory Figure Procedures:
Show compulsory figure to the competitor, check that the judges are ready, and instruct the competitor to shout "In" at the beginning and "Out" at the end of the figure.
Indicate both "In" and "Out" signals to the judges.
Repeat this procedure for the remaining compulsory figures.
After the competitor completes the figure, inform the head judge of any ground touches you observed (usually a hand signal is adequate).
Stop Watch Procedures:
Start main stop watch on the "In" signal (i.e., for the freestyle portion of precision and beginning of both the ballet and free style events.).
Start second stop watch when a crash occurs. Simultaneously, look at your main stop watch for the time of the crash. (This is critical).
Indicate the amount of down time for the competitor and indicate the number of competitors that crashed (for team events).
Indicate whether the competitor has exceeded the 45 second limit. At the same time indicate the time the crash occurred (e.g., before minimum, after minimum).
If a team member crashes and relaunches within the 45 second limit but another member crashes before the first has relaunched, treat it as if the second crash is part of the first giving the team only 45 seconds to relaunch everyone, regardless of the actual time of the second crash.
Out of Bounds:
See Boundary Violations in the Rules Book section II.D. Safety or IV.G. Boundaries. If no Line judges are present the field director will be required to determine if there are any boundary violations.
Flying that jeopardizes the safety of others may result in disqualification; should this occur, notify the Head Judge to determine if disqualification is warranted and if so, instruct competitors to land their kites and stage out immediately.
Required Equipment:
2 stopwatches (1 for monitoring setup and crashes, the other for timing the total performance), 1 anemometer (digital), clipboard w/flight order and pencil, and radio communications for music cues and announcements.
Tips/Suggestions:
Stand behind the competitor, do not disturb their concentration and try to not obstruct the judges view.
Do not get caught up in the competitor's performance. Field directors are responsible for monitoring the entire field. Watch out for low flying objects, misdirected kites, dangerous conditions, ect. that may affect the event.
For all team precision events, indicate to the Head Judge the direction of the team's entrance into the compulsory figure. Teams may enter from either side.
Teams are allowed a little more time for preparation and setup; the use of common sense is important; be fair and treat all competitors the same.
Be aware of minimum and maximum times for all competition events.
Ask competitor if they require time checks any time during their performance.
Be particularly familiar with the procedures outlined in Section IV, Penalties and Disqualifications.
Keep your radio on at all times so that you can be contacted by the Head Judge, Pit Boss or Announcer.
Consult the Head Judge for any unexpected situations that occur. Policy decisions, rule interpretations or changes in format must be made by the head judge and/or event organizer.
Keeping it Moving; the field director plays a major role in controlling the flow of the event; have a positive impact on competitors by being informative, courteous and cheerful. Be firm but remember that everyone is there to have a good time.
General:
Pit Bosses are in charge of the stage in and out areas of the competition field. They are responsible for insuring that competitors are prepared to enter the field without delays and in the proper order.
Maintain safety in the pit (stage-in) area; enforce no practice flying.
Required Equipment:
Clipboard w/flight orde and pencel, two-way radio for Stage/Announcer and Field Director communications.
Competition Procedures:
The pit boss will receive flight orders including competitors and their flight order number from the head judge.
It is not the responsibility of the pit boss to locate missing competitors.
Competitors who report late and are unable to set up and report to the competition field when it is their turn may be disqualified; if this occurs, notify the field director.
Stay in regular contact with the stage, informing the announcer of any late reports and of the overall status of the event, so that competitors can keep track of their performance schedule.
Keep the next three competitors in the pit area at all times.
When the field director indicates she/he is ready for the next competitor, instruct the competitor to move to the competition field.
Competitors reporting late due to scheduling conflicts will only be exempt from disqualification if the head judge has been notified prior to the start of the event or if approved by the Chied Judge or Event Organizer.
Tips/ Suggestions:
Have competitors launch their kites in the pit and fly onto the competition field when possible, this saves time.
Remind competitors that they must provide their own launch crews.
Arrange the competitors in the pit in such a way as to minimize entry time onto the competition field and to minimize the safety hazards or outstretched flying lines. Outstretched flying lines must be attended at all times. Failure to do so is a safety violation. Enough minor safety infractions like this may be grounds for disqualification.
Keep your radio on at all times so that you can be contacted by the Head Judge or Announcer. However, remember that many people are sharing the same channel, so make requests judiciously. Check regularly that your equipment is in good working order.
Consult the Head Judge for any unexpected situations that occur. Policy decisions, rule interpretations or changes in format must be made by the chief judge and/or event organizer.
Keep it moving and do not allow delays.
The Pit Boss is a key player in assuring that the competition event stays on schedule.
Be courteous but firm.
Appendix G Improper Endings
Ballet example A:
If the music has ended and the performer has not already initiated the attempt to land or otherwise obviously end to the routine, an improper ending may be called by unanimous vote of the judging panel.
If however the attempt is initiated before the end of the routine, as defined by the music or a "Time" call from the Field Director and the obvious intention to lend/end the routine was executed, the penalty is not scored.
Note: This does not apply to additional accents made after a landing, after music is over, such as laying the kites down on their backs.
Ballet example B:
If a landing is planned as the end of a routine and the maximum time is not reached and the music has stopped prior to or during the initiationof the landing and the landing eventually occurs before maximum time is reached, it is not considered improper, rather a poorly timed proper ending.
If the landing is not completed within the maximum time, in the case of a sequential landing for teams, and for example one kite is already down with three to go, it is not be considered an improper ending; again it is a poorly timed proper ending.
Precision example A:
If there is no obvious end to the routine either at maximum time or when the Team Captain calls "Out", be it a landing, stall, hover or any other maneuver that has the element of stopping action, it will be considered an improper ending.
Precision example B:
If a Team is in the middle of Team Eights or Team Diamonds, and "Time" is called by the Field Director, there is no obvious ending, therefore it is considered an improper ending.
Precision example C:
In the case as described for Ballet Team Landings, either simultaneous or sequential, the same criteria applies.