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[ please take note of the latestamendments (april 1996) !]
IV PENALTIES & DISQUALIFICATIONS
A. General
A number of situations will result in the penalizing or disqualifying of competitors, based upon actions both on and off the competition field. While in most instances penalties are applied as a result of what happens on the competition field, competitors may be disqualified for reporting late to the Stage-In Area, for unsportmanslike conduct or for safety violations, etc. This section provides detailed information about why and how such penalties and disqualifications are applied.
B. Crashes, Collisions and Contact
Penalties are applied during a competition event for unintentional ground or mid-air crashes, unintentional collisions between kites or kites and line, and unintentional ground contact. Judges are required to record the number of crashes, collisions and contacts made during the routine on their score sheet.
1. Procedure for Judges to record crashes, collisions and contact:
a. Place a mark (tick mark, or letter code) anywhere on the score sheet, when the infraction occurs, for review after scoring;
b. Record a raw score for the performance before mandatory penalties are determined by the panel;
c. Review the number of tick marks recorded with other judges;
d. Then using the minimum number of infractions reported by the judging panel, the Head Judge established the mandatory number of penalty points for that performance;
e. Each judge then adjusts his/her raw score to include the mandatory penalties and records the final scrore in the appropriate spot on the score sheet.
2. Listed below are the penalties for crashes, collisions and contact:
a. Ground Touches during Precision Compulsory Figures: Mandatory 1 pt penalty;
b. Ground Crash (dead stop) during Compulsory Figures: Mandatory 0 pt score for that figure.
1) Where a landing is a required element within a Compulsory Figure, the mandatory 0 pt score will not be assessed under the following conditions:
For individuals, if a crash landing occurs after the attempt to land is initiated.
For teams, if all members must have initiated the attempt to land prior to a crash landing by one or more members.
For teams, in the case of a sequential landing, if any member crashes after initiating his/her individual landing attempt.
c. All unintentional Crashes, Collisions or Contact during any Freestyle Performance, recorded and confirmed by a majority of the panel judges, are assessed mandatory penalty deductions, per the following:
1) Mandatory .2 pt penalty scored in Execution section for Ballet performances.
2) Mandatory .2 pt penalty scored in Technical section for Precision performances.
3) A range of .1 - 1.0 points is used to determine the severity of the above penalty as seen and evaluated by each judge, individually. These optional or non mandatory penalty deductions are recorded in the Artistic section for Precision events and the Choreography section for Ballet events.
C. The 45 Second Rule
If a kite crashes during any Freestyle or Ballet performance, competitors have 45 seconds to relaunch. The Field Director has a separate stopwatch to determine the timing for this rule. The competitor may have their launch crew assist in the relaunching of the kite. If the kite or kites are not relaunched within the 45 seconds the competitor is automatically finished competing in that competition event.
Teams/Pairs are seen as a unit, therefore, one member down without relaunch means that the team is finished competing in that event. Also, if one or more members have crashed and the 45 second clock is running, and 1 or more additional members crash prior to the relaunch from the first crash, all members down must relaunch before the initial 45 seconds is up. In other words, a new 45 second cycle can only begin if all members are in the air.
In the case where the Freestyle portion of a Precision event is run prior to the Compulsory Figures, the performer is finished only with Freestyle and may continue to perform in the Compulsory Figures portion.
1. Penalties for the 45 second rule will be assessed as follows:
a. The kite or kites were relaunched:
1) Precision Events:
Mandatory .2 point penalty applied to the Technical section.
Penalty ranging from .1 to 1.0 points (severity of the penalties resulting from the crash with relaunch are determined by the judges, individually) is applied to Artistic section.
2) Ballet Events:
Mandatory .2 point penalty applied to the Execution section.
Penalty ranging from .1 to 1.0 points (severity of the penalties resulting from the crash with relaunch are determined by the judges, individually) is applied to Choreography section.
b. The kite or kites were not relaunched within 45 seconds before minimum time elapsed:
1) Precision Events: Mandatory 0 score for Freestyle section.
2) Ballet Events: Mandatory 0 for the entire Ballet score.
c. The kite or kites were not relaunched within 45 seconds after minimum time has elapsed:
1) Precision Events: Mandatory .2 point penalty Technical section.
2) Ballet Events: Mandatory .2 point penalty in Execution section.
3) All Events: In addition, a mandatory 2 point penalty is assessed off their total event score, after all individual scores are factored and tallied. The mandatory 2 point penalty reflects the severity of the crash as it impacted the routine as a whole.
d. The kite or kites were not relaunched and less than 45 seconds remain based on the maximum time allowed for that competition event, the mandatory 2 point penalty does not apply; instead the following applies:
1) Precision Events: Mandatory .2 point penalty Technical section.
Penalty ranging from .1 to 1.0 points (severity of the penalties resulting from the crash with relaunch are determined by the judges, individually) is applied to Artistic section.
2) Ballet Events: Mandatory .2 point penalty in Execution section.
Penalty ranging from .1 to 1.0 points (severity of the penalties resulting from the crash with relaunch are determined by the judges, individually) is applied to Choreography section.
D. Improper Endings
Routines are to be designed as complete thoughts - and include a beginning, middle and end. Well-written and executed performances establish a theme which is noticeable throughout the entire routine, including the ending. Designing and executing a proper ending is as important as any other part of the routine; in many cases, lasting impressions are made during a routine's concluding moments.
Guidelines for both competitors and judges are listed below:
1. Examples
a. Ballet - The music has ended and the Field Director calls "Time", or a performer or Team Captain calls "Out". However, a judge feels that program does not properly reflect the mood, accent, or feeling indicated in the music. The head judge polls the other judges to see if a majority support this observation. If so, the performance is considered to have an improper ending; but if not, no deduction is applied for an improper ending.
b. Precision (Freestyle) - If "Time" is called by the Field Director, or "Out" is called by the individual or Team Captain and the majority of the judging panel feels that the ending did not indicate a final, conclusive end to the performance, the performance is considered to have an improper ending.
2. Penalties for improper endings:
Note: A unanimous decision by the judges is required for this hard penalty to apply:
a. Ballet - A mandatory 1.8 pt penalty is incurred in the Choreography section.
b. Precision - A mandatory 1.8 penalty is recorded in the Artistic section.
(The impact of this penalty on the final scores for each events are as follows:
4.5% of the total Freestyle score is affected for Precision events.
5.4% of the total score is affected in Ballet events.) The calculation of the mandatory deductions is not as simple as is suggested here.
If we take the percentages that are mentioned here as the essence of this rule the following calculations should be done.
Take note: end score is on a scale 0-100; judges score on a scale 0-10!
Freestyle part of Precision: 4.5% of the Freestyle (not the end score which includes compulsories!) means for
individuals 0.045 * 40 (the maximum score of freestyle)= 1.8 pts
deduction of 1.8 pts from the judges score from Artistic means 1.8 * 0.10 * 10 = 1.8 pts -correct-
teams 0.045 * 70 (max. score freestyle teams)= 3.15 pts
deduction of 1.8 pts from judges score from artistic means 1.8 * 0.25 * 10 = 4.5 pts
deduction should be 3.15/4.5 * 1.8 = 1.26 pts!
Ballet: 5.4% from end score means 5.4 pts
indiv./ teams deduction of 1.8 pts from choreography means 1.8 * 0.6 * 10 = 10.8 pts!
correct deduction should be 0.9 pts from chor.!
League style: one can argue that League style does not contain a freestyle element (it is called continuity).
If a penalty for an improper ending would be applied for continuity only, with a 4.5% influence, the deduction would be 0.45 pts in continuity.!
E. Disqualification
Competitors may be disqualified for any of these reasons:
1. Reporting late to either Stage-In or Competition field (see Stage-In Report, III.G.)
2. While on the Competition field, failing to begin competing within ninety seconds of being directed to do so by the Field Director (see Setup Times, III.E.)
3. Safety violations (see Safety, II.E.)
4. Out-of-bounds violations (see Safety, II.E.)
5. Unsportsmanlike conduct see Sportsmanship,below)
F. Sportsmanship
Competitors must conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner. They must not disrupt competition in any way, nor seek to influence the judges. Competitors who act in a disruptive manner may be disqualified by the Judges, Pit Boss, Field Director, Event Coordinators, or Safety Marshal.
Competitors are responsible for presenting a performance that "in total" is viewed as being in good taste and in keeping with the family-orientation of sport kiting.
G. Boundaries
Boundary lines for all practice and competition fields are there for SAFETY. Boundaries are used to keep the public out and the kites and competitors in the competition field. Contact made between a fast moving kite and a stationary person can be extremely dangerous. It is in the best interest of all concerned to utilize boundaries as insurance against the possibilities of lawsuits and personal injury.
Depending on the configuration of the flying fields there may be only one established hard boundary or disqualification (DQ line. If a kite crosses that line the competitor or team is immediately disqualified for that competition. If the kite does cross that line and injures a spectator it is already too late. It is suggested that the outermost boundary line be at least 15' from the DQ line.
In Section II.B.4., Minimum Competition Field Size, a three ring boundary line setup is suggested. This configuration establishes a buffer zone of 15' (5m) between the competition and the spectators, while retaining a flying field of 285' to the DQ boundary. In this configuration the center boundary is the hard (DQ) line. If that line is crossed the competitor or team is instructed to land their kites and move off the field (see Appendix I).
V. JUDGES CRITERIA AND SCORING
A. General
1. This section describes each Competition Event, the judging criteria established for that event, the scoring system, and weighting factors used in the computation of scores.
2. Judging Panels
a. All sanctioned competitions must have a minimum of three judges per heat (with no maximum number) and five judges for all finals (with no maximum number).
b. Event organizers are encourages to use five-judge panels when experienced judges are available. Five-judge panels should have a minimum of three experienced judges. Larger judging panels should have a minimum of no less than 50% experienced judges. Generally, if 5 or more judges are used, the high and low scores for each component will be deleted from the final score, and if 3 judges are used, all the scores will be included. However, the Chief Judge may decide that due to the mix of judging experience on the panel, all scores may be retained.
c. One a judging panel starts a Competition Event, that panel must remain constant until the entire event is completed. In the instance where a judge does not complete the competition event, all scores from that judge are dropped and all other judges' scores are counted (e.g., a 5- judge Panel will count all four remaining judges scores, and a 3-judge Panel will count both of the remaining scores).
3. Scoring Elements: In each event the scoring elements have been assigned a weighting factor expressed in terms of percentage of the total score. The maximum score possible from any one judge is 100. Each competitor's final score will be in the range of 0 to 100, calculated by simple averaging (adding the judges' scores together and dividing by the number of judges).
4. Each of the scoring components are scored in one-tenth (.1) point increments from 0 through 10.
B. Ties
When two or more competitors are tied after the scorers tabulate the final scores, the following methods will be used to break ties, in descending order:
1. If a 5-judge panel was used, the high and low scores (which were excluded from the initial tabulations) are added back in to determine the final standings.
2. If at this point a tie still exists, or if a 3-judge panel was used, the next level of tie-breaking is:
a. In Precision and Free Style events, the competitor receiving the highest technical score is the winner.
b. In Ballet, the competitor with the hgihest choreography score is the winner.
3. If a tie still exists at this point record the tie.
C. Events Information
1. Precision Events
Precision events may be run using either the standard or league-style format. Full descriptions for each are listed below. Event organizers may choose either of the two styles for any class at their competition. Competitors must be notified which format will be used at least 30 days in advance of the competition.
a. Standard Format
Standard Precision events have two components, Compulsory & Freestyle. The Compulsory component tests the competitor's skill at flying a pre-selected maneuver or figure. Competitors will be advised of the compulsory manoeuvers in advance of the meet. The Freestyle component tests the contestant's ability in the prcision flying of sport kites. the choice of manoeuvers is at the descretion of the individual pilot or team. The scoring focus is on the pilot's ability to plan and demonstrate a sense of program -- one that includes transitions from one maneuver or series of manoeuvers to the next, one that uses manoeuvers with varying degrees of difficulty, one that reflects the competitor's overall skill level, etc. Both components are flown without musical accompaniment.
Organizers decide wether the compulsory or freestyle component is flown first; however, once a competition event begins, the same format must be used for all competitors at that event.
b. League-Style Format
The purpose of League-Style Precision is twofold. First is to save time for events with a large field of competitors. League-Styel takes half the amount of time of the standard Precision event. Second, creating a new approach to the event may re-spark interest in Precision flying.
The Event Organizer assigns four compulsory figures for each class and notifies the competitors what they are when they register for the event. These figures are flown in the order in which they are presented, one after the other, with transition moves in between. This creates a mini routine with a beginning, middle an end, much like a precision freestyle. Time limit for the routine is 3 minutes. this gives the competitors more overall flying time than in the regular Precision event and cuts down the majority of judging time.
Transition moves are created by the competitor and should be designed to flow with the compulsory figures. It is the intention of league-style competition to encourage the competitor to be creative in the composition of the transition moves. Direct lines from one figure to another may be acceptable, but a well thought out transition will score higher. The more creative the routine, the higher the score.
Compulsory figures are scored as they have always been. An additional score is received for the transition moves between figures. This is called the continuity score and is equal in points to one of the compulsory figures. Four figures and a continuity score are recorded by the judges, the scores are totalled and the total is divided by 5 to acquire the final score.
2 Ballet events
Ballet events are free flight performances to musical accompaniment that must be performed within specified time limits.
a. Audio Tapes for Musical Accompaniment
1) Competitors are required to supply their own audio tapes in standard cassette format. Music with lyrics that are sexually explicit will result in the immediate termination of the routine and the disqualification of the competitor. The tapes must be cued to the start position, labelled with the competitor's nameand clearly marked as to which side to play. Tpaes that contain narratives that do not relate specifically to the music are prohibited. (Note: competitors wishing to use compact disks should check with the Event Organizer prior to the competition to determine whether a compact disk player will be available).
2) Audio tapes (or disks) are collected by the Field Director during the Pre-Flight meeting roll call. The Field Director gives the audio tapes to the Sound Engineer at the end of the roll call. Competitors who do not attend the roll call will be responsible for assuring that their music is given to the Sound Engineer.
3) Competitors may submit up to two separate pieces of music. Where multiple tapes are submitted, competitors must decide if they want to change the original tape choice to the backup choice and communicate such change through the Pit Boss, before they are next up in the Stage-In Area. (Exception: competitors may change the tape originally selected if a Wind Rule Delay [II.D.5.c] has been called. In this instance, a competitor may request that the Sound Technician use an alternate tape. However, once a Wind Rule delay has been lifted, no further substitutions can be made).
4) Tapes are to be picked up by competitors from the Sound Engineer immediately following their event.
3 Free Style Event
This competition event format includes the judging of both competitor and kite(s). they may be flown with or without musical accompaniment and may invlove numerous props and costumes and drama. Free style replaces the Innovative event. it is the latest attempt by sport kite innovators to provide more a greater focus on entertainment. The competitor has a total of 15 minutes for set-up, performance and breakdown and the actual performance is not to exceed 5 minutes. Unlike its predecessor Innovative, there are no preflight meetings to brief the judges. Competitors may have as many on-field assistants as they choose, but the assistants may not fly any kite during the routine. Judging will be conducted by a panel of 3 experienced judges plus an audience panel of 5-10 additional judges to judge the entertainment value of the routine. The Audience panel will judge the performance on clarity of expression and theme. Where the event is spread out over an extended time period, the audience panel can be comprised of Novice and Intermediate competitors.
D Event Highlights
1. Standard individual Precision Events (Dual-Line and Quad-Line):
a. No. of Compulsory Figures: 3 to 5
b. Duration/Freestyle Component: 30 seconds to 2 minutes
c. Scoring Components:
Compulsory Manoeuvers 60% of total
Freestyle Technical 30% of total
Freestyle Artistic 10% of total
d. Components Highlights:
1) Compulsory Manoeuvers
Individuals may fly the figures from either direction; entry direction should be indicated. Each element of the figure should be in correct proportion to each other element as indicated in the drawing or diagram for that figure. The compulsory figures (cumulatively) are worth 60% of the total score (e.g. if three manoeuvers are used, each maneuver is worth 20% of the total score).
2) Freestyle Technical
The elements of Technical are:
Execution Accuracy, control, timing, spacing. How well each individual identifiable maneuver was performed. Worth 1/2 of the Technical score.
Difficulty Complexity of manoeuvers, daring manoeuvers, technically demanding manoeuvers. Worth 1/2 of the technical score.
3) Freestyle Artistic
The elements of Artistic are:
Content Variety, creativety, number of different manoeuvers. Worth 1/2 of the artistic score.
Continuity Composition ("flow") of the routine from one maneuver to another. Worth 1/2 of the artistic score.
2. League-Style Individual Precision Events (Dual-Line and Quad-Line):
a. No. of Compulsory figures 4
b. Duration/Freestyle Component 30 seconds to 3 minutes
c. Scoring Components:
Compulsory Manoeuvers 80% of total
Continuity 20% of total
d. Component Highlights:
The purpose of League-Style Precision is to assist the competitor in developing a complete, creative, and entertaining routine.
1) Compulsory Manoeuvers
The compulsory manoeuvers are to be flown in the order presented and as drawn. Each element of the figure should be in correct proportion to each other element as indicated in the diagram. For all compulsory figures shown on the grid it is required that the size of the figure flown reflects the size indicated on the grid.
2) Continuity
The continuity score is for the transition moves between compulsory figures. The more creative the transitions, the higher the score. Each transition is not scored individually. the total of all transition moves are given a single score equal to the score for 1 compulsory figure. There are no restrictions on the types of moves developed for the transitions. The only restriction is in the time element, all compulsory figures must be completed before the 3 minute maximum.
Penalties for ground touches while performing the required figure is the same as in "Standard Individual Precision. "Improper Endings" (section IV.D.) also applies.
3. Team Precision Events (Dual-Line and Quad-Line):
a. No. of Compulsory Figures: 2 to 3
b. Duration/Freestyle Component: 2 to 5 minutes
c. Scoring Components:
Compulsory Manoeuvers 30% of total
Freestyle Technical 45% of total
Freestyle Artistic 25% of total
d. Components Highlights:
1) Compulsory Manoeuvers
Teams may fly the figures from either direction; entry direction should be indicated. Each element of the figure should be in correct proportion to each other element as indicated in the drawing or diagram for that figure. Each team member's kite must be in correct orientation to each other team member's kite (i.e. proper spacing and relationship) The compulsory figures (cumulatively) are worth 30% of the total score (e.g. if two manoeuvers are used, each maneuver is worth 15% of the total score).
2) Freestyle Technical
The elements of Technical are:
Execution Accuracy, control, timing, spacing. How well each individual identifiable maneuver was performed. Worth 1/2 of the Technical score.
Difficulty Complexity of manoeuvers, daring manoeuvers, technically demanding manoeuvers. Worth 1/2 of the technical score.
3) Freestyle Artistic
The elements of Artistic are:
Content Variety, creativety, number of different manoeuvers. Worth 3/4 of the artistic score.
Continuity Composition ("flow") of the routine from one maneuver to another. Worth 1/4 of the artistic score.
Special Note: The number of competitors on a team, in and of itself, does not indicate a higher score. Teams are viewed and judged as a single entity.
4. Ballet Events (Dual-Line and Quad-Line)
a. Scoring Components:
Execution 40% of total
Choreography 60% of total
b. Time Duration: Minimum of 2 minutes
Maximum of 4 minutes (Individual)
Maximum of 5 minutes (Pairs/Team)
c. Component Highlights:
1) Choreography The composition or flow of the routine. How well transitions from one program element to the next are made. How well the routine interprets the music, its tempo and mood. the effectiveness of the music in the development of a kite routine. The creativety and imagination demonstrated in the use of selected kite movements or actions.
2) Execution How well the competitor controls the kite throughout the routine (control) and how well kite actions are set to the music (timing).
For Pairs/teams, how well the kites are spaced throughout the entire routine (consistency) and how well each identifiable movement or action was performed (accuracy)
Special Note: For Team ballet, the number of competitors on a team, in and of itself, does not indicate a higher score. Teams and Pairs are viewed and judged as a single entity.
5. Free Style Event
a. Scoring Components: Elements 30%
Style 30%
Performance 20%
Audience 20%
b. Time Duration Minimum of 3 minutes
Maximum of 5 minutes (performance part only)
c. Components Highlights
1) Program Elements The competitor is allowed to use music and assorted props to create a cohesive thematic routine. When judging program elements, consideration is given to performance. The effectiveness of each element is judged according to how it contributes to the whole routine. When music is used it may convey a storyline, or set an appropriate background for the performance. When music is used succesfully so that it will add to the score under Program Elements. In all cases, elements of the program will be determined by how they lend to the value of a performance, by supporting as theme.
2) Style Style is defined as the way a performance is presented. It is made up of the components of choreography, execution, and cohesiveness. Style is the interpretation of the theme: how the competitor interacts with the program elements, how the elements are put together, the control the flier displays, and the relationship to theme are the components of judging. Style molds the elements into a program.
3) Performance Performance is the "total visual impact" of the routine. The clarity, the statement, the theme and how they are expressed is what is judged here. This element measures the entertainment value of a routine. Overall impact is considered, since the routine is judged on the whole. What does the spectator see and feel? The emotional impact, the crative expression, the performance. This cumulative result of combining the style components with the program element.
d. Audience Criteria
1) Entertainment The audience panel scores the performance for excitement, taking into consideration how interesting and captivating a performance is.
Scoring ranges from Excellent to Poor
2) Theme The panel grades a routine on whether or not the routine has a recognizable theme. A performance might convey a message, or demonstrate a new style of flying, or be held together by centering around one idea.
Scoring ranges from Excellent to Poor
3) Clarity The panel evaluates how well the them is conveyed and whether the flier has expressed the ideas with clarity, within the routine.
Scoring ranges from Excellent to Poor