XDL Cup Judging

XDL National Championship Announces XDL Cup Judging for 2017

Milwaukee, WI, Mar 22.- As the competition season gets closer XDL has published their XDL Cup judging for all pro competitions. XDL Cup athletes will follow these scoring rules for the 2017 season as XDL and SBFC team up with MotoAmerica for four rounds with the Suzuki ECSTAR Challenge at Road Atlanta, GA, the Championship at Sonoma, CA, the Championship of Pittsburgh, PA and the Honda Championship of Alabama.

“We are extremely excited to announce the judging criteria for the XDL Cup for the 2017 Season. XDL has been receiving a lot of feedback from riders about the judging and we are looking forward to continue the progression of Pro Street Freestyle,” States XDL Director of Competition Chris “Tice” Theis. “The international spot light is shining bright on XDL and the SBFC so we want to make sure that we are laying the ground work for not only the world’s top competitions but also making sure we are helping the sport of Street Freestyle and it’s athletes to succeed.”

Professional Athletes competing in the XDL Cup will be scored according to the Judging Criteria set forth by XDL and it’s Athlete Judging committee.

Full rules package and competition format information to be announced in upcoming days.

See Judging Criteria below from XDL 2017 Rule Book.

4.3 XDL Cup Judging

1. Judging Categories

Judging categories for 2017 are:

• Difficulty, 40 Points: In this category we are looking at technical innovation in the riding style, as well as the amount of risk and skill an athlete is putting into a performance.
• Execution, 10 Points: In this category we are looking at how an athlete performs a trick and if there are any errors in a run.
• Overall, 30 points: In this category we are looking at the entertainment value of the run.
• Flow, 10 Points: In this category we are looking at how well tricks are linked, as well as the overall layout of the run.
• Aggression, 10 Points: In this category we are looking at how far an athlete pushes himself to the limit in terms of speed, smoke, etc.

The bottom line is that we want to encourage innovation, skill and risk-taking in the sport and we want to satisfy an audience, whether that is on TV, at an event, a fan or a fellow competitor or judge. But we also want to respect the effort and dedication athletes put into developing and practicing tricks.

Accountability & Preparation

This year we will make an extra effort to provide clear guidelines on how judging criteria will be applied so athletes have a better understanding of how to build a winning run. We will also try to provide as much information as possible after a run to help athletes understand why they were scored a certain way and how they can improve.

Step one in this process is that all judges will be at every rider’s meeting. At all rounds each judge will explain which category they are judging and how they will be interpreting the criteria, and present specific examples. Step two in this process will be that we will improve our record keeping so that we will be able to make judging transcripts available to athletes after a run.

The highest possible score in a single run is 100.

1. Difficulty 40 Points

Scoring: Difficulty will be judged in four categories:

• Wheelies
• Stoppies
• Acrobatics
• Burnouts

Each category will be worth 10 points for a total of 40 points.

Judging Criteria: The Difficulty judge will apply his vast experience in making accurate and consistent interpretations of all four categories. Prior to each competition the Difficulty judge will explain his interpretation of the judging criteria at the rider’s meetings.

Process: The judge will use the Difficulty Scoring Sheet to record notes for the four categories.

Those notes will allow the judge to determine the final score.

Accountability: The challenge with Difficulty is setting a baseline for which tricks have what degree of difficulty. Given the high number of variations in any given trick that can make the same trick more or less difficult, we will use a gradual approach to setting written guidelines. That means that over the course of the season we will be recording the interpretations of the judge as much as possible so that in the off-season we have the ability to assemble a written document that provides more of a structure.

1. Execution 10 points

Scoring: The baseline score for Execution is 10 points. Deductions are made as follows:

• 0.5 for Technical Flaw
• 1 for a Drop
• 2 for a Crash

Judging Criteria: Execution should judge how well a given trick is performed so we will apply two primary criteria:

• As much as possible, judging needs to be based on every trick in a run
• Deductions will be grouped into three categories: Technical Flaw, Drop and Crash

A Technical Flaw will be the most common deduction because it is so easy not to be perfect in the execution of a trick. There can be any number of Technical Flaws. Some examples are a not fully extended limb during a given trick, a bobble of the bike etc. The interpretation and application of Technical Flaws will be explained by the Execution Judge in the rider’s meetings and recorded over the course of the season so we can start 2018 with a set of written guidelines.

A Drop is defined as any instance where both wheels are not touching the ground, while another part of the bike is, but the rider is still actively operating the bike in some form. E.g., he is still holding the handlebars and using the controls while the bike is lying on the ground.

A Crash is defined as any instance where a rider has lost control of his motorcycle and is not actively operating it. For all intents and purposes this will mean that the rider is separated from the motorcycle.

Process: The judge will use the Execution Scoring Sheet to record notes for the three categories.

Those notes will allow the judge to determine the final score.

Accountability: The rider’s meetings will be used as opportunities for the judge to discuss his interpretation with the athletes. We will also make copies of the Execution Scoring Sheet available if requested.

1. Overall 30 points

Judging Criteria: As stated earlier, the objective is to measure the entertainment value of a run. The term “entertainment value” is subjective so the judge will be looking at:

Innovation

• Did you incorporate any new tricks?

Interaction

• Do you play to the audience?
• Do you play to the judges?

Impact

• How did the run make the judge feel at the end?

Process: The Overall judge will have an Overall Scoring Sheet. He is free to take notes during a run but will rely primarily on the impression at the completion of a run.

Accountability: The rider’s meetings will be used as opportunities for the judge to discuss his interpretation with the athletes. This category will require the most dialog between the judge and the competitors. As the season progresses we will attempt to record the interpretations of the in an effort to be able to provide a written guideline in 2018.

1. Flow 10 points

Judging Criteria: The judge will be looking at the flow and finesse of the run and among other things consider:

• How fast is the run?
• How smooth are the transitions?
• How smooth are you on the bike?

Process: The judge will use a Flow Scoring Sheet in which he will record each instance of Flow and award a point every time it occurs. At the end of the run he will add up the number of points to generate the Flow score.

Accountability: The rider’s meetings will be used as opportunities for the judge to discuss his interpretation with the athletes. As the season progresses we will attempt to record the interpretations of the in an effort to be able to provide a written guideline in 2018.

1. Aggression 10 points

Judging Criteria: The judge will be looking at the amplitude and aggression of the run and among other things consider:

• How big do you go on your acrobatics?
• How much smoke is in your drifts and burnouts?
• How low do you drag your hand?
• How hard are you on the gas?
• How fast does the athlete ride? Pushing the limits of his or her motorcycle?

Process: The judge will use an Aggression Scoring Sheet in which he will record each instance of Aggression and award a point every time it occurs. At the end of the run he will add up the number of points to generate the Aggression score.

Accountability: The rider’s meetings will be used as opportunities for the judge to discuss his interpretation with the athletes. As the season progresses we will attempt to record the interpretations of the in an effort to be able to provide a written guideline in 2018.

About XDL National Championship

The XDL National Championship is the world’s premiere Street Bike Freestyle Championship Series. Since its conception in 2005, XDL has set the bar for motorcycle entertainment and has provided entertainment for fans of all demographics. The XDL National Championship brings the best riders from around the world for an explosive action packed event. For more information about the XDL National Championship please visit www.XDLshow.com and on Social Media at @XDLshow.