March 1, 2000

I. Competition Guidelines

Membership Requirements to enter an ASA event

1. Membership

   All competitors who compete in an ASA sanctioned event must be registered members of the ASA. The membership year is from January 1^st to December 31^st.

2. Membership Fees

Entry Requirements

1. All event entry forms shall contain notification to entrants that ASA membership is compulsory and dues must be paid prior the event, or they will be disallowed entry into the event.
2. Entry forms require the following information for inclusion in the official ASA result and ranking list:

Classification of Competitions*

Tier I	Tier II
Pro Sanctioned Events	Pro/Am Sanctioned Events
ASA World Championships	Select International Qualifier Events
AA Pro Tour Events	ASA European Am Circ Regionals
X Games	European Amateur Finals
Gravity Games	North American Am Circuit
Special Invitational Events	North American Am Finals

*All above events shall be organized with ASA rules. The ASA shall supervise these competitions.

ASA Disciplines and Divisions

Disciplines*

1. Main: Half pipe (vert), Street course (street)
2. Optional :

   Vert	Street	Other
   Best Trick	Best Trick	Mini Ramp
   High Air	High/Long Jump	Bowl
   Doubles	Doubles
   Triples	Skater Cross

Divisions*

1. Pro
2. Expert
3. Open
4. Shorty Rock (12 and under)

*The above disciplines and divisions are recognized by the ASA for both men and women.

Official Results

The official results must be e-mailed and faxed, by the event organizer, within twenty-four hours of the completion of every ASA sanctioned competition to the ASA headquarters. This report must contain the following information:

1. A detailed after action report.
2. The complete results, including each judge’s score sheets for each discipline, and the official result sheets signed by the head judge.
3. Complete registration and membership information and reconciliation

Organization and Conduct

1. Each event sanctioned by the ASA must be organized and conducted according to the ASA rules.
2. Only the ASA management board may solicit proposals and applications from skate parks for organizing official ASA competitions.
3. The ASA shall control and/or supervise all ASA competitions specified on the ASA event calendar.

Insurance and Liability

1. The host site must list the ASA as an additional insured on the event liability insurance policy.
2. Competitors must complete the ASA release and waiver of liability on the entry form prior to being permitted to participate at any ASA competition. For ASA events in North America, competitors under 18 years of age must have the appropriate release and waiver notarized and signed by a parent or guardian.

Application of the ASA Rules

*ASA reserves the right to make modifications or changes to the rules if conditions or situations develop prior to or during a competition.

II. ASA Pro Tour

Eligibility

• Any current, paid Pro member of the ASA is eligible to skate on the ASA Pro Tour.
• These athletes earned Pro status either by qualifying through the ASA Amateur Circuit (since 1996) or by being 'grand fathered' in (up to 1995).
• If a skater does not compete in any ASA pro event for two consecutive seasons they will be deemed inactive and will have to petition the ASA to compete on the tour.

Standard of Skating

• All skaters who compete on the ASA Pro tour in both the men’s and women’s divisions are expected to perform at a high level. Skaters who fail to remain competitive will be put on probationary status and may lose their right to compete on the ASA Pro Circuit.
  • Men: If a competitor receives an average score of 40 or less (out of 100) at a competition* then they will be put on probation and have to apply to the ASA competition committee in order to compete at future events
  • Women: If a competitor receives an average score of 25 or less (out of 100) at a competition* then they will be put on probation and have to apply to the ASA competition committee in order to compete at future events

*As it is common for even the best skaters to have inconsistent days and/or not finish runs, this decision will be made at the onsite judges’ discretion. The judges will vote and a simple majority will determine the decision

• If the judges find that a skater needs to improve before competing in future events the head judge will notify the skater in writing and inform them of their probationary status.
  • Probation: If a skater on probation wants to register for further events they will be placed on a waiting list. Their eligibility, however, will not be determined until the practice onsite at the next ASA event preceding the preliminary round. If at that time the judges still feel that the skating is not up to the minimum standard then the skater on probation will not be permitted to compete. They will not be charged registration fees unless they get to compete.
  • Prize Money: Any skater that does not make the minimum required score will not be eligible to earn prize money regardless of their placing in the competition.

Competitors' Obligations

Each skater who competes in an ASA event must:

• Be a current Pro member of the ASA
• Sign the rulebook agreement* before being allowed to compete
• Comply with special instructions from authorized officials
• Execute the appropriate liability release and waiver form
• Abide by the code of conduct
• Follow all safety requirements

*Agreement is attached to rulebook and must be returned to the ASA Competition Director.

Registration

• At 2000 Pro Tour events, there is a cap of forty (40) men plus five (5) women per discipline at each stand alone stop and thirty two (32) men plus five (5) women per discipline at each multi-sport stop.
• All competitors must pre-register up to three weeks before each event to secure a spot.
• Teams and individuals will not be allowed to cancel reservation for a refund after one week prior to the event. This excludes injury with verification from a team manager.
• Spots are held for the top thirty-five (35) ranked skaters plus five rookies until two weeks prior to each event*
• If any of these skaters decline their spot then each lower ranked skater will have the opportunity to register (starting with the 36^th skater).
• After the two-week cut off preceding each event all additional spots will go to athletes on a first-come first-served basis.
• Registration closes exactly two hours prior to the event prelims unless otherwise specified by the Competition Director on site.
• An athlete who arrives after registration is closed may not be allowed to participate in the competition. Only the competition director has the authority to overrule this decision.
• A Skater is not registered until they have paid in full and may lose his or her pre-registered spot to a skater who has paid their membership dues and registration fees.

* At multi-sport events these numbers will be smaller

Advertising on Equipment and Apparel

• Sponsorship: competitors are permitted to enter into independent sponsorship agreements.
• Commercial markings: the size, form, colors, and quantity of sponsorship markings on equipment or apparel is at the discretion of the competitor* All markings must be in good taste and not of an offensive nature.

*Only at nationally televised events the Competition Director can disapprove commercial markings that may be in conflict with an event sponsor. A compromise or solution may be worked out.

Personal Responsibility and Safety

• All Competitors are responsible for their medical condition upon entering an ASA event.
• Approved helmet and knee pads or gaskets are required in order to enter the competition area.
• In order to comply with insurance guidelines, a helmet must be worn and properly buckled at the same time skates are worn.

Code of Conduct

• All Pros are required to comply with certain conduct guidelines while on the event premises or while representing the tour in any public appearances or event functions.
• Behavior deemed as unacceptable includes, but is not limited to the items below. Depending on the severity of the violation athletes may be disqualified or suspended from one or more events for the following:
  • Lewd Language or Behavior
  • Violence
  • Abuse of event officials
  • Interfering with another competitor’s run
  • Not complying with pad requirements
  • Possession or Consumption Illegal or Controlled Substance*
  • Destruction of Property
  • Indulging in acts of indecent exposure while on or off camera
  • Using television apparatus for any part of their run without prior approval by the ASA Competition Director.
  • Possession of concealed weapons

*Any athlete who is found using illegal substances on-site will be disqualified immediately from competition and suspended from any future competition for a period of time to be designated by the competition committee.

Disqualification

• In the case of minor infractions, the Competition Director and Head Judge shall speak personally with the skater breaking the rules.

If this violation is repeated they may issue a written warning. The competitor must sign this warning recognizing that if they violate the rules again they will be disqualified. If they refuse to sign the form, they will be immediately disqualified

The three-strike policy

If any competitor is disqualified three times during the year, he/she will not be allowed to participate in the ASA Professional Circuit for the rest of the season. If any competitor is disqualified three times and the season is more than 80% over they will be suspended for the first three events of the following season as well as the remainder of that season.

Interference

• All competitors must clear the competition area during a skater’s run. Only the next three skaters in the running order may drop in to warm up their legs during the time between runs. Once the MC has announced that the course must be cleared all skaters must immediately clear the course.
  • If a competitor skates on the course once another skater has been counted into his/her run they will be interfering with that run an are subject to disqualification.

ASA athlete petitions

ASA athletes have the right to petition the ASA directly for disqualification, a perceived judging bias, or any other relevant reason. They MUST PETITION on the day of the incident.

In order to petition, competitors must do the following:

• Inform the competition director of their desire to petition
• Fill out the petition form
• Return the form to the Competition Director or mail it directly to the ASA

When a petition comes in to the ASA office it will be reviewed very carefully. After collecting all necessary information the competition committee will make a ruling, and return a written response to the petitioner. The majority decision of the competition committee shall be binding - and a simple majority will determine the decision.

Competition Format

Heat Line Up is determined as follows:

• Preliminary Round: is determined by ranking in descending order*
• Final Round: skaters will be seeded from tenth place to first place with the first place skater competing last.

*If a skater misses their first run in the first round of competition, then the skater will not be allowed to compete. The Competition Director may make exceptions for fair and reasonable reasons .

Competition Flow

• Preliminaries: will consist of two runs, the two scores from the preliminary round will be averaged. Based on these averages, the top ten competitors will advance to the finals.
• Finals: will consist of two runs, the better run will determine an athlete's final ranking for the competition.
• Run Length: for Pro Street competitors, each preliminary and final run will last sixty-five (65) seconds. For Pro Vert competitors, each preliminary and final run will last fifty (50) seconds.
• Injury: the heat order may be altered to accommodate an athlete who is injured only if the Competition Director determines that it is valid and fair to make such an accommodation.
• Technical Problems: If a competitor experiences technical problems with hardware or skates, he/she must inform the judges immediately. The competitor will be provided with ninety (90) seconds for repair. After 90 seconds the clock will resume timing the run.

Points and rankings

Overall points for men

Points are calculated over a 52-week period, factoring only the points earned at up to the top eight (8) events of the period. Once a skater has been to more than eight (8) events, the lowest point totals he has earned at events are dropped (e.g., if skater X competed in ten (10) events, his two lowest point totals of any event over the last 52-week period are eliminated). There are a total of 12 events on the ASA Pro Tour in 2000 - 11 regular season events and the World Championships. The top 34 ranked men for street and the top 28 for vert at the end of the regular season, plus two wildcards in each discipline, qualify for the World Championships.

Overall points for women

The same calculation is made as for men, except only the points earned at up to the top five (5) events of the period are factored. The top 6 ranked women, for street and vert at the end of the regular season qualify for the World Championships.

Pro Women's Policy

In 2000 the women will be competing at the same time as the men. While they will be mixed in the heats with men, they will not be competing against the men and results, rankings and prize money will remain separate.

Tour Champion (Number One in Overall Points)

After the World Championships, the skaters (male and female) who have accumulated the most points in vert and street over the last 52-weeks are ranked number one in Overall points and thus earn the title "Tour Champion for Vert" and "Tour Champion for Street".

How the 52-Week Period Works

After the first Pro Tour Stop in Lake Havasu March 24-26, 2000 the 52-week period for men and women will include points earned starting from Louisville’99 through and including Lake Havasu 2000. After the third ASA Pro Tour stop in Rome the Louisville '99 event will have dropped off the 52-week schedule and the points earned from Richmond '99 through Rome '00 are counted. After the 2000 World Championships are done, the 1999 Finals drop off and all of skaters’ points come from events held in 2000. Skaters do not earn ranking points at invitational events including the X-Games, Gravity Games, YOZ Games, World Team Challenge, MTV Sports and Music Festival, and Asian X-Games.

The Difference Between World Champion and Tour Champion

After the Finals the ASA crowns World Champions and ASA Tour Champions. There are Tour and World Champions for both vert and street, as well as for both Men and Women (8 titles in all). Here is the difference:

The ASA Tour Champions are the four skaters who have the most overall points in each discipline (Men’s Street, Men’s Vert, Women’s Street, Women’s Vert) when all the points accumulated during the 2000 season (including those earned at the 2000 Finals) are considered. The tour champions are then the #1 ranked in the sport.

The World Champions are the four skaters who come in first place in each discipline at the Finals competition (Men’s Street, Men’s Vert, Women’s Street, and Women’s Vert).

How a Skater Earn Points and Wins Prize Money

• Men: Each skater takes two 65-second preliminary runs for street or two 50-second runs for vert. Based on the average score from those two runs, the top ten skaters advance to the final round where they skate two more 65-second or 50-second runs. Each skater’s best score of their two final runs is used to rank the finalists 1-10. Those who did not advance to the final round keep their rank from the preliminary round (11th place on).
• Women: Each skater takes two 65-second runs for street or two 50-second runs for vert. Because the women's fields are so small there will not be a preliminary round and therefore will be calculated based on the finals format (best of two runs). However, any woman that scores high enough to make the top ten in the men's division, based on the average of the two runs, will advance to the men's final round. When competing in the men's final round the female skater will earn both the women's prize money and the men's allocation for their place.

Each male skater in a field earns points depending on his finish. Points are earned as follows:

1st place	320 points + 1 for each male skater beat in the entire field
2nd place	310 points + 1 for each male skater beat
3rd place	300 points + 1 for each male skater beat, etc.
33rd place	0 points + 1 for each male skater beat

Women’s points are calculated as follows:

1st place	100 points + 1 for each female skater beat in the entire field
2nd place	90 points + 1 for each female skater beat
3rd place	80 points + 1 for each female skater beat, etc.

Points at the World Championships are double what are usually given at each regular season event. (e.g., First place in a field of 30 men skaters that would get 320 + 29 points at a regular season event gets 640 + 29 points at the Finals; First place in a field of 10 women skaters that would get 100 + 9 points at a regular season event gets 200 + 9 points at the Finals).

Judging

Four judges score the skaters on a 100 point scale in the following categories:

0-25 pts Style

0-25 pts Difficulty

0-25 pts Consistency

0-25 pts Line (creativity)

A head judge oversees the judges and overall scores

If a skater has a run with no falls he/she will be scored full points for consistency. However, if a skater does not try anything difficult in order to score high in consistency he/she will score low in difficulty. All categories balance each other out to avoid loopholes in the judging system.

Definitions:

Style - skaters’ personal touch usually based on smoothness, finesse, and defined body positioning, adding personality to every move.

Difficulty - how technical, BIG, gutsy, and/or fast each trick is.

Consistency - showing control in every maneuver.

Line - skaters’ ability to creatively use the entire course or ramp to highlight and link different types of tricks.

Attendance at official ceremonies

• Attendance: It is highly recommended that competitors attend the official ceremonies at the times specified on the event schedule. Skaters should be aware that the Award Ceremonies will take place within 30 minutes of the end of the Finals. Competitors are not required to attend award ceremonies which are not held at their scheduled times unless they have been notified at an athletes meeting to address such changes.
• Media: All top three placing finishers should be readily available to the media.

Competitors’ Guests / Friends and Family

• At select ASA events competitors may invite guests to attend and receive special seating. As there are only a limited number of seats available athletes must follow the following policies:
  • Each competitor may only invite up to two guests*
  • Each competitor must pre-register their guests with the ASA office at least two weeks prior to each event
• The "friends and family" passes are good only in select areas on-site. Guests will not be allowed in the Skaters’ Lounges.

*If more than two guests are requested they will be put on a waiting list determined on a first-come first-served basis. If there is room at the event the ASA will accommodate these additions.

Credentials

• Competitors will receive one credential at each event. This credential is to gain access to restricted areas. This is non-transferable.
• If a competitor loses their credential they must purchase another for $10 in order to regain access to the courses and skater areas.
• If a competitor’s credential is damaged they may exchange it for a new one on-site
• Any competitor found giving their credential away during the competition weekend for use by another person will be immediately disqualified from the competition