General Rules for Competitors
Eastern Surfing Association - 1999

1 . Entries will be mailed to you in your newsletter or separately. Return them by mail, along with the required entry fee for your district. Entries will also be available at area surf shops along with new member applications.

If you find that you cannot be at a contest after you have entered, you will need to withdraw before the start of the contest in order to have your entry transferred to the next contest. If you miss your heat you will not be assigned an alternate slot and your money will be forfeited. Anytime that a contest is postponed by the director due to weather or wave conditions, your entry and money are automatically transferred to the next date.

2. All contestants are required to check in one heat prior to their designated heat. Surfers are expected to be at the water's edge in their jersey by the five minute warning. Check the posting board for the number of your heat and the color of your jersey. If a contestant fails to check in by the five minute warning in the preliminary rounds, he could be replaced by a paid alternate. It is the surfer's responsibility to find out when he or she surfs, and to be on time for the heat.

3. All heats start from the beach. First heat in the morning will start with a green flag and one blast of the horn. All other heats will start with the lowering of the yellow flag and the raising of the green flag with one blast of the horn. The five minute warning will be two blasts of the horn, and a yellow flag. Yellow and green flags are the only two flags used as long as the heats are proceeding normally. A red flag, or the green and yellow flags together will be used only to stop a heat in progress or to hold up the next heat.

4. All preliminary, quarter-final and semi-final heats will be 15 minutes with the best three waves scored. Each surfer may only ride 10 or fewer waves in these heats. The finals will be 20 minutes and scored with the best 4 waves. Each surfer has a 12 wave maximum in these heats. A surfer who exceeds these wave maximums will have penalty points deducted by the tabulators from his final score.

5. The judging criteria shall be: "The surfer who executes the most radical maneuvers generating power and speed in a functional and stylish manner in the most critical sections of the biggest and/or best wave for the longest functional distance will receive the highest score." The individual judge's score in the instance should be consistent with one another. If a judge is consistently inconsistent, he/she will be replaced.

6. In case of a missed wave in scoring by the judge, it is a missed wave. It the judge is aware that he has missed a wave, he will put an "m" in that square.

7. Five judges are used to score each heat. Judges will be rotated as often as possible to insure freshness. The scoring will be based on a 1-10 point system. An excellent ride shall score between 9-10 points, a good ride shall score between 7-8 points, an average ride shall score between 5-6 points, and a poor ride shall score between 1-2 points.

8. Contestants may check that results of their heats for errors up to 30 minutes after those results are made public. If an error in tabulation is found, do not remove the score sheet from the posting area! Notify the contest director in order to get the error corrected. If you should have a protest about your heat, it must be filed within 30 minutes of the heat in writing to the contest director.

9. Interference Rule and Flag Violation: It is the intent of this rule to encourage all competitors to strive toward a situation where there is only one competitor in a wave's shoulder. Competitors are hereby alerted to the severity of the penalty and the strictness with which the ruling shall be enforced,

A. A competitor may gain wave possession in one of the following ways:

1 . By catching a wave. Completing a maneuver (turn in their chosen direction) before the face of the wave reached another competitor.

2, If two or more competitors are paddling in the face of a wave in the same shoulder, possession is gained by being closer to the curl, catching the wave and completing a maneuver.

3. Two surfers may go in opposite directions on the same peak, providing they don't cross paths or hinder one another.

4. If two competitors at opposite ends of the contest area catch the same wave and ride toward each other, both gain wave possession. If they eventually meet, the surfer who was first up on his/her respective peak shall have the right of way.

B. A competitor may be called for interference for any of the following reasons:

1. For catching the same wave in the same shoulder as the competitor who gains wave possession in Paragraph A1 above.

2. For occupying any part of the wave that could simultaneously or eventually be reached by any possible maneuver of the competitor who gains wave possession as per A-2 above. For breaking the wave down on the competitor with wave possession or for infringing in the possible length of the ride of the competitor with wave possession.

3. In the case of A-3 and A-4 above, both competitors may be called for double interference if no right of way has been established. If one competitor is clearly the aggressor in forcing the collision, only he/she will be called for the interference.

4. The head judge, along with the other 5 judges, may rule an interference on any competitor who:

a. blatantly paddles for a wave in a manner so as to intimidate or hassle a competitor who is clearly in position to gain wave possession

b. grabs a leash or touches any part of another competitor or his/her equipment in a manner which impairs his/her ability to surf.

c. paddles out in such a manner so as to interfere with the ride of a competitor with wave possession, whether intentional or not.

d. is assisted with his board in any manner. Board caddying is not allowed. This includes losing your board and having someone retrieve it for you for the specific reason of helping you in your heat. Saving a board from damage is allowed as long as a board is not paddled, handed or carried to the competitor.

C. Interference Penalties: If three of the five judges scoring (or four of six judges, when a Head Judge is used) rule an interference, the tabulators shall give the offending surfer a score of zero for that interfering ride on each judges score sheet and that score will count as one of the rides tabulated for the total score of the offending surfer.

D. When the heat has ended, all contestants must return to the beach in a prone position, Standing up (or making a making a maneuver on a bodyboard) after the flag change will result in a loss of 2.5 points from the offending surfers score.

10. Any contestant not presently surfing in his/her heat who is observed in the contest zone, regardless of their status in the contest, will be disqualified without warning. If this person has already surfed this contest, he/she will not be allowed to surf the next contest. No points in either case.

11. Points System: Points will be issued for each contest, to District members in good standing, based on the current ESA points system, *1A divisions must acquire 1,000 points to move to 2A, and 2,000 points to move to X Members may belong to more than one district (with paid memberships dues), and accrue points in each district.

12. Trophies are awarded on a 1-6, or 1 -3 if division size warrants, basis with a division trophy being awarded to the surfer with the most points in his/her division at the end of the contest season.

13. Boards: In age divisions, boards will not exceed 2' longer than the competitors height, except Legends, which will have no limit as to equipment used. "Long" boards must be a 9' minimum; in Jr., Master, Sr. & Womens longboard divisions. Boys Longboard division will be 3' over your head. Kneeboards must be no longer than 6 ft. Bodyboards must be SOFT and not exceed 5 ft. Check with you director regarding leash regulations in your area. Most areas require them.

14~ Only surfers with points in 3A divisions, who have competed in at least 50% of their events, are eligible at the end of the contest season to progress to the Regionals and the Grand Finals. Region slots are awarded to districts based on overall district membership and membership within the competitive divisions in the district.

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